Semantic measurement scale. Some typical scales

The presence of contradictory judgments in the answers on scale B leads to the need to consider the scale unacceptable.

This approach to increasing the reliability of a scale is very complex. Therefore, it can only be recommended when developing critical tests or techniques intended for mass use or panel studies.

It is possible to test one method on several respondents. If the method is reliable, then different respondents will give consistent information, but if their results are poorly consistent, then either the measurements are unreliable or the results of individual respondents cannot be considered equivalent. In the latter case, it is necessary to determine whether any group of results can be considered more trustworthy. The solution to this problem is all the more important if it is assumed that it is equally permissible to obtain information by any of the methods under consideration.

The use of parallel methods for measuring the same property faces a number of difficulties.

Firstly, it is unclear to what extent both methods measure the same quality of the object, and, as a rule, there are no formal criteria for testing such a hypothesis. Consequently, it is necessary to resort to a substantive (logical-theoretical) justification of a particular method.

Second, if parallel procedures are found to measure a common property (the data are not significantly different), the question remains about the theoretical justification for using these procedures.

It must be admitted that the very principle of using parallel procedures turns out to be not a formal, but rather a substantive principle, the application of which is very difficult to substantiate theoretically.

One of the widespread approaches to establishing validity is the use of so-called judges, experts. Researchers ask a specific group of people to act as competent individuals. They are offered a set of features intended to measure the object being studied, and are asked to evaluate the correctness of attributing each of the features to this object. Joint processing of judges' opinions will make it possible to assign weights to features or, what is the same, scale ratings in the measurement of the object being studied. A set of features can be a list of individual judgments, characteristics of an object, etc.

Judging procedures are varied. They may be based on methods of paired comparisons, ranking, sequential intervals, etc.

The question of who should be considered judges is quite controversial. Judges selected as representatives of the population being studied must, in one way or another, represent its micromodel: according to the judges’ assessments, the researcher determines how adequately certain points of the survey procedure will be interpreted by respondents.

However, when selecting judges, a difficult question arises: what is the influence of the judges’ own attitudes on their assessments, because these attitudes may differ significantly from the attitudes of the subjects in relation to the same object.

In general, the solution to the problem is to: a) carefully analyze the composition of judges from the point of view of the adequacy of their life experience and signs of social status to the corresponding indicators of the surveyed population; b) identify the effect of individual deviations in judges' scores relative to the overall distribution of scores. Finally, it is necessary to evaluate not only the quality, but also the size of the sample population of judges.

On the one hand, this number is determined by consistency: if the consistency of judges' opinions is sufficiently high and, accordingly, the measurement error is small, the number of judges can be small. It is necessary to set the value of the permissible error and, based on it, calculate the required sample size.

If complete uncertainty of the object is detected, i.e. in the case when the opinions of the judges are distributed evenly across all assessment categories, no increase in the size of the sample of judges will save the situation and will not bring the object out of the state of uncertainty.

If the object is sufficiently uncertain, then a large number of gradations will only introduce additional interference into the work of judges and will not provide more accurate information. It is necessary to identify the stability of judges' opinions using repeated testing and, accordingly, narrow the number of gradations.

The choice of a particular method, method or technique for checking validity depends on many circumstances.

First of all, it should be clearly established whether any significant deviations from the planned measurement program are possible. If the research program sets strict limits, not one, but several methods should be used to check the validity of the data.

Secondly, it must be kept in mind that the levels of robustness and validity of data are closely interrelated. Unstable information, due to its lack of reliability according to this criterion, does not require too strict verification of validity. Sufficient robustness should be ensured, and then appropriate steps should be taken to clarify the boundaries of interpretation of the data (i.e., identify the level of validity).

Numerous experiments to identify the level of reliability allow us to conclude that in the process of testing measurement instruments, in terms of their reliability, the following sequence of main stages of work is advisable:

a) Preliminary control of the validity of methods for measuring primary data at the stage of testing the methodology. Here it is checked to what extent the information meets its intended purpose in essence and what are the limits of subsequent interpretation of the data. For this purpose, small samples of 10–20 observations are sufficient, followed by adjustments to the structure of the methodology.

b) The second stage is piloting the methodology and thoroughly checking the stability of the initial data, especially the selected indicators and scales. At this stage, a sample is needed that represents a micromodel of the real population being surveyed.

c) During the same general piloting, all necessary operations related to checking the level of validity are carried out. The results of the analysis of aerobatics data lead to the improvement of the methodology, to the refinement of all its details and, ultimately, to the receipt of the final version of the methodology for the main study.

d) At the beginning of the main study, it is advisable to check the stability of the method used in order to calculate accurate indicators of its stability. Subsequent clarification of the boundaries of validity goes through the entire analysis of the results of the study itself.

Regardless of the reliability assessment method used, the researcher has four sequential steps to improve the reliability of the measurement results.

First, when measurement reliability is extremely low, some questions are simply discarded from the questionnaire, especially when the degree of reliability can be determined during the questionnaire development process.

Secondly, the researcher can “collapse” the scales and use fewer gradations. Let's say, the Likert scale in this case can only include the following gradations: “agree”, “disagree”, “I have no opinion”. This is usually done when the first step has been completed and when the examination has already been carried out.

Third, as an alternative to the second step or as an approach carried out after the second step, reliability assessment is carried out on a case-by-case basis. Let's say a direct comparison is made of respondents' answers during their initial and retests or with some equivalent answer. Answers from unreliable respondents are simply not taken into account in the final analysis. Obviously, if you use this approach without an objective assessment of the respondents’ reliability, then by throwing out “undesirable” answers, the research results can be adjusted to the desired ones.

Finally, after the first three steps have been used, the level of reliability of the measurements can be assessed. Typically, measurement reliability is characterized by a coefficient varying from zero to one, where one characterizes maximum reliability.

It is usually considered that the minimum acceptable level of reliability is characterized by numbers of 0.65–0.70, especially if the measurements were carried out for the first time.

It is obvious that in the process of various and numerous marketing research conducted by different companies, there was a consistent adaptation of measurement scales and methods for conducting them to the goals and objectives of specific marketing research. This makes it easier to solve the problems discussed in this section, and makes it rather necessary when conducting original marketing research.

The validity of measurements characterizes completely different aspects than the reliability of measurements. A measurement may be reliable but not valid. The latter characterizes the accuracy of measurements in relation to what exists in reality. For example, a respondent was asked about his annual income, which is less than $25,000. Reluctant to tell the interviewer the true figure, the respondent reported income as “more than $100,000.” When retested, he again named this figure, demonstrating a high level of reliability of the measurements. Falsehood is not the only reason for the low level of measurement reliability. You can also call it poor memory, poor knowledge of reality by the respondent, etc.

Let's consider another example that characterizes the difference between reliability and validity of measurements. Even an inaccurate watch will show the time at one hour twice a day, demonstrating high reliability. However, they can go very inaccurately, i.e. The time display will be unreliable.

The main direction of checking the reliability of measurements is to obtain information from various sources. This can be done in different ways. Here, first of all, the following should be noted.

We must strive to compose questions in such a way that their wording contributes to obtaining reliable answers. Further questions related to each other may be included in the questionnaire.

