The Nature of the Research Project - Coursework Example

MARKETING RESEARCH Name Institutional Affiliation Question 1 Part A The draft questionnaire is effective in collecting data that will answer the research questions. It is because the draft contains questions that are directly related to the research objectives. For instance, the questionnaire helps to determine the market segments of Zali because it indicates how many times the customers and where they buy the products from (Geoff 2005). Besides, the questions in the draft help to understand the brand the customers prefer. As a result, the feedback from the customers can indicate the most preferred brand among men and female clients. To determine the economic segments among the customers, the customers show their expenditure in the last six months. From the statistics, it is possible to determine the financial distribution among the customers and determine the most effective way to divide the market (Mark 2010). Moreover, the questionnaire seeks to find out customers experience once they shop at Zali outlets. The response is crucial because it helps to understand their satisfaction and make an improvement in whatever they dislike. In the process, the response helps to determine customer satisfaction. However, the questionnaire lacks some basic concepts that help to answer the research objectives clearly. Firstly, it lacks the personal data that indicates information such as the age, occupation, level of education and gender. The information is crucial because it helps to determine the buying behavior among the target clients. For instance, gender should be included because it helps to determine which segment sales the most (Harry & Charles 2000). Therefore, the questionnaire draft requires some adjustment by including essential elements. . Also, the questionnaire is too long and this will make the customer lose concentration. The participants require simple and straightforward questions because they do not have all the time to go through all the questions. Otherwise, the length of the questionnaire will interfere with effectiveness in data collection. Part B The most effective method to be used in collecting the data is the questionnaire. It comprises of both the structured and unstructured questions. The most important thing is to consider the objectives of the project and then determine the questions that can collect the data required. An effective questionnaire comprises of two sections (Nicholas 2006). The first one is to personal details while the second part comprises of research questions. The advantage of using the questionnaires in this study is because they help to collect large amount o information. The questionnaires consist of many simple questions that aim at collecting relevant information from the respondents that help to answer the research objectives and the data is collected within a short period of time (Kultar 2007). The other advantage is that the researcher has little effect in influencing its validity and reliability. This helps to improve the reliability of the research findings. Moreover, the data collected from the questionnaires are easily quantified with the help off of software package. However, the disadvantages of questionnaires include inability to understand some forms of information. The researcher can formulate questions but the respondents might find it difficult to comprehend them. This can lead to negative attitude towards the research and consequently the study findings will be affected (David & Alan 2006). The other disadvantage is that it is not possible to determine the validity of the data provided because there is no scientific way to test the results. Finally, the response depends on the ability of the customers to remember things. Part C Considering the nature of the research project, the most effective sampling technique to apply is simple random sampling. It is the technique whereby every member of the population has an equal opportunity to participate in the study (Harry & Charles 2000). However, not everyone takes part in the research but only the target customers and loyal clients. The first advantage of simple random sampling is that it eliminates any incident of biases. This is because every individual in the target population has equal opportunities to be selected and participate in the study thus improving the reliability of the research findings. The other advantage is that is simple to operate because there are no calculations required (Mark 2010). As a result, it is a faster method of collecting data. Because of its simplicity, the chances of making errors in the study are very minimal. In this regard, the method is preferred because it is preferred because it is cost effective and time conscious. However, the method has disadvantages. The first one is that the technique has high chances of making errors as compared to stratified random sampling. It is because of the high population that should be narrowed down to expertise respondents (Harry & Charles 2000). Also, the researcher lacks knowledge about the population participating in the study. Despite these weaknesses, the technique is preferred in the study. Part D Analysis of the collected data is crucial because it helps to understand basic concepts by answering the research questions. There are various inferential tests to use in analyzing the data. The most effective tools to use include t-test. It is a statistical tool that is used to test the results by comparing the data with available mean (Nicholas 2006). For instance, the researcher can compare the data with the means of a population that is known. By comparing the different means, it is possible to determine the characteristic of the performance. The other