Marketing Research Notes Chapter7

Students, before we start our topic for the day, I would like to give you a brief recap from our last class. We had centered our discussion on the various steps involved in a research process. These were identified as:

• Problem Definition:It stated that before we actually initiate

the investigation, we should be clear about the problem we are facing. • Research Design:As I had also highlighted in the last class,

this provides the blueprint of investigation. It gives you a broad idea about how to proceed further in getting information regarding the relevant variables from the units under consideration • Data Collection:Once your design is developed you, as a

researcher, would be required to start collecting information from the units under study. However, bear in mind that none of the variables should be over or under stated. • Data Analysis:Your next step would be to process the data.

Here, you would try to investigate how various units respond to the variable or characteristics under study. Uni-variate

•

Bi-variate

•

Multi-variate

We will start our lesson today with a brief classification of the various types of reports Categories of Reports Can any of you think of various forms a report might take? No! Never mind. Let me explain it you. Broadly, any report would fall into one of the following three major categories: 1. Information Oriented 3. Research Oriented As these names suggest, it is the substance and focus of the content that determines the category. However, a report that you make may contain characteristics of more than just one category

Interpretation Literally speaking, interpretation is the ‘so what’ of a research process. If you carry out a research or an investigation which is not used in influencing any action anywhere, then it is a sheer waste of time and resources. Therefore, your research results must be consistent with the decisions that you have to make. This is not the end of your task. It is equally important that you should be able to communicate these findings and recommendations in an understandable and concise manner to the decision makers. Your report should clearly highlight that the recommendation or suggestion is justified. From this we derive the essence of our discussion today-

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Further, if you were a researcher, you would put out your initial findings in a research report, paper or monograph, which would later be condensed into an article or expanded into a series of articles or a book When you join the corporate world tomorrow, you would realize that report writing there forms the basis for decision-making. Such reports would be expected to be brief but comprehensive and clearly reflect your thinking as the manager, the management committee, or the consulting group that has been given the terms of reference for fact finding or decision making.

2. Decision Oriented

Such data analysis that you may carry out could be: •

‘Writing the Research Report’ Being asked to write a report can fill people with horror! However, writing reports correctly is an essential skill that you will need not only today as a student, but also even tomorrow as a budding manager. I am sure you would agree, when I say that report writing is common to both academic and managerial situations. In academics, you would be required to prepare reports to facilitate comprehensive and application oriented learning. Such reports of yours would be called term papers, project reports, theses and dissertations depending upon the nature of the report, the time and effort expected out of you as a student and your curriculum design.

Information Reports They are the first step to understanding the existing situation (for instance-business, economic, technological, labour market or research scenario) or what has been discussed or decided (minutes of a meeting). They, you should remember, form the foundation of subsequent decision reports and research reports. In describing any person, object, situation or concept, the following seven questions will help you to convey a comprehensive picture

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Subject / Object

Action

Reason

Who? Or Whom?

What? When? Where? How?

Why?

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LESSON 7: WRITING THE RESEARCH

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Therefore, you can check the comprehensiveness of an information or descriptive report by iteratively asking: Who Does What to Whom?

in implementation. However, all this while, you should not lose track of the main objective of what the situation should be. • Your next job is to present the evaluation. Make sure

When, Where, How and WHY?

that it is structured by criteria or options depending upon which structure is easy to understand.

Decision Reports

As you would well be able to make out from the name itself, decision reports adopt the problem solving approach. Such reports that you make have to follow the below mentioned steps: •

Identifying the problem:Problem is the beginning and the end of decision-making. If you start with a wrong problem, a wrong hypothesis or a wrong assumption, you will only end up solving a non-existing problem or might even create a new problem. Therefore you should carefully define the problem, keeping in mind each of the following elements

• Making a Decision:Your recommendations would, but naturally,

flow out of the evaluation of the options, provided that your thinking process so far has been logical. Make sure that the decision is an adequate response to the problem • Drawing up an Action Plan:Action steps and their

• What is the situation, and what should it be? • What are the symptoms and what are the causes? • What is the central issue and what are the subordinate

issues?

consequences should be visualized to avoid your being caught unaware. Be clear of WHO does WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and HOW for even the best analysis can go waste if attention is not paid to the action plan

• What are the decision areas – short medium and long term? •

Constructing the Criteria:In order to achieve your end objective of bringing the existing situation to what it should be, you would require yardsticks to evaluate options. Criteria link the ‘problem definition’ with ‘option generation and evaluation’. In constructing the criteria, your knowledge of SWOT analysis could be very useful.