For example, the questionnaire contains a question about the extent to which the respondent likes a certain food product of a certain brand. And then it is asked how much of this product was purchased by the respondent over the last month. This question is aimed at checking the reliability of the answer to the first question.

Often two different methods or sources of information are used to assess the reliability of measurements. For example, after filling out written questionnaires, a number of respondents from the initial sample are additionally asked the same questions by telephone. The similarity of the answers is used to judge the degree of their reliability.

Sometimes, based on the same requirements, two samples of respondents are formed and their answers are compared to assess the degree of reliability.

Questions to check:

What is measurement?

How does objective measurement differ from subjective measurement?

Describe the four scale characteristics.

Define the four types of scales and indicate the types of information contained in each.

What are the arguments for and against using neutral gradation in a symmetrical scale?

What is a modified Likert scale and how do the life style scale and the semantic differential scale relate to it?

What is the “halo effect” and how should a researcher control it?

What components determine the content of the concept of “measurement reliability”?

What disadvantages may the measurement scale used have?

What methods for assessing measurement stability do you know?

What approaches to assessing the level of validity of measurements do you know?

How does measurement reliability differ from measurement validity?

When should a researcher evaluate the reliability and validity of a measurement?

Let's assume that you are engaged in marketing research and the owner of a private grocery store has approached you with a request to create a positive image of this store. Design a semantic differential scale to measure the relevant image dimensions of a given store. When performing this work you must do the following:

A. Conduct a brainstorming session to identify a set of measurable indicators.

b. Find the corresponding bipolar definitions.

V. Determine the number of gradations on the scale.

d. Choose a method to control the “halo effect”.

Design a measurement scale (justify the choice of scale, the number of gradations, the presence or absence of a neutral point or gradation; think about whether you are measuring what you planned to measure) for the following tasks:

A. A manufacturer of children's toys wants to know how preschoolers react to the video game “Sing with Us,” in which the child must sing along with the characters of the animated film.

b. A dairy products manufacturer is testing five new yoghurt flavors and wants to know how consumers rate the flavors in terms of sweetness, pleasantness, and richness.

List literature

Burns Alvin C., Bush Ronald F. Marketing Research. New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 1995.

Evlanov L.G. Theory and practice of decision making. M., Economics, 1984.

Eliseeva I.I., Yuzbashev M.M. General theory of statistics. M., Finance and Statistics, 1996.

A sociologist's workbook. M., Nauka, 1977.

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.marketing.spb.ru/

Current page: 6 (book has 10 pages total) [available reading passage: 7 pages]

5Formalization of data collection and processing of marketing information

5.1 Characteristics of scales used in marketing measurements

To collect data, questionnaires are developed. Information to fill them out is collected by taking measurements.

Under measurement refers to the determination of a quantitative measure or density of a certain characteristic (property) of interest to the researcher.

The characteristics of certain objects are measured (consumers, product brands, stores, advertising, etc.). Once a characteristic has been determined for a selected object, the object is said to have been measured against that characteristic. Objective properties (age, income, amount of beer drunk, etc.) are easier to measure than subjective ones (feelings, tastes, habits, relationships, etc.). In the latter case, the respondent must translate his ratings into a density scale (some numerical system) that the researcher must develop.

Measurements can be taken using various scales. Highlight four characteristics of the scales.

1Description involves the use of a single descriptor, or identifier, for each gradation in the scale.

For example, “yes” or “no”; “agree” or “disagree”; age of respondents.

2Order characterizes the relative size of the descriptors (“greater than,” “less than,” “equal to”). Not all scales have order characteristics.

For example, one cannot say more or less about “buyer” versus “non-buyer.”

3 Characteristics of the scale such as distance, is used when the absolute difference between descriptors is known, which can be expressed in quantitative units.

A respondent who bought three packs of cigarettes bought two more packs compared to a respondent who bought only one pack. “Distance” in this case is equal to two.

It should be noted that when “distance” exists, “order” also exists. A respondent who bought three packs of cigarettes bought “more” than a respondent who bought only two packs.

4 The scale is considered to have starting point if it has a single origin or zero point.

For example, the age scale has a true zero point. However, not all scales have a zero point for the properties being measured. Often they only have an arbitrary neutral point. For example, answering a question about the preference of a certain brand of car, the respondent said that he had no opinion. The gradation “I have no opinion” does not characterize the true zero level of his opinion.

Each subsequent characteristic of the scale is built on the previous characteristic. Thus, "description" is the most basic characteristic that is inherent in any scale. If a scale has "distance", it also has "order" and "description".

Highlight four levels of measurement, determining the type of measurement scale. Their relative characteristics are given in Table 39.

Table 39 – Characteristics of scales of various types

1 Name scale has only the characteristic of description; it assigns only its name to the described object; no quantitative characteristics are used.

Objects of measurement fall into many mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. The naming scale establishes relations of equality between objects that are combined into one category. Each category is given a name, the numerical designation of which is an element of the scale. Obviously, measurement at this level is always possible. “Yes”, “No” and “Agree”, “Disagree” are examples of gradations of such scales.

Table 40 provides examples of questions formulated both in the name scale and in other scales.

Table 40 – Examples of questions formulated in various measurement scales

B) Interval scale.

1) Please rank each product brand in terms of its quality:

2) Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements by circling one of the numbers:

3) Please rank the Pontiac Trans-Am according to the following characteristics:

D) Relationship scale.

1) Please indicate your age _____ years.

2) Approximately indicate how many times over the last month you made purchases in a store on duty in the time interval from 20 to 23 hours.

3) What is the likelihood that when drawing up a will you will seek the help of a lawyer ___________ percent.

2 Order scale allows you to rank respondents or their answers. It has the properties of a nominal scale combined with an order relation. In order for scale ratings to differ from numbers in the ordinary sense, they are called ranks at the ordinal level.

For example, the frequency of purchasing a certain product (once a week, once a month). However, such a scale only indicates the relative difference between the objects being measured.

Often the supposed clear distinction between assessments is not observed and respondents cannot unambiguously choose one answer or another, i.e. some adjacent gradations of answers overlap each other. This scale is called semi-ordered; it lies between the scales of names and order.

3 Interval scale It also has the characteristic of the distance between individual scale gradations, measured using a specific unit of measurement, i.e. quantitative information is used.

For example, if store clerks are rated on a scale of extremely friendly, very friendly, somewhat friendly, somewhat unfriendly, very unfriendly, extremely unfriendly, then it is usually assumed that the distances between the individual gradations are the same.

4 Relationship scale is the only scale that has a zero point, so quantitative comparisons of the results obtained can be made. This addition allows us to talk about the ratio (proportion) a: b for scale values ​​a and b. For example, a respondent may be 2.5 times older, spend three times more money, or fly twice as often as another respondent. It must be borne in mind that the results obtained can always be translated into a simpler scale, but never vice versa. For example, the gradations “strongly disagree” and “somewhat disagree” (interval scale) can easily be transferred to the “disagree” category of the naming scale.

