Stage 2 - Exploratory work

Background information is gathered by the researcher wither from the client organisation or grom external sources. This will give the researcher a better understanding of the problem and the context within which they will be working.

Stage 3 - Research problem defined

At this stage the researcher can respond to the brief by setting our the research objectives. The proposal begins by converting the marketing/management problem into a set of research objectives. These need to be very specific so that the appropriate research methods will be employed. The proposal will provide an outline of the methods, plus cost estimates. On receipt of the proposal the client will have to decide whether the value of information to be gathered will be more or less than the cost of gathering it. It is possible that the project will be abandoned or perhaps re-designed.

Stage 4 - Primary research

Qualitative research may be employed here, but more often it is quantitative data that the client wants - sometimes both. Attention will be given to the detail of the methods contained in the proposal (for example, the sampling plan if a survey is proposed).