• Working out a contingency plan:Managers thrive on

• Generating and Evaluating the Options: In generating options

it is your creativity that stands to test. • Sometimes the options may be obvious, but you

should look beyond the obvious. • Once a set of options has been generated, you should

optimism in getting things done. Yet, if something can go wrong, it is likely to go wrong. You should therefore be ready with parachutes to bail you out. Your contingency plan must emerge from the action plan you have already prepared. There is need to think of how to achieve the second best objective if the first one is not feasible. • Conclusion: A good decision report should not only be

structured sequentially but also reflect comprehensively your iterative thinking process as the decision maker.

short-list them and rank them by priority or their probability of meeting your end objectives. • As the decision maker, you should then evaluate the

same against the criteria and the possible implications 38

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We can split the writing process into stages Getting Gettingin inthe theMood Mood

Writing Writingthe theFirst FirstDraft Draft

Revising, Revising,Revising, Revising,Revising Revising

Finishing Finishing

Research Reports As you would all know, research reports contribute to the growth of subject literature. They pave the way for new information, significant hypotheses and innovative and rigorous methods of research and measurement. Students, while preparing them, you should broadly follow the following pattern:

Your proposal should provide information on the following items: • Descriptive title of your study

• Undertake a Literature Survey to find gaps in knowledge

• Your name as the author and your background

• Next, you should clearly identify the nature and scope of

• Nature of your Study

study, hypothesis to be tested, and significance and utility of the study • Methodology for collecting data, conducting the experiment,

and analyzing the data is what should follow. • Then, lay out the description and analysis of the experiment

and data

•

Problem to be examined

•

Need for the study

• •

Background information available Scope of study

•

To whom will it be useful

• Try to identify your findings after that

• Hypothesis, if any, to be tested

• Come to a conclusion

• Data

• Draw up your recommendations

•

Sources

• Plug in suggestions for further research

•

Collection procedure

• End your survey with back-up evidence and data

Methodology for analysis • Equipment and facilities required •

Steps of Report Writing

• Schedule-target dates for completing

Preparing the Draft

Preparation of reports is time consuming and expensive. Therefore, you, while writing your report should ensure that they are very sharply focused in purpose, content and readership. To control the final outcome of your product – whether it is a research report, committee/consulting/administrative report or a student report – I advise that you precede it with a proposal/draft and its acceptance or modification and periodic interim reports and their acceptance or modification by your sponsor.

•

Library research

•

Primary research

•

Data analysis

•

Outline of the report

•

First draft

Final draft • Likely product or tentative outline •

• Bibliography

Reviewing the Draft To err is human. Therefore after you have prepared your draft report, it should be thoroughly reviewed and edited before the final report is submitted. Let us now try to make a checklist that will help you in reviewing the draft • Your purpose as the author? • Reader’s profile? • Content? • Language and tone? • Length?

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• Appearance?

• Take out redundancies

Author’s Purpose The lack of clarity and explicitness in the communication process leads to two major problems

• Use active voice

• Confusion in determining the mix of content, language and

tone • Misinterpretation of the message Therefore try to use a simple, easy to read style and presentation that will help your reader to understand the content easily. Reader’s Profile Readership may consist of one or more person(s) / group(s). You would therefore need to check whether all of them have the same wavelength. If not, common interest areas will need to be segregated from the special interest areas. Then you will need to decide on the types and parts of the report that can satisfy the various reader groups. The major discriminating features of the readers profile are culture, religion, ideologies, age, education and economic background Content Please pay attention to the content’s focus, its organization, and accuracy of facts and logic of arguments. • You should clarify the focus right in the first few paragraphs

