Eating Habits and Lifestyle - Research Proposal Example

?Research topic: Eating Habits and Lifestyle. The business research question is whether consumers are satisfied with the products they use? (In this case scenario, the market research study would be structured to measure satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the product). For this research case of study, the researcher will use qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups. As a result, what is the importance in using focus groups and interviews in analysing the impact of eating the right kind of foods (practicing good eating habits) for good health and avoiding lifestyle diseases? Interviews: Are a good method of data collection as they are in the form of a one on one conversation and both the interviewer and interviewee play an important role to come up with a solution to the problem or the research study topic: Interviews are useful in communicating on deep and lengthily research topics as they provide more insight to a problem and they open up a good platform or discussion between the interviewer and interviewee. They produce a higher response rate from the interviewee. Lastly the data collected has a high probability to be accurate as compared to the other qualitative research methods. Some of the disadvantages of interviews include. First, the interviewer may not deduce the right data if they are not consistent with the questions. Secondly, it may be time and energy consuming setting up the interview. Thirdly, interviews are best done on a one on one perspective, thus limitation in the numbers. Fourth, great interviews require great and skilled interviewers. Lastly the interviewer may ask biased questions and get the wrong replies thus could lead to a complication in the data collected (MBAOFFICIAL, 2010). What is the importance of interviews with regard to the business research topic? Interviews are used so as to find out information from customers about the products that are recommended and their importance. The main question a consumer could want to know from the company is whether the products do work or not and if they have a guarantee on safety. Interviews can act as a form of gathering information from the company that manufactures the product and can be used to enhance a discussion and share the benefits of using the products, thus the interview in this scenario acts as a point of creating awareness about the product to its consumers. When the consumer wants to know more about the nutritional products that they can use and supplement, interviews on the product(s) can be used to give such information in depth and with clarity. Focus groups: Are also referred to as focussed interviews or group depth interviews are structured in a manner where a group of people are asked more information about their opinions about a particular topic, product or idea. This is an open kind of discussion with the other members in the group. The researcher in this case their work is to give opportunity to people to speak and air their views and the researched also manage the group or acts as the group moderator. The advantage of a focus group is the personal experience and touch of experiences shared among the members. They do provide information based on experiences. Secondly, if a company has new products that it want to project to the market, focus groups could be used to test the product and get the opinion of the product entry in the market and acceptance by other consumers. Thirdly, if a product company wants to introduce a new product to the market, then a focus group is better place to determine the competitors and also come up with solutions that could help keep at par with the competing product in terms of packaging, pricing and advertisements. The disadvantage of this is that the researcher has little control over the group as compared to a one on one interview. A second disadvantage is that too much time can be wasted on issues that are not relevant to the topic. Thirdly, the information collected may not be related to the topic since the group members may add additional comments to comments being explained by an individual in the group. The fourth disadvantage of a focus group is that, despite everyone having an opinion that others can comment to, if someone has an opinion different to what the majority has the opinion may never be shared as it may oppose others. In addition to that, focus groups consume an amount of cash as compared to interviews and other data collection methods. Lastly, the moderator in charge of the group may be biased to focus the comments on a particular opinion that is not general thus inaccurate results may be collected (Demand Media, 2013). With regard to the focus group, it is a major data collection method that can be used to get information from consumers about their experience with a product and how the product did help them or how it can be in a position to help others. The focus group can also be used to get new ideas on how best the manufacturing company can be able to cope with competitors and competition in the market with regard to their pricing, packaging and marketing strategies. In addition to that, focus groups can help a company be better placed in the market due to collective opinion of those group members (Demand Media, 2013). What is the importance of focus groups with regard to the business research topic? First, their main purpose is to help company gather information that will be used for product improvement. As related to the research topic, focus groups can help improve product features for each set of targeted customers. For example, with nutrition products, there are supplements that are specifically manufactured for different age groups, that is children, women, men the sick and so on (The Thriving Small Business, n.d.) Could a focus group make up for an interview session? This is possible as interview seek to give in depth information from the interviewee (manufacturing company) to its consumers as subjective to the focus groups they aim to act as a problem solving mechanism. Secondly the focus group is much better due to the reason that it can help a company to strategize itself with competitors. Assumptions when choosing the favorable data collection method include. First, the foundation of the selected business research study is credible (Dusick, 2011). This improves information sourcing and relation and biased information cannot be delivered as an end product. Secondly, accuracy of data collected in the business research topic being studied. Thirdly, the area under investigation should be clearly defined and its results should be measurable so as not to go overboard on the scope and the attainment of the results should not be compromised respectively. Others include, the area of study can be really studied and it’s not ambiguous and the goals set to be to be achieved by the study are really measurable, the selected method of data collection is correct and it