defining objectives

 

To write out clear objectives you need information about the background of a problem. You might find this in internal records likesales reports, complaint statistics and customer service feedback forms. Usually though, you must get this by talking to the client and asking lots of questions. What really lies at the root of the problem which the client is describing? In many cases, the client maynot have identified the root of the problem correctly. The researcher therefore needs to get as much background information as possibleabout the client’s organisation and their market. What is the background to the market, or to the issue?and What factors led to the current problem? A useful framework for identifying the links between a problem anda research objective is shown. Write down a high levelquestion that you think your company or organisation would like to answer. Then think through all the factors that could be causing this question to arise for your company or organisation. Finally,think through all the information that you need to fully understandthe problem and the level of knowledge that your company holdson the subject.

 

Defining a research objective

To meet  the  defined  objective,  a  range  of  information  will  be required and will in turn be an input into the decisions which will be eventually made. For a given objective the information list, with only a little thought, will soon be quite long; possibly too long. For example,  in  the  case  of  the  company  with  the  stagnant  sales,  the information objectives could be as follows:

 Establish the reasons for stagnant sales and suggest means by which salescan be increased.•The demographics of who is buying the product at thepresent compared to the demographics of people buyingcompetitors’ products•Satisfaction of customers and potential customers with theproducts they are buying•Attitudes of customers and potential customers towards thevalue for money of the products from different suppliers•Features about the product that customers would like to seeimproved•The awareness amongst potential customers of product•Factors that would prompt potential customers to buy fromthe company.

Think about In  your  market,  what  do  you  think  drives  people  to  use  yourcompany/organisation? Is it the quality of your products or services,  your  prices,  the  ease  with  which  you  do  business  withthem,  your  delivery  etc?  Make  a  list  of  all  the  possible  factors.Now assign a weight to these factors to indicate how importantthey  are  to  the  customer.  Do  so  by  spending  points  out  of  100 across the different factors – you can spend the points how youlike but you must spend all 100. What would be the implicationsto your company if you are wrong in this assessment? How easyor  difficult  would  it  be  to  ask  customers  why  they  choose  (or don’t  choose)  your  company  and  to  get  an  honest  and  usefulanswer?

This list is by no means exhaustive and other information headings may  also  be  considered  important.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  anabsolutely right or wrong coverage although the effectiveness of theresearch  will  be  shaped  by  what  is  included  or  left  out.  Often  theproblem is not so much that headings are left out but that the cov-erage is too broad in relation to the research resources that are avail-able (in particular the budget and the timetable). The initial “wishlist”  of  headings  may,  therefore,  need  pruning  or  separating  intowhat is absolutely vital to know and what is of lesser importance.Taking time and effort in defining the coverage  of  the  research  is  essential  if  theresults are to truly assist the decision making  process.  In  addition,  however,  a  welldefined  research  coverage  is  of  practical value  in  latter  stages  of  the  project  andparticularly  at  the  questionnaire  designstage. With the coverage defined and listedmuch of the work involved in developinga questionnaire is already done.The brief, the proposal and their importance to theprojectNot all companies can afford the services of market research agen-cies. Indeed, there are many occasions when market intelligence isrequired but the business decision does not justify a large and exten-sive research project. In these cases some desk research could be carried  out  or  a  small  number  of  exploratory  interviews  may  suffice. It does not matter if the research project is a DIY jobor  project  that  is  to  be  outsourced,  it  is  good  practise  to  prepare  amarket research brief. The  brief  is  the  statement  that  sets  out  the  background  to  the research and what objectives it is hoped will be met. It is helpful towrite  down  (perhaps  on  one  or  two  sides  of  paper)  answers  to  the following:

1.  Why  do  this  market  research?  What  action  will  be  takenwhen the research is completed?This is arguably the most important part of the brief as it will allow the researcher to work out all the other things that are required suc has the specific information that will be useful (see item 5 below) Key point Pinpoint the objective of there search and exactly what information is required at theoutset.

2.  What has caused this problem or led to this opportunity? Here  it  is  helpful  to  describe  the  history  that  has  led  up  to  theresearch. A description of the product,/service is important and sotoo it would be good to talk about the way that the market is chang-ing 3.  What is known about the area of research already?It  can  be  helpful  to  the  market  researcher  to  be  aware  of  what  isalready known and then they can build on it and not waste moneyor  time  re-inventing  it.  Also,  knowledge  on  the  structure  and behaviour  of  a  market  allows  the  researcher  to  be  more  precise  intheir proposals. For example, most sponsors of research have carriedout some desk research or have internal reports that provide viewsof the market. This could be made available to the researchers whoare  planning  a  research  programme  if  they  need  a  deeper  under-standing of the market.4.  Target groups for the research?Survey research has to be targeted at someone. The target for inter-views need to be scoped precisely. If they are householders, shouldthey be people who have bought a product or who are thinking ofbuying a product? Should they be buyers or specifiers? Should theybe multiple purchasers or not? When the various target groups arelisted there is a temptation to say – “yes, all of these” but rememberthat  the  greater  the  scope  of  the  project  the  more  it  will  cost  and(usually) the longer it will take.5.  What specific information is needed from the research? (e.g.market  size,  trends,  buying  behaviour,  customer  needs,  seg-mentation)The  person  wanting  the  market  research  has  almost  certainly  gotsome key information gaps that need filling. Listing them will helpthe  professional  market  researchers  work  out  if  they  are  the  rightones required for the decision and action that is planned. The pro-fessional market researchers can be expected to flesh out the infor-mation  objectives  with  their  own  suggestions  as  they  know  betterthan anyone what can and can’t be achieved by market research.6.  What is the proposed budget?Seldom are there unlimited funds for research and more often thereare  very  limited  funds.  In  this  case  it  is  helpful  to  know  what  thebudget is, for otherwise the researchers could design a full and com-prehensive plan that delivers detail and accuracy to meet the action and information requirements, only to be sent back to the drawingboard because there is only £15,000 (or whatever)..  Are there any initial ideas for the research method? A  client  who  is  sponsoring  a  research  project  may  well  have  amethod in mind. Now is also the time to say if there is distrust oftelephone  interviews  and  a  preference  for  face  to  face  or  if  focusgroups would be well received.   Are there any reporting requirements? Increasingly the default method of reporting in the market researchindustry is a set of presentation slides which doubles as the presen-tation and the report. Researchers have no problem writing a narra-tive report but they would typically have to charge an extra three orfour days of their time for its preparation – incurring a cost of a few thousand pounds. 9.  When are the findings required? Most  research  has  a  demanding  timetable  and  sometimes  this  canbe punishing. The dates by which the research is required should bespecified  so  that  even  if  they  are  really  difficult,  the  research  sup-plier can try to be accommodating, perhaps with an interim debriefor regular reporting sessions.The research brief should be a dialogue and even the most thoroughbrief  covering  all  the  issues  listed  will  generate  some  additionalquestions from the researchers. This is healthy and to be expectedas it indicates that the problem is being thought through. Someonewho is unsure about methods or budgets for a research project maywish to talk to a market research agency before they write the briefto find out what is possible and how much it might cost.