• Use shorter and direct verbs

You have done quite a good job of this. Can you also give me some examples for the above? Hey! That’s nice. You’ve covered most of the tips. I’ll just add a few more to complete the list. • Eliminate weighty expressions • Make concrete adjectives • Use abbreviations which are more familiar than their

expanded form Appearance Looks Matter! Don’t you all agree with this? This therefore also holds true for your report. The novelty of presentation is as important as the originality of ideas. Both are products of creativity. Presentation attracts readers and content holds their attention. Hence pay complete attention to both the product and its packaging. Style is the way you communicate the content to the audience

to attract the reader’s attention and hold it. • If any material is added or deleted in the text, recheck the

focus to see whether you need to make any changes in the foundation

[Peterson, 1987]

Illustration

• Keep in mind that you may loose credibility if you fail to

check for the accuracy of the facts, for a reader can easily test internal consistency of the report by comparing information across pages and sections

Structure style

• Not all the data that is required to make the report may be

available. Sometimes you may need to make assumptions to fill the gaps • What is good in one situation may not hold for another. Therefore please list and arrange the elements and the actors of a situation to understand its dynamics Language and Tone Since the purpose of communication is to make the reader understand the message, use vocabulary and sentence structure which the reader understands. Abstract phrases are difficult to comprehend while concrete phrases are easy to understand. Finally, the tone of the language also matters. It can make the reader receive, ignore or reject the message. Length This is a matter that needs to be judged by you as the author keeping in mind the purpose, subject and the reader’s interest. Usually, shorter the content, the more attractive it is to the reader. However it should not be so brief as to miss the essential points and linkages in the flow of arguments and force the reader to ask for more information. Let us now try to work on a few tips to save words. Can you Think of any? • Cut out repetitions, unless they are needed to sharpen the

message 40

words wordswords wordswordswords wordswordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords

Language

Proof Reading If you or another person proofreading your report is good, he should have the accuracy to pin point all the mistakes, clarity in giving instructions to the printer and speed for meeting the printer’s deadline. • Make sure that you indicate correction marks at two places • Within the line where the correction is to be carried out • In the margin against the corresponding line giving the

instruction • Please, never give instructions at the place of correction • You should mark the proof preferably with a red ball point • To catch as many errors as possible read it over and over

again • One last point. Always remember that proofs are meant to

be corrected not edited Final Printing Phew! At last your job is almost over. Once you have thoroughly proof read your report, you should: • Return it to the printer according to the agreed schedule

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• Upon printing, your final document is ready for reference

Format of a Report: No matter which category your report falls into, when you make one, make sure that it contains each of the following parts • A cover and title page • Introductory Pages •

Foreword

•

Preface

•

Acknowledgement

•

Table of Contents

•

List of tables and illustrations Summary

• •

Headings

•

Quotations

•

Footnotes

•

Exhibits

• Preface:It has to be written by you to indicate how the

subject was chosen, its importance and need and the focus of the book’s/research paper’s content, purpose and audience. Your name will appear at the end of the preface on the right side. On the left would be your address, place of writing and date, which you should put in italics.

Appendices Bibliography

• Acknowledgement:As a courtesy, you should give due credit

• Glossary (if required) We will now discuss each of these at length • Cover and the title page

I am sure you would all know what details this page needs to contain. However, let’s try to list them down again • Title of the subject or project • Presented to whom • On what date • For what purpose • Written by whom

If there is any restriction on the circulation of the report that you have made, you should indicate it on the top right corner of the cover and title page Sample For official use only Working capital requirements Of Xyz private limited Presented to Managing director Xyz private limited On November 26, 2003 By Ms. ABC And Ms. DEF

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introduction is the first thing that you will come across. While writing such pages for your report, number them in lower case Roman Numerals (i, ii, iii…). Use Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3…) from the first page of the introduction, Make sure that your introductory pages contain: introductory pages. It would be written by someone other than you, usually an authority on the subject or the sponsor of the research or the book. At the end of the foreword, your name as the writer would appear on the right side. On the left come address, place of writing and date, which are put in italics.

