Market research process (cont)

During the last lecture we looked at the remaining stages of the market research process.  We started off by looking at primary and secondary information.  Normally a researcher would start a piece of research by searching for existing information(secondary information).  Once this has been exhausted the next step is to conduct primary research.  The most common ways of obtaining primary research is by way of a questionnaire, indepth interviews, focus groups, observation or experimentation.  All of these will be explored in more detail throughout the course.

Step four focuses on the measurement technique.  This involves focuses on four basic measurement techniques such as:

• questionnaires
• attitude scales
• observation
• depth interviews and projective techniques

Step 5: Select the sample
The researcher needs to identify the people they want to include in a survey, or take part in a focus or indepth interview, or observation or an experiment.  It is essential that the researcher identifies the sample frame (list of population members) and the sampling unit.

Next week we will finish the market research process.