Discuss what is meant by sampling when conducting market research. Identify the two categories of samples, and provide examples of different types of samples from each category.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. A sample is a subset from a larger population. Samples are broadly of two types: probability sample and nonprobability sample.Several questions must be answered before a sampling plan is chosen. First, the population, or universe, of interest must be defined. This is the group from which the sample will be drawn. It should include all the people whose opinions, behavior, preferences, attitudes, and so on, are of interest to the marketer. For example, in a study whose purpose is to determine the market for a new canned dog food, the universe might be defined to include all current buyers of canned dog food.After the universe has been defined, the next question is whether the sample must be representative of the population. If the answer is yes, a probability sample is needed. Otherwise, a nonprobability sample might be considered.A probability sample is a sample in which every element in the population has a known statistical likelihood of being selected. Its most desirable feature is that scientific rules can be used to ensure that the sample represents the population.Any sample in which little or no attempt is made to get a representative cross section of the population can be considered a nonprobability sample. Therefore, the probability of selection of each sampling unit is not known.Nonprobability samples are acceptable as long as the researcher understands their nonrepresentative nature. Because of their lower cost, nonprobability samples are sometimes used in marketing research.?Once the researchers decide how they will collect primary data, their next step is to select the sampling procedures they will use. A firm can seldom take a census of all possible users of a new product, nor can they all be interviewed. Therefore, a firm must select a sample of the group to be interviewed.
You might also like to view...
The income effect refers to the situation when a higher nominal interest rate results from a(n)
A. decrease in income that increases the demand for money. B. increase in income that increases the demand for money. C. increase in the price level that increases the demand for money. D. decrease in the price level that increases the demand for money.
Which of the following statements about diversity is true?
A) Diversity includes not only race and ethnicity, but also gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and so on. B) The workplace is in?uenced by our nation's global interdependence. C) Today you are more likely to interact with people who are ethnically and linguistically different. D) All of the above are true.
The total of the dollar amounts on the job order cost cards that have not been completed would be equal to the
A) cost of goods completed. B) balance in the Finished Goods Inventory account. C) cost of goods sold. D) balance in the Work in Process Inventory account.
Which of the following statements is true concerning the Small Claims Court?
A) A person who starts a proceeding is called a plaintiff. B) A person who starts a proceeding is called a defendant. C) On proper facts a defendant can make a counterclaim against the plaintiff in the same action. D) Both A and C E) All of the above