Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
MAY 2015
BBRC 4103
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
MATRICULATION NO : 860831385205001
IDENTITY CARD NO : 860831-38-5205
TELEPHONE NO : 012-9150502
E-MAIL : hariharan.puma@gmail.com
LEARNING CENTRE : Shah Alam Learning Centre
BBRC 4103
Table of Contents
Conclusion..........................................................................................................17
References ..........................................................................................................18
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Statement of the Problems and Ideas
Tesco Malaysia has many different brands of chili sauce on their racks and the chili sauces
have a very popular condiments and the demand of it has made Tesco Malaysia decide that
they might need to introduce their very own brand of chili sauce. Tesco also needs to know if
they will be able to compete with the other famous brands and is it feasible to have their own
local brand?
Before any new product is to be launch, we need to first start with a research process. This is
the process of getting information needed to see if its feasible to carry on and it also helps to
answer questions raised along the way. Information’s gathered has to be useful, accurate and
relevant.
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These are the steps:
I. Problem Identification
We fist need to identify a problem/issue/challenge and then justify the need for
research. Only with the identification of an issue, can we even start the research
process.
Research questions are formulated based on the needs of the questions that need to be
answered. They serve as the guidelines for data collection, analysis and conclusion.
It’s usually more of a quantitative research than a qualitative research when it comes to
research questions.
We need to understand the research philosophy and approach before even starting a
research. It can be a deductive approach rather than an inductive approach or the other
way round. How do we decide on the research approach is crucial.
There are many research designs available to conduct a research. We have quantitative
and qualitative methods. Sometimes, both are combined to get results.
V. Data Collection
For data collection, we need to decide on sampling methods. Qualitative research will
usually adopt a theoretical sampling method while quantitative research will adopt
probability or non-probability sampling. So we need to decide what is to be collected
as primary and what is secondary.
We need to decide how to prepare data for either quantitative or qualitative analysis.
For quantitative data, usually software packages like SPSS is used. For qualitative,
data is usually analyzed manually.
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VII. Conclusion and Report
The final report is usually a presentation of the entire research project. There are many
report formats and one needs to decide on the structure, content and style of the report.
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1. Problem Identification and formulated research questions
It is very important to ensure that questions are articulated correctly. Below would be what
consists of a good research.
There is a clear articulated research question
The research question is done in such a way that it is testable
The research question is well formulated
The research question is realistic and achievable
After having the questions, we now have to test the research question operationally. We have a
number of concepts that we need to look into like cost, feasibility, knowledge, technology,
manpower.
Having defined concepts, the next phase of the research involves the development of
operational measures. Exploring the literature to see how they have been defined in earlier
research will be the easiest way to achieve conceptual clarity and develop operational
definitions of concepts and constructs. This is an important step, as clear and concise
definitions of terms need to be developed if they are to be reliably and validly measured.
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Brands are important in the food industry. A brand is the name or symbol that differentiates a
product from another. A good brand effectively guarantees that it will deliver all of the
qualities that the consumer associates with it.
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Methods and types of market research
There are two main methods of market research – desk research and field research.
Desk research is also known as secondary research, which is using existing information from
they own records (sales trends, customers, costings).
Field research or primary research is done by contacting potential consumers directly. This can
be done in many forms like surveys, questionnaires and general observation.
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Idea Generation
The Research & Development Team of Tesco will launch the idea of testing and launch of
their own chili sauce. This has to go through various stages before it can be launched.
Product Screening
All ideas are assessed and run through with the team. The most promising with good
marketable value is selected.
Concept Development
Now the idea is taken and has to be turned in to a sellable/marketable product. Tesco’s R &
D team has to come up with a product that is:
Similar chili sauce as the ones found on the shelves so that consumers would identify
with it
Feasibility Study
This is to find out if the new sauce is viable. This includes finding out if the production is
within budget to ensure profitability. Production of the sauce is not the only thing here.
They need to look at profitable packaging methods whether it should be bottled, packed or
put in plastic containers.
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Determine the effect the new product would have on existing sales
Analyses which chili sauce option would be the optimum.
Product - the product has to satisfy customer needs in terms of its taste and be of
good quality
Price – should not be underpriced. It has to be profitable and at par with other
brands or slightly cheaper.
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2. Literature Review
McDonald’s is trying to enter a new market in the US, which is the luxury coffee.
McDonald’s started this off by introducing its own espresso (latte, mocha, cappuccino) with
both hot/iced versions. A lot of stores nationwide sell this new beverage and they plan to add
espresso machines to most of the stores in the future. This is also because there is demand for
low cost food items. According to Danya Proud, McDonalds spokeswomen, “We know our
customers are looking for those affordable luxuries." "We know our customers are visiting us,
now more than ever, for many of our well known breakfast items, and we know our coffees
continue to be a growing category."
This new line is integrated directly with the front counter menu and makes it easier for
consumers. McDonald‘s projects $1 billion annual revenue from its new espresso line.
Purpose
Very little is known about how consumers perceive own brands in the newly emerging
markets of central and Eastern Europe. This journal studies to fill in the gap by investigating
various aspects of consumer perceptions of Tesco own brands in the Czech Republic.
Methodology/Approach
Data is collected with structured questionnaires to supermarket customers in the Czech
Republic and the UK. They used non-probability quota sampling and the sample was
stratified according to gender, age and income.
Findings
The findings show that the general view of Tesco own brands is slightly less positive among
Czech than British customers. But there is a big difference when they are examined in terms
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of income. Increases in income lead to a decrease in the favorability with which own brands
are viewed in the Czech Republic – the opposite to the position in the UK.
