Developing the Research Plan

In developing research plan, the effort is to determine the information required (outline sources of secondary data), develop any plan for gathering it efficiently, and then presenting the plan to the marketing management. The plan spells out precise research approaches, sampling plans, contact technique and instruments that researchers shall use to gather new data.   The firm should know what data exists already before the procedure of collecting new data begins.  The steps that should be followed are. Developing the research plan involves following:

1.   Determining particular Information Needs
2.   Gathering  the Secondary Information
3.   Planning  the Primary Data Collection

 1). Determine particular information needs.  In this research objectives are translated into particular information needs.  For instance, economic, determine the demographic and lifestyle characteristics of a target audience.

2). Gathering secondary information.

• Secondary  data  is  information  that  already  present  somewhere,  having  been collected  for  the another  purpose.  Sources of secondary data include external and internal both sources. Companies may buy secondary data reports from outside suppliers (for example commercial data sources).

Information may be obtained using commercial online databases. For examples: Dialog, CompuServe, and Lexis-Nexus.  Lots of of these sources are free. Advantages of secondary data include following:

a)   It can usually be got more quickly and at lower cost than primary data.

b)   Sometimes data may be provided that specific company could not collect on its own. Some of the problems with collecting secondary data include following:

    i.            The needed information may not exist.

    ii.            Even if the data is found, it may not be useable.

    iii.            The researcher has to evaluate secondary information to make certain it is relevant, correct, current, and impartial. Secondary data is a good initial point; although, the company will frequently have to collect primary data.

• Primary data is information collected for the particular purpose at hand.

 Planning Primary Data Collection: A plan for the primary data collection calls for a number of decisions on contact methods, research approaches, sampling plans, and research instruments.