5.2 Marketing information analysis system

The main purpose of the information analysis system is to process the available data, which allows one to draw appropriate conclusions within the framework of the problem under study and outline the main ways to resolve it. This system is a set of modern economic-mathematical and economic-statistical methods of information processing. Since the diversity of these techniques is covered in sufficient detail in the specialized literature, let us consider from the most general positions the most significant ones for marketing practice.

Regression analysis– a statistical method of data analysis to determine the dependence of one variable on one (simple regression) or several (multivariate regression) independent variables. The traditional area of ​​use of this method can be considered the determination of the correlation between sales volumes of a specific product in a certain market segment with factors such as prices, advertising methods, level of service, etc.

Dispersion method used to confirm or refute the influence of the factor being studied on certain economic indicators (for example, advertising on sales volume).

Variational analysis is designed to test whether changes in the independent variables have a significant effect on the dependent ones.

By using discriminant analysis it is possible to separate predefined groups of objects through a combination of many independent variables and thus explain differences between groups. In addition, the method makes it possible to assign a new object to a group based on its characteristics.

Factor analysis used to study the relationship between variables in order to reduce the number of influencing factors to the most significant ones. One of the areas of its application in marketing is market segmentation.

Table 41 - Typical forecasting methods

At the same time, from a large number of variables that describe the needs of potential consumers of a product, it is necessary to select the main ones - those that are fundamental for the formation of segments.

Cluster analysis allows you to combine variables or objects into groups (or so-called clusters) in such a way that the differences between the objects that make up one cluster are less than their differences from other clusters. The main area of ​​application of this method in marketing is market segmentation.

Multidimensional scaling allows you to obtain a spatial display of the relationships that exist between objects.

Along with information analysis, forecasting methods are also widely used, which significantly facilitate the work of managers and specialists of a tourism enterprise in developing strategies and (or) making current management decisions.

The decision to choose a forecasting method is made taking into account the following factors:

– time allotted for preparing the forecast;

– required level of forecast accuracy;

– the nature of the data required to develop the forecast;

– time range of forecasting (the period for which the forecast is given).

A brief description of typical forecasting methods is presented in Table 41.

Also used for forecasting intuitive-creative methods of idea generation. The most famous of them include brainstorming and synectics.

Brainstorming method consists in the uncontrolled generation and spontaneous interweaving of ideas by participants in a group discussion of a problem. On this basis, chains of associations arise that can lead to an unexpected solution to the problem. To successfully use this method, a number of conditions must be met:

1) from 7 to 12 people must take part in the meeting;

2) the optimal duration of the meeting is from 15 to 30 minutes;

3) the number of proposals is more important than their quality;

5) criticism in any form is prohibited; logic, experience, arguments “against” only get in the way;

6) the hierarchical level of the participants should not differ too much, otherwise psychological barriers may arise that interfere with communication and the building of associations.

Ideas received during the meeting are recorded and then evaluated. The brainstorming method has many implementation options. One of them is method "6.3.5". Its essence is that 6 specialists in 5 minutes offer 3 forecast options regarding the development of the market and the promotion of products to it. This method is extremely important for obtaining random results.

Employees write their answers on special forms distributed for this purpose. Five minutes later, the next 6 employees are invited for the same procedure. Thus, in half an hour the company receives 108 new proposals! The 6.3.5 method is especially fruitful for finding ideas for a new product. Hundreds and thousands of proposals accumulated over short periods of time are then carefully analyzed and discussed.

Essence Brainstorming method is as follows.

1) Each manager recruits a team of 15 managers of the same management level for discussion.

2) The general manager explains a situation that needs their expertise, such as increasing the firm's sales volume. A selected team of managers expresses their opinion on the problem posed to them.

3) Another manager also recruits a team that expresses its doubts and negative opinions about the assessments and proposals put forward by the first team.

By Gordon's method Participants in a brainstorming session should not be given a specific task, such as, for example, “What needs to be done to increase sales of our company’s services?” It is only necessary to outline the general side of the problem. In our example, this can be formulated as follows: “What methods have been used previously and are currently being used to increase sales volumes of our company’s services?” After discussing this problem, specialist experts draw specific conclusions on a specific task.

Group discussion method, as another type of brainstorming, it involves the participation of people who have little knowledge of the problem or do not know it at all. Anyone can take part in the group discussion. As a result of such a discussion, you can get new interesting information, many non-standard and original ideas. After some time, invited specialists get acquainted with the ideas put forward and select those that can be implemented. It is considered normal for experts to reject 90% of the ideas proposed by group discussion participants.

Synectics is considered an intuitive and creative forecasting method with high creative potential.

Its basic principle is the gradual alienation of the original problem, which is achieved by constructing analogies with other areas of life. After multi-stage analogies there is a quick return to the starting point.

5.3 Practical tasks for section 5

Task No. 1

Identify the type of scale used in each of the following questions. Justify your answer:

a) what time of year do you usually plan your vacation?

b) total income of your family?_________________

c) What are your three favorite brands of shampoo? Rate them from 1 to 3 according to your preferences, assigning 1 as your most preferred:

– Pantene Pro-V;

d) how much time do you spend on the road from home to university every day:

– less than 5 minutes;

– 5-15 minutes;

– 16-20 minutes;

– 21-30 min.;

- 30 min. and more;

e) how satisfied are you with the Marketing and Advertising magazine:

- very satisfied;

- satisfied;

– both satisfied and dissatisfied;

– dissatisfied;

- very displeased;

f) how many cigarettes do you smoke per day on average?

– more than one pack;

– from half a pack to one whole;

– less than half a pack;

g) your level of education:

– unfinished secondary;

– completed secondary;

– unfinished higher education;

- completed higher education.

Task No. 2

Below is an analysis for each of the preceding questions. Is the analysis used appropriate for the type of measurement scale in each case?

A. About 50% of the sample go on vacation in the fall, 25% in the spring, and the remaining 25% in the winter. We can conclude that in the fall there are twice as many vacationers as in the spring and winter seasons.

B. The average total income of one family member is 15 thousand rubles. Respondents with a total income of less than 15 thousand rubles. 67%, with an income of more than 15 thousand rubles. – 33%.

B. Pantene Pro-V is the most preferred brand. Its average preference value is 3.52.

D. The median value of all answer options about the time spent traveling from home to the university is 8.5 minutes. Three times more respondents spend less than 5 minutes on the road. compared to the number of those who spend 16-20 minutes.

D. The average satisfaction score is 4.5, which appears to indicate the high level of satisfaction received by readers of Marketing and Advertising magazine.

E. 10% of respondents smoke less than half a pack of cigarettes per day, while 90% of respondents smoke more than one pack per day.

G. The answers show that 40% of respondents have incomplete secondary education, 25% graduated from high school, 20% have incomplete higher education and 15% graduated from higher educational institutions.

Task No. 3

a) which of the following newspapers do you read regularly:

- “Bryansk worker”;

- "TVNZ";

– “Economic Newspaper”;

b) how often do you purchase products from OJSC Dairy Plant:

c) you agree that the government should impose import restrictions on:

- I certainly agree;

- agree;

– neither against nor for;

– I don’t agree;

– I certainly don’t agree;

d) how often do you purchase Cif detergent:

- once a week;

- once in two weeks;

– once every three weeks;

- once a month;

d) what social group do you belong to?

