Questionnaire development process

Task 5

By the end of this week, you should be able to describe the questionnaire development process; summarize the characteristics of a good questionnaire; understand the role of cover letters and explain the importance of other documents used with questionnaires. This week, we will also look at qualitative data analysis, and contrast it with quantitative data analysis.

You should be able to explain the steps in qualitative data analysis. You should also be able to describe the processes of categorizing and coding data and developing theory; clarify how credibility is established in qualitative data analysis, and discuss the steps involved in writing a qualitative research report.

Please review the following information pertaining to the Final Project for this course:

The Final Project for this course consists of 1) The Marketing Research Report that represents 20% of the final grade; and 2) an accompanying PowerPoint Presentation that represents 10% of the final grade.

Please read the information contained below carefully. If you have any questions, please reach out to your professor for clarification:

The purpose of the Final Project is to apply the concepts and techniques contained in this course to real-world situations or problems. You are expected to use diverse sources of information and to carry out an original analysis rather than summarize or rehash existing work. You are also encouraged to use situations and data from your own experience where possible. The objective of this project is to communicate the essence of the marketing research process between the researcher and the organization.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MARKETING RESEARCH REPORT:

The Marketing Research Report should be organized as set forth below (please use the underlined headings in the report):

1)    Title Page. Include the name of the paper, your name, the class name and the date.

2)    Table of Contents. An outline of The Marketing Research Report.

3)    Executive Summary.  Include a one-page summary of the report.

4)    Background Information. Choose and describe the background of a small business that you are familiar with or would be interested in starting up yourself. 

5)    Problem Definition. Identify a marketing problem related to that business. The problem should be relevant to the business and specifically outlined. The problem could be related to: 

·      A possible market to target;

·      An adaptation of current practices towards a current market;

·      A new opportunity to pursue; or

·      A Marketing problem either at the consumer or organizational level.

Clearly communicate, describe and discuss the problem that requires marketing research.  Your description should demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of the problem at hand.

6)    Research Objectives. Identify the information needed to address the research problem, including a specific discussion of the field data requirements. In doing so, you should identify the following elements:

·      The type of information needed: primary, secondary, or both;

·      The sources of information to be used; and

·      Whether consumer or company data will be needed.

7)    Research Design. Choose a research design and justify its choice. You should identify the following elements:

·      Include an explanation of the exploratory, descriptive, or causal approach followed.

·      Describe individual techniques that would be adopted.

·      Describe the research design needs and limitations.

8)    Fieldwork/Data Collection Techniques. Identify all appropriate data collection method(s). In doing so, you should identify the following elements:

·      How data will be collected.

·      All field data requirements.

·      Discuss who would be responsible for data collection.

·       Describe and discuss the control mechanisms that would be utilized to ensure the quality of data collected.

9)    Findings, Recommendations and Limitations. Summarize your proposal recommendation based on your findings and discuss the limitations of your research.

10) List of References.  Please include a properly formatted APA list of references. 

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PRESENTATION:

For the Final Presentation, students will utilize presentation software of their choice (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) to create a digital slide show discussing the information contained in the Final Project.  Bullet points are preferred- only essential language should exist on the slides.  Illustrations or other demonstratives may be inserted on the slides as well.  Use and include information from the weekly course content and outside sources as support. All sources should be cited in proper APA format (in-text citations and a reference list). Be cognizant of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

A copy of the presentation should be uploaded to Moodle.  At the option of the professor, online students may be required to present via phone/Adobe Connect or add a voice over to the presentation.

The following describes how the slides of the presentation are to be organized:

SLIDE 1: TITLE SLIDE.  Be sure to include your name and the class designation on the initial slide. 

SLIDE 2:  BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 3: PROBLEM DEFINITION. Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 4: RESEARCH OBJECTIVES.  Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 5: RESEARCH DESIGN.  Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 6: FIELDWORK/DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES.  Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 7: FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIMITATIONS. Use bullet points to summarize this information from the Marketing Research Report.

SLIDE 8: LIST OF REFERENCES.  Be sure to include one or more slides referencing course and/or outside content in APA format. 

Upon completion, upload your assignment to Moodle.

1. Work on the outline of the Marketing Research Report as described above.
2. Submit the outline (this will later serve as the Table of Contents for your Marketing Research Repo

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Executive Summary
The business idea suggested in this proposal is the establishment of a retail hair extension, hair care products and other skin and beauty products within the university. The university setting has been chosen owing to the readiness of the market. Secondly, university students; especially ladies often appreciate their appearances as they seek to transition from being students to professionals. Despite the existing market potential, there lies the challenge of meeting the expectations of the ever-dynamic student population. This population is always fascinated by emerging fashion and trends in the market which calls on business players to always assess their needs and ensure timely response. Besides, meeting the market expectations can at times be challenging and hence for proper response mechanisms implemented through a research process. This task…