1.
Business Research Methods (BRM)
Session 5: Descriptive Research Design

2.
Research Design

3.
Research Design

4.
Observation
Descriptive
Research Design
Surveys
Secondary Data
(Quantitative
Analysis)

5.
Fruitzone India Limited (A)

6.
Have management decision problem and business
research problem been defined appropriately?
Business Research Problem
Is there a willingness to buy packed sugarcane juice in market? If yes, then
1. What is target segment for sugarcane juice?
2. What is price that customers are ready to pay for packed sugarcane juice?
3. What are expectations from packed sugarcane juice?
4. What are taste variants that customers prefer in sugarcane juice?
5. Which form would consumers prefer – can, tetra pack/bottle?
6. How satisfied consumers are with Tropiviva brand?
Management
Decision Problem
Should FIL
(Tropiviva Brand)
launch sugarcane
juice? If yes, what
should be the
marketing mix for
the launch?
Hemant (MD of FIL)
Market Research & Sales Report 
Stagnant Market Share 
Launch new juice flavor (sugarcane
good option, no supply issues)
Preeti (Marketing Manager)
Fruit juice industry reports &
health benefits of sugarcane
juice  Sugarcane based
juice worth considering
Discussison between IMI
team and Marketing Team of
Tropiviva)

7.
Critique the overall research plan and exploratory
research plan prepared by IMI?
Secondary Research (Key Question; Q1 & Q6)
o Tropiviva products’ performance vis-à-vis competitors
o Acceptability of sugarcane juice in the market.
Focused Group Discussion (Key question; Q1-Q6)
o Understand consumer perceptions in fruit juice market &
specifically about sugar cane juice
In depth Interviews (Key Question; Q3-Q5)
o Identify recent trends in the packed juice market
o Understand customer juice consumption behavior
Business Research Problem
Is there a willingness to buy packed
sugarcane juice in market? If yes, then
1. What is target segment for sugarcane
juice?
2. What is price that customers are ready to
pay for packed sugarcane juice?
3. What are expectations from packed
sugarcane juice?
4. What are taste variants that customers
prefer in sugarcane juice?
5. Which form would consumers prefer – can,
tetra pack/bottle?
6. How satisfied consumers are with the
Tropiviva brand?

8.
Areas of Exploration for next exploratory stage
Business Research Problem
Is there a willingness to buy
packed sugarcane juice in
market? If yes, then
1. What is target segment for
sugarcane juice?
2. What is price that customers
are ready to pay for packed
sugarcane juice?
3. What are expectations from
packed sugarcane juice?
4. What are taste variants that
customers prefer in sugarcane
juice?
5. Which form would consumers
prefer – can, tetra pack/bottle?
6. How satisfied consumers are
with the Tropiviva brand?
Information Gathered through Secondary Data, FGD, Depth
Interviews
Key Question: Cola to fruit juices  Potential for juices with cooling
effect
1. Target Segment:
o Families: Perceive packed juices to be hygienic & healthy
o Young: Perceive packed juices to be inferior; concerns about
preservatives
2. Perceptions & expectations from sugarcane juice
o Consumed for freshness, great taste, hydrating & cooling effects
o Hard to believe that sugarcane juice can be preserved for long
3. Taste Variants: Flavored cane juice with masala/lime
4. Form: Consumers favor tetra packs over bottles
5. Satisfaction with Tropiviva: “Real” packed >juice over “Tropiviva”
since “Real” is an Indian brand

9.
Areas of Exploration for next exploratory stage
o Information about price points at which and places from where consumers usually purchase packed juices
o More information about segments based on purchase behavior
o Projective techniques: Uncover consumers’ perceptions for juices in general & scope for sugarcane juice in
particular

10.
Fruitzone India Limited (B)

11.
Revised Business Research Problem
1. What is the willingness to buy the product as compared to other fruit juices and soft drinks in the market?
2. What is the target segment for sugarcane juice?
3. What is the price that customers are ready to pay for sugarcane juice?
4. What are expectations from the packed sugarcane juice - health/energy/coolant/taste?
5. What is the level of satisfaction with the Tropiviva brand?
6. What are the taste variants that customers prefer in sugarcane juice?
7. Which form would consumers prefer - can, tetra pack or bottle?

12.
Survey
Section 1: Survey respondent contact details and declaration by the survey collector
Section 2: Screening and basic details of respondents
Section 3: Main section of the questionnaire
Questions 1-3: Customer’s current brand awareness & purchase location preferences for juices
Question 4: Customer segments based on buying behavior
Question 5-12: Preferences for brand, fruit juice flavors, package type, size, prices & relative importance
of juice attributes for packed fruit juices in general
Questions 13-23:
o Preferences for package type, size, prices, relative importance of juice attributes, purchase locations &
turnoffs for sugar cane juice
o Identify potential product positioning for customers

13.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
1. What is the
willingness to buy the
product as compared
to other fruit juices
and soft drinks in the
market?