- worker;

– employee;

– manager;

– other;

f) where do you usually buy office supplies?

g) when you watch TV, do you watch advertisements?

i) which brand of tea are you most familiar with:

j) what do you think, should the Russian government, in the context of the global financial crisis, continue the current policy of cutting taxes and cutting government spending:

k) how often during the week do you exercise:

- every day;

– 5-6 times a week;

– 2-4 times a week;

- once a week;

a) which of the following reasons is most important for you when choosing a TV:

– service in the store;

- trademark;

– level of defects;

- guarantees;

b) indicate your level of education:

– unfinished secondary;

- high school;

– secondary technical;

– unfinished higher education;

– completed higher education;

– higher professional;

c) what is your average monthly income:

– up to 5000 rub.;

– 5001-10,000 rub.;

– 10,001-20,000 rubles;

– 20,001-50,000 rubles;

– above RUB 50,001;

d) your average monthly income?

- high;

- average;

– minimal.

Task No. 5

Select at least five brands from the same product line from well-known manufacturers, for example, shampoo, cars, chocolate, etc. List 5-10 parameters (properties, qualities) by which these products can be assessed, then:

Table 42 – Evaluation results on a constant sum scale

c) modify table 43, assigning a rank to each parameter in accordance with its significance, ranging from 0 (least preferable) to 1 (most preferable), summarize the results in table 43, draw a conclusion, compare with the results of previous tasks;

Table 43 – Evaluation results on a constant sum scale taking into account rank

d) rate these products on a modified Likert scale using seven rating options: 7 – wonderful; 6 – very good; 5 – good; 4 – mediocre; 3 – bad; 2 – very bad; 1 – worthless (table 44);

Table 44 – Assessment results using a modified Likert scale

Table 45 - Comparison of goods by parameter a (b, c...)

Determine the number of cases of preference for each product over all other products:

where f is the total number of preferences for product S i relative to other products (determined by counting the number of “units” in the corresponding line in all tables);

n – number of goods;

m – number of parameters by which the assessment is carried out;

f ks – frequency (score) of choosing product S i in preference to product S.

Calculate the generalized weight for each product:

where W si is the generalized weight of goods S i in fractions of a unit ( );

J – total number of ratings received:

Multiply the generalized weights by 100 and compare them with the results of previous assignments.

Task No. 6

Select five brands from different manufacturers of any product group (for example, dairy products, chocolate, coffee, etc.). Write questions about this range of brands under study using nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales. Answer the questions provided. Which ones are more difficult to answer and why?

Task No. 7

Students need to break into groups of three to four people. Using the method of paired comparisons, each member of the group needs to evaluate five to six television commercials according to criteria such as the originality of the author's idea, memorability, and motivating the consumer to purchase. Then it is necessary to assess the degree of consistency of opinions, calculate the integral rating of the videos and determine the best one.

Task No. 8

Using the paired comparison method on behalf of three experts, evaluate five brands of tea according to such criteria as aroma, richness, taste, price. In accordance with their opinion, calculate the integral rating of the tea and determine the best one.

Task No. 9

Develop a semantic differential scale to measure the image of two universities in the city. Present your scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: Which university has a more favorable image? What other methods can be used to evaluate the image of universities?

Task No. 10

Develop a Likert scale to measure the image of two banks in your city. Present this scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: which bank has a more favorable image?

Task No. 11

Develop a Stapel scale to measure the image of two city retail chains. Present this scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: Which chain has a more favorable image?

Task No. 12

Develop a questionnaire to determine how students choose their vacation destination. Pre-test the questionnaire by presenting it to 10 students through personal interviews. How would you modify the questionnaire after the pretest?

Task No. 13

IN In December 2008, a unique electronic registrar appeared in one of the clinics in city A, which allows patients to make an appointment at a convenient time, bypassing the usual system: getting up at six in the morning - queue - coupon. Externally, the electronic register, or information kiosk, is similar to a regular ATM. It is located on the first floor of the clinic, right at the entrance. Anyone can enter their health insurance number and see the opening hours of a medical institution and/or a specific specialist on the screen, as well as make an appointment. Women also have access to information about reception hours at the antenatal clinic located at the other end of the city, as well as about the work schedules of pediatricians at the children's clinic. A professional monitors what is happening on the screen at the reception. Since the kiosk operates online, the requested information in the register is recorded, analyzed and systematized. The patient’s outpatient card is sent to the office of the doctor he needs, and information about this is added to the database 1
Privalenko O. I’ll make an appointment with the doctor myself // Arguments and facts. – 2008. – No. 51(376).

What data collection method is used in this situation? How can the information obtained be used? How can it improve the efficiency of the clinic?

Task No. 14

The company is a specialized retail store “Coffee Paradise”. The purpose of the marketing research is to understand how coffee consumption will change in the next two years. The company plans to use the following methods:

– focus groups with consumers – real and potential;

– in-depth interviews and a mass survey of coffee lovers and non-coffee drinkers, assessment of factors influencing their choice.

The company wants to obtain information about market capacity and its dynamics; motivation of coffee consumers; description of situations of purchase and consumption of coffee, assessment of demand by segment, its price elasticity. It is planned that the result of the study will be models of consumer behavior; forecast for 2-4 years; clarification of brand positioning, justification of pricing strategy; formation of the concept of the brand promotion program. You work as a marketer for a company, and you are tasked with developing forms to collect information.

Task No. 15

To the direct question “Do you have a DVD player?” 72% of positive responses were given. And to the indirect question “Are you going to buy a DVD player in the near future?” 57% of respondents said that they already have a player. However, there were much fewer positive answers than with the first version of the question. Explain the disadvantages of direct and advantages of indirect surveys.

Task No. 16

Let's assume that you work for a marketing agency that has given you the task of developing a form for monitoring the service personnel of one of the plastic window companies. In other words, you and your colleagues need to visit the company under the guise of an ordinary client, ask typical “buying” questions based on the “legend” agreed upon with the customer, and maybe even buy something. Based on the results of the visit outside the company, you must fill out a detailed questionnaire. The questionnaire may contain from 15 to 35 parameters on which company personnel must be assessed. Compose a questionnaire using the following parameters: compliance with corporate appearance standards (dress code); knowledge of the products sold, their consumer properties and features; product presentation skills; customer service skills (or active sales and business communication skills); implementation of current marketing campaigns (product of the day, sale of discount cards, promotion of new brands, etc.). If necessary, add new parameters to the questionnaire. Also answer the questions:

1. What is the name of this research method?

2. How should the visit script be structured? Should it be prescribed or should the mystery shopper improvise?

3. How to prepare Mystery Shopping? To what extent should the mystery shopper be aware of the standards themselves?

4. What can be measured and investigated using mystery shopping? Sellers behavior? Availability of advertising and other materials? Condition of the premises?

