Marketing Research Proposal for Alaska Airlines/Virgin ... fileproposal will help assist in the...

Running head: MARKETING RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR ALASKA AIRLINES 1

Marketing Research Proposal for Alaska Airlines/Virgin America

IMC611 – Marketing Research & Analysis

West Virginia University

Dr. Robin Cobbey

July 5th, 2016

MARKETING RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR ALASKA AIRLINES/VIRGIN AMERICA 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………………………………............... 4

Background Information…………………………………………………………………... 4-7

The Industry……….…………………………………………………………………… 4-5

The Merger………………………………………………………………….…………. 5-6

Alaska Airlines…………………………………………………………......………...... 6

Virgin America…………………………………………………………………….…… 7

Research Problems, Questions, and Objectives………......………...…….........………….. 8-9

Study Design: Recommended Methodology………......………......……......………........... 9-10

Ethnographic Research Methodology…………………………………………............... 10-11

Survey Research Methodology ………………………………………………………... 11-12

Focus Group Methodology ……….…………………………………………………… 12-14

Sampling Plan………………………………………………………………….………….. 14-15

Data Collection Method and Processing ……………………………………......……….... 15-17

Proposed Marketing Research Facilities………………………………………………….. 18

Research Design: Data Analysis Plan………......………......………........………..……… 18-20

Deliverables………......………......………......………......………......……….................... 20-21

Timetable ………......………......………......………......………......………......………. 21

Appendix A……......………...……......………...……......………...……......……………... 22-24


TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)

Appendix B………......………......………......………..................................................... 25

Appendix C…..……………………………………………………….............................. 26-37

Ethnographic Research Screening Survey 26-29

Group A: Survey Screening Questions/Questionnaire 30-33

Group B: Survey Screening Questions/Questionnaire 33-37

Appendix D………………...…………………………………………….………........... 37

References………...………………………………………………………………......…

28-42


Marketing Research Proposal for Alaska Airlines/Virgin America

A marketing research proposal such as this “presents the research objectives, research

design, timeline, and cost of a project" in regards to the solicitation's important objectives

(McDaniel & Gates, 2014, p. 59). It basically "offers a justification for the study, indicating why

the research is worth doing and how it will be carried out" and it's a "useful discipline for

clarifying early ideas and thoughts and drawing them (Heath, 2010, p. 148)." The purpose of this

document in particular is to understand the target demographic and preferences of Alaska and

Virgin America's frequent customers and non-customers when it comes to booking on e-

servicespaces or airline websites. The parties involved will be both airlines since it has been

announced that Virgin America has agreed to be bought by Alaska.

The first part of the study will entail cooperation between both airlines as an exploratory

ethnographic research involving two of their flights—one for each—will take place by switching

airline preferences of their preferred customers for first-time testing. We shall cast a wide net on

customers of different ages and backgrounds who frequently fly between San Francisco and Los

Angeles on Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. Secondly, internal CRM databases will be data

mined in order to acquire and sample respondents to participate in an online survey and first-time

user website testing. Finally, those still interested and available to join the focus group

discussions to take place in San Francisco and Los Angeles' Plaza Research Network facilities

will be assigned a date and time. Insight from qualitative and quantitative methods in this

proposal will help assist in the potential redesign of Alaska Airline's booking portal and

perfecting Virgin America's. Further insight on the customers' perceptions, feelings, and

judgments of both airlines' brand equity will also assist in their joint re-branding and future

marketing studies.

Background Information

The Industry. Commercial aviation takes on 5.1% of the entire US GDP and it

surmounts about $807.1 billion USD, with the total of "attributable" employment of 1,170,526

jobs in California alone (Airlines.org, 2012). According to Schmidt (2015) at Market Realist,

Alaska (ALK) is at the top of those airlines that meet the growing demand of traffic increasing


by 10.4%, having right behind its close competitor JetBlue (JBLU), which met the increasing

demand by 8.4%. Virgin America covers the important routes of San Francisco, Los Angeles,

New York, Las Vegas, Dallas, and others (as Figure 4 shows on page 5), but is constantly

coming into troubles when finding new traffic routes and gates.

Figure1:RetrievedfromMarketRealist.com(2015)

The Merger. Virgin America agreed to be valued as US $4 billion worth in a buyout deal

with Alaska (Klick & Orszag, 2015). According to Walker (2016), the main implication of this

merger is that it will make it even harder for East coast brands like JetBlue to compete on the

West Coast (p. 14). The deal has been given the green light and Virgin's brand "name lender"

Richard Branson has actually little share in Virgin America.

The Alaska and Virgin America merger has fans and loyalists wonder if there will be a

loss of their "cool" when this happens. Krupnick (2016) mentions the case of a 29-year-old

Silicon Valley marketing manager Mrs. Bansal who describes why she loves Virgin America: “I

think of it as a young, hip airline. Alaska is more of a friendly aunt." As we can see, the

Millennial can attest to one of Alaska’s issues when compared to its past competitor. Either way,

when it comes “Diffusion of Innovations” learning curve—which is the rate in which technology

is adopted—demographics don’t matter as much as they could be across the board—which is

significant to our study.


As Leff (2016) comments about an email communication to Virgin America's employees

by Alaska Airlines’ CEO Brad Tilden, Alaska actually has no intention of dropping the Virgin

label because it may be critical to keep the loyal customers. To understand the chosen timeline

for this marketing research proposal (shown in-depth the Time Table section), the merger's

timeline of becoming one single operating ticket can be shown on Figure 2 shown below.

Alaska Airlines. Alaska Air Group—the holding company for Alaska Airlines and

Horizon Air—is a reputable domestic airline that has been in business since 1932. They focus on

service and catering to frequent flyers, providing air transportation services to 29 million

passengers in more than 100 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico—mainly in

Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. As Fitzpatrick (2015) mentions, it's isn't exactly a

"global megacarrier" nor an "ultra-low-cost carrier like Spirit," but it’s definitely known for its

"on-time ratings" as well as their airbuses which "tend to be newer, with an average age of 9.6

years (p. 108)." According to Schmidt (2015) at Market Realist, Alaska (ALK) is at the top of

those airlines that meet the growing demand of traffic increasing by 10.4%, having right behind

its close competitor JetBlue (JBLU), which met the increasing demand by 8.4%. Alaska recorded

revenues of $5,368 million in the financial year of 2014, an increase of 4.1% over FY2013

(MarketLine Company Profile, 2015, p. 3). Its domestic market share is significant in markets

such as: Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, and San Diego (as shown by Figure 3).

Figure2:RetrievedfromBoardingArea.com(2015)


Virgin America. As for Virgin America—a relatively new brand, under the umbrella of

its parent VAI Partners LLC and 25% owned by the foreign Virgin Group—we can see an airline

that quickly thrived in the competitive airline passenger industry by pushing the traditional

envelope: going for hip and high-tiered customer experience where the business class flies in

white leather seats and is served the healthiest food choices in the industry. According to Fast

Company (2015), Virgin was quite successful in its own, recording "$405 million in the third

quarter of 2014 and an IPO that raised $305 million," offering "stock options to frequent fliers

before the company went public (p. 90).”