14.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
1. What is the
willingness to buy the
product as compared
to other fruit juices
and soft drinks in the
market?

15.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
2. What is the target
segment for sugarcane
juice?

16.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
3. What is the price that
customers are ready to
pay for sugarcane juice?

17.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
3. What is the price that
customers are ready to
pay for sugarcane juice?

18.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
4. What are expectations from
the packed sugarcane juice -
health/energy/coolant/taste?

19.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
5. What is the level of
satisfaction with the
Tropiviva brand?

20.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
6. What are the taste
variants that customers
prefer in sugarcane
juice?
Which variant of sugarcane juice would you prefer the most?
1. Plain Sugarcane
2. Chat Masala Sugarcane
3. Lemon Sugarcane
4. Ginger Sugarcane

21.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
7. Which form would
consumers prefer - can, tetra
pack or bottle?

22.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
7. Which form would
consumers prefer - can, tetra
pack or bottle?

23.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
7. Which form would
consumers prefer - can, tetra
pack or bottle?

24.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
Where do consumers buy
sugarcane juice from?
Where do consumers buy
sugarcane juice from?

25.
Mapping Business Research Questions to Survey
Questions
What are the underlying
concerns of consumers for
packaged sugarcane juice?

26.
Pretesting of Questionnaire
Why?
o Identifies errors in questionnaire
o Checks if respondents have understood questions properly.
 Ensures that data collected is more reliable & minimizes interpretation errors of
respondents
How?
1. Administering the survey to some of the people from target sample
2. Ask respondent to
o think aloud as to what she understood from the survey questions,
o how exactly she had arrived at the response for the particular question
o assess mutual exclusiveness & collective exhaustiveness of alternatives provided for each question

27.
Longitudinal
Design
Survey
Single Cross
Section Design
Multiple Cross
Section Design

28.
Survey Classification by Mode of Administration

29.
Comparative Evaluation of Survey Methods

30.
Observation
Descriptive
Research Design
Surveys
Secondary Data
(Quantitative
Analysis)

31.
External Data
Data generated by sources outside the organization
Example:
o Government Datasets: NSSO
o Syndicated Services: Consumers Pyramid dataset;
Nielson Dataset
o NCAER & University of Maryland: IHDS
o User Generate Data: Twitter Sentiment Analysis
Secondary Data
Internal Data
Data generated within the organization for
which the research is being conducted.
Example:
o Mixer Grinder Data
Secondary Data (Quantitative Analysis)

32.
Observation
Descriptive
Research Design
Surveys
Secondary Data
(Quantitative
Analysis)

33.
Observation Methods
Observation methods involves recording the behavioral patterns of
– people,
– objects, and
– events
in a systematic manner to obtain information about the phenomenon of interest

34.
Structured vs. Unstructured Observation
Structured Observation
o Researcher specifies in detail what
is to be observed and how the
measurements are to be recorded
o Appropriate when problem has
been clearly defined and
information need is specified
Example: An auditor performing
inventory analysis in a store.
Unstructured Observation
o Observer monitors all aspects of the
phenomenon that seem relevant to
the problem at hand
o Appropriate when problem is yet to be
formulated precisely and flexibility is
required to identify key components
Example: Observing children playing
with new toys.

35.
Disguised vs. Undisguised Observation
Disguised Observation
Respondents are unaware that they
are being observed
Example:
o Disguise by using one-way mirrors,
hidden cameras, or inconspicuous
mechanical devices.
o Observers may be disguised as
shoppers or sales-clerks.
Undisguised Observation
Respondents are aware that they are
under observation

36.
Natural vs. Contrived Observation
Natural Observation
Involves observing behavior as it
takes place in the environment
Example: Observing behavior of
respondents eating fast food at
Burger King
Contrived Observation
Respondents’ behavior is observed in an
artificial environment
Example: Test kitchen

37.
Observation Methods Classified by Mode of
Administration

38.
Personal Observation
Researcher observes or/and records actual behavior as it occurs
Example:
o Observing and recording traffic counts & traffic flows in department store  Designing the store layout

39.
Mechanical Observation
Mechanical devices, rather than human observers, record the phenomenon being observed
Example:

40.
Audit
Researcher inventories brands, quantities, & package sizes of products in a consumer’s home

41.
Content Analysis
The objective, systematic, and quantitative description of the manifest content of a communication.
Example:

42.
Trace Analysis
An approach in which data collection is based on physical traces, or evidence, of past behavior
Example:
o Relative popularity of exhibits in the museum assessed through selective erosion of tiles
o Readership of various ads in magazine gauged through no. of different fingerprints on a page
o Age & condition of cars in a parking lot  Affluence of customers

43.
A Comparative Evaluation of Observation Methods

44.
Thank You