Business Research Methods

Q1)

Ans.

Research Proposal:

Working Research Title-

“Does Soothing Ambient music have an impact on Consumer Behaviour in store while Purchasing”

Abstract:

The proposal is to test whether ambient music being played in the background at retail store has any
measurable impact on consumer behaviour and sales. Methodology being used will be a cataloguing
of days with and without ambient music being played with respect to sales on those exact dates and
also circulating surveys/questionnaires to those in the vicinity of the store to comment on the ‘vibe’
they get when they are inside. The expectation is that there will be correlation and probable causation
in between consumer behaviour and ambient music.

Introduction:

According to a recent study from Certain University, says that background music influences customers
in regards to what to buy, time spent in a store, and spending total. This is the result of specific genres
or songs subliminally triggering a person’s memory, which then impacts their behaviour. For example,
customers can be influenced to pay more for a product when listening to classical music, compared to
when other music or no music is played.
A University of Cambridge study found that people who listen to classical music are seen as personable
and intellectual, and hearing classical music in a store might push them to pay more for products linked
to sophistication. The purpose of this research is to showcase the interlinked relationship between
our influenceable emotional state and our purchase behaviour in a store.

Research Goal:
The goal of this research is:

1. To Show case the relationship between music and consumer behaviour.

2. Define the relationship between emotional state and subconscious suggestibility.
3. Creation of a research roadmap to exhaustively catalogue everyday consumer behaviour in
differing ambient music.

Hypothesis:
Our shopping habits, including which stores we prefer to visit over others, are influenced by our
previous retail experiences. Unpleasant encounters, such as packed aisles, can discourage customers
from returning to a store. As a result, you may think that a shop playing a person's favourite music
would make them feel at ease and at home throughout their visit. Yalch and Spangenberg (2000)
investigated the effect of playing well-known music in a shop vs music that customers are unlikely to
be familiar with. In the study, customers were given either a set amount of time to shop or a more
flexible time allocation. As they shopped, either obscure or well-known tracks were played in the
background. The influence of familiarity with the background music on the behaviour of shoppers
was unexpected. Those who heard known tracks spent approximately 8% less time shopping than
those who heard new music, whereas those who heard unfamiliar music perceived time to pass
faster.
A similar pattern may emerge in Rajesh Stores, considering the high retention of most chart-topping
hits across India inevitably casting a nostalgic vibe on the customers. This heightened emotional
state could most certainly lead to increased purchase activity.

sample questionnaire design:

• What is Your Age?

• Are you the Main earning member of family?

• What kind music do you like ?

• Do you feel Relax after listening to music ?

• Does listening music makes you happier and influence you to good thing ?

• Does it effect you purchasing decision?

Cost of the project: Cost of the Project would be around 5 lakh for complete research

Conclusion:
Consumer behaviour analysts increasingly consider music and a variety of other aspects when
designing and optimising customer experiences in their stores. However, we know that ambient
music is not the only factor influencing our purchasing habits: product diversity, quality, and cost all
have an impact on the decisions we make. The effect of the shopping experience, on the other hand,
is substantial, and it has been argued that music has a greater influence on customers when other
elements are considered. One study examined a variety of scenarios in a mock-up shop, including
one in which Christmas music was played, another in which a Christmas aroma permeated the air,
and yet another in which the music and perfume were blended

Q3)

B. Difference between Qualitative and quantitative research

Ans. Qualitative Vs Quantitative Research

• Quantitative analysis quantifies data to check hypotheses or predict the longer

term whereas Qualitative analysis seeks to urge a deeper understanding of why certain
things occur

• The sample is tiny in Qualitative analysis and can't be wont to represent the
entire population while in mensuration the sample is largeand might represent the
complete population in Quantitative Research.

• The researcher conducts interviews or surveys to gather qualitative data whereas

in Quantitative analysis the research conducts experiments, observations and
measurements
 • Typical data include color, race, gender, in qualitative analysis whereas in quantitative
analysis include all measurable quantities such as density, length, size, weight

• Qualitative analysis is exploratory and subjective but

Quantitative analysis is conclusive and objective.

