This document outlines the structure and key components of a marketing research plan, including an introduction, background, research problem and objectives, population and sampling, data gathering methods, questionnaire, budget and timeline, and risks. It provides guidance on how to define the research problem and objectives, choose appropriate data collection methods, develop a questionnaire, and anticipate potential risks to the research. The goal is to create a clear plan that describes the purpose and methodology of the marketing research project.

1. MAR2LC053-7
MARKETING RESEARCH
Johanna Heinonen-Salakka
tel. 050 357 8660
email johanna.heinonen-salakka@haaga-helia.fi

2. RESEARCH PLAN IN GENERAL
 A plan, an explination of your research
 Makes the basis for implementation of your
research project
 It should make clear for the readers what you are
about to do and why

3. STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PLAN
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Research problem and objectives of the research
4. Population and sampling
5. Data gathering and research method(s)
6. Questionnaire and questions
7. Budget and timetable
8. Risks
next

4. INTRODUCTION
 Tells reader what the paper is all about
 Motivates the reader to read on
 Here you also introduce the researchers and their
competence
 Approx one page

5. BACKGROUND
 Gives the reader background information of the
 Organisation that has given the task
 The target group
 The theme in general
 Previous researches about the theme or that are
similar even though from other branch (e.g. customer
satisfaction research for a school and for a factory)
 The purpose is to help you define the real
research problem (to find the ”gaps”)
 It also helps you to gather good experiences and
ways of doing the reseach or the bad and warning
examples how not to do it

6. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND
OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
 Problem is always defined in a question form
 It is the main question to which we are seeking
an answer in this research
 Objectives are the goals we seek for. They tell
why the research is made and to what purpose
we hope to use the answers/results for

7. POPULATION AND SAMPLING
 Methods tell how the research is made and why
 What kind of research are you planning
(quantitative / qualitative) and why?
 Problem is always defined in a question form
 It is the main question to which we are seeking
an answer in this research
 Objectives are the goals we seek for. They tell
why the research is made and to what purpose
we hope to use the answers/results for

8. METHODS
 Methods tell how the research is made and why
 What kind of research are you planning
(quantitative / qualitative) and why?
 You also explain where the data is gathered, how
and why aa well as give grounds to these
decisions

9. BUDGET AND TIMETABLE
 Here you make calculations how much your
research is going to cost and consider if this is
acceptable
 You also make a timetable for your research and
its different steps

10. RISKS
 Finally, you must introduce the reader to the risks
that lie in your research and its implementation AND
you must think ways to minimize the risks or to
prevent them altogether
 The most common risks are
 Wrong starting point (lacking or wrong information or
interpretation)
 Wrong or false target group
 Wrong timing
 Wrong research method
 Inadequate or flawed questionnaire
 Negligence / partiality / biased attitude of the researchers
 Mistakes in data processing
 Mistakes in analyzing and interpreting data

11. QUESTIONNAIRE AND QUESTIONS
 Questionnaire should be clear, short and visually
nice
 No ambiguous questions
 No intimate questions in the beginning
 Be careful with the scales
 Think carefully what you want to ask and ask it
 Ask about one thing at a time => don’t try to ask
to things in one question
 Use open-ended questions in order to get more
information
 Don’t lead the respondent to the wanted answer

12. THANK YOU!