Research Methods Db 2

Group Discussion Board Forum 1 – Part 1 1. Ch. 1 Q. 8  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ As area sales manager for a company manufacturing and marketing outboard engines, you have been assigned the responsibility of conducting a research study to estimate the sales potential of your products in the domestic (U. S. or Canadian) market. Discuss key issues and concerns arising from the fact that you, the manager, are also the researcher. A very important aspect of good research is for the researcher’s experience to be reflected (P. 17). The research has a greater chance of being successful if the researcher is experienced.Thus, as a manager the research process might be bias to the manager’s perception of the problem compared to the research problem. The inexperience as researcher will make it difficult to perform both roles effectively. Additionally, the manager might only analyze secondary data to obtain answers and rely on it for decision making. 2. Ch. 1 Q. 10- Apply the principles in Exhibit 1-4 to the research scenario in question 8. In order to apply the principles from Exhibit 1-4 to the scenario in question 8 we need to use the scientific method. a.Purpose clearly defined: The research study must present an estimate of the sales and marketing of the outbound engines in the market for the U. S and Canada. b. Research process detailed: First, the researcher presents a proposal and budget for approval. Then, the researcher presents weekly reports related to the progress of the research and also provides an estimated timeframe for completion. c. Research design thoroughly planned: The procedures are outlined. Once primary and secondary data is collected it needs to be analyzed for interpretation. d.Limitations frankly revealed: interpreted data about the size market for the outbound engine is compared to the desired procedure. e. Management Decision: The manager is presented with the information for decision making, after it has been analyzed, interpreted and c ompared. 3. Ch. 3 Q. 6- You observe the following condition: â€Å"Our female sales representatives have lower customer defections than do our male sales representatives. † a. Propose the concepts and constructs you might use to study this phenomenon. My proposal for the concepts is female sales representatives and male sales representatives.I would use customer defection as the construct for the research. b. How might any of these concepts and/or constructs be related to explanatory hypotheses? According to explanatory (casual) hypotheses, the independent variable needs to be the reason for the existence of the dependent variable (p73). Therefore, the skills of both male and female representatives are taken under consideration in this scenario. An example of this is that female sales representatives are naturally more skillful with establishing and maintaining relationships (IV), allowing them to have this advantage and have less customer defection (DV). . Ch. 3 Q. 8-  Ide ntify and classify all the variables in the Army’s dud shell research. I identify three variables (p. 62 & 67): 1. The dud shell as the independent variable because it can be manipulated 2. The exploding shell as the independent variable because is the one being monitored and 3. The people coming into contact with it as intervening variables because civilians were cracking the bombs open to obtain copper. 5. Ch. 4 Q. 4-  Confronted by low productivity, the president of Oaks International, Inc. asks a research company to study job satisfaction in the corporation.What are some of the important reasons that this research project may fail to make an adequate contribution to the solution of management problems? The low productivity in Oaks International Inc. presents a management dilemma to the president. The president has related this issue to the job satisfaction of the employees. Therefore, the management has decided to study job satisfaction only as the cause of low producti vity. Even though, this in fact has some influence in the productivity of employees, the study is already bias because all other factors of influence are being excluded.There may be other factors to consider that may be affecting low productivity such as machinery and equipment, technology, management, etc. This will eventually become a waste of time and resources if the results prove that job satisfaction is not the main cause of low productivity. Consequently, the management dilemma will not be resolved and more time and resources will need to be invested to find the real cause. 6. Ch. 4 Q. 5-  Based on an analysis of the last six months’ sales, your boss notices that sales of beef products are declining in your chain’s restaurants.As beef entree sales decline, so do profits. Fearing beef sales have declined due to several newspaper stories reporting E. coli contamination discovered at area grocery stores, he suggests a survey of area restaurants to see if the situ ation is pervasive. a. What do you think of this research suggestion? I think the research suggestion will be beneficial because it will reveal if the decline in consumption of beef as an entree is in fact caused by the concern of the E. coli. This survey will also allow comparing the competition and discovering their strategies or suggestions on how to survive this crisis.I also believe that the restaurant can introduce some new entrees that contain fish, chicken and even duck as an alternative to increase their sales and profits. b. How, if at all, could you improve on your boss’s formulation of the research question? I believe the study should include both external and internal factor. The survey to competitors would be considered an external factor, but including the customers, the preparation and presentation of their beef entrees can be considered internal factors.It has already been established that the people are already alarmed due to the several stories in the newsp apers about the E. coli. However, the restaurant can ask these frequent customers about their perception about the incident and even accept suggestions from them. This will allow the restaurant to get a clearer and direct answer to their dilemma. 7. Ch. 5 Q. 12- Develop the management-research question hierarchy (Exhibits 5-6 and 5-8), citing management dilemma, management question, and research question(s) for each of the following: a. he president of a home health care services firm. MD: The president receives many complains about the quality of health care services. MQ: What can be done in improve the quality of the health care services? RQ: Why are the services provided considered poor? In which specific areas of services do we get the most complains? What can be implemented or change to improve the services provided? b. The vice president of investor relations for an auto manufacturer. MD: The vice president experiences low productivity. MQ: What is causing low productivity?RQ: When did the company start to experience low productivity? Do we have up to date technology for production? How are the job conditions perceived by employees? c. The retail advertising manager of a major metropolitan newspaper. MD: The metropolitan newspaper is experiencing a decline in advertising sales. MQ: What can be done to increase the sales? RQ: Should the prices/rates for advertising in our newspaper be evaluated? When did sales start to decline? What methods can be implemented to increase the sales and attract more customers to advertise with newspaper? . The chief of police in a major city. MD: The chief of police has received several reports of increased crime in the city. MQ: What can be done to reduce crime in the city? RQ: Where are the majority of reports coming from? Which areas are being more affected? What group of people is the one being affected the most? What types of crimes have increased? How can we prepare and equip police officers to monitor these crimes an d areas? This is to be completed by 11:59 p. m. (ET) on Sunday.