Many of the questions studied by marketing researchers are complex. People rarely make decisions for a single reason, and the same outcome can emerge through several different pathways. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important to combine multiple analytical methods within the same research project. A framework for integrating leading quantitative methods has been developed in collaboration with the Service Research Center (CTF).
– At CTF, we have leading expertise in three analytical methods that complement one another: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)," explains Alexandre Sukhov, Associate Professor of Business Administration at Karlstad Business School and researcher at CTF.
While SEM helps researchers test theories and identify general relationships, QCA can uncover different combinations of factors that lead to the same outcome, revealing complex causal relationships from a holistic perspective. ANN further contributes advanced predictive capabilities and can identify complex patterns that other methods may overlook.
– By combining these approaches, researchers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of complex phenomena while strengthening the quality and reliability of their research, says Alexandre Sukhov. The methodological expertise developed at CTF provides researchers with new opportunities to analyze and understand today's increasingly dynamic markets.
Your research has received considerable attention. Can you tell us more?
– Together with Mohammed A. Abubakar of Central Connecticut State University, USA, and Joseph F. Hair of the University of South Alabama, we developed an article that summarizes and guides researchers on how to conduct rigorous data analyses by combining analytical methods based on fundamentally different assumptions in a complementary way.
– Although the article was only recently published, it has already become one of the most downloaded papers in the Journal of Marketing Analytics. One reason is that the methods are associated with world-leading scholars. Another is that we help advance the next generation of analytical approaches and methodologies. This is increasingly important in a world where research credibility is under growing scrutiny.