5. Is an audio or video recording of the visit necessary and why? How to do it? How to use it?

6. Do the audited personnel need to be informed about inspections? If yes, to what extent?

7. Is it possible to fire an employee based on the results of the visit?

8. How to check competitors?

9. Who can work as a mystery shopper?

Task No. 17

Suppose you are an employee of the marketing department of Bryankonfi OJSC, who is tasked with conducting marketing research on the market for a new product, “Gold Collection series candies.” The purpose and method of the study are presented in Table 46.

Table 46 – Study plan

It is necessary to develop a questionnaire for the study.

Task No. 18

Fill in the blanks in table 47.

Table 47 – Marketing research on product positioning

Task No. 19

– Do you often go to cinemas?

– Approximately how much money do you spend on food?

– How many times did you skip classes at university last year?

– What types of cheese have you purchased over the past week? Reframe them as multiple-choice or dichotomous questions if you think that would be better.

Task No. 20

1) determine what information is needed and how it can be collected most effectively;

2) develop a questionnaire for conducting a personal interview in accordance with the specified research objective;

3) write individual questions on a piece of paper and determine the answer form for each question (i.e., free, multiple choice, dichotomous, scale);

4) provide arguments to justify a specific form of answer;

5) decide on the sequence of questions;

6) pre-test on a sample of five students and record the test results;

7) make the necessary changes to the questionnaire.

Situation A. Suppose you are conducting a study to study the opinions of city residents about television advertising of beer.

Situation B: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the presence of a well-known brand is important when women choose clothes for their children.

Task No. 21

Let's assume you are a marketer for a large retail chain, tasked with assessing the quality of retail service to the public in the retail chain's stores. Using Figure 20, which shows the elements of the quality of retail service to the population, develop a questionnaire to survey buyers of the retail chain.

Figure 20 – Main elements of the quality of trade services to the population 2
Senina N. A. Marketing of a trading enterprise (using the example of retail trade in Moscow): Abstract. dis. ... Ph.D. -M.: State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "VZFEI", 2007. -P. 18.

Task No. 22

The following are situations for which it is necessary:

1) list the variables that could relate to the problem being solved;

2) list observations that can illuminate each of these variables;

3) develop a structured observation form;

4) conduct several observations and write a report on the research.

Situation A: The purpose of the study is to determine how children influence adults' sugar cookie purchasing behavior.

Situation B. The purpose of the study is to determine the time it takes to think at coffee machines located in the university lobby and cafeterias, and to identify factors affecting this time.

Each researcher can create his own scale, but it is hardly worth doing this. It is better to choose a scale from among standard scales that are original in the sense that they have their own name, are widely used, and are included in the most commonly used system of scales. They are also called original. Next, four discrete rating scales are considered: Likert, semantic differential, graphic rating and Stepel, as well as a constant sum scale and a ranking scale.

Likert scale based on choosing the degree of agreement or disagreement with some specific statement. In fact, one pole of this essentially bipolar ordinal scale is formulated, which is much simpler than naming both poles. The formulation of the statement may correspond to the ideal level of some parameter of the object. When characterizing a higher educational institution, one can consider its following properties: qualified teaching staff, equipped classrooms with technical means, modernity and regularity of updating training courses, availability e-leming in educational technologies, level of culture, image and reputation, student population and many others. Statements can be formulated as follows: the teaching staff of this university is very qualified; the university has a very high level of use of modern teaching aids; this university educates students seeking knowledge; graduates of this university are highly valued in the labor market.

When using a Likert scale, five gradations are usually considered. An example of using a Likert scale in a questionnaire is shown in Fig. 8.1. In other words, the questions are formulated in a Likert scale format. The respondent is asked to tick one of five boxes.

Rice. 8.1.

In this case, the quantitative assessment itself is not required from the respondent, although more often points can be immediately given next to the names of the gradations. As can be seen from Fig. 8.1, the degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement made can have the following gradations: strongly disagree (1 point), disagree (2 points), neutral (3 points), agree (4 points), definitely agree (5 points). Here in brackets is the most commonly used option for digitizing the scale. It is also possible that a higher score (5 points) corresponds to the “strongly disagree” gradation.

Semantic differential and graphic rating scale

Semantic differential scale presupposes the presence of two polar semantic meanings (antonyms) or antonymic positions, between which there is an odd number of gradations. In this sense, the scale is bipolar. As a rule, seven gradations are considered. The middle position (middle gradation) is considered neutral. Digitization of scale gradations can be unipolar, for example in the form "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7", or bipolar, for example in the form "-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3".

Usually the poles of the scales are specified verbally (verbal). Examples of scales with two poles are as follows: “calming – invigorating” or “compact – voluminous”. Along with verbal semantic differentials, non-verbal semantic differentials have been developed that use graphic images as poles.

Examples of verbal semantic differentials are given in Fig. 8.2.

Rice. 8.2.

The semantic differential resembles the Likert scale, but has the following differences: 1) both polar statements are formulated instead of one; 2) instead of the names of intermediate gradations, a sequential graphical arrangement of an odd number of gradations located between the extreme values ​​“good - bad” is given.

Semantic differential method (from Greek. sematicos – denoting and lat. differentia difference) was proposed by the American psychologist Charles Osgood in 1952 and is used in studies related to human perception and behavior, with the analysis of social attitudes and personal meanings, in psychology and sociology, in the theory of mass communications and advertising, and in marketing.

Can be considered as an analogue of the semantic differential scale. The rating scale is implemented in such a way that each property is associated with a line, the ends of which correspond to polar statements, for example: “not important” and “very important”, “good” and “bad” (Fig. 8.3).

Rice. 8.3.

The fundamental difference between the compared scales is that the semantic differential is a discrete scale, and, as a rule, it has seven gradations, and the graphic rating scale is continuous.

• Thus, when characterizing the exterior of certain car brands, they sometimes say that it is characterized by brutality. There are also simpler examples - ergonomics and controllability, when it is difficult to meaningfully name the second pole.

Current page: 4 (book has 9 pages total) [available reading passage: 7 pages]

Topic 4. SAMPLING METHOD FOR COLLECTING INFORMATION, DETERMINING THE VOLUME AND SAMPLING PROCEDURE

1. Problem situation“Research on new business prospects”

Entrepreneur I. Ivanov is considering the possibility of organizing a full-cycle advertising agency in the city of N, providing clients with almost the entire range of advertising services. In his opinion, the service will be in demand, because the consumer goods market in the city of N is promising (currently Belarusian manufacturers are actively developing it), in other words, the market capacity is quite high. Taking into account the novelty of this business, Ivanov wants to analyze the situation on the market and draw conclusions about the attractiveness of such a business.

To solve this problem, it was decided to conduct a study of the competitive situation in the market, as well as to identify market segments that should be targeted by the advertising agency.

When studying the competitive situation, the following subtasks can be identified: researching offers from competing agencies, determining the volume of supply of advertising services in the market of the city N, describing the advertising services provided, segmenting by price niches, identifying the mechanism of interaction with large corporate clients, assessing the prospects for clients moving from closest competitors, consumers' assessment of the quality of service provided by their closest competitors.

The study of the segment of large corporate clients is planned to be carried out in the following areas: identifying client needs for agency services, assessing the volume of demand for services, identifying clients’ price orientations, studying mechanisms for possible cooperation.

