Behaviours and Attitudes of Shoppers regarding Kellogs Products and Services - Research Proposal Example

MARKETING RESEARCH Research techniques Qualitative research technique is chosen to measure shopper’s attitudes, behaviours, of Kellogs cereal and snack products. The techniques was chosen because it attempts to gain a clear understanding of any existences of opinions, it assess them broadly so as to assess their depths and breaths of attitudes. The researcher will need to demonstrate how the research will be carried out that will outline dominant feelings of shoppers buying patterns. Human behaviours is best explained using qualitative research, this is because human phenomena’s that cannot be investigated by direct observations such as attitudes and other emotions are best studied using qualitative methods. The need to assess shopper’s attitudes and behaviours of Kellogs products is important as they will be able to use the results to evaluate their marketing strategy to come up with a marketing plan (Burns, 2000 pp. 343). Another reason why the technique was chosen for the study is because it emphasizes understanding rather making measurements to the respective attitudes and behaviours. The qualitative method mainly focuses on the use of words, images, narratives and concepts. The quantitative research is concern with numbers and statistics, and concern itself with providing information’s. Another factor that makes the qualitative approach more advantageous to quantitative approach is that Kellogs is that the researcher will be able to start to make analysis during data collection process this is compared to quantitative techniques where analysis begins after data collection process. Through qualitative techniques Kellogs will be able to get attitudes and behaviours of different class of shoppers. Qualitative method will focus on positivism paradigm this will enable the researcher to establish facts or causes of shoppers behaviours and attitudes. Opinions from the data findings will provide the necessary feedback to assess views of shoppers regarding Kellogs products performances in the markets. Because of the unstructured nature of qualitative techniques does have guidelines which will be used to explore research questions, this will act as topic guide (Research development foundation, 1999 pp200). The checklists will include background information’s questions and the varieties of products of the company. Research methods To be able to understand the behaviours and attitudes of shoppers regarding Kellogs products and services via qualitative research, depth interviews and direct observations will be administered to a number of shoppers in number of stores, supermarkets. The segments will involve teenagers and children who are accustomed to snacks, the next segment involve parents, households and individuals who are in use of cereals. The use of structured interviews will create one to one conversations that will aims of the research, but is largely dictated by all kind of situations. The interviews can produce sensitive issues and respondents can answer in their own time in their own way. The use of questions gives the interviewer to get more information’s by using probing questions about the nature of the products; it also enables the interview to get information’s through interaction and genuine conversations. The interviewer does yield a higher response rates mainly because it is different for the subjects to completely refuse to answer questions or to ignore the interviewer. It is also the best method that is flexible because it will enable the interviewer to adapt any kind of situations which will help the respondent to give relevant responses. The study will also use direct observation a technique that describes behaviours in a natural setting and is made possible by use of participant observations, where the research will be part of the participants understudy. This will be carried out with some of the children and teenagers who will be offered the snacks, during such interactions observations will then be made. The research will also take a systematic procedure for identifying information’s and how the data will be gathered this will be on the basis of a field diary, where the researcher will draw a stimuli from the chosen environment, which will be supported by the use of sound recordings and photographs (Bryman & Bell, 2003 pp.14). The method was chosen because it gives a full account of the teenagers and small children’s who are not able to be interviewed. Ethnography cannot be used because that takes a longer period and time on the respondents, action research are not suited as it requires the user to participate in the process and is a direction kind of research methods that manipulates the respondents to a particular set plan. Body language of the individual is important in depth interviewing, but also in group discussion. It is also useful to say that respondents can show more defensive signals in a depth interview than in a group. The use of Delphi approach can be useful and powerful when forecasting innovations, it can also be used to anticipate the future of market sections, and it is more of organization focused rather a focus on the respondents (Nigel, 2010 pp.141). The structured interview and observations guides will have questions that will address on the different shoppers backgrounds, the period they have been consuming the products, which of the firms products do they value and shop most, what are the reasons for and against the products, what need to be done in future. In the observation guide it will involve the structured procedure of who to be observed, what are the number of firms items have been bought, most preferred item bought, nature characteristics of the respondents? The interview process will take a period of 5-6 days, while the observation process will take 3-5 years (Mc Daniel & Gates, 2002 pp.54). Target population The study will focus on four regions or cities in Australia which include: Queensland, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. This cities were selected because majority of Kellogs are doing in recent times have been not performing well. The informants of the study are also accessible for