Chapter Eleven

Sampling:
Design and Procedures
 11-2

Chapter Outline
1) Overview
2) Sample or Census
3) The Sampling Design Process
i. Define the Target Population
ii. Determine the Sampling Frame
iii. Select a Sampling Technique
iv. Determine the Sample Size
v. Execute the Sampling Process
 11-3

Chapter Outline
4) A Classification of Sampling Techniques
i. Nonprobability Sampling Techniques
a. Convenience Sampling
b. Judgmental Sampling
c. Quota Sampling
d. Snowball Sampling
ii. Probability Sampling Techniques
a. Simple Random Sampling
b. Systematic Sampling
c. Stratified Sampling
d. Cluster Sampling
e. Other Probability Sampling Techniques
 11-4

Chapter Outline
5. Choosing Nonprobability versus Probability
Sampling
6. Uses of Nonprobability versus Probability
Sampling
7. International Marketing Research
8. Ethics in Marketing Research
9. Internet and Computer Applications
10. Focus On Burke
11. Summary
12. Key Terms and Concepts
 11-5

Sample vs. Census

Table 11.1

Conditions Favoring the Use of

Type of Study Sample Census

1. Budget Small Large

2. Time available Short Long

3. Population size Large Small

4. Variance in the characteristic Small Large

5. Cost of sampling errors Low High

6. Cost of nonsampling errors High Low

7. Nature of measurement Destructive Nondestructive

8. Attention to individual cases Yes No

 11-6

The Sampling Design Process

Fig. 11.1

Define the
Population
Determine the Sampling
Frame
Select Sampling Technique(s)

Determine the Sample Size

Execute the Sampling Process

 11-7

Define the Target Population

The target population is the collection of elements
or objects that possess the information sought by
the researcher and about which inferences are to
be made. The target population should be defined
in terms of elements, sampling units, extent, and
time.

 An element is the object about which or from

which the information is desired, e.g., the
respondent.
 A sampling unit is an element, or a unit
containing the element, that is available for
selection at some stage of the sampling process.
 Extent refers to the geographical boundaries.
 Time is the time period under consideration.
 11-8

Define the Target Population

Important qualitative factors in determining
the sample size

 the importance of the decision

 the nature of the research
 the number of variables
 the nature of the analysis
 sample sizes used in similar studies
 incidence rates
 completion rates
 resource constraints
 Sample Sizes Used in Marketing
11-9

Research Studies
Table 11.2

Type of Study Minimum Size Typical Range

Problem identification research 500 1,000-2,500

(e.g. market potential)
Problem-solving research (e.g. 200 300-500
pricing)

Product tests 200 300-500

Test marketing studies 200 300-500

TV, radio, or print advertising (per 150 200-300

commercial or ad tested)
Test-market audits 10 stores 10-20 stores

Focus groups 2 groups 4-12 groups

 Classification of Sampling 11-10

Techniques
Fig. 11.2

Sampling
Techniques

Nonprobability Probability
Sampling Sampling
Techniques Techniques

Convenience Judgmental Quota Snowball

Sampling Sampling Sampling Sampling

Simple Systematic Stratified Cluster Other Sampling

Random Sampling Sampling Sampling Techniques
Sampling
 11-11

Convenience Sampling
Convenience sampling attempts to obtain a
sample of convenient elements. Often,
respondents are selected because they happen
to be in the right place at the right time.


use of students, and members of social
organizations

mall intercept interviews without qualifying
the respondents

department stores using charge account lists

“people on the street” interviews
 11-12

Judgmental Sampling
Judgmental sampling is a form of
convenience sampling in which the population
elements are selected based on the judgment
of the researcher.

 test markets
 purchase engineers selected in industrial
marketing research
 bellwether precincts selected in voting
behavior research
 expert witnesses used in court
 11-13

Quota Sampling
Quota sampling may be viewed as two-stage restricted
judgmental sampling.
 The first stage consists of developing control categories, or

quotas, of population elements.

 In the second stage, sample elements are selected based on

convenience or judgment.

Population Sample
composition composition
Control
Characteristic Percentage Percentage Number
Sex
Male 48 48 480
Female 52 52 520
____ ____ ____
100 100 1000
 11-14

Snowball Sampling
In snowball sampling, an initial group of
respondents is selected, usually at random.

