Define Research Problem

2

• Management objectives:– To solve current problem facing company– To improve efficiency– To plan for future

• Current problems are mostly symptomatic– Doctor patient scenario

• Management wants solution.

What should Research achieve?

4

• Research should provide solution. Therefore,– Management problem is what action should

be taken to solve problem and– Research problem is what possible solutions

should be evaluated to solve problem

• Evaluation for solutions requires data.

5

• Hence, Management problem should be translated into Research problem that – Determines what data should be provided and

how to acquire it– How to convert data into information

6

• One can , therefore, state that– Management problem is action oriented and– Research problem is data oriented

7

• For formulating Research problem researcher should understand– Objective of decision maker and his

environment– Decision maker’s willingness to take risk– Alternative courses of actions that are

available to him– Consequences of alternative courses of

actions

8

• Clear understanding between decision maker and researcher is necessary to make research useful. For this– Prepare research request– Prepare dummy report

Research Request

10

• Research request document should include:

1. Events that led to problem

2. Possible solutions that are to be evaluated

3. Questions that decision maker wants to answer

4. Data required to evaluate possible solutions

5. From where data will be collected & how?

6. How each data item collected would be useful to answer questions in point 3 above

Research Proposal

12

Research Proposal

1. Marketing Problem

• Brief description of general problem and reason for conducting research.

• Sum up preliminary discussions between researcher & manager; demonstrate knowledge of situation & particular information needs.

13

Research Proposal

2. Purpose of Research Project

• State goals & objectives, with rationales.• Describe scope of project (i.e., what will be and

will not be investigated).• Spell out specific questions to be answered.

These are called investigative questions.• Address possible limitations due to time or

budget constraints (to avoid later disagreement).

14

Research Proposal

3. Data sources and methodology

• Describe secondary data to be used.• Describe how primary data will be gathered

(surveys, experiments).• Keep methods descriptions non-technical.• Describe sample and proposed size.• Include draft of questionnaire or focus group

moderator outline (etc.), if applicable.

15

Research Proposal

4. Time & Personnel

• Provide time estimates for each phase of the research.

• Specify personnel required and their rates of pay.

• Calculate non-personnel costs (e.g., printing, mailing, etc.).

Examples

17

Example 1

• Sale of a product that was doing well has started declining.

18

• Management Problem:– What should be done to the product?

• Research Problem:– What are reasons for such decline?

• Investigative questions:– Is decline seen in all territories?– Is market declining?– Is our market share declining?– Is competitor’s sale declining?

19

– Is there a new product satisfying same need?– Is our product always available?

And so on……

20

Example 2

• Management wants to decide sale target for company’s existing product.

21

• Management problem:– What should be sale target for company’s product?

• Research problem:– What will be the growth of the market?

• Investigative questions:– What is the trend in the market size (increasing/

decreasing)?– What is the trend in our market share?– What is the sale trend of competing products?– At what stage of life cycle the product is?

22

– Is there any possibility of introducing new product?– What is the situation in international market?– What could be government’s policy towards

concerned market?– To what extent company’s customers are brand loyal

to company’s brand?

And so on….