Figure3:Retrievedfromwww.transtats.bts.gov(2016)

Figure4:Retrievedfromwww.transtats.bts.gov(2016)


Research Problems, Questions, and Objectives

Management Decision Problem:

Should we keep both brand perceptions independent from each other as they grow under

one house (i.e., Alaska as the simple-looking choice and Virgin America as the slick, modern

one)?

The Research Question:

What is the perception of Alaska and Virgin America's e-servicespace and how does it

affect their purchase intent?

Marketing Research Problem:

• What are the pros and cons of making Alaska Airlines more like Virgin America, or vice

versa?

• Why do people choose Alaska Airlines and why do they choose Virgin America?

• Should the marketing decision be to market both brands "as is" in order to secure a

smooth transition?

Ethnographic Study Research Objectives:

• Find out what word associations and attributes go with each brand

• Draw out analogies—i.e., comparisons between Virgin America and Alaska

• With in-depth interviews, record and track how brand fans, advocates, and influencers

react to the opposite brand and find which characteristics are they willing to compromise

or trade in order to accept this brand as if it were their own.

Survey Research Objectives:

• Understand the website’s e-booking performance for first-time users

• Determine brand awareness, satisfaction level, purchase intent, and perception to both

brands independent from each other


• Create a demographic study customers and non-customers

• With quantitative methods, record and track how brand fans, advocates, and influencers

react to the opposite brand and find which characteristics are they willing to compromise

or trade in order to accept this brand as if it were their own.

Focus Group Research Objectives:

• Dig deep into what the customer is willing to compromise from their preferred brands

(e.g., what enhancements do current Alaska users want? What adjustments do Virgin

America users are willing to accept?)

• Determine the best way to target each airline's customers according to their preferences

and see which aspects of both can be intermingled and strategically applied for improved

service.

Study Design: Recommended Methodology

Alaska’s most important domestic markets are in: Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, Los

Angeles, and San Diego; while Virgin covers: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Las

Vegas, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Diego, CA. If one were to create a focus group and

ethnographic study, the two converging places to do it would be Los Angeles and San Francisco.

For the first qualitative study, we will choose Alaska Airlines customers who will fly via Virgin

America, and vice versa (basically changing the preferred airline). They will be pre-screened

with a survey, witched of the airline of preference, and debriefed of the merger during the post-

flight in-depth interviews.

The quantitative aspect of the study will deal with website testing, questionnaire

surveying, and focus group discussions which will be transcribed and recorded to complement

the prior qualitative ethnographic study and posterior focus group. Quantitative methodical

research is a term “used loosely to refer to research whose findings are not subject to

quantification or quantitative analysis,” and even though it’s more costly and requires higher

samples, “there is no better way to understand the in-depth motivations and feelings of

consumers (McDaniel & Gates, 2014, p. 93-94).” Qualitative information is an exploratory

research approach that is useful when it comes providing insights in the understanding of the


problem setting and focus groups are one of the most used qualitative research methods

(Malhotra, 2012, p. 149). McDaniel and Gates (2014) explain them further: they are "in-depth

discussions, usually consisting of 8 to 12 participants, which are led by a moderator and are

generally limited to one particular concept, idea, or theme" and are primarily "used for tactical

issues--reactions to stimuli such as ads, visuals, concepts, etc. (p. 95, 174).”

Ethnographic studies are very important qualitative methods as they help unveil new

questions and directions to take in further research. As Desai (2010) mentions, ethnographic

studies give insight into: retail navigation, product development, lifestyles and cultures, urban

ethnography, and habitual actions (p. 136-137). For the case of the Alaska-Virgin America

merger, ethnographic research part of the study will help produce a preliminary exploratory of

the chosen subjects and the narrative that follows their flight experience going from San

Francisco-LAX. The in-depth interviews with participants will take about 1.5-2 hours.

Ethnographic Research Methodology

The subjects for this explorative qualitative study in particular will be chosen after an 18

question screening survey (found on Appendix C) will single out those significant to the

research. They will basically go through the whole experience of flying from Los Angeles to San

Francisco, as in: checking in, going through TSA, hang out at the designated gate, access to the

business class lounge, etc. An A/B split test will look after the Alaska experience (for those

Virgin America loyalists) and the Virgin America experience (for those Alaska Airlines

loyalists). In-flight undercover moderators/ethnographers—who will be intertwined with normal

passengers—will record these brand advocates and fans' behaviors, reactions and interactions to

the opposite brand experience (e.g., Alaska loyalists will be asked to fly via Virgin America and

vice versa). For their time, these people will be compensated with $300 dollars, free miles, and

perks in the airline of their preference. Confidentiality agreements and ethnographic consent

forms will be signed by the participating subjects.

Ethnographic Research Criteria:

1. Male or Female


2. Demographic: 18-54 year old, $30-200K household income, who work or live in San

Francisco and fly to Los Angeles frequently

3. Consumer: with authority in a particular field

4. Any traveler type: Budget, Standard, Customer Service Focused, Comfort Focused

5. Frequency of service: 2+ times a month

6. Available for the 1.5-2 hour post-flight interview session

Survey Research Methodology

Pre-screening Email Survey. The pre-screening survey should be short and will be sent

soon after a transaction has been placed, annexed to a follow-up booking notification email in

order to save time and money. The logic of the screening questions is to pick: male and female,

age group 25-35, frequent flyers (who fly 2+ times a month), disqualify those who work for

either airline, and also disqualify those who would not choose the either Virgin or Alaska as their

second choice. After the cluster sampling has be performed—dividing the two groups into four

clusters according to ages 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54—we will terminate those who: have

participated in a focus group within 6 months, work for either airline, would "definitely not"

choose the other airline as their second choice, and if they have participated in a focus group, to

make sure it had nothing to do with flying or airline booking. These potential respondents will be

cluster sampled from Alaska’s or Virgin America’s in-house CRM optimization and records

systems that match people who live in San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Website Testing. A week prior to the designated focus group date, the participants will

be asked to do a domestic flight "mock" booking by switching the airline of their choice via the

links provided in an email communication. No purchase is necessary, but participation is

imperative prior to attending the focus group. A working computer with the minimum requiring

application requirements may be necessary as well as disabling: AdBlocker, cookie-blocker,

Pop-up blockers, and enabling the latest version of Flash. A special cookie will track their moves

on the website until about the purchasing moment, when they will be prompted the web survey

questionnaire. Surveying companies like Quask, EZSurvey, and PollPro create some of the

survey software that can be used. We can view both portals on the Appendix A, which covers

secondary research.


The Survey. The actual survey is carefully designed to have similar types of questions

close to each other for better understanding and flow. Questions 1-3 deal with the loyalty to their

preferred airline, questions 4-17 deal with their perception of the other airline, and questions 18-

23 are demographic and classifying. Question 24 would deal with the potential participation in

the focus group. It will have several types of questions: interval (dealing with loyalty index,

recommendation, satisfaction, happiness, and rating), ordinal, qualitative, explorative, and a few

demographic. More information on the terminology of the types of questions asked on the survey

is included on Appendix B (page 25 of this document). The participants will be compensated

with a $50 USD Amazon.com gift card.