 After being interviewed, these respondents

are asked to identify others who belong to
the target population of interest.
 Subsequent respondents are selected based
on the referrals.
 11-15

Simple Random Sampling

 Each element in the population has a known
and equal probability of selection.
 Each possible sample of a given size (n) has a
known and equal probability of being the
sample actually selected.
 This implies that every element is selected
independently of every other element.
 11-16

Systematic Sampling
 The sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point
and then picking every ith element in succession from the
sampling frame.
 The sampling interval, i, is determined by dividing the
population size N by the sample size n and rounding to
the nearest integer.
 When the ordering of the elements is related to the
characteristic of interest, systematic sampling increases
the representativeness of the sample.
 If the ordering of the elements produces a cyclical
pattern, systematic sampling may decrease the
representativeness of the sample.
For example, there are 100,000 elements in the
population and a sample of 1,000 is desired. In this case
the sampling interval, i, is 100. A random number
between 1 and 100 is selected. If, for example, this
number is 23, the sample consists of elements 23, 123,
223, 323, 423, 523, and so on.
 11-17

Stratified Sampling
 A two-step process in which the population is
partitioned into subpopulations, or strata.
 The strata should be mutually exclusive and
collectively exhaustive in that every
population element should be assigned to one
and only one stratum and no population
elements should be omitted.
 Next, elements are selected from each
stratum by a random procedure, usually SRS.
 A major objective of stratified sampling is to
increase precision without increasing cost.
 11-18

Stratified Sampling
 The elements within a stratum should be as
homogeneous as possible, but the elements in different
strata should be as heterogeneous as possible.
 The stratification variables should also be closely related
to the characteristic of interest.
 Finally, the variables should decrease the cost of the
stratification process by being easy to measure and
apply.
 In proportionate stratified sampling, the size of the
sample drawn from each stratum is proportionate to the
relative size of that stratum in the total population.
 In disproportionate stratified sampling, the size of the
sample from each stratum is proportionate to the
relative size of that stratum and to the standard
deviation of the distribution of the characteristic of
interest among all the elements in that stratum.
 11-19

Cluster Sampling
 The target population is first divided into mutually exclusive
and collectively exhaustive subpopulations, or clusters.
 Then a random sample of clusters is selected, based on a
probability sampling technique such as SRS.
 For each selected cluster, either all the elements are
included in the sample (one-stage) or a sample of elements
is drawn probabilistically (two-stage).
 Elements within a cluster should be as heterogeneous as
possible, but clusters themselves should be as
homogeneous as possible. Ideally, each cluster should be a
small-scale representation of the population.
 In probability proportionate to size sampling, the
clusters are sampled with probability proportional to size.
In the second stage, the probability of selecting a sampling
unit in a selected cluster varies inversely with the size of
the cluster.
 11-20

Types of Cluster Sampling

Fig. 11.3 Cluster Sampling

One-Stage Two-Stage Multistage

Sampling Sampling Sampling

Simple Cluster Probability

Sampling Proportionate
to Size Sampling
Strengths and Weaknesses of
11-21

Basic Sampling Techniques

Table 11.3
Technique Strengths Weaknesses
Nonprobability Sampling Least expensive, least Selection bias, sample not
Convenience sampling time-consuming, most representative, not recommended for
convenient descriptive or causal research
Judgmental sampling Low cost, convenient, Does not allow generalization,
not time-consuming subjective
Quota sampling Sample can be controlled Selection bias, no assurance of
for certain characteristics representativeness
Snowball sampling Can estimate rare Time-consuming
characteristics

Probability sampling Easily understood, Difficult to construct sampling

Simple random sampling results projectable frame, expensive, lower precision,
(SRS) no assurance of representativeness.
Systematic sampling Can increase Can decrease representativeness
representativeness,
easier to implement than
SRS, sampling frame not
necessary
Stratified sampling Include all important Difficult to select relevant
subpopulations, stratification variables, not feasible to
precision stratify on many variables, expensive
Cluster sampling Easy to implement, cost Imprecise, difficult to compute and
effective interpret results
 Choosing Nonprobability vs.
11-22

Probability Sampling
Table 11.4 cont.
Conditions Favoring the Use of
Factors Nonprobability Probability
sampling sampling

Nature of research Exploratory Conclusive

Relative magnitude of sampling Nonsampling Sampling

and nonsampling errors errors are errors are
larger larger

Variability in the population Homogeneous Heterogeneous

(low) (high)

Statistical considerations Unfavorable Favorable

Operational considerations Favorable Unfavorable