The government polices

Eddie Brown
03/13/2014

Understanding Business Research Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Part2

Which type of research design— exploratory, descriptive, or causal—is appropriate for the following examples? Explain why.

The goal of this research is to discover the real nature of the problem and to suggest new possible solutions or new ideas. Exploratory: The research is about possible solutions or new ideas that are not clearly defined.

A food manufacturer wants to know the demographics of people who purchase organic foods. Descriptive: The research describes the characteristic of the environment.

A firm is considering hiring American celebrity Paris Hilton to endorse its products. Causal

British Airways would like to test in-flight Internet services on one of its regular flights from New York to Tokyo. The company charges $30 one week and $15 the next week. Causal

This type of study attempts to discover answers to the following questions: who, what, when, where, or how much. Descriptive: The research describes the characteristic of the environment.

A manufacturer investigates whether consumers will buy a new pill that replaces eating a meal. Exploratory: The investigation on the pill that are not clearly defined.

Cosmopolitan magazine sends out a cover in selected markets featuring a female model to half of its readers and a cover with a female and male model to the other half of its readers to test differences in purchase response between the two groups. Causal

A hair-care manufacturer interviews wholesalers, retailers, and customers to determine the potential for a new shampoo package. Exploratory: The research on hair-care is not clearly defined.

This type of research attempts to capture a population’s characteristics by making inference from a sample’s characteristics and testing hypotheses. Descriptive: The research describes the characteristic of the environment.

On the CBS television show Undercover Boss, top executives disguised as middle level or lower level employees investigate company departments to discover potential issues or problems. Exploratory: The potential issues are not clearly defined.