suits the purpose (Dusick, 2011). An additional aspect would be that the researcher should have selected a methodology that is appropriate and relevant to the research topic. For example, quantitative analysis is very poor to analyze data related to ‘how’ and ‘why’ case study questions. Another factor is that the data collected has been distributed normally in the selected population set, and the sample size is sufficient and stable for the data to be correct and significant and any relationships in the data may also be noted. Lastly the researcher should ensure the selected population sample will be able to give results that are not biased, that means responding to questions honestly and with a clear and distinctive mind (Dusick, 2011). Approaches from the research include? The data analysis includes the use of Narratives, where narratives are a qualitative approach used for data interpretation and analysis. A critical incident is a method of data analysis that seeks to focus on the most important aspects of a research study area. To perform this analysis to its optimal, the approach is linked to Critical Incident Analysis/Technique (Tapinos, “Qualitative Data Analysis”). Semiotics involves the usage of signs, symbols and determining what their meaning is. With regard to business, semiotics is majorly used in the marketing field for example with logos, brand names and images and advertising, consumer research process and information systems. Discourse analysis is a data analysis method that in based on a debate or argument assumption where language and communication are very key and important. That means both forms of communication, whether it is written or oral. As a result this encourages a lot of communication between the parties and it also analyses the format in which the text messages are embedded or better communication. Conversation analysis is a method of data analysis where it focuses on speech analysis where the conversation takes turns between the members. It focuses on the use of language based on skilled accomplishment by involved actors and in addition to that the meaning of a research topic is determined by the communication process (Tapinos, “Qualitative Data Analysis”). Finally, themes are used in data analysis to communicate effectively the theory or research topic. Secondly, they are used to communicate effectively the importance of the research and why it is being conducted (Tapinos, “Qualitative Data Analysis”). Thirdly, they are used to build new theories on existing ones and also they work by improving existing theories in place. The other thing is that, themes are used to answer the research question in place. The last aspect of themes is that they are used to determine what the expected themes and resulting unexpected themes (Tapinos, “Qualitative Data Analysis”). Some of the skills of the researcher include: The first is independence that is being able to work without supervision. Second is critical thinking. The third skill is problem solving techniques, where the researcher will be able to solve problems without much consultation from their colleagues. Fourth is the ability to be initiative in terms of ideas and tasks to be undertaken (Armstrong, 2013). How do the assumptions inform the research? Assumptions are generally used to realise what information is important in the research. Based on assumptions, they are used to unsure that the research topic study topic has been correctly researched and the results are dependable on by the company or organisation. What types of information and understanding will be provided? These include, primary, secondary and tertiary information, where primary information can be achieved through journal articles, thesis and reports on Lifestyle diseases and nutrition (Stacey, 2012). Secondary information is information that has been modified or edited. This includes information from peer reviewed articles and books (Stacey, 2012). Tertiary information is a mix of both primary and secondary information. This can be retrieved from encyclopedia (American Dietetic Association, 1998), fact books and sheets, handouts and guide books (Stacey, 2012). What kinds of ethical issues are to be expected? The interviewer needs to get formal consent from the interviewee so as to clarify any issues that may not have been understood. The researcher needs to be a great listener during the interview. The researcher needs to show gratitude to the interviewee for their correspondence during the interview. The researcher should not hurry the interviewee pace and they need to use data capture methods such as tape recorders to record data of which this requires formal consent from the interviewee. What are the method's limitations and challenges? Different cultures response. For example, a member from Africa may express that the product they have used is very expensive as compared to a consumer from UK, or even expressing the consumer expressing the product as a miracle while to others it is a common product. Secondly, organizing the information or data collected can be a challenge. For example, if an interview was done for an hour, organizing and filtering the data collected to make perfect sense and to be short and concise can be a challenge. Works cited MBAOFFICIAL, 2010. Write about Objectives, Advantages and Disadvantages of Interview Method of Data Collection. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.mbaofficial.com/mba-courses/research-methodology/write-about-objectives-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-interview-method-of-data-collection/ [Accessed: 11 March 2013] Demand Media, 2013. Advantages & Disadvantages of a Focus Group. Web. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-focus-group-784.html. [Accessed: 11 March 2013] The Thriving Small Business, 2013. Focus Groups – What is the Purpose and Advantages of Focus Group Interviews. Web. Retrieved from: http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/advantages-of-focus-group-interviews/ Dusick, D. M., 2011. Bold Educational Software. Writing the Assumptions and Limitations. Web. Retrieved from: http://bold-ed.com/assumptions.htm. [Accessed: 11 March 2013] Institute of physics. Key skills of researchers. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.iop.org/careers/i-am-a-researcher/key-skills-of-researchers/page_58690.html [Accessed: 11 March 2013] Tapinos, E. Qualitative Methods for Evaluating Business Problems. Qualitative Data Analysis [ppt] [Accessed: 11 March 2013] Stacey, A.,2012. Library and Computing Services. Types of Information Sources - Primary, Secondary, Tertiary & Refereed Journals. Web. Retrieved from: http://www-public.jcu.edu.au/libcomp/assist/training/JCUPRD_026231 American Dietetic Association, 1998. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Domestic Food and Nutrition Security. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 98. Stuart, H., 1996. Research interviews. New Library World, 97 (5), pp.22 – 30. Read More