Gold Coast Tafe marketing and survey research - Case Study Example

? Gold Coast Tafe Analysis GOLD COAST TAFE ANALYSIS Management decision problems are related to problems that the decision makers or management faces, which are concerned with decision makers, are required to do. Management decision problems are action oriented and are concerned with the probable actions that can be taken by the decision maker. In the case of Gold Coast Institute of Tafe, they have sent out a tender for interested parties to aid them in evaluating the value of their brand through research. The institute requires a qualified professional, in the research industry to evaluate their current brands and assess their value since it pertains to the strategic direction that the institute would like to take in the future. The parties interested in the tender will be required to do this evaluation across the region, the state, the nation, and internationally. While Gold Coast Institute of Tafe has had a tradition of delivering most of its training facilities to locals at industry locations or in their various campuses, they want to move on to providing their services based on a national and international levels, with importance put on Victoria and New South Wales, as well as India and Asia respectively. Marketing Research Problem To determine the current value of the institute’s brand and how it compares to the institute’s future strategic direction to expand into national and international markets Objectives To identify GCIT brand’s effectiveness with regards to different segments of the target market To identify the financial value of the GCIT and Gold Coast Institute of Tafe brand Repertory Grid Technique The repertory grid technique aims at identified a set of elements that are rated according to criteria referred to as constructs. The construct’s elements could be elicited from the topic or given by the one conducting the experiment, which is dependent on the investigation’s purpose. Without regards to the method, the output is a grid that has n and m rows that record the ratings of the subject, usually a scale of 5 or 7 points of m elements in n construct terms (Fransella & Richard, 2012). This technique is popular because it has three main advantages compared to other qualitative and quantitative techniques. They possess the ability to make determinate relationship s between various constructs, they are easy to use, and have no researcher bias. The technique allows for precise definitions of concepts and relationships relating these concepts. This technique is also best used when those in participation have experience with the domain being studied (Fransella & Richard, 2012). For instance, they should identify representative elements and have the ability to compare them using a set of criteria. Performing a grid analysis with education experts on the value of an academic brand can be achieved through professionals and researchers who are familiar with current and recent advances in the education sector (Jankowicz, 2009). Repertory grids are best used when practical and concrete examples are available. For example, financial tools that study the current trends of education institutions in the same region as GCIT and regions that they want to expand to; this could be used to determine the value of the brand. To decipher this, there are certain procedures used in repertory grid analysis. The first is element elicitation where the researcher has to select elements that represent the topic. For instance, to analyze the value of a brand, the elements would include similar brands. For various types of knowledge elicitation interviews, cards are utilized with element names shown to participants. The second step is constructing elicitation where the researcher will perform knowledge elicitation using personal constructs from the elements (Peio, 2012). To understand the way in which the individual perceives the elements, the researcher elicits scalar constructs, for instance, using the triadic method where interviewed individuals compare various subjects and states how they are different. The output is then contrasted using attributes. The researcher then uses the constructs to rate the elements using a rating grid or a matrix. The construct has two poles, in this; for instance, a pair of attributes possessing two opposites. Finally, individual grids are analyzed using strategies like frequency counts, content analysis, visual focusing, statistical analysis, or a combination of these techniques (Beail, 2011). Other Exploratory Technique: Focus Group The focus group technique will be used to research the GCIT brand’s effectiveness with regards to different segments of the target market. A small number of individuals can be brought together to talk about the topic. A moderator is used to co-ordinate the discussion and the persons selected for the focus group have to be of a shared background and possess similar experiences in their education preferences (Krueger & Casey, 2010). This is important because the group should not have conflicts on the issue that is under discussion. In these discussions, future educational course trends and present trends are collected. To conduct focus group research, the candidates are screened to determine the composition of the specific group. The researcher will also avoid groups that have relatives and friends among them to avoid discussion bias. A key factor in focus groups is to have groups that are similar with six to eight groups being desirable. The criteria that will guide the researcher are whether the latter groups generate any additional information (Puchta & Potter, 2009). The moderator has a key role to ensure that the discussion proceeds in the right direction. In marketing, focus groups are essential tools for getting feedback with regards to launching a new product, for instance launching GCIT to a national and international market (Stewart et al, 2011). These focus groups will allow GCIT as they seek to develop and test a new market, to view, discuss, and test their brand before they make it available to these markets. This will give valuable information concerning the acceptance of the potential market for the institution’s products. Focus groups are, fundamentally, interviews that are conducted by trained moderators in small respondent groups with the interviews conducted in a natural and unstructured manner where a respondent is free to air their view using any aspect (Stewart et al, 2011). The use of audience response keypads in the collection of answers to questionnaires has become a new trend. Data from focus groups gives an opportunity for the institution to analyze the strength with which an individual holds a particular opinion (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2013). When opinions on their brand and the products they offer is presented with opinions that are opposed, the particular individual may defend or modify their opinion. Collating the comments made by an individual will aid the researcher in the determination of the changes in the views and needs of the individuals during the discussion. In addition, it will aid in determining whether the contributions of other by others with regards to their academic needs brought the change in views for the individual. References Fransella, Fay. & Richard, Bell. (2012). A manual for repertory grid technique. Hoboken: Wiley. Jankowicz, Devi . (2009). The Easy Guide to Repertory Grid. Chichester : John Wiley & Sons. Krueger, Richard. & Casey, Mary. (2010). Focus groups : a practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publ. Peio, Karen. (2012). Repertory grid analysis of skilled performance. Dayton : W.S.U. Printing Service . Puchta, Claudia. & Potter, Jonathan. (2009). Focus group practice. London : SAGE . Stewart, David. Shamdasan, Prem. & Rook, Dennis. (2011). Focus groups : theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. Beail, Nigel. (2011). Repertory Grid Technique and Personal Constructs: Applications in Clinical and Educational Settings. London: Routledge . Kamberelis, George. & Dimitriadis, Greg. (2013). Focus Groups: From Structured Interviews to Collective Conversations. London: Routledge. Read More