inferential technique to use in analyzing the data is ANOVA tool. It is also another tool that is used to compare different means. The only difference with t-test is that it can compare more than two means simultaneously (Kultar 2007). It implies that the researcher will use the tool to compare different factors affecting the consumer buying behavior as well as the performance of the company. Furthermore, regression is another inferential tool to use in analyzing the collected data. It is a statistical tool to use in analyzing the collected data and it helps to make a future prediction. To make effective regression analysis, it is important to collect large amount of data that us related to the study variables. After doing regression analysis, the researcher makes the prediction using the predictor variable in the study. Therefore, the tool is used to make a prediction in the future after considering what we already know about the customers (Nicholas 2006). In this regard, the study will use the above tools to analyze the collected data. Moreover, multiple regression analysis can also be used to make a future prediction about customers experience using multiple predictor variables. Question 2 Data collection is an important concept that influences the success of a research project. In this research project, the most effective method to collect data is using primary technique. It is the method that is used to collect first-hand information from the respondents. The respondents in this case are the target customers. Considering the nature of the primary data, the technique to use in collecting the data is the questionnaire (Kultar 2007). The reason why the questionnaire is used in phase 2 is because it enables the customers to make response that is direct as asked in the questionnaire. However, the questionnaire contains both open and closed questions so that the customers can explain their experience for being loyal to the company and its products. On the other hand, the technique the primary method will be used because it provides data that will be analyzed using inference statistical tool like regression. In order to improve reliability of the research findings, the researcher will use loyal customers because they can help to identify an observed pattern. As a result, the prediction can be made based on past customer experience. On the other hand, the sampling technique to use in the second phase of the project is stratified random sampling. It is the technique whereby the population is divided into different division considering the basic research factor. Each group is called stratum. The objective of partitioning the population is because it helps to select a sample from the most qualified individuals. In this case, the target respondents are the customers (Kultar 2007). Their response contributes to understanding their experience in the company. The reason why the technique is preferred in this case is because the researcher wants to highlight the needs of a specific group that is the customers. Moreover, the researcher should the technique because it helps to determine the relationship between the services provided by Zali and the satisfaction of the customers. Using the random sampling technique is not effective in the second phase since the researcher is not sure if the respondents are loyal customers or not. The other parties that can take part in the project process include the marketing team headed by the marketing manager. Question 3 Based on the above recommendations, it is important to review the questionnaire so that it can collect the required data from the respondents. In this regard, the following is the questionnaire used to collect the data from the respondents. More details can be found in the appendix one below; Demographics section 1. Gender :Male Female 2. Age :18 – 25 26 – 35 36 – 45 46 – above 3. Marital Status: Single Married 4. Occupational Status: Student Employed Unemployed Retired 5. Where are you from: ________________________________________________ 6. Question 6 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 7 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 8 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 8 Kindly tick in where appropriate Kindly answer the following questions briefly Question 9 What could you like the company to improve on? Question 10 Averagely how much do you spend in shopping in six months? Thank you. The phase two of the project is concerned with determining the experience of the in-store customers of Zali. To achieve this, the questionnaire is designed in a way that helps to collect data that is relevant to customer experience (Mark 2010). For instance, the questionnaire sought to understand the frequency at which the customers buy the products of the company. In this context, the questionnaire is drafted in a way that helps to answer the research objectives effectively. Considering this questionnaire, one can determine that the principles of designing a questionnaire were followed. The first principle applied is the concept of deciding the kind of information that is required. This is important because it helps to formulate questions in the questionnaire that can help answer the research objectives. The other principle followed is drafting questions to include in the questionnaire. It helps to assess the kind of questions to include in the questionnaire and the kind of questions to withdraw because they do not reflect on the desired outcome (Geoff 2005). Most importantly, the response format is required to guide the respondents when providing their data. It is the most important principle because if there is no response criterion, then it can be difficult for the participants to provide the required