Exploratory, Descriptive, and
Causal Research Designs
Chapter 3
Research Designs
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Source:
evolvedmarketingconcepts.com
Three types
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Exploratory

Descriptive

Causal
Exploratory Research

Purposes
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Diagnosing a situation
Screening alternatives
Discovering new ideas
Produce hypotheses
What it does NOT do:
Source: www.triblocal.com
Exploratory Research

Types

Literature search

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In-depth interview
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First step
With whom?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Focus groups
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What is it?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Source: www.money.cnn.com
Exploratory Research



Case Analyses
Ethnography
Projective Techniques
 Word association tests
 Sentence completion
method
 Role-playing technique
 Thematic apperception test
 Cartoon tests/ picture
frustration
Source: www.withfriendship.com
Descriptive Research

Purposes

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Describe characteristics of group
Determine proportion of people who act a
certain way
Make predictions
Determine relationships between variables
Descriptive Research

Types
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Longitudinal
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Continuous panels
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Discontinuous panels
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AKA true panels
Kroger’s card
AKA omnibus panels
Land’s End
Cross-sectional
Causal Research

Purpose

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Does a change in X cause a change in Y?
Experiments

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Laboratory experiments
Field experiments
Market Testing

What is market testing?

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Key Issues

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Source: resourceful27.wordpress.com
“Controlled experiment
done in a limited but
carefully selected sector of
the marketplace”
Cost
Time
Control
Market Testing

Three types of market testing

Standard test market
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Controlled test market
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Pros/cons
Pros/cons
Simulated test market
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Pros/cons