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Types of Research - Coggle Diagram
Types of Research
Primary Research
Surveys
Surveys collect data from large numbers of respondents in a relatively short time. They are well suited for gathering quantitative data rather than qualitative data. Surveys come in many forms, including:
- online surveys sent out by email, or website evaluations
- surveys by phone, asking customers to rate the service they have received from a telephone call centre
- face-to-face surveys, which may take place on crowded streets or in shopping malls
Interview
Carrying out personal interviews is a lengthier surveying method and allows researchers to gain large amounts of qualitative data. Personal interviews can be conducted face-to-face, over the telephone or through video conferencing.
Interviews allow researchers to ask follow-up questions, so it is possible for the interviewer to get more detail on an idea or opinion. It is normal for interviews to be recorded so that they can be replayed and transcribed (written down) at a later date. Interviews may take a large amount of time to complete, so interviewees may need a financial incentive to take part.
Focus Groups
A focus group is an interview conducted with a small group of individuals, usually with similar characteristics. For example, a small group of parents with young children might be asked about children’s products. The researchers will ask the participants to share experiences of the particular market or product in question.
As with interviews, focus group participants may be offered some sort of financial reward for taking part. The small number of people in a focus group may make it more comfortable for participants to take part in the conversation and share opinions freely. The researcher may organise the setting and the questions, or they may simply lead the conversation in a particular direction.
Observations
Observations allow for natural reactions of customers to be studied. For example, supermarkets use in-store security cameras to observe their customers. Individual consumers can be followed around the store and details such as the route they take and which promotions they notice are recorded. This can help managers design more effective layouts for their stores. Another example is websites that gather similar information. Many websites will automatically record every click a visitor makes on a page and the length of time a visitor spends on the site. This information can be used by a business to improve its products, promotions or processes.
Secondary Research
Analysis
If companies want in-depth market research information of a particular market, they have a choice. They can either pay a market research agency to carry out new research, or they can purchase a market analysis report that has already been published. Paying a market research agency to carry out new research will give the business the most up-to-date information. But it is expensive to pay for new research. It is less expensive for a business to buy market analysis reports that have already been published.
Specialist market research agencies such as Euromonitor (which researches more than just European countries) write and sell detailed market intelligence reports for practically every market imaginable. The reports can include details about competitors in a particular industry, information about groups of consumers or even descriptions of country-specific business regulations.
Government publications
Governments from all over the world regularly publish data covering topics such as population statistics and economic conditions (for example economic growth, unemployment and inflation). This data is normally considered reliable and up to date. Governments normally release their data for free and update it regularly.
Academic Journal
Academic journals contain articles on new research and academic theory. The articles are published by academics from leading universities. Many business management theories, such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or the Boston Consulting Group matrix, were first published in academic journals.
Academic journals are a useful source for businesses who need information on contemporary issues such as management and motivation theory. Sometimes, you may need to pay a fee to access an article. However, universities and schools normally pay for access to sites such as Jstor and Google Scholar.
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