Defining the Playful Times Toys Problem - Assignment Example

?Running head: RESEARCH FOR MARKETING PRACTITIONERS Assignment 2, Research for Marketing Practitioners, Semester B, Insert Insert Grade Course Insert Tutor’s Name June 14, 2011 Introduction The management of a given organization needs to be informed on the changing trends in the markets of their products and services. There is need to conform to the standards of products and services that are valued highly among the customers. The customers’ perception of a given product often changes with time and the managers of the organization should not rely on their previous market position for decision making processes. Similarly, before introducing a new product into the market, it is important to try to seek information on the possible market position of the product. To obtain such information, there is need to collect and analyze data relating to the possible users of the products (QuickMBA, 2010). The data so obtained should be accurate and reliable to help make effective decisions. A high level of trust should be maintained between the marketing researchers and the consumers who will provide the relevant information (Moorman et al, 1993, p.81). It is also important to note that information cannot be obtained from the whole population of the consumers of the product. Accurate research designs should be adopted that employs a sample that is true representative of the whole market population. This paper provides a research program that could be used by Playful Times Toys in carrying out an initial pilot survey on the market of their new products in Hertfordshire. Problem definition Playful Times Toys is a business organization that has been dealing in electronic toys. The organization has now purposed to deal in the traditional wooden toys. The previous products were perceived to be of high educational values to the children aged two to ten years. The management of the organization needs to obtain information on the customers’ perception of the new products. The organization needs to carry out product promotion for their new products. The parents and the grandparents of these children aged 2-10 are the main customers of the organization. The research problem is, thus, to obtain the views of these individuals on the company’s new products. The information so obtained will enable the management of the organization to develop the best marketing strategies for their new products. The research design to be employed There are different research designs that could be used in the market research. The choice of the most appropriate research design depends on the objectives of the design and the targeted population to be covered in the research. It is desired that a marketing research be fast, cheap and good. However, not all the three values can be achieved by whichever design (Hyman & Sierra, 2009, p.10). For this particular research, a mixture of exploratory and descriptive research designs will be appropriate. In market research, the use of descriptive research methods help obtain useful information about a given product including the users of the product, the current market position of the product and a forecast of the future demands of the product (QuickMBA, 2010). This approach also requires that the research questions, the population to be covered in the survey, and the research analysis procedures to be used be determined before collecting the appropriate data (QuickMBA, 2010). A sample of the population in Hertfordshire shall be used to obtain the views that are representative of the whole consumer population in the area. The types of data to be collected and the sources The data to be used in a marketing research can be obtained from primary or secondary sources. The primary data is the set of data that has been obtained originally for the given research (QuickMBA, 2010). It could be obtained through personal interview, mailed questionnaire, or observation. It involves obtaining the first hand information from the relevant source. On the other hand, secondary data is that retrieved from the existing sources that had been obtained for some purpose in the past. The past records of an organization or a national demographic statistics over some period may be useful secondary data to an organization. The research shall rely on the primary data to be obtained directly from the potential users of the products in the city. Questions are to be administered that seek the information about the consumers’ awareness of the new products in the market, their attitudes towards the products, what they value in the products, how they rate the new products in relation to the old ones, and their suggestions on product improvement. The sample to be used in the research A fundamental step in designing a research is to define the population to be covered (Kalton, 1983, p.6). Obtaining information from the whole population is expensive and time consuming. It is also likely to be associated with more areas due to the large set of data to be handled. It is thus necessary to draw a sample that truly represents the population. The size of the sample to be used is greatly affected by the available resources and the precision/accuracy that is needed. Besides, the sample size also affects the quality of the research (Bartlett et al, 2001, p.43). Thus, there is a need to perform a trade-off between the sample size and the corresponding cost of collection in relation to the required information until it is not economical to cut down the cost further. The organization has a telephone directory of some of the customers of its previous electronic toys. However, the directory cannot be used for sample selection