• Reference Section •

• Introductory Pages:Every time you open any book

• Foreword:This is not numbered but counted among the

• Text

•

Rai Business School New Delhi Campus ………………………………………………………………………………………………

to anyone else whose efforts were instrumental in your writing the report. Such recognition will form the acknowledgement. If it is short, I suggest that you treat it as a part of the preface, if not you may put it in a separate section. At the end of the acknowledgement obviously only your name would appear on the right side and in italics. • Table of Contents:The content sheet of your report would

act as both a summary and a guide to the various segments of your report. You should ensure that it covers all the essential parts of the book/report and yet is brief enough to be clear and attractive. It should list out the sections/ chapters/main heads and give their corresponding page numbers along with. Have a look at the sample that I have prepared below for better understanding Foreword Preface Acknowledgement SECTION A 1. Chapter Title A. Center Head i. Center Side Head SECTION B SECTION C Summary and Conclusions APPENDICES a. Questionnaire b. Interview BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY

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v. vii ix 1 3 10 17 25 30 32 37 39 45 51 55

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• Also return the manuscript along with

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• List of Tables and Illustrations:After your table of contents,

you should give a list that mentions the details and page numbers of the various tables and illustrations that you may have used to support your report. Each list should start on a separate page. You should number the tables and illustrations continuously in a serial order throughout the book/report. Usually keep them in Arabic Numerals or Decimal Form

important enough to be included in the text. Again, the footnote would be of use to you for this. Please ensure that explanatory footnotes are put at the bottom of the page and are linked to the text with a footnote number. But you must incorporate source references within the text and supplement them with a bibliographical note at the end of the chapter or book or report.

the initial pages is usually of great help to a busy reader. The summary should highlight the following essential information:

Footnotes would help the reader to check the accuracy of the interpretation of the source by going to the source if they want to. They are also a form of your acknowledgement of the indebtedness to the source. They help the reader distinguish between your contribution as the author of the report and the work of others.

• What is the study about?

• Exhibits:Writing just theory about any subject matter would

• What is the extent and limitation of the coverage?

• What research methodology has been used?

never be sufficient. You will need to supplement it with exhibits for better and faster understanding by the reader. I am sure you would all agree that such pictorial representations also help in ensuring longer retention period. They may take the form of either a table or an illustration.

• What are the findings and conclusions?

• Table:Before you introduce a table make sure that it is

• Summary:The executive summary that you would write in

• What is the significance and need for the study? • What is the kind of data used?

• What are the incidental findings, if any? • How can the conclusions be used and by whom? • What are the recommendations and the suggested action

plan? • Text:The subject matter of the text of your report should be

divided into the following

referred to in the text. It is meant only to expand, clarify or give visual explanation, rather than stand by itself. The text should highlight the table’s focus and conclusions Sample

Table 10 Mean Information Test scores of Employees receiving Communication through Different Media (From Dalhe, 11, p.245)

• Headings:

This I am sure is very simple for you to understand. You all would have been using this classification right from your secondary school days. Just as a refresher, I am mentioning the classifications once again • Center head, • Center sub-head, • Side head, • Paragraph head.

Which combination of headings you would use would depend on the number of classifications or divisions that the chapters of your report have.

Medium

No. of Employees

Combined Oral and Written Oral Only

102

Mean Test Score* 7.7

94

6.17

Written Only

109

4.91

Bulletin Board Grapevine Only

115

3.72

108

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• Quotations There may be times when you feel that you need

to reproduce a portion of the work of another author to add value to your own report. This is what I mean by Quotation. Quotation Marks must necessarily used for •

A directly quoted passage or word

•

A word or phrase to be emphasized

Titles of articles While quoting, be very careful that all quotations should correspond exactly to the original in word, spelling and punctuation. You may allow quotations up to three typewritten lines to run into the text. Direct quotations over this limit have to be set in indented paragraphs. •

• Footnotes:When you insert quotations, it is important that

you indicate the source of the reference. This is what you may do using the footnotes. Also, there may be times when you might want to provide an explanation that is not

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• All differences are significant at the 5% level or better except

that between the last two means in the column Illustrations: They cover charts graphs, diagrams and maps. Most of the instructions that I have listed out for tables hold good for illustrations • Reference Section:This section will follow the text. First write out the appendices section, then the bibliography and finally the glossary. Students, please ensure that a divider page on which only the words Appendices, Bibliography Or Glossary appear in all capital letters separates each section. •