Survey Research Criteria:

1. Male or Female

2. No Virgin/Alaska employees

3. Demographic: 18-54 year old, $30-200K household annual income

4. Consumer: with authority in a particular field

5. Any traveler type: Budget, Standard, Customer Service Focused, Comfort Focused

6. Frequency of service: 2+ times a month

7. Disqualify those who have participated in an airline-related survey in general or any

survey with the company in the last 6 months

8. Disqualify those who would not choose either Virgin or Alaska as their second choice.

Focus Group Methodology

Telephone Follow-up. The telephone follow-up will be short and just as another

screening method to corroborate participation in the study. Computer-assisted telephone

interviewing (CATI) will be of help to go through the questions in the screening survey again

with those who have shown continued interest after finishing the website test and survey. This

follow-up call will also coordinate further selection criteria which depends on time and

availability, considering: place of residence and work, working hours, available transportation to-

and-fro, and/or child care needs.


Confirmation Letter. Focus group respondents should expect a confirmation letter in the

mail addressing their participation, time, place, date, parking instructions, public transportation

intersections, and length of stay in the focus group facility. Plaza Research Network has facilities

in San Francisco as well as in several Los Angeles’ locations, where the focus group study will

take place.

The Focus Group. The focus groups to be performed taking 1.5-3 hours in three

locations in Los Angeles and San Francisco via Plaza Research Network will be comfortable to

those attending and provide beverages and light snacks as well as full meal. There will be an

introduction to the session—as Figure shows—and a discussion outline will be followed.

Questioning the Focus Group. The Focus group discussion guide is found on Appendix

D of this document. The questions will include: deeper classifying and demographic, warm-ups,

transitions, and open-ended discussions. In addition, there will be questions with word

associations (i.e., when the "interviewer says a word and the respondent must mention the first

thing that comes to mind") and analogies that draw comparisons in terms of similarities

(McDaniel & Gates, 2014, p. 110-113). All notes will be formatted for data entry (i.e., according

Figure5:RetrievedfromElliot&Associates(2005)


to proper coding so that it can be analyzed and reported). The assistant moderator will make sure

there is running video tape throughout the session, the consent forms are signed, and make sure

all participants participated in the mock e-booking experience with their submitted survey. It will

be important to uncover the brand loyalty level of the specific brand they usually use, whether

they are: fans, advocates, or potential influencers. This may give clue on the likelihood for them

recommend the brand they just tested among their friends, family, and social media followers.

Sampling Plan

Ethnographic Studies Sample

According to DePaulo (2000), "qualitative sample must be big enough to assure that we

are likely to hear most or all of the perceptions that might be important." In this exploratory part

of the study, we will have a sample size of roughly 80 subjects in total (which is 40 in each flight

group). “When doing field-based observations, it is often impossible to intrude into the lives of

people you are studying. Samples must thus be surreptitious and may be based more on who is

available and willing to participate in any interviews or studies (Choosing a Sampling Method,

n.d.).” So this means, that qualitative research like this “normally is inappropriate for estimating

quantities” for sampling and “we lack the old familiar reason for increasing sample size

(DePaulo, 2000).” For starters, “an N of 30 respondents is a reasonable starting point for

deciding the qualitative sample size.”

Web Survey and Focus Group Sample

For the web survey we will be using cluster sampling methods. As Malhotra (2012)

explains, "in cluster sampling, the target population is first divided into mutually exclusive and

collectively exhaustive sub-populations, or clusters (p. 349)." Alaska Airlines' and Virgin

America's own customer service management system will be data-mined. The rationale of the

respondent collection will be to target via e-mail at least 4,000 customers (due to low response

rates) who have booked a flight with Alaska and Virgin within the last three months, have flown

two or more times each month, and have made a purchase as a result of an email received from

the company (looking into historical e-mail click-through rates). The homogenous group of

respondents will hopefully have no less than a 30% response rate, leaving us with useful sample


size group of 1200 respondents (N=600, one for each group: Virgin America and Alaska).

According to Malhotra (2012), the samples sizes used in marketing research studies like this that

deals with “product tests,” should have a minimum size of 200 (p. 340).

Sampling Units for the Focus Group. Alaska Airline's and Virgin America's customers

who fly frequently between Los Angeles and San Francisco will be divided into two separate

focus groups. The ideal size of a focus group is 8-10 subjects when they have minor knowledge

in the subject, in addition to the mediator and someone taking notes (Krueger & Casey, 2008, p.

68). The 200 participants will be divided according to the airline of preference (i.e., 100 for each

group), according to the four selected age groups, and finally making three groups out of those

25 people (i.e., which makes a total of 24 focus groups with the 8-10 subjects).

Execution. With a sampling error of 5% and confidence level of 95%, we can surely pick

a representative population for the product test and survey that will be done for the Alaska

Airlines’ and Virgin America’s website.

Data Collection Method and Processing

Presenting Ethnographic Studies Data

§ Coding: According Trochim (2006), it's the "process for both categorizing qualitative

data and for describing the implications and details of these categories" starting with

"open coding" to "selective coding." For example, relevant coding for our study would be

to follow: Booking Method - Ease of Transaction, Appearance of Comfort, Interaction

with Amenities, Interaction with Staff, and Appearance of Satisfaction. According to

Chambliss & Schutt (2012), "a well-designed chart, or matrix, can facilitate the coding

and categorization process (p. 212)." It can be a matrix of relationships with stakeholders

and the stakes

§ Memoing: Without discrimination or judgment, the ethnographers scattered in the flight

will take note of the flow of the events in their natural setting. Same goes to the in-depth

structured interviews post-flight where the two groups of 20-25 people each (for

budgetary purposes) will be asked general explorative questions about: the airline they


just tested, sentiment towards it, their preferred booking method, purpose of the flight,

their thoughts on e-ticketing, and flying in general.

Presenting Focus Group Data

Each focus group should have its own file in synthesized spreadsheet data format,

preferably on Excel. Transcription involves getting rid of unnecessary words and arranging them

within a spreadsheet: One column for coding, one column for the participant ID#, one column

for responses (Elliot & Associates, 2005, p. 11). It is important to emphasize on powerful quotes

by arranging, re-arranging, and synthesizing several times, just as Figure 6 shows. A formal

focus group report includes: an "executive summary, background section, methods used, major

findings, conclusions, and recommendations (p. 13)."

Processing the Web-based Survey

Results from the online survey will be processed automatically and internally in the

system. It will save time, money, and the respondents will be already pre-selected. The data

collected will automatically be entered into the processing computer mode of coding after error-

checking and will be centralized under one Excel file. There will be five types of data:

categorical data (unordered labels), ordinal data (noncomparative scales), interval data

(predetermined set of ranges), ratio data (precise measurements), and website metadata (such as:

Figure6:RetrievedfromKrosnick&Presser(2010)


location, time, idling time on each section, click road map until the final purchase, and other

website browsing). The questionnaire will target key issues that are of interest to Alaska Airlines,

such as: e-booking and technology adoption. As we know, airlines depend on reliable landing

websites where incoming loyal and new customers can purchase without difficulties airline

tickets of their choosing.

