7A : sampling

Question 1

what is sampling ?

Answer 1

method of choosing a smaller representative group to conduct research instead of the whole population

Question 2

why do firms sample ?

Answer 2

• cost : markets research can expensive
• time : businesses often need information gathered from market research quickly
• reduces risk : without market research (which is a sample) the chance of the product failing is much higher

Question 3

what are the types of sampling ?

Answer 3

• random sampling
• quota sampling

Question 4

what is quota sampling ?

Answer 4

when the population is segmented into a number of groups which share specific characteristics e.g. age and gender

Question 5

what is random sampling ?

Answer 5

when everyone in the population has an equal chance of being included in the survey

Question 6

what are the steps of random sampling ?

Answer 6

• random samples are drawn from local electoral registers and interviewees are contacted at homme
• interviewer must call three times before giving up on address

Question 7

what are the advantages & disadvantages of quota sampling ?

Answer 7

Ad :
* cheaper than other methods

• it is better where the proportion of the different groups are known

dis :
* results are not chosen at random

• results may not be statistically representative of the population

Question 8

what should the chosen method depend on ?

Answer 8

• finance availability : small business cannot afford random sampling as it needs a large sample
• risk involved : the greater the risk (expense) the more accurate the company would like its sample to be

Question 9

what is meant by a sample frame ?

Answer 9

the number of people that could be included in the sample

for example :
if a speed boat company in Cardiff decided to sample the Cardiff bay market.
the sample frame would be all the people that visited Cardiff bay the bay the day the sample was taken