Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Part 2
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- in this example, the research is exploratory, entering new unchartered ground. There has been no previous research.
• A food manufacturer wants to know the demographics of people who purchase organic foods. Descriptive- Descriptive research addresses, who, what, when, where and how as it pertains to the subject matter.
• A firm is considering hiring American celebrity Paris Hilton to endorse its products. Casual- Casual research can measure the impact of a particular change.
• 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. Casual- Casual research can measure the impact of a particular change.
• This type of study attempts to discover answers to the following questions: who, what, when, where, or how much. Descriptive research addresses, who, what, when, where and how as it pertains to the subject matter.
• A manufacturer investigates whether consumers will buy a new pill that replaces eating a meal. Exploratory- in this example, the research is exploratory, entering new unchartered ground. There has been no previous research.
• 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. Descriptive research addresses, who, what, when, where and how as it pertains to the subject matter.
• A hair-care manufacturer interviews wholesalers, retailers, and customers to determine