• Appendices: They will help you, as the author of the report,

to authenticate the thesis and help your reader to check the data. Let us now try to list out the material that you would usually put in the appendices •

Original data

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Long tables

•

Long quotations

•

Supportive legal decisions, laws, documents

•

Illustrative material Extensive Computations

•

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•

Eureka! Proof reading and submission

•

Questionnaires and Letters

•

Schedules or forms that you might have used in collecting data

•

Case studies

•

Transcripts of interviews

Final draft Teachers feedback

Review

Glimpsing the process Report writing

1. Strategic thinking What? Why? Who?

Writing the report

Bibliographies: It would follow the appendices and make sure that it is listed as a major section in your table of contents. It should contain the source of every reference cited in the footnote and any other relevant work that you had consulted. This would give the reader an idea of the literature available on the subject and that has influenced or aided your study. If you try to look up the bibliographical section of any book or report, you would see that the following information is given for each reference: • Name of the Author • Title of his work • Place of publication • Name of the Publisher • Date of publication • Number of pages

Glossary: Finally we come to a short dictionary giving definitions and examples of terms and phrases, which are technical, used by you in a special connotation, unfamiliar to the reader, or foreign to the language in which the book is written. I hope you know that even this is listed as a major section in the table of content I hope you enjoyed today’s session. It was something very general and away from the usual theory. However it was necessary to formally list down the steps of report writing because as we mentioned, these reports are very critical in decision-makingwhether in academics (for performance review), research (as base for further reference) or an organization (to decide the future course of action) Before we call it a day lets just look back to recapitulate all that we covered in the class today. In this lesson we have discussed the steps involved in preparation of a proposal for a report. I explained you three categories of reports namely-information reports, decision reports and research reports. The steps involved in writing reports were also highlighted. I am summarizing the same with the following flow chart

Action plan How? When? Why?

Gathering information Planning the report

Analysinginformation Put something on paper

We further divided a report into various parts – Title Page, Introductory Pages, Text and reference Section. I hope you all have understood each of these heads. We concluded the unit by explaining that before you submit your final report, it should be thoroughly reviewed and edited. Write-Up So now that you’ve completed the research project, what do you do? In fact, this final stage-writing up your research-may be one of the most difficult. Developing a good, effective and concise report is an art form in itself. And, in many research projects you will need to write multiple reports that present the results at different levels of detail for different audiences. There are several general considerations to keep in mind when generating a report: The Audience Who is going to read the report? Reports will differ considerably depending on whether the audience will want or require technical detail, whether they are looking for a summary of results, or whether they are about to examine your research in a Ph.D. exam.I believe that every research project has at least one major “story” in it. The Story Sometimes the story centers on a specific research finding. Sometimes it is based on a methodological problem or challenge. When you write your report, you should attempt to tell the “story” to your reader. Even in very formal journal articles where you will be required to be concise and detailed at the same time, a good “storyline” can help make an otherwise very dull report interesting to the reader. The hardest part of telling the story in your research is finding the story in the first place. Usually when you come to writing up your research you have been steeped in the details for weeks or months (and sometimes even for years). You’ve been worrying about sampling response, struggling with operational zing your measures, dealing with the details of design, and wrestling with the data analysis. You’re a bit like the ostrich that has its head in the sand. To find the story in your research, you have to pull your

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head out of the sand and look at the big picture. You have to try to view your research from your audience’s perspective. You may have to let go of some of the details that you obsessed so much about and leave them out of the write up or bury them in technical appendices or tables

Formatting Considerations Are you writing a research report that you will submit for publication in a journal? If so, you should be aware that every journal requires articles that you follow specific formatting guidelines. Thinking of writing a book. Again, every publisher will require specific formatting. Writing a term paper? Most faculties will require that you follow specific guidelines. Doing your thesis or dissertation? Every university I know of has very strict policies about formatting and style. There are legendary stories that circulate among graduate students about the dissertation that was rejected because the page margins were a quarter inch off or the figures weren’t labeled correctly. To illustrate what a set of research report specifications might include, I present in this section general guidelines for the formatting of a research write-up for a class term paper. These guidelines are very similar to the types of specifications you might be required to follow for a journal article. However, you need to check the specific formatting guidelines for the report you are writing -the ones presented here are likely to differ in some ways from any other guidelines that may be required in other contexts. I’ve also included a sample research paper write-up that illustrates these guidelines. This sample paper is for a “make-believe” research project.But it illustrates how a final research report might look using the guidelines given here.

