MARKETING RESEARCH

Marketing Research



Marketing Research

Introduction

Part of being human is having the capability to absorb information. In order understand of ourselves, the world around us, and others in it, we acquire knowledge. There are many ways to acquire knowledge. For instance, we are taught new information from those in authority, such as teachers and parents. Others learn through personal experience. People can also discover new information by using reasoning and logic. Of course, information learned through those means doesn't necessarily mean that the new data is valid, which is why scientists conduct research to validate knowledge. The methods used by scientists to learn new information are verifiable because the conclusions made can be tested by others. This leads to a higher rate of validity for the new knowledge acquired. There is a wide range of methods used to conduct research; however, the two dominant research designs are termed quantitative and qualitative research.

As their root word suggests, quantitative research methods are precise and focuses on analysis of “quantity”, while qualitative research focuses on “quality” or depth. Qualitative deals with words, picture, or objects; while quantitative operates with numbers and statistics. Quantitative research methods are impersonal and concerned with empirical research designed for statistical analysis. On the other hand, qualitative research methods are more informal, enabling researchers to really get to know their subjects on a more personal level. Essentially, qualitative and quantitative are polar opposites in research methodology.

Discussion

Quantitative research is based on numbers. The data that is collected has numerical values or based on numerical measurements in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, frequency or statistics, such as test scores, ratings, or percentages. Also, analyzing the data, through mathematical means, results in numerical figures in a statistical report, such as correlations, relative frequencies, differences between means, and statistical significance of findings. Additionally, because of its numerical nature, the “quantity” of data is very important. The larger the sample size is (picked randomly), the more accurate and generalizable the results of the investigation will be, which then can be applied to other populations.

Quantitative research is also rigid. Using the standard scientific method with a confirmatory, top-down approach for studies, and the researcher will use deductive reasoning to form a narrowly focused hypothesis. Structured, validated instruments are used for gathering data, such as surveys, inventories, and computers in order to get precise measurements. Experiments are then performed that test specific isolated variables in a controlled environment.

The purpose of quantitative research is to evaluate relationships between independent variables (IV) and dependent variables (DV). Because of its numerical nature, the hypothesis for quantitative research usually consists of a prediction for a cause and effect association between variables. When testing the hypothesis, the participants of an experiment are picked randomly, control groups are used whenever possible, and the characteristics of the researcher and subjects remain unidentified to each other. These procedures help to eliminate any extraneous variables that may present itself in the study, in order to be certain that results of the study truly represent the relationship ...