Chapter # 3

Research Methodology

Introduction
Marketing research means the systematic gathering, recording, analysing of data about
problems relating to the marketing of goods and services All of research can be categorized
into basic and applied.
1. Basic Research: Basic Research is that intended to expand the body of knowledge for the
use of others.
2. Applied Research: Applied Research is one, which is carried out to find the solution for a
particular problem or for guiding a specific decision. It is usually private in nature.
Sample size means limited numbers of respondents covered under the research study from a
population and the researcher has taken a survey of 100 respondents to know the satisfaction
level of dealers.
Marketing strategy is very important for the prospective of wealth maximization, sales
maximization, profit maximization and increase the, goodwill of organization and compete
with the other companies.
The user-base has no geographical boundaries; a companys ability to penetrate new markets
and improve product awareness would be the key to maintaining market share. The future
prospects, thus, depend on the marketing and distribution strategy plays a crucial role in
future prospects. But besides information about the target market you also need information
about your competitor, your customers, products etc.

Research Objective
The purpose of collecting the attached primary data has been to determine the capability of
the company to streamline its communications with its sole/multi-brand dealers and its
customers. Its ability to do so has been reflected in the congruence or lack of it in the
response gathered from each of the above mentioned parties and the company. Similarly, we
also intend to analyse the rapport and perception that the customer has formed with
sole/mutli-brand dealers.

Scope
The scope of research methodology is wider than that of research methods. Thus, when we
talk of research methodology we not only talk of the research methods but also consider the
logic behind the methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are
using a particular method or technique and why we are not using others so that research
results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others. Why a
research study has been undertaken, how the research problem has been defined, in what way
and why the hypothesis has been formulated, what data have been collected and what
particular method has been adopted, why particular technique of analyzing data has been used
and a host of similar other questions are usually answered when we talk of research
methodology concerning a research problem or study.

Methodology
There are many ways to get information. The most common research methods are: literature
searches, talking with people, focus groups, personal interviews, telephone surveys, mail
surveys, email surveys, and internet surveys.
A literature search involves reviewing all readily available materials. These materials can
include internal company information, relevant trade publications, newspapers, magazines,
annual reports, company literature, on-line data bases, and any other published materials. It is
a very inexpensive method of gathering information, although it often does not yield timely
information. Literature searches over the web are the fastest, while library literature searches
can take between one and eight weeks.
Talking with people is a good way to get information during the initial stages of a research
project. It can be used to gather information that is not publicly available, or that is too new to
be found in the literature. Examples might include meetings with prospects, customers,
suppliers, and other types of business conversations at trade shows, seminars, and association
meetings. Although often valuable, the information has questionable validity because it is
highly subjective and might not be representative of the population.
A focus group is used as a preliminary research technique to explore peoples ideas and
attitudes. It is often used to test new approaches (such as products or advertising), and to
discover customer concerns. A group of 6 to 20 people meet in a conference-room-like setting

with a trained moderator. The room usually contains a one-way mirror for viewing, including
audio and video capabilities. The moderator leads the group's discussion and keeps the focus
on the areas you want to explore. Focus groups can be conducted within a couple of weeks
and cost between two and three thousand dollars. Their disadvantage is that the sample is
small and may not be representative of the population in general.
Personal interviews are a way to get in-depth and comprehensive information. They involve
one person interviewing another person for personal or detailed information. Personal
interviews are very expensive because of the one-to-one nature of the interview ($50+ per
interview). Typically, an interviewer will ask questions from a written questionnaire and
record the answers verbatim. Sometimes, the questionnaire is simply a list of topics that the
research wants to discuss with an industry expert. Personal interviews (because of their
expense) are generally used only when subjects are not likely to respond to other survey
methods.
Telephone surveys are the fastest method of gathering information from a relatively large
sample (100-400 respondents). The interviewer follows a prepared script that is essentially
the same as a written questionnaire. However, unlike a mail survey, the telephone survey
allows the opportunity for some opinion probing. Telephone surveys generally last less than
ten minutes. Typical costs are between four and six thousand dollars, and they can be
completed in two to four weeks.
Mail surveys are a cost effective method of gathering information. They are ideal for large
sample sizes, or when the sample comes from a wide geographic area. They cost a little less
than telephone interviews, however, they take over twice as long to complete (eight to twelve
weeks). Because there is no interviewer, there is no possibility of interviewer bias. The main
disadvantage is the inability to probe respondents for more detailed information.
Email and internet surveys are relatively new and little is known about the effect of sampling
bias in internet surveys. While it is clearly the most cost effective and fastest method of
distributing a survey, the demographic profile of the internet user does not represent the
general population, although this is changing. Before doing an email or internet survey,
carefully consider the effect that this bias might have on the results.

Limitations
1. Since regions from where researcher has to collect the data was prespecified so some of the
regions which were not stated were left out.
2. Some of the dealers were hesitant in providing the information due to lack of trust and
familiarity with the researcher.
3. In some shops the real owners was not there so information may not be perfectively up to
the point.