Marketing on Micro Beer Inc - Research Paper Example

Marketing Research Paper Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Background of the case 3 3 Research Problem 4 Sample Design 6 Data Collection 7 Questionnaire 8 Central office edit & Coding 12 Conclusion 13 References 14 Background of the case Micro Beer Inc. is an organization which distributes brewed beer and some other selected beer which is imported from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. It was founded in the year 1997 and is presently headquartered at Tampa, Florida. The company consists of less than 20 employees; however the annual turnover is around $ 4 million. The major distribution localities of the company include Jacksonville, Naples, Orlando and the surrounding areas of Tampa Bay. In order to deliver the products to the markets in Miami the company has sales and delivery team. The company also uses small box trucks for the delivery of product in other adjoining areas. Further the merchandising products also get delivered via semi trucks or trailers. The deliveries of the product are carried out once or twice in a week. The truck drivers are also liable to meet the delivery team and hand over the merchandising products for the purpose of local delivery in Jacksonville and Miami. The company currently holds an opportunity to import a wide range of Belgian beer for the purpose of distribution. Moreover the Belgian beer is not sold in the areas where Micro Beer distributes brewed beer. The company also feels that the liquor stores will accept the new brand of beer and will stock it. Thus it can have a positive impact on the overall operation of the company. Research Problem A research problem is frequently regarded as the nucleus of any study report. A research process is practically impossible to carry out without any proper definition about the problem of the research. The process of identifying a research problem starts with the proper recognition of the objective of the study (Writing@CSU, n.d.). After the research problem has been identified, the next step is to translate it into a research hypothesis. Thus a research hypothesis is defined as the logical guess that provides a possible outcome of the study (uwec, n.d.). A research problem is also considered as the most important as well as the foundation stage for any research study. In other words it acts as the basis of the study i.e. based on which the study is conducted. Now in the context of the project the problem which has been highlighted in the case is to determine whether the company Micro Beer can actually capitalize on the opportunity of importing and distributing the fine Belgian beer in the market of Naples, where the product is not sold. Hence the primary requirement which has been assessed according to the project is to portray the demand of Belgian beers in the adjacent areas of Naples. Now in order to help the client Micro beer Inc., some information pertaining to its distribution policy is required for the purpose of successful completion of the report. The research process will involve questionnaire survey on that particular area followed by a thorough analysis. Now since the problem has been identified the next step is to find relevant information pertaining to the area of interest so as to find the principal requirement i.e. whether the Belgian beers will be sold in that area or not. Apart from this an associated question can also be drawn from the main question i.e. whether the new product will be feasible to the company and will it be able to provide proposed Return on Investment (ROI). The six key steps which have been concurred while understanding the problem of the project are as follows:- 1. Meeting with the client. 2. Clarifying the client about the problems and opportunities. 3. Statement of the manager’s decision problem. 4. Building up of different possible research problems. 5. Choosing the most important research problem. 6. Finally the preparation and submission of the research according to the requirement of the client (Brown & Suter, 2012, p.15) Given the fact that the research question has been identified the next stride is to formulate the research hypothesis. Now according to the above definition of research hypothesis, it can be drafted as below:- Ho- Belgian beers will be accepted by the retailers and hence the company will be able to generate higher revenues. H1- Belgian beers will not be accepted by the local retailers and hence there is no point in importing the product. The study is to be conducted on the basis of the geographic area. The geographic areas will include the operational markets of the company. It includes Palm Beach, Naples and other adjoining localities. The local residents will be interviewed by making use of questionnaires survey. A sample will be chosen who will be interviewed and final analysis will be based on their outcomes. In this a dummy table will be created in order to demonstrate the findings of the survey. Dummy table is a virtual table that is used mainly by the statisticians for visual representation of data in relationship with the applied theories, data collection methods and the hypothesis of the project (Csudh, 2000). Sample Design Sampling in a