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Chapter 2 – The Research Process and Ethical Concerns
I. Learning Objectives:
Upon completing this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Outline the marketing research process.
There are four general stages in the marketing research process:
a. Problem definition
b. Data collection
Data sources include:
1. Existing data from internal sources
3. Primary (i.e., new) data from individuals
2. Describe the general approaches to marketing research.
There are two general approaches to marketing research:
3. Cite the most critical error in marketing research.
4. Highlight the main difference between the utility, justice, and rights approaches to
ethical reasoning.
▪ Utility approach – focuses on society as the unit of analysis and stresses the
5. Describe types of research that should be avoided.
▪ Unethical research – examples include sugging and advocacy research
▪ Research to support a decision that has already been made
Chapter 2 – The Research Process and Ethical Concerns
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II. Chapter Outline:
A. The Marketing Research Process
Exhibit 2.1: The Marketing Research Process
Exhibit 2.2: Questions Typically Addressed at the Various Stages of the Research
Process
1. Problem Definition (Chapters 3 and 4)
Manager’s Focus
3. Data Collection: Primary Data (Chapters 8 through 15)
5. Information Reporting (Chapters 19 and 20)
6. The Goal: Minimize Total Error
B. Marketing Research Ethics
Exhibit 2.3: Questionable Ethical Decision Making in Marketing Research
Research Window 2.1: The Code of Marketing Research Standards (Marketing
Research Association, Inc.)
C. Three Methods of Ethical Reasoning
D. Research to Avoid
Manager’s Focus
Manager’s Focus
E. Summary
F. Key Terms
G. Review Questions
H. Discussion Questions, Problems, and Projects
III. Answers to Review Questions:
1. The research process provides information needed for decision making. It
2. Data may be captured by retrieving processed data from internal databases or
3. The most important error in research is total error; any research process will
4. The utility approach focuses on society as the unit of analysis, and it stresses the
consequences of an act on all of those directly or indirectly affected by it. If the
5. It is important to consider ethics in order to avoid causing harm of any kind (e.g.,
economic, physical, or mental) to an individual or a group.
IV. Instruction Suggestions:
2. Next, turn to a discussion of the research process. Briefly review the process to:
a. Illustrate the structure of the course. Each instructor can point out the
relative emphasis to be placed on each section.
3. Illustrate the interrelationships of the stages. It is particularly helpful here to
demonstrate how slight changes in research questions can lead to substantial
changes in the research process. This can be accomplished by alternate
Chapter 2 – The Research Process and Ethical Concerns
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phrasings of a research question such as, "Who buys condominiums?" versus
"Why do people buy condominiums?" and tracing through the research that
4. Turn next to a discussion of marketing research ethics. While the issue of ethics
in marketing research is best addressed over the course of the term rather than
in a single period, it is useful to sensitize students early to the fact that most
marketing research techniques involve ethical issues, and that the decision as to
what is morally right in a given situation is not always clear. One useful way to
begin is to review the essential differences between the utility, justice, and rights
perspectives.
The utilitarian perspective focus on the greatest good for the greatest number,
while the rights view emphasizes on fairness to the individual. There is one
While the discussion of ethics should now alert students to the possibility that there are