Proposed Marketing Research Facilities

The ethnographic study participants will be transferred to Plaza Research Network

research facility near LAX to be interviewed individually as part of the fieldwork part of the

study. Plaza Research Network is a high-end fully equipped focus group facility located minutes

from LAX with several conference rooms and observation rooms. This is a professional

environment that is conveniently located and has a professional presentation that will be

comforting to those who will participate in the ethnographic and focus group study. It has

facilities in San Francisco as well as in several Los Angeles’ locations that will be used for the

focus group section of the study. Also, a shuttle service will be provided and/or travel expenses.

PLAZA RESEARCH NETWORK

http://www.plazaresearch.com/

6053 West Century Boulevard Suite #100

Los Angeles, California, 90045

Phone: (310) 645-1700

55 Stockton St #400, San Francisco, CA 94108

Phone: (415) 984-0400

Figure7:RetrievedfromGreenbook.org(2016)


Research Design: Data Analysis Plan

§ H1: Millennials are well-adapted to technological and design changes and Alaska’s

website would benefit from it.

Differences Analysis. This type of statistical analysis method in crosstab form can help to

make comparisons between populations. As Burns & Bush (2003) mention, the comparisons

should be: significant, meaningful, stable, and actionable in marketing and management decision

terms (p. 489-491). Sometimes, people can categorize as “frequent flyers,” but are not members

of particular loyalty plan. With this method, it would be useful to compare the four segments of

the sample population according to age group (i.e., 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54) and their

subscription to frequent flying plans. Also, it would be good to visually see in crosstab format

the importance of aesthetics vs. functionality of servicespaces (mentioned in the Likert scale and

Stapel scale questions) according to age group. This way, the actionable thing to do after seeing

the results would be to decide if making changes to Alaska Airline's booking platform is

necessary or not according to each demographic.

§ H2: Satisfaction with airline's servicescapes can be explained in terms of the “quality of

experience” (significant: scoring high in five elements of the Stapel scale).

§ H3: Low satisfaction with airline's servicescapes can be explained in terms of the

“quality of experience” quality (not significant: scoring low in the five elements of the

Stapel scale).

§ H4: Purchase intent is related to airline's servicescape satisfaction (i.e., significant:

scoring high on purchase intent questions = with probably & definitely answers).

Descriptive Statistics. These are simple statistic analyses that take on measures of central

tendency and dispersion, which can be: range, variance, standard deviation, mode, median, and

mean. The Likert scale data in our survey is composed of a series of four or more Likert-type

questions that combine into a one score/variable that measure one trait, which is website

aesthetic importance in this survey; for this reason, not only mean and standard deviation can be

used, but also: "Pearson's r, t-test, ANOVA, and regression procedures (Boone & Boone, 2012)."

As for the Likert-type questions in the survey, these can be studied "standalone" by using simple


descriptive statistics of central tendency, variability, and associations with: “median/mode,

frequencies, Kendall tau B or C, and Chi-square.”

Chi-square Statistic: Proportions. Chi-square analysis (χ2) tests the statistical significance

of the observed association in a crosstabulation (describing two or more variables

simultaneously). It demonstrates if a systematic association exists between two variables. In this

case, we’d like to know if there is a positive relationship between the combined statistic for the

website's “quality of experience” Stapel scale (which measures: Aesthetic, Ease of Navigation,

Site Organization, Clarity of Information Provided, and eTrust) and the combined statistic of

“website preferences” of the Likert scale. The formula is:

𝑥! =!"" !"##$

𝑜 − 𝑒 !

𝑒

§ H5: Purchase intent is positively related to the website’s “quality of experience” (i.e.,

significant: scoring high on purchase intent questions = with probably & definitely

answers; scoring high on quality of experience Stapel scale).

§ H6: Purchase intent is positively related to the website’s “quality of experience” and

“website’s preferences” (i.e., significant: scoring high on purchase intent questions;

scoring high on quality of experience Stapel scale; scoring high on website’s preferences

Likert scale).

Coefficient of Determination. With the coefficient of determination, r2 one can measure the

strength and significance of association between price sensitivity and those achieving a high

value coefficient in the “quality of experience.” The formula is:

𝑅! = SSyy − SSESSyy

=!!"" !!""

− !!"!!""

−1- !!"!!""

Linear Regression Analysis. This is a test that involves associating a single metric-

dependent variable (i.e., purchase intent, discriminating "probably" and "definitely would"

answers) and one independent variables (i.e., combined statistic for the website's “quality of


experience” in terms of Aesthetic, Ease of Navigation, Site Organization, Clarity of Information

Provided, and eTrust). The formula is:

Y = a + b1X1

Multiple Regression Analysis. This procedure for examines the differences one single

metric-dependent variable of purchase intent i.e., purchase intent, discriminating "probably" and

"definitely would" answers) and two or more independent variables (i.e., the combined statistic

of “website preferences” of the Likert scale and combined score of the “quality of experience” of

the Stapel Scale). The formula is:

Y = a + b1X1 + b2X2.

Deliverables

• Diagrams for the Ethnographic Studies: These can be made by the researchers after

the interview sessions in order to record key responses and sequence of actions that are

commonly seen by different passengers. This can help perfecting the survey questions.

For example, diagrams can go from: ticketing, TSA check, gate arrival, boarding, flight

prepping, departure, in-flight, arrival.

• Ethnographic Study Conclusions: A final thing to ask about the ethnographic study and

its respondents is the credibility, authenticity, spontaneity of their reactions and

comments, also putting to question their reactions to being observed and being part of the

ethnography.

• Crosstabs and Banners. Cross-tabulations and contingency table matrices are useful

when comparing two or more parameters for better visual and understanding purposes.

As a sample table shows below, these can help produce a good picture of differences

analysis and other statistical inferences.


