Katie,

I'm not sure you will get all of the information you need here but I'll start you off. There are two key types of research and you can do either of these in a mixture of ways. When carrying out research, people either want to know about numbers (quantitative research) or opinions and views (qualitative research). An example would be finding out that 20% of respondents are likely to buy a product is quantitative and knowing the views on the product (good, bad etc.) would be qualitative. If you carry out the research yourself it is primary research, but if you use other peoples existing work it is called secondary research. I could go on but suggest you try the market research society of the UK (www.marketresearch.org.uk) to get more detailed information.

Katie--

I have run a market research organization in the past and would be happy to help you choose a path (no fee advice).

To be honest, there's a lot of good research you can do and a lot of bad research you can do. Some people will debate research methods till the cows come home, but in my book it's good if it meets your needs, and bad if it does not.

To help you, you'll have to be much more specific about your needs.

Feel free to contact me directly (rhill@caledoniasolutions.com) if you would rather not share details in this discussion room.

--Robert

Katie--

I have run a market research organization in the past and would be happy to help you choose a path (no fee advice).

To be honest, there's a lot of good research you can do and a lot of bad research you can do. Some people will debate research methods till the cows come home, but in my book it's good if it meets your needs, and bad if it does not.

To help you, you'll have to be much more specific about your needs.

Feel free to contact me directly (rhill@caledoniasolutions.com) if you would rather not share details in this discussion room.

--Robert

Katie,

I'm not sure you will get all of the information you need here but I'll start you off. There are two key types of research and you can do either of these in a mixture of ways. When carrying out research, people either want to know about numbers (quantitative research) or opinions and views (qualitative research). An example would be finding out that 20% of respondents are likely to buy a product is quantitative and knowing the views on the product (good, bad etc.) would be qualitative. If you carry out the research yourself it is primary research, but if you use other peoples existing work it is called secondary research. I could go on but suggest you try the market research society of the UK (www.marketresearch.org.uk) to get more detailed information.