University of Phoenix Material

Understanding Business Research Terms and Concepts: Part 2

Which type of research design exploratory, descriptive, or causalis 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.

A food manufacturer wants to know the demographics of people who purchase organic foods.

A firm is considering hiring American celebrity Paris Hilton to endorse its products.

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.

This type of study attempts to discover answers to the following questions: who, what, when, where, or how much.

A manufacturer investigates whether consumers will buy a new pill that replaces eating a meal.

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.

A hair-care manufacturer interviews wholesalers, retailers, and customers to determine the potential for a new shampoo package.

This type of research attempts to capture a population’s characteristics by making inference from a sample’s characteristics and testing hypotheses.

On the CBS television show Undercover Boss, top executives disguised as middle level or lower level employees investigate company departments to discover potential issues or problems.