Research Design and Data Collection Methods

Research Design and Data Collection Methods

In market research, a researcher can use either primary or secondary data to implement the research project and gain market insights. The choice of the most suitable data for use in research is determined by the available resources, including time and the convenience of accessing the research subjects and obtaining data conveniently. Secondary or extant data saves time and money since the researcher only needs to filter and sort the data to obtain the relevant data for the topic of study. Secondary data for marketing research can be obtained from several reputable databases and sources. The current review analyzes some of the external databases that can be valuable data sources for a market research project. The three sources that form the basis of the review are Google Trends, the US Census Bureau, and the American Community Survey (ACS) to understand the methods and techniques applied in the databases.

Description of Sources

The section presents a summary of the descriptive statistics of the databases selected, including the purpose of the data in the sources and the information that can be obtained from the data analysis. Basically, the section presents an overview of the databases and their usefulness in various research fields.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a Google Company affiliate database that can be used for market research. The database is one of the most frequented databases for information since it contains a wide range of information, ranging from business trends, entrepreneurial trends, and financial projections and trends. Business people and entrepreneurs can use the database to gain insights into market trends, such as demand trends in target markets (Hubbard, 2019). The database uses the internet to obtain data. The database links with the Google search engine to gather data. Google Trends also provides analytical tools that can be used to generate algorithms and mechanisms that can be used for analytics.

Census Bureau

Census Bureau collects and provides access to data ranging from individuals, population demographics, internet, and computer usage, among other categories of useful data. The database provides data on federal government spending on various projects such as hospitals, schools, and other public projects. Large businesses and corporations can use such data to invest in the business by projecting the likely outcome in different areas, such as areas where organizations can open premises. Data from the Census Bureau is useful for small and large organizations, including the government.

America Community Survey (ACS)

American Community Survey (ACS) is a database managed by a US-based institution, which majors on assisting citizens in making decisions regarding marketing strategies and enabling the government to enact appropriate marketing policies. The database provides information to key players in different markets, which makes the market more competitive. The institution is among the largest US household survey databases. As Powers et al. (2015) noted, one core principle guiding ACS is the lawful collection of data without contravening public interests. ACS provides reliable data that government stakeholders rely on for analysis.

Research Design

The section outlines the research designs employed by the databases to gather the necessary data. As Burns and Bush (2012) noted, research designs are not mutually exclusive. These databases can employ several research designs to obtain the necessary data and information, which is important in improving the validity of the research. For instance, some databases use descriptive and explanatory research approaches, which supplement each other. Descriptive analysis facilitates narrowing down the characteristics of a population to test a particular hypothesis (Burns & Bush, 2012). Descriptive statistics provide quantitative data, while the explanatory part describes the nature of the relationships established.

Google Trends

Google Trends employs correlational and descriptive research designs to generate insights on the data obtained from various internet sources. Analytics generated from Google Trends and article reports indicate that the database extensively uses a correlational design by examining statistical relationships between variables (Ahmed et al., 2017). For instance, the database may provide market information about what customers prefer to consume, their perceptions of pricing dynamics, and how these factors affect sales. The database may use historical data to generate trends about a variable of interest.

Census Bureau

The databases use a descriptive design to present data received from the surveys, which target specific groups and populations. The data obtained from the surveys conducted regularly provide useful information about society, such as price reductions, possible trends, and viable alternatives for decision-making (Hubbard, 2019). The database also collaborates with other research organizations to obtain more relevant data.

America Community Survey (ACS)

ACS also adopts a descriptive research design and data from US census surveys. The database uses the obtained data to test the hypothesis about a population by narrowing down the population’s characteristics. The site obtains the data in a manner that does not infringe on the subjects’ privacy. Organizations obtain descriptive data from the database and customize the analysis based on the needs of the organization. Some of the descriptive data in the database include population density and property ownership statistics. ACS generates maps, tables, and charts to present the scope of the statistics and findings.

Data Collected

The section presents an overview of the type of data collected and why such data is the most suitable for the purposes of the database. Data collected can be categorized as either qualitative or quantitative (Burns & Bush, 2012). However, some databases may use the two categories of data supplementarily to generate useful insights about market research variables.