questions. Finally, the sequence of the questions is also another principle the researcher must consider. To collect reliable data, the questionnaire is organized into two parts. The first part is demographic while the second part is concerned with the research variables. This is considered in this questionnaire, and one can easily identify the kind of respondents taking part in the research process. Therefore, all the principles of drafting a question are followed in the questionnaire thus data collected will be reliable. Question 4 A). Brand positioning is the marketing aspect where a product has a large marketing position in the market as compared to the competitors. The Australian clothing industry is characterized by high competition (Azaddin 2004). In this context, marketing plays an important role because it influences the buying behavior of the customers. The objective of Zali is to attract and retain customers so that it is positioned better in the market. However, there are various strategies to employ in monitoring the positioning of the company. The first technique is to analyze how the customers are aware of the products of the company. The feedback from the customers helps to determine how well the brand is recognized in the market. Well, branded company is positioned better in the target market (Doyle 2000). Further, brand perception can also be used to determine the positioning if the company in the market. From the research study, customer response is crucial because it helps to understand if the customers have a positive attitude towards the brand or not (John 2006). An organization that is well positioned has customers with positive thinking. Finally, the buying behavior among the customers can also determine the positioning of the company. Regular buying shows that the customers have confidence in the company and its products. However, it has to put more effort to improve on customer preferences (Gro¨nroos 2000). On the other hand, the most effective research design to use in measuring brand performance is a case study. A case study is identified, and research conducted based on it. It helps to compare brand performance with the competitors. B). To achieve the desired research objectives, it is important to organize the study as a plan. Firstly, the target audience should be identified and the research instruments identified and developed. In this case, the study uses questionnaires to collect primary data from the respondents. Also, simple random sampling technique will be used (Mark 2010). This is important because it helps to eliminate any incidence of being bias. Moreover, the data will be analyzed using tables and graphs. Finally, the general rules of conducting research must be followed. Firstly, the research objectives must be clear so that the respondents can understand and provide clear answers. Also, the research questions are drafted from the research objectives of determining the customer experience and segmentation of the company (David & Alan 2006). Most importantly, the questionnaire should collect data that helps to determine the attitude of the customers towards online shopping. In this way, it is possible to understand the dynamics of the market and the perception of the customers as well as brand positioning. Finally, time management techniques must be employed in the study. For instance, scheduling and prioritization of activities are required so that the project is completed within the required time. It starts with drafting the objectives, formulating the research questions and conducting literature review before collecting primary data (Geoff 2005). The most important point here is to collect primary data that is relevant to research study. In this regard, the company will make decisions regarding the research findings thus improving the performance of the company. References Azaddin, S 2004, Customer value: a review of recent literature and an integrative configuration. Management Decision, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp.645-666. David, B & Alan, B 2006, The Sage Handbook of Organizational Research Methods, Sage Publications, London. Doyle, P 2000, Value-based Marketing: marketing strategies for corporate growth and shareholder value, Chichester, John Wiley & Sons. Geoff, L 2005, Research Methods in Management, A Concise Introduction to Research in Management and business Consultancy, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Gro¨nroos, C 2000, Service Management and Marketing: A Customer Relationship Approach, 2nded., Wiley,Chichester. Harry, R & Charles J 2000, Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, Cambridge University Press, London. John, Z 2006, Strategic Marketing: Balancing Customer Value with Shareholder Value, Journal of the marketing review, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 163-181 Kultar, S 2007, Quantitative Social Research Methods, Sage Publications, New Delhi. Mark, S 2010, Research Methods in Sport, Learning Matters Ltd, London. Nicholas, W 2006, Social Research Methods, Sage Publications, London. Appendix 1: The questionnaire Demographic section 1. Gender :Male Female 2. Age :18 – 25 26 – 35 36 – 45 46 – above 3. Marital Status: Single Married 4. Occupational Status: Student Employed Unemployed Retired 5. Where are you from: ________________________________________________ 6. Question 6 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 7 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 8 Kindly tick in where appropriate Question 8 Kindly tick in where appropriate Kindly answer the following questions briefly Question 9 What could you like the company to improve on? Question 10 Averagely how much do you spend in shopping in six months? Thank you. Read More