Key Elements Introduction Statement of the Problem

The general problem area is stated clearly and unambiguously. The importance and significance of the problem area is discussed. Statement of Causal Relationship

The cause-effect relationship to be studied is stated clearly and is sensibly related to the problem area. Statement of Constructs

Each key construct in the research/evaluation project is explained (minimally, both the cause and effect). The explanations are readily understandable (i.e., jargon-free) to an intelligent reader. Literature Citations and Review

The literature cited is from reputable and appropriate sources (e.g., professional journals, books and not Time, Newsweek, etc.) and you have a minimum of five references. The literature is condensed in an intelligent fashion with only the most relevant information included. Citations are in the correct format (see APA format sheets). Statement of Hypothesis

The hypothesis (or hypotheses) is clearly stated and is specific about what is predicted. The relationship of the hypothesis to both the problem statement and literature review is readily understood from reading the text.

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Methods Sample Section Sampling Procedure Specifications

The procedure for selecting units (e.g., subjects, records) for the study is described and is appropriate. The author state which sampling method is used and why. The population and sampling frame are described. In an evaluation, the program participants are frequently self-selected (i.e., volunteers) and, if so, should be described as such. Sample Description

The sample is described accurately and is appropriate. Problems in contacting and measuring the sample are anticipated. External Validity Considerations

Generalizability from the sample to the sampling frame and population is considered. Measurement Section Measures

Each outcome measurement construct is described briefly (a minimum of two outcome constructs is required). For each construct, the measure or measures are described briefly and an appropriate citation and reference is included (unless you created the measure). You describe briefly the measure you constructed and provide the entire measure in an Appendix. The measures, which are used, are relevant to the hypotheses of the study and are included in those hypotheses. Wherever possible, multiple measures of the same construct are used. Construction of Measures

For questionnaires, tests and interviews: questions are clearly worded, specific, appropriate for the population, and follow in a logical fashion. The standards for good questions are followed. For archival data: original data collection procedures are adequately described and indices (i.e., combinations of individual measures) are constructed correctly. For scales, you must describe briefly which scaling procedure you used and how you implemented it. For qualitative measures, the procedures for collecting the measures are described in detail. Reliability and Validity

You must address both the reliability and validity of all of your measures. For reliability, you must specify what estimation procedure(s) you used. For validity, you must explain how you assessed construct validity. Wherever possible, you should minimally address both convergent and discriminate validity. The procedures, which are used to examine reliability and validity, are appropriate for the measures. Design and Procedures Section Design

The design is clearly presented in both notational and text form. The design is appropriate for the problem and addresses the hypothesis. Internal Validity

Threats to internal validity and how they are addressed by the design are discussed. Any threats to internal validity, which are not well controlled, are also considered.

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An overview of how the study will be conducted is included. The sequence of events is described and is appropriate to the design. Sufficient information is included so that a reader could replicate the essential features of the study. Results Statement of Results

The results are stated concisely and are plausible for the research described. Tables

The table(s) is correctly formatted and accurately and concisely presents part of the analysis. Figures

The figure(s) is clearly designed and accurately describes a relevant aspect of the results.

Conclusions, Abstract and Reference Sections Implications of the Study Assuming the expected results are obtained, the implications of these results are discussed. The author mentions briefly any remaining problems, which are anticipated in the study. Abstract The Abstract is 125 words or less and presents a concise picture of the proposed research. Major constructs and hypotheses are included. The Abstract is the first section of the paper. See the format sheet for more details. References All citations are included in the correct format and are appropriate for the study described. Stylistic Elements Professional Writing

First person and sex-stereotyped forms are avoided. Material is presented in an unbiased and unemotional (e.g., no “feelings” about things), but not necessarily uninteresting, fashion. Parallel Construction

Tense is kept parallel within and between sentences (as appropriate). Sentence Structure

Sentence structure and punctuation are correct. Incomplete and run-on sentences are avoided. Spelling and Word Usage

Spelling and use of words are appropriate. Words are capitalized and abbreviated correctly.