Questions and tasks

1. What sources of secondary information can be used to solve the problems?

2. What marketing research methods can be used in this case?

3. Who constitutes the population for the purposes of this study?

2. Problem situation “New product on the market”

A small confectionery company producing cakes has developed a new product - a dietary cake with a reduced calorie content, which it plans to supply to the market in the city of N and the region. The company's management plans to organize work in the retail segment of the city market. Moreover, the company management has information about direct competitors. It is also planned to collect information about manufacturers of substitute goods. A marketing audit showed that the company does not have an idea of ​​the target audience, and also does not have a clear positioning strategy. To clarify these circumstances, it is planned to conduct marketing research, the main objectives of which are:

– identifying potential consumers of dietary cakes;

– identifying behavioral characteristics of target consumers (frequency of consumption, price orientations, existing health problems, people prone to consuming new products; people watching their weight);

– assessment of the potential market capacity;

– identification of direct competitors and competitors in the production of substitute goods;

– segmentation of dietary cake consumers;

– product positioning in selected market segments;

– study of possible distribution channels.

Questions and tasks

1. Determine research methods and sources of secondary information.

2. Justify sampling methods.

3. Who constitutes the population for the purposes of the study?

3. Problem situation“Testing a new label”

OJSC Pivo plans to introduce kvass with a new label to the regional market. Several Moscow advertising agencies presented developed label options, so the company's management decided to conduct marketing research in order to identify the best label option from the point of view of representatives of the target audience.

The marketing department was assigned the following tasks:

– identify consumer preferences regarding the “kvass” product (volume, shape and color of the bottle, etc.);

– assess consumer perception of the new label option;

– assess target consumers’ views on the information contained on the label.

The most preferred method of marketing research was a survey of potential consumers at points of sale.

Questions and tasks

1. What types of retail outlets need to be researched?

2. Which method of sampling retail outlets is most preferable in this situation (probabilistic or deterministic)?

3. What are the criteria for selecting respondents to participate in the survey?

4. Practical work“Determining the sampling frame”

Goal of the work: Explore methods for determining sample frame and sample size.

The content of the work: Students receive lists with research tasks. Research questions can be simple and related to products that are familiar to students, for example, how many chocolate bars does an economics student at a university consume on average per week? For this purpose, students need to construct a sampling frame (assuming that the sampling frame and the target population are identical) by filling out the table. 18.

Table 18

Hypothetical population for studying chocolate bar consumption

However, attention should be paid to the fact that maximum and minimum values ​​should not be considered that significantly exceed the average number of bars consumed. Using a table of random numbers (Appendix 13), students need, without resorting to a survey of the entire population, to determine how many chocolate bars students at the university's Faculty of Economics consume on average per week.

5. Examples of solving typical problems17
Compiled by: Davis D. Research in advertising activities: theory and practice / Transl. from English – M.: Williams, 2003. – pp. 243–248.

Example 1. Determine the final sample size if three alternative questions requiring an “agree–disagree” response were developed for the research. The first question is expected to receive an affirmative answer from 10% of the sample, the second – 20%, and the third – 85%. In addition, it is necessary to ensure a narrow confidence interval not exceeding ±3% for each of the three questions separately.

Solution. To solve this problem it is necessary to use the data of the appendix. 4. From the table presented in appendix. 4, it is clear that with a confidence interval with a value not exceeding ±3% with the expected proportion of affirmative answers:

– 10% – sample size should be 400;

– 20% – sample size should be 700;

– 85% – sample size should be about 600.

Therefore, the final sample size at these values ​​should be 700 people (the largest of the three required sample sizes).

Answer: 700 people.

Example 2. Let’s assume that you need to get an answer from a group of respondents to the question: “Are you familiar with the advertising of cakes produced by Zhuravli Factory-Kitchen OJSC?”, expecting to receive an affirmative answer from 35% of respondents. In this case, you need to be 99% sure that the actual proportion of positive answers will be within ±2%. What would be the sample size if the confidence level is 95% and the confidence interval is ±4%?

Solution. The required sample size at a given confidence level is determined by the formula:

p – expected share;

e – desired confidence interval.

Z-scores for various confidence levels are given in Table. 19.

Table 19

Z-score value

Substituting the values, we get:

The sample size is large because the confidence level and confidence interval set a high level of precision. The sample size will be much smaller if the confidence interval increases to ±4% and the confidence level decreases to 95%:

Answer: 3756 people; 546 people

Example 3. Let the population size be 375,557 people. It is required to determine the sample size, if the confidence level is 95%, the confidence interval is ±0.05.

Solution.

We present the solution to this problem in the form of a table. 20.

Table 20

Determining sample size

Answer: 350 people

Example 4. Imagine the following situation. You turned to a group of respondents with a request: “Please give an assessment of the credibility of the advertisement of the computer salon of OJSC “Supercomp” on a scale from one to five.” What would be the sample size if you wanted to be 95% confident that the true value of the population mean rating would be within ±0.4 of the sample mean?

Solution.

At the first stage, we will evaluate the standard deviation. It can be obtained by summing the extreme values ​​of the scale and dividing the sum by four:

s = (5 + 1): 4 = 1.5

The required sample size for a given desired confidence level can be calculated using the formula:

where z is the z-score corresponding to the required confidence level;

e – desired confidence interval;

s 2 – standard deviation.

Answer: 54 people

6

Task 1. Fill in the blanks in the table. 21, indicating the advantages and disadvantages of sampling methods.

Table 21

Comparative analysis of sampling methods

Problem 2. For each of the following situations, determine the target population:

a) OJSC “Dairy Plant” wants to receive information about the reasons for the low activity of buyers of dairy products in the plant’s advertising campaigns;

b) a wholesaler engaged in the sale of household electrical appliances in the city of N wants to evaluate the consumer reaction to a campaign to stimulate everyday life;

c) The city's central department store wishes to receive information about the effectiveness of advertisements placed in the local newspaper;

d) a national manufacturer of cosmetics wants to ensure that wholesalers have sufficient inventory to avoid stockouts at retailers;

e) the university cafe intends to test a new soft drink produced by its employees.

Task 3. The administration of a popular tourist resort decided to determine the attitude of tourists who visit the resort to certain types of active recreation. A notice was planned to be delivered to each room of the resort's two largest hotels, informing guests of the purpose, time and location of the study. Those wishing to participate in the survey had to proceed to the hotel lobby, where it was planned to install special tables:

a) what method is used to select sample elements?

Task 4. The management of the Bogatyr company, a manufacturer of plus-size clothing, decided to change the company’s marketing strategy. This was preceded by a series of target group surveys. The interviewed groups consisted of 10–12 large men and women with different demographic characteristics, who were selected based on physical characteristics right on the street:

a) by what method are sample elements selected?

b) give a critical assessment of the selection method used.

Task 5. The percentage of families with a DVD player and the average time of use per week are determined. The required level of accuracy is 95%, the maximum error is ±3% for the number of owners and ±1 hour for the time of use. A previous study found that 20% of households owned DVD players; the average time of use is 15 hours per week with a standard deviation of 5 hours:

a) what should be the sample size to determine the number of households with DVD players?

b) what should be the sample size to determine the average time spent using DVD players?

c) what should be the sample size to determine both of the above parameters? Why?