Timetable

Considering the timetable released by Alaska Airlines’ CEO shown on page 5, Figure 2

(which mentions how Q1 2017 will be the period of adjustment until Q2 2018), this is the list of

projected dates with respect to this MRP:

1. July 8, 2016 - Ethnographic Research Pre-screening

2. August 3rd 2016 Ethnographic Research Chosen Shortlist

3. August 10 2016 - Ethnographic Research Confirmation Letter Sent

4. August 18-20 2016 - Ethnographic Research Tentative Dates

5. August 25 2016 - Ethnographic Research Transcription and Synthesis

6. August 31 2016 - Ethnographic Research Report

7. September 2nd Marketing Team Reconvenes To Consider Ethnographic Research Insight

8. September 6th 2016 - Survey Pre-screener is Sent

9. September 10-15 2016 - Website and Survey Tests are sent and finalized

10. September 18-21 2016 - Focus Group Telephone Follow-up Calls

11. September 24 2016 - Focus Group Groups Confirmation Letter Sent

12. October 3-27 2016 - Focus Groups Tentative Dates

13. November 30 2016 - Ethnographic and Focus Group Finalized Report Due Date

Figure8:DataStar,Inc.CrosstabRetrievedfromGreenbook.org(2011)


Appendix A

Secondary Research

Digital and Social Media Reach. Digital media and social media-wise, both brands

record high online traffic. According to Quantcast—a tech company that specializes in audience

measurement and advertising—Virgin America’s website reaches about 410.1K U.S. monthly

people while Alaska’s website reaches over 1.8 million U.S. monthly people (Quantcast.com,

2016). Alaska’s Twitter and Facebook reach 183K followers and 673K likes, while Virgin

America’s Facebook and Twitter reaches 774K followers and 683K likes. While Alaska Airlines

may be quite savvy in social media customer relations management—aided by Sparkcentral, a

social media platform—Virgin Airlines has been able to reinvent social media ROI in all social

media technologies, including Instagram and Youtube by reaching out to those influencers and

fans who actually end up doing the work for them (Sparkcentral, 2014; Nash, 2014).

Airline Ratings. Virgin America and Alaska rank low in cancellations and delays,

targeting low-cost customers all the way to high-paying business class loyalists. According to a

mid-2012 Air Travel Consumer Report, Alaska Airlines had the second-to-highest percent of

arrivals on time at 88.5%, Virgin America being at 81.7% (AirConsumer.Dot.Gov, 2012). In

addition, according to a survey among domestic coach passengers and first-class passengers by

Consumer Reports National Research Center (with questions about "width and comfort, legroom,

Figure9:RetrievedfromFacebook.com(2016) Figure10:RetrievedfromFacebook.com(2016)


room for carry-on bags, cabin and restroom cleanliness, check-in ease, service from the airline

staff, in-flight entertainment, and transparency about fees") it was found that Virgin America had

favorable scores for "their check-in, their staff service, and upfront disclosure about their fees"

and both Virgin America and Alaska earned exceptional overall score in first-class, except for

Alaska's entertainment aspect (Walker, 2015). This means that Alaska may have to work on its

entertainment offerings, but overall it performs pretty well across the board when it comes to

coach and first-class ratings. Virgin America’s highest ratings come from first-class customers

and may need to work on its coach perceptions. Conjoining the best of both airlines will only

help both in the long run.

Booking Portals Comparison

Alaska Airlines’ Booking Portal. As we can see on Figure 11, Alaska's landing page

goes straight to the pricing appeal, the nitty-gritty booking form, and the welcoming phrase and

picture. It's more about the destination and the deal and less about the sophisticated design. The

Masthead contains the logo and just a few yet very legible options: SIGN IN, CART,

CONTACT US, and ESPAÑOL. The top navigation contains critical few links to easily navigate

the website: Book - Explore - Travel info - Mileage Plan™ - Ask Jenn. The content area shows

off "Deals from $62 one way" that stands out in bold and size, utilizing a welcoming phrase that

says: "Welcome. Let's go somewhere," and that contains a standard fill-out form widget to book,

check-in, check flight status, and manage reservations. All is according to the standards of

functional and responsive web design. Then, the rest is inundated with images of attractive

destinations. The call-to-action section is pretty straightforward: sign up for email updates, chat

with a rep, download mobile app, and apply for the credit card (which is repeated twice). The

contact section at the bottom shows in a very clear fashion the: About section, Customer Service

(Ask Jenn), Products and Services, and Social Media links.

Virgin America’s Booking Portal. On Figure 12, we can clearly see that Virgin

America’s landing page is simpler, fun, and colorful and is more about the appeal of the airline

as a commodity (with all its added features) and secondly, about the destination. It seems like it

makes "the way" of getting to the final destination more appealing than the actual destination.

The masthead contains the logo and it too many options next to it: BOOK, CHECK IN,


MANAGE (in caps), Deals, Flying With Us, Where We Fly, Fees, Flight Status, Flight Alerts,

Sign In, and Sign Up (it doesn't contain the ESPAÑOL option). The content area goes right into

booking with the question: Where would you like to go? As Johnson (2015) truthfully mentions,

"the copywriting is friendly" but its "simple interface" deceives because it is "so simple that it

might be frustrating." Then the part B of the content area goes into travel deals, partnerships, and

credit card options (that have a cool caricature design, but aren't too clear). The call-to-action

section is confusing and it's mixed with About Us, Corporate Rewards, Points, News and

Updates. The contact section is way at the bottom, just as Alaska's, but it's rather hard to skim

through with the poor arrangement and typography. Both websites like to teach about their

products and services by using "learn more”.

Figure11:RetrievedfromAlaskaAir.com(2016)

Figure12:RetrievedfromVirginAmerica.com(2016)


Appendix B

Types of Survey Questions

• Screening questions “rule out” those who won’t be significant to our study and will only

increase the margin of error. It’s important to ask if they have participated in a focus

group within the last six months as “fresh participants (McDaniel & Gates, 2014, p.

102).”

• Interval questions let us statistically measure frequencies, percentages, range, means,

variance and standard deviation of opinions and attitudes, plus "they can measure how

much of a trait one consumer has (or does not have) over another (McDaniel & Gates,

2014, p. 228)." Each point in the 5-point scale covers 20%, the middle being neutral. In

this questionnaire, we use itemized rating scales that measure: attitude, satisfaction,

score, loyalty, familiarity, ease of use, etc.

• The Rensis Likert scale is a noncomparative monadic method that measures the degree

of agreement with a statement having end points typically as “strongly disagree” and

“strongly agree" (Malhotra, 2012, p. 276-279). Statistically speaking, Likert scale data

can have the parametric analysis of variance techniques that include: t-test, ANOVA, and

regression procedures (Analyzing Likert Scale/Type Data, n.d.).

• The Stapel scale, a noncomparative monadic method named after Jan Stapel, is

presented vertically, with one adjective appearing at the midpoint of a scale ranging from

+5 to –5. It doesn’t allow neutral responses, so this forces the respondent to have either

negative or positive values which in turn will show clear review scores.

• Ordinal questions help give a rank and help create the “transitivity postulate”

assumption that the first chosen “is preferred to, is stronger than, and precedes (McDaniel

& Gates, 2014, p. 227).” Statistically speaking, it can help measure median, mean, and

variance.

• Nominal questions—such as the demographic section—can help classify the

respondents and measure: frequency counts, percentages, and modes.

• Qualitative questions are open-ended questions that help build more towards the case in

question during focus groups and can lead towards further study.


Appendix C

Ethnographic Research Screening Survey

Greetings! This is Randall Research Partners with Alaska Airlines (or Virgin America for

that matter). We are conducting fieldwork ethnographic study about brand revitalization. We are

not selling anything. In fact, your participation is optional. Your opinions will be kept

confidential and will be greatly appreciated. If chosen, you will receive $300 for your time or sky

miles, VIP lounge access and perks, and your upcoming trip San Francisco-Los Angeles will be

completely covered (with return flight). It will be simple: the ethnographic study will entail

flying to your frequent destination of Los Angeles as normal and then being quickly transferred

to Plaza Research Network research facility near LAX to be interviewed individually as part of

the in-depth interviews section of the study. They will take 1.5-2 hours long after the flight's

completion and will take place minutes from LAX. Please fill out the pre-screener to see if you

qualify...