Questions are ordered according to social usefulness or importance: those which people are most likely to see as useful come first and those least useful come last. Group questions those are similar in content. Establish a flow of responding from one question to the next. Questions in any topic area that are most likely to be objectionable to respondents should be positioned after the less objectionable ones. Demographic questions are usually placed at the beginning or at the end. The first question is the most important. The first question should be clearly related to the survey topic and should be easy to answer. The first question should convey a sense of neutrality. The first question should be clearly applicable and interesting to everyone. Formatting the Pages

Use lower case letters for questions, upper case for answers. Identify answer categories on left with numbers this allow pre-coding of responses. Establish a vertical flow. The purpose of vertical flow is to prevent inadvertent omissions, something that occurs often when respondents are required to move back and forth across a page with their answers. Vertical flow also prevents the common error of checking the space on the wrong side of the answers when answer categories are placed beside one another. Also, vertical flow enhances feelings of accomplishment. The need to provide clear directions is extremely important. Use the same marking procedure throughout the survey. Directions for answering are always distinguished from the questions by putting them in parentheses. Items in a Series

Repeat the scale for each item. Ask one question at a time. The respondent should only be asked to do one thing at a time. The problem of asking two questions is that each request interferes with the other. Use words for Answer Choices Show a connection between items and answers. Use multiple column technique to conserve space. Show how to skip screening questions. Make questions fit each page. Use transitions for continuity - for example, when a new line of questioning starts, when a new page starts or to break up the monotony of a long series of questions on a single topic. Transitions must also fit the situation. It is also useful to distinguish between major and minor transitions. Designing the Covers The front cover receives the greatest attention and contains: • A study title, • A graphic illustration, • Any needed directions and

General Style

• The name and address of the study sponsor.

The document is neatly produced and reads well. The format for the document has been correctly followed.

The title should sound interesting. Subtitles are often useful. Use graphic illustrations. The return address does not include the name of the researcher. The goal is to have the respondent view the researcher as an intermediary between the respondent and the accomplishment the back cover should consist of an invitation to make additional comments, a thank you and plenty of white space.

The Formatting Booklet format and Printing Procedures

Print the survey booklet on 81/2 x 11 paper. Place no questions on the front or back pages. The survey pages should be printed using a high quality laser printer on white or off-white paper. Ordering the Questions 11.556

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Description of Procedures

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Why do a Pilot-test? The pilot-test is useful for demonstrating instrument reliability, the practicality of procedures, the availability of volunteers, and the variability of observed events as a basis for power tests, participants’ capabilities or the investigators skills. The pilot test is a good way to determine the necessary sample size needed for experimental designs. From the findings of the pilot test, the researcher can estimate the expected group means differences as well as the error variance. Even a modest pilot test conducted informally can reveal flaws in the research design or methodology beforehand.

they read, watch, or listen to the instruction and when they are quizzed on what they have learned.

Any surveys that have not been used in the past or have been modified in any way should always be pilot-tested. Any procedures that require complex instructions should be pilot-tested. Any methodology requiring time estimates should be pilot-tested.

Role Playing

Pilot testing allows you to answer the following questions: • Is each of the questions valid? • Are all the words understood? • Do all respondents interpret questions similarly? • Does each close response question have an answer that

applies to each respondent? • Does the questionnaire create positive impression, one that

motivates people to answer it? • Are questions answered correctly? • Does any aspect of the questionnaire suggest bias on the

part of the researcher? Selecting the Pilot Test Sample The sample for the pilot test should be as close as possible to the actual sample that will be drawn for the main project. When this is not possible, then you should try to get a sample with similar characteristics. Depending upon the availability of people, you may need to save as many participants for the main survey as you can which case, you don’t want to include them in a pilot test. Some researchers often will do a pilot test on a subset of their sample and then include them as part of the main sample. That is like mixing apples and oranges. If you make any change whatsoever to your study as a consequence of the pilot-test, then the participants in the pilot-test will have experienced something different from those in the main study. Additionally, one of the purposes of doing a pilot test is to debrief the participants after the study by asking questions about the methods, instruments, and procedures.