research is defined as the process by which sub groups are selected from a group of people. Sampling is mainly concerned with the assortment of a group of person from the mass population. The main reason for choosing a sample from the group of people is cost of survey which remains within the estimated budget. However if the whole population is surveyed the cost of research gets amplified. The other advantages of sampling are that the data collection is quicker and accuracy can be maintained. Generally sampling is of two type namely probability sampling and non probability sampling. Both the aforementioned sampling methods consist of many sub types such as stratified sampling, simple random sampling, quota sampling and accidental sampling among many other forms. However in the context of this project stratified sampling of the probability sampling has been chosen for carrying out the research. Since the study needs to be carried out to a specific group of people i.e. the persons who consume liquor. Therefore the sample needs to be chosen carefully. Thus, Stratified sampling method is chosen as it will offer simplicity in the process of categorization of the people. In this survey 60-80 person will be chosen who consumes beer and also explores various brands. Thus there will be two characteristics which will be considered for selecting the sample. The respondents will be directly visited and some queries will be made in order to select the proposed number of respondents for the final questionnaire survey. Apart from the end customers few retailers will also be approached so as to record their views on the foreign brands. Consequently in the questionnaire few open ended questions will be placed to record views of retailers. Data Collection Data collection is a process in which raw facts about the subject is collected. Therefore collection of data is considered to be an indispensable element for the completion of a research study. The type of data which is to be collected and the way by which it should be collected is significantly influenced by the research approach, research design and research strategy. A premium data collection involves some of the pragmatic issues such as the cost to be incurred and the total time which will be needed for its conclusion. However the cost and time purely depends upon the nature of data collection. Generally there are two methods by which raw data is collected from the market. They are quantitative data and Qualitative data. Quantitative data collection makes use of numbers for the purpose of analyzing the data and finally transforms it into meaningful information. It is about the determination of the market and representing it with data. There are many ways by which data can be collected on the basis of number such as questionnaire survey, email survey, telephonic survey, online survey and street survey. While on the other hand qualitative data collection methods plays a significant role towards the analysis of data when it is to be carried out on the basis of observations rather than numbers. The various methods of qualitative data collection include in depth interview, review of earlier documents and various observation methods. Regardless of the type of data, recording of the data consumes a lot of time. Hence collection of data is an indispensable aspect for conducting any type of research study. Improper and insufficient data can hugely impact the conclusion of a report and will lead to illogical results. In the context of the project i.e. to collect data for the purpose of gauging the future of Belgian beers questionnaire survey will be mainly used. However observation form will also be used for the collection of data. A fixed set of questions will be there in the questionnaire which will be intended for the feedback of the respondents in respect to the acceptance of Belgian beers. The questionnaire will have some closed ended questions and some open ended questions. The reason for choosing a blend of open and closed ended set is that it will allow being very specific as well as precise in some matters. Questionnaire A questionnaire consists of a set of questions which are asked to the respondents for the purpose of obtaining statistically meaningful information. Questionnaires have always been considered as one of the most essential instruments as they allow rendering statements about an individual or a group. There are two types of questionnaires namely open ended and close ended. The open ended allows the respondent to portray precise statements about the issue. While on the other hand close ended questionnaires have a set of options as choice to a question. therefore the ultimate outcome of the result will be more specific. This will also ensure uncomplicated analysis of the data. Apart from the questionnaire survey forms will also be used to collect data. This will help to understand the customers belonging to the Naples and its adjoining area. This will also assist in tracing the reactions of the consumers about the Belgian beers and their take on current available beers. However the sample needs to be chosen carefully for both the data collection methods. The questionnaire is designed below:- This questionnaire is only meant for the selected respondents and not the questionnaire for the process of selecting the sample. The questionnaire will start from simple demographic questions and will slowly shift to the main topic of discussion. As it was stated earlier that the questionnaire will have both closed ended questions and also open ended questions. The questionnaire is designed below:- 1. Demographics a. Name of the Respondents – b. Age- c. Sex- d. Contact No- e. E-mail (If any) – 2. How often you consume beer or any other form of liquor? a. regular b. once in a weak c. Occasionally d. Once in a month 3. What kind of liquor you mostly prefer? a. Wine b. Beer c. Others According to the answer from the respondents ask the following question. 