Research in Marketing

Research Methodology

Using the right research methodology by using apt techniques and the required tools is very important in a research work. There are two valid approaches for a research methodology which are known as inductive and deductive approaches. According to Ghauri & Gronhaug (2005), in a deductive approach available theories are used to construct hypothesis and probable conclusions are drawn from these hypothesis through observations based on them. It is also called top down approach because of its nature of coming to a specific point on the basis of blurred hypothesis. In an inductive approach, also known as the bottom up approach, it is the converse wherein a new theory is developed from empirical data or pure facts. For this particular research work, the approach used will be inductive. Given the present financial conditions and its effect on the economy over the world, theories can be made which will help better understand the state of the consumer behaviour especially with reference to the supermarket industry in the UK. Inductive approach provides the researcher with the bandwidth to explore and expand his theory and comprehend the situation to his best understanding.

When new conclusions are made from newly made theories in the light of existing facts and knowledge, the work becomes exploratory. It provides a new understanding to the topic on which further research can be based on and further conclusions can be made about. It also makes the research work more flexible as the newly derived theories expand into new territories and gives a whole new scope for research (Adams and Schvaneveldt, 1991). The facts obtained in this case will be from a range of participants and players of the industry and the consumers. Retrieving data with the help of focus groups and interviews with people concerned with the topic will give sufficient primary data to base the whole work upon. The main bulk of the primary interviews will be in the form in in-depth unstructured interviews which gives the researcher the required flexibility to find relevant data through one-on-one interviews or telephonic conversations. Subjects would be interviewed after they have purchased from retailers or supermarkets. It would be the right time to capitalise on the emotions after they have bought from supermarkets during tough times. The interview would be on the lines of casual conversations as anything too business like may not be appreciated by many people. Academic work and research work on the financial crisis and how governments and companies have been affected would constitute the secondary data. The present scenario along with the primary data that would provide valuable insights about consumer behaviour in the UK in particular would help creating good inference on the exact situation of the present buying pattern of the population. Focus groups will give a generalised take on the whole situation whereas in-depth interviews will refine the data that is obtained through meetings with the focus groups. It will give a more precise view point on consumer behaviour as the emotion factor may come into play here with individual interviews. Once both primary and secondary data are collected it is important to analyse them and which will help in right interpretation of the data. It is important that the data that is produced from all the above mentioned methods be credible and valid to the research question. It can be held as reliable if the same methods give almost the same results at a different time (Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). It validates the transparency and the clarity of the data and its mission of finding the required answers to the research questions. Only if the research problems can be solved using the retrieved data can the research methodology and data collection be validated and proven useful.