Click-Through Questionnaire

A) Alaska Airlines Customers or B) Virgin America Customers

First Name

Last Name

Mobile Phone Number

Email Address

Zip Code

1. Do you or anyone in your family work for the Virgin America (or option B: Alaska

Airlines)? Yes / No (If yes, disqualify)

2. Select the age group that describes you (Pick only age group 25-35).

3. Are you a Mileage Plan member (for Alaska) or Elevate Frequent Flying Program

member (for Virgin America)?

4. What type of Alaska/Virgin America traveler would you consider yourself? Choose all

that Apply.

Business


Leisure

Family

Special Needs

5. If you answered leisure, how do you travel? Choose all that apply.

Alone

Couples

Family

6. Are you? Male or Female

7. What is your race or ethnic background? Select one.

Hispanic/Latino

White or Caucasian (Non-Hispanic)

Black or African American

Asian or Asian-American

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Other:

8. Which of the following best describes your employment status? Select one.

Unemployed

Employed part-time

Employed full-time

Self-employed

Homemaker

Retired

Full-time student

Part-time student, employed

In the military

9. When you fly, you usually choose (choose all that apply):

Budget (Coach)

Standard (Coach+)

Customer Service Focused (Business class)

Comfort Focused (Business Class+)

10. What is your highest level of education completed? Select one.


Grade school 8 years or less

Some high school

High school diploma or GED

Some college

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Some graduate school

Master's degree or other advanced degree

11. What is your total household’s annual income before taxes? Select one.

Less than $10,000

$10,000 - $24,999

$25,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $74,999

$75,000 - $99,999

$100,000 - $124,999

$125,000 - $149,999

$150,000 or over

12. For this study we would like to talk to people with in different occupations. In which of

the following industries have you worked in the last 6 months? Select all that apply

Business

Tech

Science

Law

Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations

Hospitality

Music

Film

Consumer packaged goods

Construction

Grocery store or mass retail

Mobile phone manufacturing or sales


Restaurant or food service company

None of these

13. What’s your occupation, employer and industry?

Occupation

Employer

Industry

14. What best describes your primary residence? Select one.

Live in a home that I own

Rent

Live with someone and don’t pay for housing

15. Which of the following best describes who makes the purchasing decisions in your

household? Select one

I make the decisions

My significant other makes the decisions

We make them together

I don't know

16. Imagine that you had to make a choice whether to choose Alaska/Virgin America

because your airline wasn't available, How LIKELY would you be to CONSIDER

Alaska (or Virgin America for that matter)? Select One.

Extremely Likely

Very Likely

Somewhat Likely

Not Very Likely

Not at All

17. In social media terms, do consider yourself:

Casual User

Influencer

Expert

18. Will you be available for 1.5-2 hours after your flight on (input here date of next San

Francisco to LAX flight) for an in-depth interview about your flight with us? Yes or No.


Group A: Survey Screening Questions (Virgin America customers)

1. Are you… • Male • Female

2. Do you or anyone in your family work for Virgin America or Alaska Airlines? (If yes, disqualify)

• Yes • No

3. How often do you fly Virgin America? (If 1x a month or less, disqualify) • 1x a month or less • 2x+ a month

4. Have you participated in a focus group within the last six months?” (If yes, disqualify) 5. If it came to choosing a flight that is not Virgin America’s, how likely are you to pick

Alaska Airlines as your second choice? (If no opinion, somewhat likely, and very unlikely, disqualify) • Likely • Somewhat likely • No Opinion • Somewhat unlikely • Very unlikely

Group A: Questionnaire

1. How loyal are you to Virgin America? • Very Loyal • Somewhat Loyal • Neither • Somewhat Unloyal • Very Unloyal

2. How likely are you to recommend Virgin America to a friend? • Highly Likely • Very Likely • Neither • Unlikely • Very Unlikely

3. How would you feel if Virgin America were to redesign its website? • Very Happy • Pretty Happy • Neither • Somewhat Unhappy • Very Unhappy

4. How familiar are you with Alaska Airlines? • Very familiar • Somewhat familiar


• Neither • Somewhat unfamiliar • Very unfamilar

5. What is your attitude toward Alaska Airlines? • Love • Like • Neither • Dislike • Hate

6. How satisfied are you after testing Alaska’s booking experience? • Very Satisfied • Satisfied • Neither • Unsatisfied • Very Unsatisfied

7. How intuitive do you feel Alaska’s booking experience is for a first-time user? • Very intuitive • Intuitive • Neither • Not intuitive • Very unintuitive

8. Indicate how the Alaska Airline/Virgin America merger will affect your preferred brand? • Very Positively • Somewhat Positively • Neither • Somewhat Negatively • Very Negatively

9. Please evaluate how accurately each phrase describes AlaskaAir.com. Select a plus number by placing an (X) beside it for the phrases you think describe us accurately. Select a negative number by placing and (X) beside the least accurate descriptions.

+5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1

Aesthetic Navigation Ease Site Organization Clarity of

Information eTrust

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5


10. Which is your preferred booking method? Please order in order of preference and/or usage. Begin by picking out tone medium that you like most and assign it a rank “1.” The least preferred should have a ranking of “3.”

Booking Medium Rank Order Official Website or Mobile Third Party Website Booking Agent

11-15: Please mark an X next to the desired preference

Strongly disagree Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree Agree

Strongly agree

11. Booking an Alaska Airlines flight is easy 1 2 3 4 5

12. Booking an Alaska Airlines flight takes no time 1 2 3 4 5

13. Booking on Alaska Airlines can be improved 1 2 3 4 5

14. I like booking on an

website that is simple and easy 1 2 3 4 5

15. I like booking on a website that is cool-looking and hip 1 2 3 4 5

16. Do you have any other suggestions about the booking experience with Alaska Airlines? 17. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Alaska Airlines? 18. Are you a Virgin America “Elevate” member? Please answer Yes or No 19. Please choose your flight preference

• Business Class • Standard (Coach+) • Budget (Coach)


21. Which of the following best describes your current income bracket?


• Less than $50,000 • $50,000 to $74,999 • $75,000 to $99,999 • $100,000 to $149,999 • $150,000 to $174,999 • $175,000 to $199,999 • Over $200,000

22. Which of the following best describes your ethnicity? • Caucasian • Asian • African American • Hispanic • Middle Eastern • Samoan/Pacific Islander • Other

23. What is your highest level of education completed? Select one. • Grade school 8 years or less • Some high school • High school diploma or GED • Some college • Associate's degree • Bachelor's degree • Some graduate school • Master's degree or other advanced degree

24. We are conducting focus group sessions for further brand research. Your opinions will be kept confidential and will be greatly appreciated. If chosen, you will receive $350 for your time or its equal in sky miles, and VIP lounge passes to four future flights. The focus group will take 2-3 hours long and will take place and will take place at Plaza Network Research facilities (in San Francisco or Los Angeles). Would you like to participate? Answer: Yes or No.

