RES351 Research Statistics Study Guide Week 3
Which type of research design— exploratory, descriptive, or causal—is appropriate for the following examples? Explain why.
The goal of this research is to discover the real nature of the problem and to suggest new possible solutions or new ideas.
Exploratory
A food manufacturer wants to know the demographics of people who purchase organic
foods.
Descriptive
A firm is considering hiring American celebrity Paris Hilton to endorse its products.
Causal
British Airways would like to test in-flight Internet services on one of its regular flights
from New York to Tokyo. The company charges $30 one week and $15 the next week.
Causal
This type of study attempts to discover answers to the following questions: who, what, when, where, or how much.
Descriptive
A manufacturer investigates whether consumers will buy a new pill that replaces eating a meal.
Exploratory
Cosmopolitan magazine sends out a cover in selected markets featuring a female model to half of its readers and a cover with a female and male model to the other half of its readers to test differences in purchase response between the two groups.
Causal
A hair-care manufacturer interviews wholesalers, retailers, and customers to determine the potential for a new shampoo package.
Exploratory
This type of research attempts to capture a population’s characteristics by making
inference from a sample’s characteristics and testing hypotheses.
Descriptive
On the CBS television show Undercover Boss, top executives disguised as middle level
or lower level employees investigate company departments to discover potential issues or problems.
Exploratory
