Exploratory Research Is Unstructured, Informal Research That Is Undertaken To Gain Background
Exploratory Research Is Unstructured, Informal Research That Is Undertaken To Gain Background
Its focus is on the discovery of ideas and insights to collect statistically accurate
data.
Qualitative
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Descriptive research is undertaken to describe answers to questions of who, what, where,
when, and how. When we wish to know who our customers are, what brands they buy and in
what quantities, where they buy the brands, when they shop, and how they found out about our
products, we turn to descriptive research. Descriptive research is also desirable when we wish
to project a study’s findings to a larger population. If a descriptive study’s sample is representative,
the findings may be used to predict some variable of interest such as sales.
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Causal research is used to measure causality in relationships, such as “if x, then y.” Causality
is a condition in which one or more variables affect one or more other variables. When conducting
causal research, “if–then” statements become our way of manipulating variables of
interest. For example, if the thermostat is lowered, then the air will get cooler. If I drive
my automobile at lower speeds, then my gasoline mileage will increase. If I spend more on
advertising, then sales will rise. Marketing managers are always trying to determine what will
cause a change in consumer satisfaction, a gain in market share, an increase in website visits,
or an increase in sales.
To understand which variables are the cause and which variables are the
effect.
Qualitative research uses non-measurable sources of data and relies mostly on observation techniques
to gain insights. We can collect data, information by interviewing individuals, or observation, written
records.
Quantitative research means we collect data in a numerical format, we evaluate and understand this
data through statistical analysis. We can collect data in interviews, surveys, and case
studies/document review.
Generally, quantitative data tells us what respondents’ choices are and qualitative tells us why they
made those choices.