the study purposes. The study will target of 6000 respondents shoppers from the four cities who will be proportionally divided. The informants of four cities who will be interviewed will be classified into two groups. First group will target younger children and teenagers who are the main consumers of the company snacks. The second group will involve households and families who are the main consumers of cereal products. The target population will have some characteristics that are different from other populations. The accessible populations will proportionally be divided according to the consumer population index of the respective towns. The locations of the study will be limited to only stores, retailing stores and groceries that store the firm’s products (Research development foundation, 1999 pp. 204). Sample size and selection procedure From a defined target population of 6000, an accessible population will be chosen which will try to demonstrate or will be comparable to the target population in the characteristics that appear most relevant to the study. Population validity is to try to establish that the number chosen from the shoppers in a number of stores and supermarkets is itself a representation of the target population. It is also challenging to deal with all members as they will consume tremendous amount of time and resources. From a target of 6000 shoppers a smaller group will be obtained from the accessible population. In this qualitative research sample size is far more subjective than in quantitative approaches, it is that new cases will be selected from 500 shoppers until data wiling nothing new. But this will depend on proposals set by certain number of groups and depths. But for the purpose of time and budget an approximate will be achieved through one of the social formula used to determine sample size (Burns, 2000 pp. 356). Sample size = z2pq where: n- desired sample size. D2 z- standard observation at required interval. p- Proportion in the target population. q- 1-p d- Level of statistical significance set. Sample size= (1.96)2 (1.7) (1.7) (0.05)2 = 4500. The study will adopt a probability sampling is to select a reasonable number of subjects, objects or cases that represent the target population. The systematic random sampling will be the best suited method which will involve giving a number to every subjects or member of the accessible populations. This technique will be used to study the number of shoppers through observations in their respective stores and supermarkets the observation process will continue as the fixed sequence will be established so as to get the required respondents. While simple random sampling will be used to sample a number of respondents to be interviewed this will be done randomly where each respondents equal chance of being selected. Proportionate sampling will carried out to the four cities to establish the exact replica of respondents to be sampled per the region (Nigel, 2010 pp.143). Changes in research method and sample size Two weeks is a short period that is required to carry out the research in this case another research method and sample size. The best method to be adopted will be documentary analysis (qualitative) and online questionnaires (quantitative methods) which will be used to make inferences about the study. This is the systematic qualitative descriptions of the composition of the objects or materials of the study. In other words, content analysis involves observation and detailed descriptions of objects, items or things that comprise the sample. This will be achieved by reviewing secondary data from a number of sources which will include company sales records, magazines and newsletters and consumer indexes showing how products are being consumed or bought in the respective stores. The main purpose of documentary analysis is to study existing documents such as books, magazines, and photograph; in other words this is in order to determine factors that explain a specific phenomenon. The advantage is that the researcher will be able to economize in terms of time and money; this is because data collection is not as tedious as in most other studies. The process of documentary review will involve forming a committee that will be checking the validity of the literature selected and help in adopting the required literature relevant to the study. Coding and analysis then will take place and report done (Mc Daniel & Gates, 2002 pp. 45). To be able to quick information’s for the company products within a short period of two weeks the researcher will seek to use social media through online to be able to get a wider target population within a shorter period. A sample of questions regarding the purpose of the study will be derived and this will be posted in the company website in the forum or feedback sections. This will change the sample size where it will cover all the respondents who will get accessed to the company website. Internet questionnaire are at present, self completed, in that the respondents use their own hands with which to respond to questions. The questionnaire will be delivered as a web page and as part of an email message and will have a computerized assisted self completion interview. This will be based on an open web type design where it will allow all websites browsers. This process will be assuming that only those customers interested with the company products will only take the initiative to fill the online questionnaires. After a period of two days the results will be arranged selected coded and then be analysed and report made on the behaviours and attitude of customers (Bryman & Bell, 2003 pp.45). Reference lists Bryman, A & Bell, E (2003). Business research methods. Oxford, London: Oxford University press. Pages. 12-56. Burns, I. (2000). Marketing research, New Jersey, US: Prentice Hall, pp.342-367. Mc Daniel, C & Gates, R (2002). Marketing research: the impact of the internet, Cincinnati, OH: Thompson learning. Pages. 34-87. Nigel, B (2010). Marketing research: tools and techniques, Oxford, London: Oxford University press. Pages. 15-157. Research development foundation (1999) Business co-operation in market research, Journal of the market society, Vol.41, No.3, pp. 195-225. Read More