3. Fsychodrama. In the psychodramatic type of question, the respondent is asked to
project himself into an artificial marketing situation. The obvious artificiality of
the situation makes the psychodrama a "role-playing" experiment in which the
re:.;pondent provides information based on his p ersonal attitudes through his expla-
nation of the artificial situation.
Perhaps the greatest deficiency of projective techniques is the difficulty of present-
ing the findings. The identification of attitudes, motives, opinions, and :;0 forth is not dif-
ficlllt; however, it is extremely hard to measure the importance of these
Selecting the Sample
In most marketing research, it is
n e c e s s a r y to con-
duct a complete census; i.e. , to talk to 100% of the target segment. To do s o
time-con-
smning and expensive. For this reason most marketing st:rveys make use of smaples. A sample
is a group of elements (persons, stores, financial reports) chosen from among a "total pop-
ulation" or " universe." The value of a research project is directly affected by how well the sample has been conceived and constructed. s
The selection of the sample to be investigated requires a mas ter list, or a framework,
from which they may be selected. The sampling frame is the "population" or statistical "universe" from which the sample units will be selected. The frame for a survey of attitudes of credit customers of a department store would be the company's list of customers using charge
accounts.
Although there are many kinds of sample designs, all of them can be classified as
either probability samples or nonprobability samples. In a probability sa:nple, each unit has a known chance of being selected for inclusion in the sample.
simplest version is the
simple random sample, in which each unit in the sample frame has exactly ' he same chance of selection. Examples of this ii1clude flipping a fair coin, whose sides have a 50% chance
of turning
and throwing an unloaded die, whose sides have a 162/3% chance of turn-
ing up. This same plinciple can be applied to the previous depar:ment
example. A
sample of names could be selected from the company's list of charge customers according
to a random process, such as that of using a table of random digits.
in
probability sample the sampling units have a known chance of being selected,
in a nonprobability sampie the sampling units are selected arbitrarily. To return to our department store example, instead of using a table of random numbers to select a sample of charge
customers, an arbitrary and more convenient method would
to take the first fifty or sixty
names on the list.
Anticipating the ResultslMaking th e Report
The research plan should provide
for: (1) procedures for processing the data; (2) procedures for interpretation and analysis
of the
and (3) an outline of the final report. In reaching these decisions, it is usu-
ally
to work from the form and content of the final report. The report should pres-
ent a summary of findings and recommendations for management action drawn up in the
light of the reasons for the research.
of facts to be presented and the manner of
their presentation dictates the type of analysis to be undertaken. The kinds of analysis will ,
in turn, often suggest the method of data processing. Data processing in general refers to the procedures for sorting, assembling, and reporting data. It can be done manually by the
use of work sheets or by computer programming. The method of data processing has impor-
tan t bearing upon
manner in which
data are collected and reported. Thus, the design
of the project is often expedited by a thorough consideration of the kinds of results that are
expected and how they will be handled in the fin
report.
Anticipating the results of the
and preparing a "dummy" final report has another
advantage. It is often helpful
the results of this step in the research design to demon-
THE VALUE OF MARKETING RESEARCH
67
strate to management the kind of project that is going to be undertaken. Agreement by the
management group that the kinds of information anticipated will assist in the solving of a
marketing problem is helpful in obtaining approval for the project and in restraining man-
agement expectations as to the scope and purpose of the project.
CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH
The attention devoted in the previous paragraphs to the design of the research plan might
leave the impression that once a marketing research project has
carefully designed,
the job is almost done . Clearly, this is not the case. The implementation of a research plan
is seldom an easy task. Often a research program requires extra effort from already-bu sy
personnel in the company. In
cases,
must be recruited, hired, and trained.
In either situation, carrying
a marketing researcn plan is difficult and requires very close
supervision and control. To the extent that the plan has been well conceived, supervision
and control are restricted to making sure that
research
called for in the plan
are carried out according to schedule and in the
prescribed.
PROCESSING THE DATA
Processing the data obtained in a market survey involves
the information
obtained into a report to be used by management. Four steps are involved: (1) editing the
data; (2) tabulating the data; (3) interpreting tile data; and (4) presenting the report. If, in the anticipation of the results of the survey, the procedures for handling the data have been sent forth and the form of the final report conceived . these final four steps in the research
procedure may be quite mechanical. A good plan for the analysis and interpretation of the
data is of immense assistance in bringing a project to a successful conclusion, but it should
never limit the kinds of interpretations that eventually are made or restrict the content of
the final report.
The final report of a marketing research stUdy should ordinarily be written. Since vast
amounts of data often are involved, the written report is the only appropriate method of
presenting these findings . The written
also has the advantage of being permanent,
thus permitting management to study the findings carefully and to refer to them in the futu re.
Unfortunately, many marketing research projects are never translated into management
action-sometimes because the research conclusions do not directly contribute to the solu-
tion of the problem, sometimes because the
too technical and difficult to under-
stand, and sometimes because the report writer has not offered specific suggestions as to
how the report should be translated into management strategy.
THE VALUE OF MARKETING RESEARCH
It is important to point out that
not always necessary to conduct research before attempt-
ing to solve a
in marketing management. The manager may feel that he already
knows enough to make a good decision. In a few instances, there may be no choice among
alternatives and hence no decision to make. It is rather pointless to study a problem if there
is only one possible solutions. But in
business situations, the manager must make a
choice among two or more courses of action. This is where fact-finding enters in to help
make the choice.
68