Group B: Survey Screening Questions (Alaska Airline’s Customers)


2. Do you or anyone in your family work for Virgin America or Alaska Airlines? (If yes, disqualify)

• Yes • No

3. How often do you fly Alaska Airlines? (If 1x a month or less, disqualify) • 1x a month or less • 2x+ a month

4. Have you participated in a focus group within the last six months?” (If yes, disqualify)


5. If it came to choosing a flight that is not Alaska’s, how likely are you to pick Virgin America as your second choice? (If no opinion, somewhat likely, and very unlikely, disqualify) • Likely • Somewhat likely • No Opinion • Somewhat unlikely • Very unlikely

Questionnaire

1. How loyal are you to Alaska Airlines? • Very Loyal • Somewhat Loyal • Neither • Somewhat Unloyal • Very Unloyal

2. How likely are you to recommend Alaska Airlines to a friend? • Highly Likely • Very Likely • Neither • Unlikely • Very Unlikely

3. How would you feel if Alaska Airlines were to redesign its website? • Very Happy • Pretty Happy • Neither • Somewhat Unhappy • Very Unhappy

4. How familiar are you with Virgin America? • Very familiar • Somewhat familiar • Neither • Somewhat unfamiliar • Very unfamilar

5. What is your attitude toward Virgin America? • Love • Like • Neither • Dislike • Hate

6. How satisfied are you after testing Virgin America’s booking experience? • Very Satisfied • Satisfied


• Neither • Unsatisfied • Very Unsatisfied

7. How intuitive do you feel Virgin America’s booking experience is for a first-time user? • Very intuitive • Intuitive • Neither • Not intuitive • Very unintuitive

8. Indicate how the Alaska Airline/Virgin America merger will affect your preferred brand? • Very Positively • Somewhat Positively • Neither • Somewhat Negatively • Very Negatively

9. Please evaluate how accurately each phrase describes VirginAmerica.com. Select a plus number by placing an (X) beside it for the phrases you think describe us accurately. Select a negative number by placing and (X) beside the least accurate descriptions.

+5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1

Aesthetic Navigation Ease Site Organization Clarity of

Information eTrust

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5

10. Which is your preferred booking method? Please order in order of preference and/or usage. Begin by picking out tone medium that you like most and assign it a rank “1.” The least preferred should have a ranking of “3.”

Booking Medium Rank Order Official Website or Mobile Third Party Website Booking Agent

11-15:


Please mark an X next to the desired preference

Strongly disagree Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree Agree

Strongly agree

11. Booking an Alaska Airlines flight is easy 1 2 3 4 5

12. Booking an Alaska Airlines flight takes no time 1 2 3 4 5

13. Booking on Alaska needs no improvement 1 2 3 4 5

14. I like booking on an

website that is simple and easy 1 2 3 4 5

15. I like booking on a website that is cool-looking and hip 1 2 3 4 5

16. Do you have any other suggestions about the booking experience with Virgin Airlines? 17. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Alaska Airlines? 18. Are you an “Elevate” Virgin America loyalty member? Please answer Yes or No. 19. Please choose your flight preference

• Business Class • Standard (Coach+) • Budget (Coach)


21. Which of the following best describes your current income bracket? • Less than $50,000 • $50,000 to $74,999 • $75,000 to $99,999 • $100,000 to $149,999 • $150,000 to $174,999 • $175,000 to $199,999 • Over $200,000

22. Which of the following best describes your ethnicity? • Caucasian • Asian


• African American • Hispanic • Middle Eastern • Samoan/Pacific Islander • Other

23. What is your highest level of education completed? Select one. • Grade school 8 years or less • Some high school • High school diploma or GED • Some college • Associate's degree • Bachelor's degree • Some graduate school • Master's degree or other advanced degree

24. We are conducting focus group sessions for further brand research. Your opinions will be kept confidential and will be greatly appreciated. If chosen, you will receive $350 for your time or its equal in sky miles, and VIP lounge passes to four future flights. The focus group will take 2-3 hours long and will take place and will take place at Plaza Network Research facilities (in San Francisco or Los Angeles). Would you like to participate? Answer: Yes or No.

Appendix D

Focus Group Discussion Guide

According to Elliot & Associates (2005), focus groups should start with an ice-breaking

question, and the moderator should follow the questions for flow, staying neutral, without

showcasing any agreement or praise (p. 10). The moderator should not only ask the key

questions, but also promote debate between the respondents. These are some of the questions that

can be asked: "Respondent A, Do you agree with what Respondent B said? Do you think that the

aesthetic of the website is a factor as an attribute of the brand? What is so appealing about Virgin

America that Alaska Airlines doesn't have? Discuss among yourselves if website functionality or

website aesthetic is more important in your booking decisions."


References

Airlines for America (2016). Data. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from

http://airlines.org/data/

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (2015). Alaska Air Group, Inc. MarketLine Company Profile, 1-27.

Alaska couples with Virgin America. (2016). Dow Theory Forecasts,72(15), 6-7.

Analyzing the Data (n.d.). Surveymonkey.com. Retrieved June 23, 2016 from

https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/how-to-analyze-survey-data/

Analyzing Likert Scale/Type Data (n.d). University of St. Andrews. Retrieved June 18, 2016

from

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/capod/students/mathssupport/Likert.pdf

Birmingham, A. (2015). Chapter 1: Marketing Technology. B&T Magazine, 65(2811), 3-11.

Boone, H. N., & Boone, D. A. (2012). Analyzing likert data. Journal of Extension, 50(2), 1-5.

Burns, A., Bush, R., (2003) Chapter 17: Testing for differences between groups or among more

than two groups, Marketing Research: Online Research Applications, Pearson Prentice

Hall.

Cayla, J., & Arnould, E. (2013). Ethnographic Stories for Market Learning. Journal Of

Marketing, 77(4), 1-16.

Chambliss, D.F., & Schutt, R. K. (2012). Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of

Investigation (4th ed.). New York City, NY: Sage Publications.

DataStar, Inc. (2011, April 28). Anatomy of a Crosstab. Greenbook.org. Retrieved from

http://www.greenbook.org/marketing-research/anatomy-of-a-crosstab-03377

Dent, J. (2013). A Customer Journey Mapping: A Walk In Customers’ Shoes. Retrieved June

1st, 2016 from


http://www.ascendforairlines.com/2013-issue-no-2/customer-journey-mapping-walk-

customers%E2%80%99-shoes

DePaulo, P. (2000). Sample Size for Qualitative Research. Quirks.com. Retrieved June 25, 2016

from

http://www.quirks.com/articles/a2000/20001202.aspx

Desai, P. (2010) Get Real: from the Viewing Facility to the Real World. International Journal of

Market Research, 52(1), 136-138.

