174 The Marketing Book
systematic; it must include a definition of the
objectives of the research, sampling plans,
decisions as to what type(s) of survey method
to use, possible systems of experimentation,
and ways in which the data are to be analysed.
The project must always exhibit a valid link
between the information that is sought and the
possible alternative courses of action under
consideration.
Performance-monitoring research
This is a response to an environmental altera-
tion, an opportunity to grasp or a threat to be
avoided, which, once implemented, cannot be
implemented and then merely ignored; the
results of that implementation must be avail-
able to management. Monitoring research is the
way in which comparisons can be made
between what was planned and what actually
happened. Not only should marketing mix
variables and the salient variables of the envi-
ronment be subjected to careful evaluation, but
also such measures as sales, market share,
profit and ROI.
Quantitative and qualitative research
methods
These are not mutually exclusive but com-
plementary research methods, each having
advantages and disadvantages, which may be
used to reduce the negative aspects of one
system by the use of the other. The choice(s) of
what system, or combination of systems,
should be moderated by the specific factors
which are found in each research problem and
by the project’s research objectives. Many
research exercises are made up of elements
from qualitative and quantitative research
schools.
Carsonet al. (2001) note that: ‘The focus of
many managerial research problems is on the
unfolding of the process rather than the struc-
ture; and qualitative methods are particularly
suitable as they combine the rational with the
intuitive’. Flick (1998) says that qualitative
research is increasingly used because:rapid social change and the resulting diversifi-
cation of life worlds are increasingly confront-
ing social researchers with new social contexts
and perspectives. These are so new for them
that their traditional deductive methodologies –
deriving research questions and hypotheses
from theoretical models and testing them
against empirical evidence – are failing in the
differentiation of objects. Thus research is
increasingly forced to make use of inductive
strategies.A comparison of the two methods is shown in
Table 8.1.The process of marketing research
The sequence of steps for marketing research is
shown below:1 Set the objectives of the research
programme.
2 Define the research problem.
3 Assess the value of the research.
4 Construct the research proposal.
5 Specify the data collection method(s).
6 Specify the technique(s) of measurement.
7 Select the sample.
8 Data collection.
9 Analysis of the results.
10 Presentation of the final report.Proctor (1997) says:A systematic approach to problem definition
can help to direct marketing research staff in
their efforts to obtain relevant information. It is
also informative to all those people in the
organization who will be affected by the find-
ings and recommendations. Problem definition
must take into account the situation of the
company and its ability to take sound action.