Self Check 2.1

This module discusses the practicalities of collecting data.
First, we discuss how to work with

secondary data. Before collecting primary data, market researchers should always consider
secondary data, which are often available and do not depend on respondents’ willingness to
participate. Although secondary data have already been collected, you usually need to spend
considerable effort preparing them for analysis, which we discuss first. If you find that the required
secondary data are unavailable, outdated, or very costly, you may have to collect primary data.
Secondary Data
Secondary data are data that have already been gathered, often for a different research
purpose and some time ago. Secondary data comprise internal secondary data, external secondary
data, or a mix of both.
 Internal secondary data- are data that companies compiled for various reporting and
analysis purposes. Much of these data have been collected and stored because “you can’t
manage what you don’t measure.
 External secondary data- have been compiled outside a company for a variety of purposes.
Conducting Secondary Data Research

 Search engines (such as Google or Bing) provide easy access to many sources of the
secondary data we have just discussed. Furthermore, many (specialist) databases also
provide access to secondary data.
 Assess Inclusion of Key Variables- Measurement is the first element to assess. It consists of
a set of criteria. You should first check whether the desired variables are included in the
source. The key variables in which you are interested, or could use, should obviously be part
of the data.
 Assess Construct Validity- After checking that the desired variables are included in the
source, the construct validity should be assessed Validity relates to whether variables
measure what they should measure. Construct validity is a general term relating to how a
variable is defined conceptually and its suggested (empirical) measure.
 Conducting Primary Data Research- Primary data are gathered for a specific research project
or task. There are two ways of gathering primary data. You can observe consumers’ behavior,
for example, by means of observational studies, or test markets. Alternatively, you can ask
consumers directly by means of surveys, in-depth interviews, predictive techniques, or focus
groups.
Basic Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is mostly used to gain an understanding of why certain things happen. It
can be used in an exploratory context by defining problems in more detail, or by developing
hypotheses to be tested in subsequent research. Qualitative research also allows researchers to learn
about consumers’ perspectives and vocabulary, especially if they are not familiar with the context
(e.g., the industry). As such, qualitative research offers importance guidance when little is known
about consumers’ attitudes and perceptions or the market
The two key forms of directly observed qualitative data are:

 In-depth interviews- are qualitative conversations with participants on a specific topic. These
participants are often consumers, but, in a market research study, they may also be the
decision-makers, who are interviewed to gain an understanding of their clients’ needs.
 Projective techniques- describe a special type of testing procedure, usually used as part of
in-depth interviews. These techniques provide the participants with a stimulus and then gauge
their responses. Although participants in projective techniques know that they are
participating in a market research study, they may not be aware of the research’s specific
purpose.
 Focus Groups- Focus groups are interviews conducted with a number of respondents at the
same time and led by a moderator. This moderator leads the interview, structures it, and often
plays a central role in transcribing the interview later. Focus groups are usually semi or highly
structured.
Collecting Primary Data Through Experimental Research

The goal of experiments is to avoid unintended influences through the use of randomization.
Experiments are typically conducted by manipulating one variable, or a few, at a time. For example,
Page | 1
we can change the price of a product, the type of product, or the package size to determine whether
these changes affect important outcomes such as attitudes, satisfaction, or intentions.
Principles of Experimental Research

Experiments deliberately impose one or more treatments and then observe the outcome of a specific
treatment (Mitchell and Jolley 2013). This way, experiments attempt to isolate how one change affects
an outcome. The outcome(s) is (are) the dependent variable(s) and the independent variable(s) (also
referred to as factors) are used to explain the outcomes. To examine the influence of the independent
variable(s) on the dependent variable(s), the participants are subjected to treatments. These are
supposed to manipulate the participants by putting them in different situations. A simple form of
treatment could be an advertisement with and without humor. In this case, the humor is the
independent variable, which can take two levels (i.e., with or without humor). If we manipulate, for
example, the price between low, medium, and high, we have three levels. When selecting
independent variables, we normally include those that marketers care about and which are related to
the marketing and design of the products and services. To assure that the participants do indeed
perceive differences, manipulation checks are conducted. For example, if two different messages with
and without humor are used as stimuli, we could ask the respondents which of the two is more
humorous. Such manipulation
SELF CHECK 2.1
GETTING DATA
ESSAY:
1. What are the different reasons for choosing interviews rather than focus groups? What choice
would you make if you want to understand CEOs’ perceptions of the economy, and what
would seem appropriate when you want to understand how consumers feel about a newly
introduced TV program?
2. Imagine you are asked to understand what consumer characteristics make these consumer
likely to buy a Toyota Vios 1.5 G CVT https://toyota.com.ph/vios. How would you collect the
data? Would you start with secondary data, or would you start collecting primary data
directly? Do you think it is appropriate to collect qualitative data? If so at what stage of the
process should you do so?
Page | 2

Self Check 2.1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Self Check 2.1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Self Check 2.1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

This module discusses the practicalities of collecting data.

First, we discuss how to work with

Conducting Secondary Data Research

Basic Qualitative Research

The two key forms of directly observed qualitative data are:

Collecting Primary Data Through Experimental Research

Principles of Experimental Research

SELF CHECK 2.1

You might also like