 A  sample  brief  from  a  manufacturer  of  commercial  vehicles  is shown in Figure 2.3

Launched  in  2003,  the  Truck  Master  Vigour  series  was  the  most technologically  advanced,  comprehensive  and  fully  integrated range of trucks ever built. The Vigour range was developed with one aim in mind – to produce a truck with total capabilities in terms of operating costs, comfort,safety, performance and environmental compatibility that are supe-rior to anything its competitors can offer – now or in the immedi-ate future.The Vigour product range currently stands at 65 models.Objectives The  overall  goal  of  the  study  is  to  measure  the  Vigour  ownershipexperience.Specific objectives include providing detailed information on:The product experience–Fuel consumption Reliability Technological feature sDriver comfort The after-sales experience-Servicing Parts availability Road-side assistance The overall relationship with dealerProject DesignAgencies should provide proposals based upon two options:

Option  1  –  100  CATI  telephone  interviews  (20-minute  maximumlength)  with  a  sample  of  operators.  2  sub-segments  of  2003,  2004registration  Vigour  trucks.  Questionnaire  to  include  a  selection  ofopen-ended questions.

Option 2 – Telephone interviewing based on 2 larger sub-segmentsof 50 operators.Initial tele-depth interviews may also be considered to aid the devel-opment of the main CATI questionnaire. Agencies should list thesetele-depths as a separate investment.DeliverablesSummary  report  and  verbatim  comments  from  tele-depths  (ifdepths are commissioned as part of this study).

Structured questionnaire to include both pre-coded and open-endedquestions.Telephone interviews with operators from sample provided (approx.500 names).Prepare and produce tabulations.Verbatim output from open-ended questions.Prepare report of the key findings.Presentation of results at Truck Master Headquarters (please quote asa separate option).Project TimetableRequest for proposal distributed8th MayProposals due at TM UK19th MayAgency selected22nd MayBriefing meetingw/c 22nd MayCompany/Agency InteractionThis brief has been sent to three agencies.Sponsors of this will be available throughout May for any queriesthat may arise.The proposal The proposal is the document, prepared by whoever will carry outthe research. It is, as the name suggests, a proposal for carrying outa  project  and  becomes  the  basis  of  the  contractual  obligationbetween the sponsor and the research agency. There are usually six main sections to a proposal.The introductionThe first section states the background and circumstances that haveled  to  the  research  project  being  considered.  The  researchers  maycarry out some secondary research to “add value” to the brief and toprovide additional context and understanding to the subject.

The objectivesThe next section of the proposal describes the objectives of the pro-ject both in summary and in detail. Figure 2.4 presents an exampleof objectives prepared for a company that wants market research toshow shoppers’ attitudes to a retail park. Figure 2.4

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he  main  reasons  for  carrying  out  the  research  on  the  MountPleasant Retail Park are as follows:

•To get a better understanding of who the customers are andwhere they are coming from.•To find out why they come, and what they think of theretail sites they have visited.•To find out how the retail park can be better adapted tocustomers’ and potential customers’ needs.Using this information our Client can:•Rectify weaknesses and build on strengths (eg inpromotional campaigns)•Strengthen the loyalty of existing customers•Pull in new customers or those that are occasional visitors•Use the information to pull in new clients to the vacantshops•Justify to existing clients that they have a good deal with theshops they have leasedAnswers to the following questions will be obtained:•Who is in the shopping party?•Who made the decision to visit the retail park today?•What was the principal purpose of the visit?•Where have you come from? How far have you travelled indistance and time?•How did you learn about the retail park in the first instance?•How did you get here – which mode of transport did youuse?•How many times have you visited in the last three months –that is since the beginning of February?•Which outlets/shops did you visit today?•How long have you spent here?•What would have made you stay longer?•How much did you spend (a) on food or drink and (b) onthings to take away with you?•What did you particularly like about the park?•What did you dislike about it?•Where would you have gone today to shop if you had notcome here?•When do think you will visit again?•How likely are you to recommend the retail park to a friendor relation?