Data Collection Methods and Data Collection Process

Data Collection Process

This competency assessment assesses the following Outcome(s):

MT355M3-3: Design appropriate data collection methods.

Marketing researchers must become highly skilled at designing appropriate methods of data collection, especially when it comes to designing a data collection methodology, and developing survey questions used in the construction of a data collection form.

Scenario:

You are the new director of marketing for your chosen company. You have previously identified a marketing related problem or opportunity to study using marketing research principles. You have already identified a viable marketing related problem or opportunity to study, and you created research questions and objectives. You conducted research and developed a literature review to inform your strategic decision-making on the type of research design that would be most appropriate for your marketing research study. After an extensive evaluation, the C-level executives made the decision to proceed with the research. Now it’s time for you to design the sampling and measurement plan. In addition, you will create a prototype of the survey instrument that will be used to collect primary data for your marketing research study. Use the following criteria to explore your chosen award-winning organization to continue preparing a marketing research design:

Assessment Requirements: Outline the “Definition of the Target Population and Sample Size”, and “Sample Design and Data Collection Method” sections of your marketing research proposal (refer to pages 161-162 in your textbook).

1. Choose your Company: Choose an award-winning company from the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/award-recipients) website to study. You will evaluate the “Award Application Summary” as a business case for your chosen company.

2. Role of Sampling: Examine the role of sampling in the research process in a marketing research study.

* In an introductory paragraph, provide three (3) examples of how sampling adds value in a marketing research study (refer to pages 144-150 in your textbook).

3. Sampling Design Outline: Construct a sampling design for a marketing research study (refer to pages 161-162 in your textbook).

* Identify and explain the target population, and sampling units for your marketing research study (refer to pages 144-146 in your textbook).

* Identify the sampling frames needed for your marketing research study. Provide reasoning (refer to pages 146 in your textbook).

* Use research (including your textbook or other peer-reviewed resources from the Purdue Global Library) to substantiate your sampling design outline decisions.

4. Sample Design Size: Analyze the factors that determine the sample size for qualitative and quantitative data collection methods in a marketing research study.

* Explain why your marketing research study will employ a probability or nonprobability sampling design (refer to pages 148-152 in your textbook).

* Explain the sample size of your marketing research study will require (refer to pages 157-162 in your textbook).

* Use research (including your textbook or other peer-reviewed resources from the Purdue Global Library) to substantiate your sampling design size decisions.

5. Value of Measurement: Analyze the value of measurement in data collection instruments.

* Explain the value of measurement in a marketing research study (refer to pages 168-169 in your textbook).

* Explain the value of construct in a data collection instrument (refer to pages 169-173 in your textbook).

* Choose two measurement scales, and explain how they will be used in your data collection instrument (refer to pages 173-194 in your textbook).

6. Data Collection Plan: Design a data collection plan for a questionnaire. Outline the data collection plan using headings and subheadings to present a valid and reliable questionnaire (refer to pages 202-203 in your textbook).

* Explain why applying the steps in the questionnaire design are important to apply in your data collection plan (refer to Chapter 8 in your textbook).

* Complete step 1 in the questionnaire design process. Explain how and why your research objectives and information requirements are confirmed (refer to page 204 in your textbook).

* Complete step 2. Select an appropriate data collection method, and provide reasoning for your decision (refer to pages 204-205 in your textbook).

7. Questionnaire Instrument: Design a data collection instrument using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative techniques for a marketing research study.

* Using the knowledge in step 3 of the questionnaire design process, create four (4) unstructured questions for your survey questionnaire (refer to pages 205-219 in your textbook).

* Using the knowledge in step 3 of the questionnaire design process, create four (4) structured questions for your survey questionnaire (refer to pages 205-219 in your textbook).

* Format the layout, and explain the flow of your questionnaire.

8. Cover Letter: Develop a cover letter for inclusion in the introductory section of data collection instruments.

* The cover letter follows the ten (10) guidelines for developing a cover letter and questionnaire introductory section (refer to page 220 in your textbook).

Review the attached Competency Assessment Rubric before beginning this assessment.