Amity School of Business
Amity School of Business
BBA, Semester IV
Research Methodology and Report Preparation
Dr. Deepa Kapoor
Sampling
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Sampling Defined:
The process of obtaining information from a subset
of a larger group.
A market researcher takes the results from the
sample to make estimates of the larger group.
Sampling a small percentage of a population can
result in very accurate estimates.
The sample must be selected in a scientific manner
to ensure that it is representative of the population
from which it was selected
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Basics of Sampling
A sample is a
part of a whole
to show what the
rest is like.
Sampling helps to
determine the
corresponding
value of the
population and
plays a vital role in
marketing
research.
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Samples offer many benefits:
Save costs: Less expensive to study the
sample than the population.
Save time: Less time needed to study the
sample than the population .
Accuracy: Since sampling is done with
care and studies are conducted by skilled
and qualified interviewers, the results are
expected to be accurate.
Destructive nature of elements: For
some elements, sampling is the way to
test, since tests destroy the element itself.
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Basics of Sampling
Limitations of Sampling
Demands more rigid control in undertaking
sample operation.
Minority and smallness in number of subgroups often render study to be suspected.
Accuracy level may be affected when data is
subjected to weighing.
Sample results are good approximations at
best.
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Population (universe): The entire group of people
about whom information is needed.
Census: a collection of data on all possible
members of a population or universe
Sampling: the process of obtaining information from
a subset of a larger group.
Goal:
to develop a sample that mirrors or
represents the population of interest.
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Defining the
population
Specifying
Sample
Method
Developing
a sampling
Frame
Determining
Sample
Size
SELECTING THE SAMPLE
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Sampling
Techniques
Probability
Sampling
Techniques
Nonprobability
Sampling
Techniques
Convenience Judgmental
Sampling
Sampling
Simple
Random
Sampling
Systematic
Sampling
Quota
Sampling
Stratified
Sampling
Snowball
Sampling
Cluster Other Sampling
Techniques
Sampling
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Non-Probability Sampling
Methods
Convenience Sample
The sampling procedure used to obtain those
units or people most conveniently available
Why: speed and cost
Validity?
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Convenience sampling attempts to obtain
a sample of convenient elements. Often,
respondents are selected because they
happen to be in the right place at the right
time.
use of students, and members of social
organizations
mall
intercept
interviews
without
qualifying the respondents
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Advantages
Very low cost
Extensively used/understood
No need for list of population elements
Disadvantages
Variability and bias cannot be measured or
controlled
Projecting data beyond sample not justified.
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Judgmental sampling is a form of
convenience sampling in which the population
elements are selected based on the judgment of
the researcher.
test markets
purchase engineers selected in industrial
marketing research
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Advantages
Moderate cost
Commonly used/understood
Sample will meet a specific objective
Disadvantages
Bias!
Projecting data beyond sample not justified.
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Quota sampling may be viewed as two-stage restricted judgmental
sampling.
The first stage consists of developing control categories, or
quotas, of population elements.
In the second stage, sample elements are selected based on
convenience or judgment.
Population
composition
Control
Characteristic
Sex
Male 48
Female 52
____
____
100
100
Sample
composition
Percentage
48
480
52
520
____
1000
Percentage
Number
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Advantages
moderate cost
Very extensively used/understood
Introduces some elements of stratification
Disadvantages
Variability and bias cannot be measured or
controlled (classification of subjects0
Projecting data beyond sample not justified.
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In snowball sampling, an initial group of
respondents is selected, usually at random.
After being interviewed, these respondents
are asked to identify others who belong to
the target population of interest.
Subsequent respondents are selected based
on the referrals.
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Advantages
low cost
Useful in specific circumstances
Useful for locating rare populations
Disadvantages
Bias because sampling units not independent
Projecting data beyond sample not justified.
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Probability Sampling Methods
Simple
Random Sampling
the
purest form of probability sampling.
Assures each element in the population has an
equal chance of being included in the sample
Random number generators
Sample Size
Probability of Selection = Population Size
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Systematic Sampling
Uses a fixed skip interval to draw elements from a
numbered population. PopulationSize
Skip Interval =
SampleSize
Obtain a listing of the population and the entire
population
Determine a skip interval
Select names based on skip interval, using a random
starting point
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Stratified
Sampling
Sub-samples
are randomly drawn from
samples within different strata that are
more or less equal on some characteristic
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Stratified sampling IAmity School of Business
A three-stage process:
Step 1- Divide the population into
homogeneous, mutually exclusive
and collectively exhaustive subgroups
or strata using some stratification
variable;
Step 2- Select an independent simple
random sample from each stratum.
Step 3- Form the final sample by
consolidating all sample elements
chosen in step 2.
May yield smaller standard errors of
estimators than does the simple random
sampling. Thus precision can be gained
with smaller sample sizes.
Stratified samples can be:
Proportionate: involving the
selection of sample elements
from each stratum, such that
the ratio of sample elements
from each stratum to the
sample size equals that of the
population elements within
each stratum to the total
number of population
elements.
Disproportionate: the sample
is disproportionate when the
above mentioned ratio is
unequal.
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The target population is first divided into mutually
exclusive and collectively exhaustive subpopulations, or
clusters.
Then a random sample of clusters is selected, based on a
probability sampling technique such as SRS.
For each selected cluster, either all the elements are
included in the sample (one-stage) or a sample of elements
is drawn probabilistically (two-stage).
Elements within a cluster should be as heterogeneous as
possible, but clusters themselves should be as homogeneous
as possible. Ideally, each cluster should be a small-scale
representation of the population.
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Area Sampling
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A common form of cluster sampling where
clusters consist of geographic areas, such
as districts, housing blocks or townships.
Area sampling could be one-stage, twostage, or multi-stage.
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