Google Trends

Google Trends mainly uses quantitative data to understand trends in different market factors. For instance, data obtained from the Karachi Stock Market (KSM), one of the major data sources for the database, contains variables such as volumes, index points, and dates for different period ranges (Ahmed et al., 2017). The quantitative data from Google Trends provides useful data to determine market factors such as dollar exchange rates.

Census Bureau

The database collects quantitative data for individuals and groups of people from the past and the present. Using survey questions, the Census Bureau processes surveys into useful statistics that market researchers can use for investment decisions. Insights from the database help the government in policy-making for economic progress. Quantitative data facilitates the generalization of numerical data to quantify the problem (Scherbaum & Shockley, 2015).

America Community Survey (ACS)

ACS uses data collected from the US census, which is mainly quantitative. The data is organized to generate trends and derive relationships from the variables. For instance, the demographic trends of the US population are an example of the quantitative data trends that have been generated, which presents a summary of the demographic trends over time (Scherbaum & Shockley, 2015). However, the database also incorporates qualitative data such as explanations of the backgrounds of a population, occupations, marital status, and other qualitative variables obtained from statistics departments.

Data Collection Method

The section describes the data collection methods used by each data source. The section also outlines the procedures each source uses in the collection of relevant data.

Google Trends

Google Trends collects data from the internet, mainly Google, to study how social trends change over a period of time. Data used is obtained from social media, internet usage, and Google search analytics. The data in the database reflects the trends in Google searches on a daily basis. The database can use a dataset that reflects Google searches conducted within a range of a particular period.

Census Bureau

The US Census Bureau gathers data related to populations and the economy from a wide range of sources, using a range of procedures, mainly from the US. Some data is obtained directly from the respondents through census and polls. Respondents used may include individuals and corporations. Primary data from local municipalities, as well as state, federal, and private organizations, also provide useful administrative data (US Census Bureau, 2021). Thus, census and survey are the main data collection methods.

America Community Survey (ACS)

ACS complements population data from the US Census Bureau obtained during the decennial census. The database mainly uses four data collection modes: telephone interviews, mail, internet, and personal visit interviews. These methods use either questionnaires or interviews or both questionnaires and interviews concurrently.

Population

In data, population entails the subjects from which data about variables of interest is obtained. The section outlines the population that provides the source of data for the database. This includes details about the focus population segments.

Google Trends  

Google Trends uses population data depending on the topic and variable of interest. Thus, the population with access to the internet is used to provide a sampling frame. Some of the population categories used are Internet usage statistics such as searches on environmental issues and Google used to forecast economic trends.

US Census Bureau

The database uses the decennial population, which is considered the whole population of the US. The population from the 50 US states and the District of Columbia is used for the survey. The database also covers the global population after five years (US Census Bureau, 2021).

America Community Survey (ACS)

The database covers the US population, including those living in the quarters. The database collects economic and labor force characteristics such as income, demographic characteristics, health insurance coverage, and housing characteristics (Health.gov., n.d ). The database uses population data based on population reports by the US Census Bureau.

Sampling Size, Frame, and Technique

The section presents the sample sizes, sampling frames, and techniques used by each of the databases.

Google Trends

A sample of Google searches is used as the basis of the sampling frame in Google Trends. The database uses a sample that represents all Google searches about a variable of interest. The two main categories of data samples include real-time data, which is a data sample that covers the last seven days, and non-real-time data samples, which cover between 72 hours and several years back (Ahmed et al., 2017).

Census Bureau

The database uses the 50 states and 78 Columbian municipalities as the sampling frame to obtain a sample using two sampling stages, which include selecting primary sampling units and address units within sample PSUs (US Census Bureau, 2021).

America Community Survey (ACS)

ACS conducts a survey on an annual basis using the population of residents in the US in all 3,141 counties and 50 states. The population in the District of Columbia and the municipalities in Puerto Rico is represented by both people living in residential housing and group quarters. A sample of 3.4 million households in the 50 states and 36,000 in Puerto Rico is also used for research purposes as well (Health.gov., n. d).