C. Causal Research

Ans. Causal research can be characterized as an exploration strategy that is utilized to decide the
circumstances and logical results connection between two factors.. Utilizing causal examination, we
choose what varieties occur in an autonomous variable with the adjustment of the reliant variable

The importance of causal research is to decide the connection between a circumstances and logical
results. It is otherwise called informative exploration. A variety in a free factor is noticed, which is
thought to cause changes in the reliant variable.

To get the exact yield, other frustrating factors that may impact the outcomes are kept consistent
while making the information or are controlled utilizing measurable strategies. The idea of causal
examination is extremely confounded as an analyst can never be certain that no other secret factors
are impacting the causal connection between two factors. For instance, when an organization needs
to examine the conduct of their customers towards the changing cost of their merchandise, they
utilize causal exploration.

Causal research gives the advantages of replication in case there is a requirement for it. Causal
research distinguishes the effects of changing the cycles and existing strategies. In causal research,
the subjects are chosen deliberately. Along these lines, causal exploration is useful for more
significant levels of inner legitimacy

Q4)

A. How will conduct focus group interviews? Explain with examples

Ans. A focus group is best defined as a small group of carefully selected participants who contribute
to open discussions for research. The hosting organization carefully selects participants for the study
to represent the larger population they’re attempting to target.The group might look at new
products, feature updates, or other topics of interest to generalize the entire population’s reaction.
Focus group research includes a moderator. Their job is to ensure legitimate results and reduce bias
in the discussions.

Focus group interviews are conducted in three phases:

• Conceptualization: Determination of the aim, respondent set, plan, etc.

• Interview: Developing questions supported the participant group
• Analysis and Reporting: Analyse the results from the discussion and document them, for
interpretation purposes

Step to Conduct Focus Interview

1. Choose your topic of discussion.

2. Prepare your focus group questionnaire.
 3. Appoint a notetaker.
4. Recruit and schedule participants.
5. Get consent and start the discussion.
6. Ask your questions.
7. Find equal representation from the group
8. End the meeting in a reasonable amount of time
9. Study and incorporate feedback

For example, a political party may be interested in how young adult voters would react to
certain policies. By focus group interview , observing young adults discussing those policies,
market researchers would then report their findings to their client.

B. Role Of Secondary Data In Exploratory research

Ans. Role Of Secondary Data In Exploratory research are:

When deciding which areas to target, secondary data is a good place to begin. Using secondary data
might not seem as exciting as collecting original survey data or scraping the internet to understand
online behaviors, but it should form the core of any research. Secondary data lets you build on
existing research, which leads to better results, and saves time and money.

• Secondary data analysis involves a researcher using the data that somebody else has
gathered for his or her own purposes.
• Researchers leverage secondary data analysis in a trial to answer a brand new research
question, or to look at another perspective on the first question of a previous study.
• so as to completely understand secondary data analysis, it’s essential to familiarize yourself
with the difference between primary and secondary data. Secondary Data is collected for a
special purpose aside from the one that it's used.

Factors to think about Before Conducting Secondary Data Analysis

• There are certain factors that a researcher must consider before deciding to maneuver
forward with secondary data analysis.
• Because the researcher didn't collect the info that he or she's going to be working with, it’s
imperative for him or her to become at home with the information set.

6. the benefits of Secondary Data Analysis in Exploratory Research

• One of the foremost noticeable advantages of using secondary data analysis is its cost
effectiveness.
• Because some other person has already collected the information, the researcher doesn't
have to invest any money, time, or effort into the information collection stages of his or her
study.
• While sometimes secondary data must be purchased by a researcher looking to use it to tell
a study they’re performing on, these costs are nearly always not up to what the expenses
would be if the researcher were to form the identical data set from scratch.
 • Also, the info from a secondary data set is often already cleaned and stored in an electronic
format, that the researcher can spend his or her time rolling up their sleeves and analyzing
the info rather than spending time having to arrange the information for analysis.
• Another advantage of analyzing secondary data rather than collecting and analyzing primary
data is that the sheer volume and breadth of information that's publicly available today.
• For instance, leveraging the findings from studies that the govt has conducted provides
researchers with access to a volume of information that might have simply been impossible
for the researcher to amass themselves.

