Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Marketing research is very important component of a business used to identify and define the opportunities and problems that they will encounter on the market. The aim

The research topic is selected, the testable research question is developed, research on the topic is found, the literature review is completed, and a decision is made on the research design. Now, one of the most important steps in the research process to accomplish is the collection of data. Notwithstanding the research project and whether the method of research is whether qualitative or quantitative, data must be collected. Data collection is essential whether the method of choice is a mail survey, a telephone survey, an interview, an experiment, field research, or secondary data analysis. Data collection is an important aspect of any research study. Inaccurate data can impact the results of a study and ultimately lead to invalid results. During the data collection step, a significant amount of time, energy and attention are required. In order to ensure the data collection process is valid and successful, one should adhere to the four steps involved: (1) the construction of a collection data form which is used to organize all data that is collected; (2) the designation of the coding strategy used to represent data on a data collection form; (3) the collection of the actual data; and (4) entry into the data collection form (Salkind, 2012).

Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfaction, and serve as an evaluation tool.

For the purpose of this study, the researcher intends to use a cross-sectional research design where all the data will be collected at the same time. The distribution of the research questionnaires will take place over a time period of two weeks where the main data will be collected from the respondents.

This web assignment will review two research firms and the type of tools they use in their firms as well as determining if those tools are effective as well as does the firm provide a valuable service to its customers. The two firms being reviewed include The NPD Group and Kantar TNS Global, each company was ranked in the top ten market research companies in the AMA Gold Report for 2016 as noted by Bowers & Brereton (2016). These two research firms are globally accomplished, have collectively helped thousands of clients succeed using their innovative techniques in a tailored program for each company they serve as well as being able to evolve in an ever changing research environment.

Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2012). Business research methods (Twelfth ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

The methodology was described with the data collection method. Quantitative and qualitative questionnaire which consisted of closed questions with a choice of fixed answers and free text to enhance qualitative data were sent out in the form of mailshot, followed by telephone call to non-respondents and it was repeated for more wider sample results to gain more evidence to reduce bias (Parahoo, 2006).

Brown, T. (2014). Basic Marketing Research, 8e, 8th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305178571/page/24

In this research explaining journal ethics and marketing public relations it is safe to say

They need to make a qualitative research; they can improve a decision to contract a research company to obtain the data collection, with the information they can design a framework for conduct the study (how they are going to keep the analysis). They determine possible answers to the research questions (what spectator says), this study need to test the hypothesis (American Idol Case), to provide the information needed for the conclusion (share with professionals that’s marketing research is a good idea). The design should guide the consideration, including the benefits and cost of this study.

Business research is a methodical process in which a company or manager recognizes a need for data in order to make effective business making decisions. “More specifically, it is a process of planning, acquiring, analyzing, and Disseminating relevant data, information, and insights to decisions makers in ways that mobilize the organization to take appropriate actions that, in turn, maximize performance” (Cooper and Schindler, 2011, p. 10).

The firm is using casual research design. With casual research design marketing firms try to determine the relationship between two variables, in our case the local country club membership base and Chestnut Ridge country club. This research design is also used to try and determine people’s opinions on changing one of the variables or to see what they think needs to be

Hyman, M. R., & Sierra, J.J. (2010). Marketing research kit for dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc.

In general, there are several methods for data collection and the different data collection methods provided its own advantages and disadvantages (Sekaran 2003, p. 223). For carrying out the data collection, the appropriate methods should be applied. In the research, the data collection could be done through the interview, for example, face-to-face and telephone interview. To collect the data by using interview technique, the questionnaire is commonly employed as the instrument for gathering data, the questionnaire could be able to distribute by mail or electronic mail. In addition, the data collection could be conducted by observation of individuals with or without audio or video recording. Before choosing the methods for data collection the expertise of the researcher, the degree of accuracy required, time and resources must be taken into consideration. Thus,

Upon defining the research question(s), the investigative questions need to be identified throughout the case study. For this case, the investigative questions are: What are the percentages of readers/subscribers using the reader service cards currently in comparison to the years past? If there is a decline detected in the usage of reader cards, what are the alternative methods that they are using to contact businesses and companies? Is there any way to implement different strategic means of these methods to enhance advertising revenue? After identifying the investigative questions, the management questions are the next step on the management-research question hierarchy. The management questions for this case include: Will Penton Media experience a decline in revenue due to the alternate methods of advanced advertising technology of customer inquiry stimulation? Penton Media will need to make a management decision is the last step for the hierarchy. In this case, Penton Media will need to decide whether to terminate the use of reader service cards in the magazines they advertise and replace the advertisements with alternate methods of advanced technology advertising. If they do decide to implement a more strategic technologically advanced method of advertisement, the readers and subscribers will be able to directly contact businesses and companies they are interested in on a present