Research limitations/implications
(n=100 in each country). This is the sample size. More in depth interviewing is to be
conducted to access consumer attitudes.
Practical Implications
This research could probably help Tesco with its general expansion in central eastern Europe
and its brand building in particular.
This journal is about exploring the complexities of Wal- Mart‘s Chinese venture. Walmart
faces a huge challenge by Chinaas there exist cross-cultural diversities among the Chinese
population. Walmart has to study the China market first and then think of a business model
that can work in the country.
They collect data from secondary sources and resort to some focus groups. This is to
understand the strategic challenges that Walmart faces when it attempts to enter the
international arena.
This paper started with: Why is the retailer brand market share of Tesco Korea higher than
that of local Korean retailers?
Out of the many grocery retailers that expanded into Korea, Tesco has the most outstanding
performance, with the highest retailer brand share in the market. Tesco has been positioned
as a successful foreign retailer after the withdrawal of Walmart and Carrefour from Korea.
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3. Research Approach and Research Design
Research design is about turning a research question into a testing project. A good design
depends on the research questions. There are both negative and positive sides to a design and
they are also considered a blueprint. There is usually four problems in a question: what
questions to study, what data are relevant, what data to collect, and how to analyze the results.
Research designs are divided into two: fixed and flexible. Some refer to this as quantitative
research designs and qualitative research designs. However, fixed designs need not be
quantitative, and flexible design need not be qualitative. In fixed designs the design of the
study is fixed before the main stage of data collection takes place. Fixed designs are normally
theory-driven; otherwise it‘s impossible to know in advance which variables need to be
controlled and measured. Often these variables are quantitative.
Qualitative research
The qualitative method is about asking the why and how of decision making and not just the
what, where and when. They usually aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human
behavior and what causes such behavior. Usually, smaller but focused samples are needed
more than large samples.
In the academic social sciences the most frequently used qualitative research approaches
include the following:
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4. Foundational Research, examines the foundations for a science, analyzes the beliefs,
and develops ways to specify how a knowledge base should change in light of new
information.
5. Historical Research allows one to discuss past and present events in the context of the
present condition, and allows one to reflect and provide possible answers to current
issues and problems. Historical research helps us in answering questions such as:
Where have we come from, where are we, who are we now and where are we going?
6. Grounded Theory is an inductive type of research, based or ―grounded‖ in the
observations or data from which it was developed; it uses a variety of data sources,
including quantitative data, review of records, interviews, observation and surveys.
7. Phenomenology describes the subjective reality of an event, as perceived by the
Study population; it is the study of a phenomenon.
8. Philosophical Research is conducted by field experts within the boundaries of a
specific field of study or profession, the best qualified individual in any field of study
to use an intellectual analysis, in order to clarify definitions, identify ethics, or make a
value judgment concerning an issue in their field of study.
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Quantitative research
Quantitative research is generally made using scientific methods, which can include:
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Data Collection and Sampling Method
The process of collection and preparation of data, if what data collection is. The purpose is to
obtain information to be on record, make decisions and pass on information to others. Data are
usually collected to provide information regarding a specific topic.
This process usually takes place at the early stage of a project and is usually formalized
through a data collection plan which often contains the following activity.
This method usually rely on random sampling and structured data collection instruments that
fit diverse experiences into predetermined response categories. They produce results that are
easy to summarize, compare, and generalize.
Experiments/clinical trials
Observing and recording well-defined events (e.g., counting the number of visitors
in a shopping mall at a specific time every day).
Obtaining relevant data from management information systems.
Administering surveys with closed-ended questions (e.g., face-to face and telephone
interviews, questionnaires etc).
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Interview
Here, the interviews are more structured compared to qualitative research. The researcher asks a
standard set of questions and nothing more in a structured interview.
Telephone interviews
There form of interviews are less time consuming and less expensive and the researcher has
ready access to almost everyone with a phone connection. But phone interviews might not
get good response rate as compared to face-to-face interviews.
Questionnaires
Web based questionnaires: this is done by sending out an email with a weblink address
to do an online survey. There are also software’s/platforms that will help with these.
Survey Monkey is one example of an online questionnaire where all you need to do is to
key in the questions and it will help to tabulate the results.
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Conclusion
Literature Review
For Tesco to decide on whether to introduce its own brand of chili sauce it has to
identify production process and market testing to see its sustainability and return of
investment (ROI). So this has to be well researched. To position the new entry of the
product, they need production plant, manpower and marketing budget. This means there is
an initial investment and this needs to be started immediately to test the product in the
market.
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References
Books :
Alden, D.L. Batra, R. & Steenkam, J. (1999). ‘Brand positioning through advertising in Asia,
North America, and Europe: The role of global consumer culture‘, Journal of
Marketing, vol. 63, no. 1
Creswell, J.W. (1994). Research design. Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand
Oaks, California: Sage.
eMarketer (2001). ‘The eGlobal report 2001’, eMarketer, viewed 14 July, 2009,
<http://www.emarketer.com>
Akerlof, G.A. (1970). The Market for 'Lemons': Quality Uncertainty and the Market
Mechanism, Quarterly Journal of Economics
Websites :
http://www.palgrave.com/studentstudyskills/page/choosing-appropriate-research-
methodologies/
http://www.newagepublishers.com/samplechapter/000896.pdf
http://fieldresearch.msf.org/msf/bitstream/10144/84230/1/Qualitative%20research%20methodol
ogy.pdf
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