Task 6. The general population is described by the following characteristics (Table 22). Based on these three benchmarks, determine the performance of a sample of 200 items.

Table 22

Characteristics of the population

Problem 7. OJSC "Beer" plans to change the label on its main products:

a) identify the population and sampling frame that can be used in this case;

b) describe how to obtain a simple random sample using your established sampling frame;

c) Is it possible to conduct stratified sampling? If yes, then how?

d) is it possible to use cluster sampling? If yes, then how?

e) which sampling method do you recommend? Why?

Task 8. Fill out the table. 23, specifying the criteria that determine the appropriateness of using a sample or a census.

Table 23

Criteria for determining whether a sample or census is appropriate

Task 9. What effect would a 25% reduction in the absolute accuracy of the general mean have on the sample size? Reducing the confidence level from 95 to 90%?

Problem 10. Suppose you need to get an answer from a group of respondents to the question: “Are you familiar with the advertising of drinking yoghurts produced by OJSC Dairy Plant?”, expecting to receive an affirmative answer from 45% of respondents. In this case, you need to be 99% sure that the actual proportion of positive answers will be within ±3%. What would be the sample size at the 95% confidence level and ±4% confidence interval?

Problem 11. Imagine the following situation. You turned to a group of respondents with a request: “Please give an assessment of the credibility of advertising cabinet furniture produced by the Katyusha furniture concern on a scale of one to five.” What would be the sample size if you wanted to be 95% confident that the true value of the population mean rating would be within ±0.5 of the sample mean?

Problem 12. Determine the final sample size if three alternative questions requiring an “agree–disagree” response were developed for the research. The first question is expected to receive an affirmative answer from 20% of the sample, the second – 35%, and the third – 65%. In addition, it is necessary to provide a narrow confidence interval, which is within ±4% for each of the three questions separately.

7. Discussion

Read and discuss the following statements:

1. The greater the differences (heterogeneity) within the population, the greater the possible sampling error.

2. The sample size depends on the level of homogeneity or heterogeneity of the objects being studied. The more homogeneous they are, the smaller the numbers can provide statistically reliable conclusions.

3. Determination of the sample size depends on the level of the confidence interval of the permissible statistical error. This refers to the so-called random errors associated with the nature of any statistical errors.

4. The most reliable result, under certain conditions, can be obtained by a continuous study or census.

5. Each sample has a certain level of representativeness and an associated error rate.

6. There is a certain sample size limit, exceeding which does not significantly increase the accuracy of the results.

7. The most “soft” requirements are imposed on the sample of a study pursuing intelligence purposes. The main principle here is to identify “polar” groups according to criteria essential for analysis. The size of such samples is not strictly determined. The collection of information continues until the researcher accumulates a variety of information that is not representative, but quite sufficient to formulate hypotheses.

8. Stratified sampling is more accurate than simple random sampling.

9. Most cases of unintentional data falsification occur at the sampling stage. There are few specialists in competent sampling in Russia, so even in some well-known companies the sampling is not compiled professionally enough.

10. All research methods have potential errors. And no one can be immune from them. The solution is to engage in marketing research systematically and at a professional level, then experience and knowledge will allow you to successfully overcome most bottlenecks 18
Tokarev B. E. Marketing research. – M.: Economist, 2007. – P. 582–583.

8. Control test

1. What do you see as the advantages or disadvantages of selective observation in marketing? _______________________________.

2. Does sample observation provide the study of all or part of the units in the population?

a) provides;

b) provides partially;

c) I don’t know.

3. Does sampling allow you to save money on conducting a survey?

a) allows;

b) does not allow.

4. Does a partial survey provide complete information?

a) has;

b) does not have.

5. Does sample observation allow one to reliably judge the entire population by its part?

c) I don’t know.

Topic 5. DATA COLLECTION FORM

1. Problems to solve independently

Problem 1. Identify the type of scale used in each of the following questions. Justify your answer:

a) what time of year do you usually plan your vacation?

b) your family's total income? _________________.

c) What are your three favorite brands of shampoo? Rate them from 1 to 3 according to your preferences, assigning 1 as your most preferred:

– Pantene Pro-V;

d) how much time do you spend on the road from home to university every day:

– less than 5 minutes;

– 5–15 min;

– 16–20 minutes;

– 21–30 min;

– 30 minutes or more;

e) how satisfied are you with the magazine “Marketing and Advertising”:

- very satisfied;

- satisfied;

– both satisfied and dissatisfied;

– dissatisfied;

- very displeased;

f) how many cigarettes do you smoke per day on average?

– more than one pack;

– from half a pack to one whole;

– less than half a pack;

g) your level of education:

– unfinished secondary;

– completed secondary;

– unfinished higher education;

- completed higher education.

Problem 2. Below is an analysis for each of the preceding questions. Is the analysis used appropriate for the type of measurement scale in each case?

A. About 50% of the sample goes on vacation in the fall, 25% in the spring, and the remaining 25% in the winter. We can conclude that in the fall there are twice as many vacationers as in the spring and winter seasons.

B. The average total income of one family member is 15 thousand rubles. Respondents with a total income of less than 15 thousand rubles. 67%, with an income of more than 15 thousand rubles. – 33%.

Q. Pantene Pro-V is the most preferred brand. Its average preference value is 3.52. D. The median value of all answer options about the time spent traveling from home to the university is 8.5 minutes. Three times more respondents spend less than 5 minutes on the road compared to the number of those who spend 16–20 minutes.

D. The average satisfaction score is 4.5, which appears to indicate the high level of satisfaction received by the readers of Marketing and Advertising magazine.

E. 10% of respondents smoke less than half a pack of cigarettes per day, while 90% of respondents smoke more than one pack per day.

G. The answers show that 40% of respondents have incomplete secondary education, 25% graduated from high school, 20% have incomplete higher education and 15% graduated from higher educational institutions.

Task 3. The MIR advertising agency intends to study the level of awareness and consumer perception of an advertising campaign developed for OJSC Dairy Plant. It was decided to conduct quantitative research. The target audience of the advertisement and, accordingly, the sample population of the study were women aged 20 years and older, living in the city of N and currently having children under the age of 10 years. The advertising campaign was carried out to inform consumers about new products intended for baby food. Your client, OJSC Dairy Plant, wants to know whether the purpose of the research should be hidden from the respondent. What questions will you ask the Marketing Director of Dairy Plant OJSC and what information do you need in order to make a decision? What factors will influence your decision not to disclose the purpose of the study when developing a questionnaire for OJSC Dairy Plant? What are the advantages and disadvantages of concealing the purpose of the research when conducting this research project?

a) which of the following newspapers do you read regularly:

- “Bryansk worker”;

- "TVNZ";

– “Economic Newspaper”;

b) how often do you purchase products from Dairy Plant OJSC:

c) you agree that the government should impose import restrictions on:

- I certainly agree;

- agree;

– neither against nor for;

– I don’t agree;

- definitely, - disagree;

d) how often do you purchase Cif detergent:

- once a week;

- once in two weeks;

– once every three weeks;

- once a month;

d) what social group do you belong to?