4. What is your favorite brand of wine/beer/other? a. local brands b. imported brands 5. Do you try other brands apart from your favorite one? a. Yes b. No c. Sometime 6. If you have been given a choice of consuming unlimited beer for a day without any single penny. What you will do? a. will explore new brands b. stick to my brand c. will consume both 7. From where do you buy your beer? a. Convenient store b. Liquor store c. other stores Now after this portion is over the respondent will be asked to provide their views on the below mentioned matters. These questions will be open ended as the topics need elaborated views. 7. What is a take on beers outside the country? 8. Why will you consume beer which is not manufactured in your country? 9. Will you acknowledge the fact if Belgian beers are available in your locality? 10. If you consume it, then what are major factors you will consider? The questions which are intended for retailers are as follows:- 1. If you are offered to keep the Belgian beer in your shop, will you accept it? Why or why not. 2. Will you look for extra margin or for money from the promotional purposes of the company? The questions for the observation form are listed below:- The persons who will be mainly observed are liquor consumers. There will be different behavioral approaches which will be taken into account. The questions which will be used for the process of observation are as follows:- 1. What kinds of queries are made at the time of purchase by the consumers? 2. Do they ask for some foreign brands or they just visit the shop to buy their preferential brands? 3. What is the mode of payments used by consumers? 4. Is there any linkage on the consumers regarding their life style and brand choice? Now these are subjects which need to be observed carefully. These observations will clearly demonstrate the standings of the consumers in the context of foreign brands as well as the possible acceptance of Belgian beer. The best observation period is during peak selling time of beer i.e. during the evening. The best place to observe the happenings is to sit inside a liquor shop and record the observations. However, prior approval needs to be taken from the shop owner to conduct the survey. Central office edit & Coding As soon as the data collection segment is over a central office edit will be carried out i.e. some corrections and scrutiny will be made on the recorded data to test whether logical data is collected or not. The next step will be to process the data for the final analysis. Once the data gets scrutinized, coding method will be used to convert the data into meaningful information. This process will help to understand the result more clearly and assessment can be carried out with ease. Coding is mainly used to organize the data and to provide an option to quantify the data. Now according to the recorded data both univariate and multivariate data are available, Sample# Sex Choice of liquor 1 Male Beer 2 Female Beer 3 Male Wine 4 Female Wine 5 Male Beer Hence the cross tabulation is depicted below:-   Beer Wine Total Male 2 1 3 Female 1 1 2 Total 3 2 5 Conclusion The report was about suggesting Micro beer inc. that whether they should import the Belgian beer and distribute it in their market or not. In order to conduct the research various methods were used such as questionnaire, observations etc. Hence after conducting all the necessary research and based on that it is recommended that the company must proceed with their plan to import Belgian beer. The survey revealed that most of the respondents were enthusiastic about the new variant. The retailers were also upbeat about it provided they are offered a good margin and promotional displays at the counters. Lastly it is recommended that the company should undertake intensive distribution of the product. Hence null hypothesis holds true for the project. References Writing@CSU. (No Date). Identifying a Research Problem. Retrieved from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/experiment/pop4a.cfm. Uwec. (No Date). Generating a Research Hypothesis. Retrieved from http://people.uwec.edu/piercech/researchmethods/generating%20a%20research%20hypothesis/generating%20a%20research%20hypothesis%20index.htm. Csudh. (2000). Working with Dummy Tables The Better to Understand Your Project. Retrieved from http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/stintproj02.htm. Brown, T, J., & Suter, T. A. (2012). MR: What’s inside. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Read More