Dupre, E. (2013, February 7). For Virgin America, the Sky's the Limit. DMNews.com. Retrieved

from

http://www.dmnews.com/direct-line-blog/for-virgin-america-the-skys-the-

limit/article/279599/

Eliot & Associates (2005). Guidelines for Conducting a Focus Group. Duke.edu. Retrieved June

22, 2016

from

https://assessment.trinity.duke.edu/documents/How_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf

Fast Company (2015/16). Most Innovative Companies: Virgin America for Perfecting Customer

Service for an Innovative Clientele. Retrieved May 25th from

https://issuu.com/fastcompanysa/docs/fc_dec_2015-jan_2016_issue_13

Fitzpatrick, A. (2015). A Tale of Two Airlines. Time, 186(22/23), 106.

Heath, M. (2010). Crafting a Research Proposal. The Marketing Review, 10(2), 147 - 168

Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand

Equity (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

Klick, J., & Orszag, J (2015. June 19). Merger of US Airways and American Airlines.


FTIConsulting.com. Retrieved from

http://www.fticonsulting.com/~/media/Files/us-files/insights/case-studies/us-airways-

american-airlines-merger-case-study.pdf

Krupnick, M. (2016, April 11). Virgin America Fans Ask if Alaska Airlines Takeover Will Mean

Loss of Cool. NyTimes.com. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/business/virgin-america-fansaskif-alaska-airlines-

takeover-will-mean-loss-ofcool.html

Leff, G. (2015, April 15). What Alaska Airlines is Telling Virgin America's Employees.

ViewfromtheWing.BoardingArea.com. Retrieved July 3rd, 2015 from

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2016/04/15/what-alaska-airlines-is-telling-

virgin-americas-employees-about-the-merger/

Malhotra, N. (2012). Basic Marketing Research (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Education, Inc.

Maxon, T (2014, December 6). A year into its merger with US Airways, American Airlines is

flying high. DallasNews.com. Retrieved from

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20141206-a-year-into-its-merger-

with-us-airways-american-airlines-is-flying-high.ece

McCarthy, M. J. (2011). Improving the United States airline industry's capacity to provide safe

and dignified services to travelers with disabilities: focus group findings. Disability &

Rehabilitation, 33(25/26), 2612-2619.

McCartney, S. (2016, May 4). Alaska Airlines-Virgin America Merger Tests What Fliers Really

Want. The Wall Street Journal.

McDaniel, C., & Gates, R. (2014). Marketing Research Essentials (10th ed.). New York: Wiley


& Sons.

NASH, K. S. (2014). Doing Social Right. (cover story). Cio, 28(1), 30-37.

Peters, C. (n.d.). How to Design and Analyze a Survey. Zapier.com. Retrieved June 23, 2016

from

https://zapier.com/learn/ultimate-guide-to-forms-and-surveys/design-analyze-

survey/#canalyze

PR, N. (2013, February 27). Virgin America Takes Top Prize For Innovative Campaign At

Global Loyalty Event. PR Newswire US.

Quantcast (2016 a). Query: Alaskaair.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016 from

https://www.quantcast.com/alaskaair.com

Quantcast (2016 b). Query: Virginamerica.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016 from

https://www.quantcast.com/virginamerica.com

Schmidt, Ally (2015, Jun 24). US Airlines Increase Capacity in May 2015 to Meet Growing

Demand. MarketRealist.com. Retrieved from

http://marketrealist.com/2015/06/us-airline-industry-overview-may-2015/

Sparkcentral (2014). Global Airlines Adopt Sparkcentral for Customer-First Approach. Business

Wire (English).

Trochim, W. M.K. (2006, October 20). Research Methods Knowledge Base.

SocialResearchMethods.Net. Retrieved from

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qualapp.php

Krosnick, J. A., & Presser, S. (2010). Question and Questionnaire Design. Handbook of Survey

Research, 2, 263-314. Retrieved from

https://studysites.sagepub.com/kumar4e/study/Chapter%209/Questionnaires.pdf


Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2008). Focus groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research.

(4th ed.). New York: Sage Publications.

United States Department of Transportation (2016, February). Virgin America Query. Retrieved

June 1, 2016 from

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/carriers.asp?pn=1&Sel=C&Carrier=VX&Carrier_Name=Vir

gin%20America

United States Department of Transportation (2016, February). Alaska Airlines Query. Retrieved

June 1, 2016 from

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/carriers.asp?pn=1

U.S. Department of Transportation (2012) Air Travel Consumer Report. Retrieved June 5, 2016

from

http://airconsumer.dot.gov/reports/2012/September/2012SeptATCR.PDF

Vault Rankings & Reviews (2016). ALASKA AIRLINES, INC. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from

http://www.vault.com/company-profiles/travel-leisure/alaska-airlines,-inc/company-

overview.aspx

Walker, K. (2016). Fewer & Fewer. Air Transport World, 53(5), 14.

Walker, M. (2015, November 3). Best and Worst Airlines: Find Out Which Carrier to Fly.

ConsumerReports.Org. Retrieved from

http://www.consumerreports.org/airline-travel/best-and-worst-airlines/

Wharton University of Pennsylvania (2014, January 14). Virgin America Beat Odds: US Airline

Market. Retrieved June 20, 2016 from

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/virgin-america-beat-odds-u-s-airline-market/


Overall good job on your proposal. You have a lot of good detail in applying the concepts you learned in this class but there are a few areas that are confusing and may need additional clarification. I appreciate that you are doing a multi-methodstudy as you can cover a lot of ground and collect some very good data. Some better organization in the proposal would help. If you have three different methodologies, discuss each separately and address all the required elements of the Design, data collection method and analysis. Just a few specific comments: Introduction: Background: Statement of the Problem: Research Objectives: Recommended Methodology: You say that quantitative methods refer to research who's findings are not subject to quantification or quantitative analysis. Is there a typo here? Quantitative methods are so you can quantify. Focus groups are an exploratory method and are qualitative. Research Design: How is the A/B split test being used? Is this being used to collect data on the trip experience? For the ethnographic research, how will the observations be made. Will they be seated next to one of the passengers? How will they know who is in the test? Data Collection Method: Sample Plan: You say, "after cluster sampling has been performed". Why and how are you using this probability method? You need to give the sampling frame and size. Website testing prior to focus group: Make sure that you over recruit because some people may not do this. You could also include this test in the focus group itself and then debrief the group. You don't really have a "sample" for focus groups because they are begin specifically selecting according to your recruitment criteria. Sampling error only applies if you have a probability sample. It doesn't apply to a focus group. Analytical Plan: Typically a focus group uses a content analysis. The data analysis you are describing is used with quantitative studies. For these higher level statistics, you need to have interval or ratio data in your questionnaire. Deliverables: Optional Sections Time Table: Budget: Appendix: Good use of secondary research. You might include a basic outline of the focus group discussion topics.

Marketing Research Proposal for Alaska Airlines/Virgin ... fileproposal will help assist in the...

Documents

Transcript of Marketing Research Proposal for Alaska Airlines/Virgin ... fileproposal will help assist in the...