since more customers did not provide the telephone contacts and it would be a misrepresentation. Since this is just a shift from the old products, the population from some shopping mall can serve the purpose. A sample of 200 consumers drawn from different shopping malls on a given day shall be used for the research. Method of data collection to be used- questionnaires The above information shall be obtained through a personal interview with a sample of the population. The interview shall be conducted using a set of written questionnaires. This is usually preferred when resources are limited (Questionnaire Design, n.d). A set of questions that define the whole problem shall be formulated and administered to the target population in a direct interview process. It is important that the questionnaire be properly designed. A good questionnaire is able to enhance good cooperation with the respondent and covey the intended message to the respondent (Quee, 1999, p.130). In designing the questionnaire for the research, a number of key issues should be addressed. It is important that the questions be framed in a manner that can easily be understood by the respondents. It is important to realize at this early stage that the questionnaire will first be used in the pilot survey (Fehily & Johns, 2004, p.50). The questions need to be objective and need not to restrict the responses or provide suggestions to the respondents. The answer options for the questions need to be exhaustive so that all the possible responses are accommodated. Besides, the questions should not overlap and be sequential with one question leading the other. The set of questions in the questionnaire should seek to obtain attitudinal data, awareness data, purchase intention data, behavioral data, and even classification data. The attitude of the consumers towards the products should be examined in relation to its quality, durability, and cost need (Churchill, 1979, p.67). In particular, the questions should help identify the consumers’ attitudes towards the new products, his awareness of the other products that have the same value and purpose as these products, how learnt about those products and where he normally obtains them. His ability or willingness to buy the products also needs to be revealed. The questionnaire should contain other details like the particulars of the respondent like sex and age (name should not be included). The details of the organization and the research are also provided at the beginning of the questionnaire. It will also contain the details of the interviewer at the end. The main body of the questionnaire contains the questions that seek to obtain the required information. The first set of questions seeks to obtain the frequency with which different media sources are assessed by the respondents. This helps identify the best medium that can be used for the advertisement of the products. Another set seeks to check the respondents’ awareness of the products. Where the products are obtained from and the most striking features in them are addressed. The respondents’ attitudes towards the products are also assessed. It is also important to give the respondent opportunities to give their won views not covered in the other sections (Brace, 2008, p.179) A sample questionnaire 1. How often do you listen to the radio? (A) Very often (B) Often (C) Sometimes (D) Rarely (E) Never 2. How often do you watch television (A) Very often (B) Often (C) Sometimes (D) Rarely (E) Never 3. How often do you read newspaper and magazines (A) Daily (B) Twice a week (C) Once a week (D) Twice a month (E) Once a month (F) Never 4. Have you ever heard of wooden toy products (A) Yes (B) No 5. If yes, where did you first learn about the products (A) Radio (B) Television (C) Newspaper (D) Posters (E) Internet (F) Others (Specify) 6. Which company do you know that deals in traditional wooden toys 7. Do you normally buy play toys for your children or grandchildren aged 2-10 years (A) Yes (B) No 8. If yes, a) where do you normally buy toys for your children or grand children (A) Supermarkets (B) Retail stores (C) Open-air Markets (D) Online shops (E) Others (specify) b) Which type of toys do you usually buy (A) Clay toys (B) Metal toys (C) Traditional wooden toys (D) Plastic toys (E) Modern electronic toys (F) Other types c) What attracted you most in this category of toy products (A) Very durable (B) Cheap (C) High educational value (D) Readily available (E) Others 9) If the wooden toys were to be availed in the local market, how likely would you buy it? (A) Would definitely buy (B) Would probably buy (C) Might or might not buy (D) Would probably not buy (E) Would definitely not buy 10) How much would you pay for these products? 11) Please give your suggestions, views or recommendations concerning these wooden toy products The data collection process Unlike the mailed questionnaires, the personal interview process involves a direct encounter between the interviewer and the respondents. It has the advantage over the first one that the interviewer may make the necessary clarifications to the respondents in the process (An evaluation for e-library developments, 2006; Bless et al, 2006, p.119). However, it can also be associated with some kind of biasness by the interviewer or the respondents’ perception of the purpose of collecting data. In order to avoid biasness and any other difficulties that may be encountered in the interview process, the interviewer should first develop a good rapport with the respondents. A brief introduction will be of great importance in the first encounter. Then, the interviewer should clarify to the respondent the purpose of collecting the data (Quee, 