- worker;

– employee;

– manager;

– other;

f) where do you usually buy office supplies?

g) when you watch TV, do you watch advertisements?

i) which brand of tea are you most familiar with:

j) what do you think, should the Russian government, in the context of the global financial crisis, continue the current policy of cutting taxes and cutting government spending:

k) how often during the week do you exercise:

- every day;

– 5–6 times a week;

– 2–4 times a week;

- once a week;

a) which of the following reasons is most important for you when choosing a TV:

– service in the store;

- trademark;

– level of defects;

- guarantees;

b) indicate your level of education:

– less than high school;

– unfinished secondary;

- high school;

– secondary technical;

– unfinished higher education;

– completed higher education;

– higher professional;

c) what is your average monthly income:

– less than RUB 4,500;

– RUB 4,501–10,000;

– 10,001–20,000 rubles;

– 20,001–50,000 rubles;

– more than 50,001 rubles;

d) your average monthly income?

- high;

- average;

– minimal.

Task 6. Select at least five brands from the same product line from well-known manufacturers, for example, shampoo, cars, chocolate, etc. List 5–10 parameters (properties, qualities) by which these products can be assessed, then:

Table 24

Constant Sum Scale Assessment Results

c) modify the table. 25, assigning a rank to each parameter in accordance with its significance, ranging from 0 (least preferable) to 1 (most preferable), summarize the results in table. 25, draw a conclusion, compare with the results of previous tasks;

Table 25

Evaluation results on a constant sum scale taking into account rank

d) rate these products on a modified Likert scale using seven rating options: 7 – wonderful; 6 – very good; 5 – good; 4 – mediocre; 3 – bad; 2 – very bad; 1 – worthless (Table 26);

Table 26

Modified Likert scale assessment results

Table 27

Comparison of products by parameter a (b, c, …)

Determine the number of cases of preference for each product over all other products:

where f Si is the total number of preferences for product S i relative to other products (determined by counting the number of “units” in the corresponding line in all tables);

n – number of goods;

m – number of parameters by which the assessment is carried out;

f ksij – frequency (assessment) of choosing product S i in preference to product S j.

Calculate the generalized weight for each product:

where W is the generalized weight of product S in fractions of a unit ();

J – total number of ratings received:

Multiply the generalized weights by 100 and compare them with the results of previous assignments.

Task 7. Select five brands from different manufacturers of any product group (for example, dairy products, chocolate, coffee, etc.). Write questions about this range of brands under study using nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales. Answer the questions provided. Which ones are more difficult to answer and why?

Problem 8. Students need to break into groups of three to four people. Using the method of paired comparisons, each member of the group needs to evaluate five to six television commercials according to criteria such as the originality of the author's idea, memorability, and motivating the consumer to purchase. Then it is necessary to assess the degree of consistency of opinions, calculate the integral rating of the videos and determine the best one.

Task 9. Using the paired comparison method on behalf of three experts, evaluate five brands of tea based on criteria such as aroma, richness, taste, and price. In accordance with their opinion, calculate the integral rating of the tea and determine the best one.

Problem 10. Calculate the subjective integral assessment of 10 websites of the largest Russian marketing research companies according to the following criteria: completeness of information about the services provided, completeness of information about the company, design, ease of navigation. Determine the significance of these characteristics.

Problem 11. Develop a semantic differential scale to measure the image of two universities in the city. Present your scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: Which university has a more favorable image? What other methods can be used to evaluate the image of universities?

Problem 12. Develop a Likert scale to measure the image of two banks in your city. Present this scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: which bank has a more favorable image?

Problem 13. Develop a Stapel scale to measure the image of two city retail chains. Present this scale to a pilot sample of 20 students. Based on your research, answer the question: Which chain has a more favorable image?

Problem 14. Develop a questionnaire to determine how students choose their vacation destination. Pre-test the questionnaire by presenting it to 10 students through personal interviews. How would you modify the questionnaire after the pretest?

Problem 15. In December 2008, a unique electronic register appeared in one of the clinics in city A, which allows patients to make an appointment at a convenient time, bypassing the usual system: getting up at six in the morning - queue - coupon. Externally, the electronic register, or information kiosk, is similar to a regular ATM. It is located on the first floor of the clinic, right at the entrance. Anyone can enter their health insurance number and see the opening hours of a medical institution and/or a specific specialist on the screen, as well as make an appointment. Women also have access to information about reception hours at the antenatal clinic located at the other end of the city, as well as about the work schedules of pediatricians at the children's clinic. A professional monitors what is happening on the screen at the reception. Since the kiosk operates online, the requested information in the register is recorded, analyzed and systematized. The patient’s outpatient card is sent to the office of the doctor he needs, and information about this is added to the database 19
Privalenko O. I’ll make an appointment with the doctor myself // Arguments and facts. – 2008. – No. 51(376).

What data collection method is used in this situation? How can the information obtained be used? How can it improve the efficiency of the clinic?

Problem 16. The company is a specialized retail store “Coffee Paradise”. The purpose of the marketing research is to understand how coffee consumption will change in the next two years. The company plans to use the following methods:

– focus groups with consumers – real and potential;

– in-depth interviews and a mass survey of coffee lovers and non-coffee drinkers, assessment of factors influencing their choice.

The company wants to obtain information about market capacity and its dynamics; motivation of coffee consumers; description of situations of purchase and consumption of coffee, assessment of demand by segment, its price elasticity. It is planned that the result of the study will be models of consumer behavior; forecast for 2–4 years; clarification of brand positioning, justification of pricing strategy; formation of the concept of the brand promotion program. You work as a marketer for a company, and you are tasked with developing forms to collect information.

Problem 17. Using the observation form (Appendix 6), conduct a study to find out the number, gender and age of customers visiting the store. What conclusions can be drawn from the observation results? What changes can be made to the observation form?

Problem 18. The management of the meat processing plant was faced with a drop in sales and decided to study its reasons as soon as possible. It was decided to conduct a personal interview, the questionnaire for which is presented in appendix. 7.

Problem 19. To the direct question “Do you have a DVD player?” 72% of positive responses were given. And to the indirect question “Are you going to buy a DVD player in the near future?” 57% of respondents said that they already have a player. However, there were much fewer positive answers than with the first version of the question. Explain the disadvantages of direct and advantages of indirect surveys.

Problem 20. Let's assume that you work for a marketing agency that has given you the task of developing a form for monitoring the service personnel of one of the plastic window companies. In other words, you and your colleagues need to visit the company under the guise of an ordinary client, ask typical “buying” questions based on the “legend” agreed upon with the customer, and maybe even buy something. Based on the results of the visit outside the company, you must fill out a detailed questionnaire. The questionnaire may contain from 15 to 35 parameters on which company personnel must be assessed. Compose a questionnaire using the following parameters: compliance with corporate appearance standards (dress code); knowledge of the products sold, their consumer properties and features; product presentation skills; customer service skills (or active sales and business communication skills); implementation of current marketing campaigns (product of the day, sale of discount cards, promotion of new brands, etc.). If necessary, add new parameters to the questionnaire. Answer the questions as well.