For example . The question of which regions to target for a marketing rollout was asked by a public
university that has a large online student body and is considering expanding beyond its regional
base. The university wanted us to consider every designated marketing area in the country, but
doing so with any statistical precision would not have been cost-effective or necessary. Surveying
210 regions would have required more than 100,000 interviews and cost $1.5 million just to collect
the data, most of which wouldn’t be used except to eliminate geographies.By feeding secondary
data into a custom-made algorithm instead, we were able to reduce the number of potential market
areas from 210 to 25.

Q5)

A. What is independent and dependent variables? Explain the same with examples.

Ans. The two main variables in an experiment are the independent and dependent variable. An
Independent Variable is that the variable that's changed or controlled during a scientific experiment
to check the consequences on the dependent variable quantity.

A dependent variable quantity is that the variable being tested and measured in an exceedingly
scientific experiment. The variable is 'dependent' on the variable. because the experimenter changes
the independent variable, the effect on the dependent variable is observed and recorded.

The independent and dependent variables is also viewed in terms of cause and effect. If the
independent variable is modified, then an impact is seen within the dependent variable. Remember,
the values of both variables may change in an experiment and are recorded. The difference is that
the worth of the independent variable is controlled by the experimenter, while the worth of the
variable only changes in response to the Independent variable quantity.

Eg.

Example, a scientist wants to work out if the brightness of sunshine has any effect on a moth being
interested in the sunshine. The brightness of the sunshine is controlled by the scientist. this could be
the independent variable. How the moth reacts to the various light levels (distance to light source)
would be the Dependent variable.

C. Difference between probability and non-probability of sampling with example

Ans. Probability Sampling Vs Non-Probability sampling

 • Probability sampling is a sampling technique, in which the subjects of the population get an
equal opportunity to be selected as a representative sample.

Whereas Nonprobability sampling is a method of sampling wherein, it is not known that

which individual from the population will be selected as a sample.

• Opportunity of selection Fixed and known in Probability Sampling , but Not specified and
unknown in non-Probability Sampling

• Probability Sampling can be more expensive and time-consuming than convenience or

purposive sampling. But Non-Probability Sampling More convenient and less costly, but
doesn’t hold up to expectations of probability theory.

• In Probability Sampling you can generalize your results from a random sample. Non-
Probability sampling can be effective when trying to generate ideas and getting feedback,
but you cannot generalize your results to an entire population with a high level of
confidence.

Example:

Examples of non-probability samples are: convenience, judgmental, quota, and snowball.

Example of probability For example, if you have a population of 100 people, every person
would have odds of 1 in 100 for getting selected.

Q6)

A. Experimental research

Ans. Experimental research may be a study that strictly adheres to a research project design. It
includes a hypothesis, a variable that may be manipulated by the researcher, and variables that may
be measured, calculated and compared. most significantly, experimental research is completed in an
exceedingly controlled environment. The researcher collects data and results will either support or
reject the hypothesis. Experimental research seeks to work out a relationship between two variables
independent variable and the dependent variable quantity

Advantages

• intuitive practice shaped by research

• teachers have bias but can be reflective
• researcher can have control over variables
• use to determine what is best for population
• provides for greater transferability than anecdotal research

Disadvantages

• subject to human error

 • personal bias of researcher may intrude
• sample may not be representative
• can produce artificial results
• political pressure may skew results

B. Snowball sampling

Ans. Snowball sampling is where research participants recruit other participants for a test or study.
it's used where potential participants are hard to search out. It’s called snowball sampling because
once you have got the ball rolling, it picks up more “snow” along the way and becomes larger and
bigger. Snowball sampling could be a non-probability sampling method. It doesn’t have the
probability involved, with say, simple sampling Rather, the researchers used their own judgment to
decide on participant of the study.

Advantage

• It allows for studies to take place where otherwise it may be not possible to conduct
because of a lack of peoples
• Snowball sampling Assist you to discover characteristics about a population that you were
not aware off.

Disadvantages:

• It normally not possible to find the sampling error or make deductions about populations
based on the obtained sample.

Snowball sampling is also known as referral sampling, chain-referral sampling, chain sampling and
cold calling.

For example, if you are studying the level of customer satisfaction among the members of an elite
country club, you will find it extremely difficult to collect primary data sources unless a member of
the club agrees to have a direct conversation with you and provides the contact details of the other
members of the club.