Participant Debriefing If your study involves questionnaires or interviews with people, you should have a debriefing session at the completion of the pilot test. Ask the participants if they understood all of the instructions, if they had any particular problem with any of the questions asked, if they understood the intent of the study, and if they had any recommendations how to improve the study.

Activities 1. You are the research director for a major bank. You are to recruit a junior analyst who would be responsible for collecting and analyzing secondary data (data already collected by other agencies that are relevant to your operations). With a fellow student playing the role of an applicant for this position, conduct the interview. Does this applicant have the necessary background and skills? Reverse the roles and repeat the exercise. 2. You are a project director working for a major research supplier. You have just received a telephone call from an irate respondent who believes that an interviewer has violated her privacy by calling at an inconvenient time. The respondents express several ethical concerns. Ask a fellow student to play the role of this respondent. Address the respondent’s concerns and pacify her. Presentations You have recently read a book and your friends want you to make a brief presentation about it. How would you go about preparing and handling of audio visual materials? Fieldwork 1. Using your local newspaper and national newspapers such as USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, or the New York Times, compile a list of career opportunities in marketing research. 2. Interview someone who works for a marketing research supplier. What is this person’s opinion about career opportunities in marketing research? Write a report of your interview. 3. Interview someone who works in the marketing research department of a major corporation. What is this person’s opinion about career opportunities available in marketing research? Write a report of your interview.

Information to be Collected The pilot test should be run exactly as if it were the actual study. The exception here is that you will be collecting data on how long procedures take, what actions facilitate or inhibit the operation of the study, whether instructions are understood and if the data you obtain is in the form expected.

4. Take a report of some organization and check whether the problem solving approach or descriptive approach has been used. If you were to rewrite the report , what will be your outline and what stages would you do to improve the report.

It may be necessary to have more than one pilot test especially in the situation where instructional materials or methods have been developed. In the case of instructional materials or methods, you would do a formative evaluation of the materials and methods. Unlike a pilot test where the researcher may not interact with participants, you would be asking questions of the participants as

As a small group of four or five, discuss the following issues.

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Group Discussion 1. What type of institutional structure is best for a marketing research department in a large business firm? 2. What is the ideal educational background for someone seeking a career in marketing research? Is it possible to acquire such a background?

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3. Can ethical standards be enforced in marketing research? If so, how?

Self Assessment Exercises 1. Take a report of any organization and check whether the problem solving or descriptive approach has been used. If you were to rewrite the report, what will be your contents outline and what steps would you follow to improve the report. 2. Describe an incident that has recently occurred and check whether your description answers all the conditions indicated under descriptive reporting 3. Prepare a sample title / cover page 4. Pick up a report that you have recently prepared. Examine whether the introductory pages contain all the sections indicated in this unit. If not, put these sections if they are necessary for the report 5. Examine the appendices to any report. Are all of them essential for understanding the theme of the report? Can they be pruned? 6. Edit a report using the copy reading and proof reading symbols References and Further Readings • Gallagher, J. William, “Report Writing for Management”, Addison-Wesley • Golen, P. Stevan, “Report Writing for Business and

Industry”, Business Communication Service • Sharma R.C. and Krisna Mohan, “Business Correspondence

and Report Writing”, Tata McGraw-Hill Book Company • Course Design MS 95, Unit IV – “Report Writing and

Presentation”, IGNOU • Wright, C., “Report Writing”, Witherby & Co. England • Kepner H. Charles and Benjamin B. Tregoe, “The Rational

Manager”, McGraw-Hill Book Company • Abrams Mark, Social Surveys and Social Action, London:

William Heinemann Ltd., 1951. • Anderson, R. and Zelditch Morris Jr. A Basic Course in Statistics with Sociological Application. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston INC., 1975. • Best John, Research in Education, New Delhi Prentice Hall

of India Pvt. Ltd., 1963. • Blalock Jr. Herbet, M. and Blalock Ann. B. Methodology in

Social Research New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1968 • Borg Walter, R. Educational Research, An Introduction, New

York: David Mckay Company, 1976. Notes

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