References

Ahmed, F. et al. (2017). Financial Market Prediction using Google Trends. Available from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7116/112d674a8a70de1d0f2d38cba30c0450925e.pdf?

Burns, A. C., & Bush, R. F. (2012). Basic marketing research: Using Microsoft Excel data analysis (3rd Ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Health.gov. (n. d). American Community Survey (ACS). Health.gov. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/data-sources-and-methods/data-sources/american-community-survey-acs#:~:text=Annual%20ACS%20estimates%20are%20available,telephone%2C%20and%20personal%20visit%20interviews.

Hubbard, L. (2019). Why Is Identifying the Target Market so Important to a Company? Small business. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/identifyingtarget-market-important-company-76792.html

Powers, R., Beede, D., Telles, R. (2015). The Value of the American Community Survey: Smart Government, Competitive Businesses, and Informed Citizens. Commerce.gov https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/migrated/reports/the-value-of-the-acs.pdf.

Scherbaum, C., & Shockley, K. (2015). Understanding quantitative data analysis. Analyzing Quantitative Data for Business and Management Students, 9-18. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529716719.n2

US Census Bureau. (2021). How the Data are Collected. The United States Census Bureau. Census.gov https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gov-finances/technicaldocumentation/methodology/how-the-data-are-collected.html

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Secondary or extant data (already available data) can be very helpful for any marketing research project. Because it is already available, you do not need to spend the time or the money to repeat studies or surveys that have already been done. A quick scan of extant data at the beginning of a research project can save a lot of time and help you decide how to budget your time and resources best. Using extant data can also be problematic. If a study was conducted for a different purpose than yours, the results may not be exactly applicable to your situation. Also, sometimes, it can be just as difficult or expensive to get secondary data as it is to perform the actual research. Therefore, it is important to examine sources of extant data carefully and make good decisions about when to rely on existing information and when to conduct primary research yourself.

This assignment will help you understand how these external databases can be valuable to marketing research. This “informational” assignment is not directly linked to your final project. In this assignment, you will identify and describe 3 data sources (i.e., databases that collect data available for external users) that could benefit marketing researchers. DO NOT describe a “Type” of secondary data source (i.e., Journal, Newspaper, etc.), and DO NOT describe a “Source” for secondary data source databases (i.e., Google Scholar, Scopus, etc.). Still, you should describe 3 specific secondary data sources (See the prospective list below). As you review the questions below, keep your sections together (following the template makes this easy), i.e., describe each data source in your section, Description of Sources. In your second section, Research Design, describe the research design of each data source, etc. And remember, you are describing 3 sources of secondary data for Marketing Research, not necessarily your specific project. Again, you are describing secondary sources of data (typically a database) available for general use, not specific articles/websites or categories of sources relating to specific research.

Below is a list of potential sources for you to research for this assignment (Choose from this list or choose other similar sources):

Alexa Tools, American Community Survey, American FactFinder, ArcGIS Business Analyst, BizMiner, City Town Info, Euromonitor International (US Site), Google Trends, IBIS World, International Monetary Fund, Mintel GNPD, Mintel Reports, Pew Research Center, Reference USA, Sports Business Research Network (SBRnet), Sports Market Analytics (SMA), Social Mention, Statista, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Small Business Administration, and World Development Indicators

The downloadable instructions attached to the first announcement and discussion of the Week list these sources as clickable links.

Upon completing this assignment, you should be able to successfully identify sources of secondary data supporting marketing research and understand how that information influences the creation of the marketing research design.

First, identify a minimum of three sources of data. Using the data and your own research, write a 1,500-2,000 Word Research Design following APA Style. Include the following criteria:

1. A brief, 100-word Descriptive Summary for each of the three data sources that can be used to collect secondary data.
2. A description of the research design used by each of these three data sources.
3. A description of the type of data each of these three sources collects (qualitative/quantitative), with a rationale for why this type of data is best for the source.
4. A description of the data collection method used by each of these three sources, with procedures.
5. A description of the population each of these three sources uses as its data source.
6. A description of sampling size, frame, and technique used by each of these three data sources.