1999, p.150). It should be made clear to the respondent that the data to be obtained is to help improve on the operations of the organization, and that the information will not be used for any other purpose. It would be unwise to state categorically that the information so obtained will be used to develop marketing strategies by providing the best methods of product promotion. This may influence the response given by some potential customers leading to decision based on wrong information. In the interview process, the interviewer should stay focused on the contents of the questionnaire. There is need to ensure that all the questions are fully answered with the required details (Opdenakker, 2006). The questions need to be administered in the sequence defined in the questionnaire. Even if a respondent provides an answer to a question that is to be asked later, the question should be asked again at the right time. Clarification should also be provided to the respondents on the issues that do not seem to be clear. However, the interviewer should not take sides or show the respondent his/her opinion on a given subject. The interviewer should not ask leading questions that seem to give a suggestion to the respondents. Before concluding the interview process, the interviewer should not forget to thank the respondent. The respondent should be made to understand that his or her attention and willingness to participate in the research has been appreciated. This also provides the respondent with a good will to participate in another research of this type that may be carried out in the future. The sales at the company are usually high between August and December (Oppapers.com, 2011). The research should be carried out during this period. The pilot survey It is important to note that the procedures so defined will be used to carry out a pilot survey for the main market research. This is a survey conducted on few individuals before the actual marketing research. The pilot shall be performed on six to ten individuals. This is aimed at checking the effectiveness of the research method to be used. The pilot survey will help define the practicality of the research design and identify the difficulties that are likely to be encountered while carrying out the actual marketing research (Teijlingen & Hundley, 2001, p.1). The problems with the designed questionnaire will also be identified in the pre-survey (Butler et al, 1973, p.45). The problems that will be encountered in the pre-survey will be used to improve on the design before carrying out the research. References An evaluation for e-library developments. 2006. Interviews- Advantages of interviews. (Online). Available from: http://www.evalued.bcu.ac.uk/tutorial/4c.htm [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Bartlett, J. et al. 2001. Organizational Research: Determining Appropriate Sample Size in Survey Research. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 19(1); 43-50. (Online). Available from: http://www.osra.org/itlpj/bartlettkotrlikhiggins.pdf [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Bless, C., 2006. Fundamentals of social research methods: an African perspective. Fourth edition. Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd. Brace, I., 2008. Questionnaire Design: How to Plan, Structure and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research. Second edition. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Butler, J. et al. 1973. Family doctors and public policy: a study of manpower distribution. London: Routledge. Churchill, G., 1979. A Paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. A Journal of Marketing Research, 16; 64-73. (Online). Available from: http://www.franzecosta.com/spaw2/arquivos/textos/Encontro%203.%20A%20paradigm%20for%20developing%20better%20measures%20of%20marketing%20constructs.pdf [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Hyman, M. and Sierra, J., 2009. Marketing Research Kit for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley publishing Inc. Fehily, A. and Johns, A., 2004. Designing questionnaires for nutrition research. Nutrition Bulletin, 29; 50–56. (Online). Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&hid=17&sid=6fd5de65-700d-4d38-8cab-cd97fcf5e4c8%40sessionmgr15 [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Kalton, G., 1983 Introduction to survey sampling. New Delhi: SAGE. Moorman, C. et al. 1983. Factors affecting trust in market research relationships. A Journal of Marketing Research, 57; 81-101. (Online). Available from: http://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/~moorman/Publications/JM1993.pdf [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Opdenakker, R., 2006. Advantages and Disadvantages of Four Interview Techniques in Qualitative Research. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 7(4). (Online). Available from: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewArticle/175/391 [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Oppapers.com. 2011. Play Time Toy Co. (Online). Available from: http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Play-Time-Toy-Co/65696 [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Questionnaire Design. N.d. (Online). Available from: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/quest-design/ [Accessed June 14, 2011]. QuickMBA. 2010. Marketing-Marketing Research. (Online). Available from: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/research/ [Accessed June 14, 2011]. Quee, W.T., 1999. Marketing Research. Third edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Teijlingen, E. and Hundley, V., 2001. The importance of pilot studies. Social research, Iss.35. Read More