Category: Market Research

Brief Synopsis of Alfreshco Butterroil

Butterroil is an anhydrous milk-based product consisting of dairy fat at its purest form. This product consists of different types of lipids having varying melting points, which makes the products multi-purpose. Notably, Alfreshco Butteroil is a unique product as it can be used in a variety of food processing practices in both homes and industries.

For instance, the butter can be combined with powdered milk to produce fresh milk, while it can also be used in chocolate manufacturing. As a result, Alfreshco Butteroil brand products can be described as multipurpose since it can be used in baking, roasting and applying on bread like margarine. It has been revealed that, the main products of anhydrous milk fat are anhydrous Butteroil, Butteroil and anhydrous milk fat.

More so, this product was revealed to have enticing smell and taste of buttery scent. Since the product is manufactured in its natural form, it has been found useful in both industrial and home food processing activities. In bakery industries, Alfreshco Butteroil products have been found to be a major ingredient in manufacturing of confectionary and ice creams.

As it has been revealed, this product has been revealed to have high nutritive value, capable of providing individuals with their daily energy requirement sustainably. As a result, its popularity in the market lies on its ability to meet the needs of its users largely.

Marketing Issues Facing Butteroil Products

Since Alfreshco Butteroil products have been made naturally without additives, their demand in the market has been increasing significantly. Considering that this product has various purposes both in homes and industries in food processing practices, Alfreshco Butteroil has been a great success in the market. However, this product has been revealed to go bad within short period, making it less reliable once stored for some time.

More specifically the products are less durable, which poses great threat for this products popularity in the near future. As a result, this product has been revealed to be in danger of lacking enough market, especially with the rising competition in the contemporary markets (Armstrong and Kotler 23).

The aspect of the product of having the capacity to be employed in various applications with regard to various temperatures enhances its wider usage capacity. Having special nutrients recommendable to the people of all ages, this product has the opportunity to thrive better in the market. Since it is suitable to both children and adults, the product has a wider market base, despite it being targeted to young children.

Lenscold (49) considers the ability of a product to meet the requirements of a wider customer base as an opportunity for its potential future demand. On this basis, there is a potential future for the market of this product, as it has the opportunity to be purchased by all age groups due to its high nutritive value.

Positioning of Alfreshco Butteroil Brand

As it has been revealed, Alfreshco Butteroil products have been credible product in the market due to its reportedly high nutritive value and multi-purpose nature. Particularly, Alfreshco Butteroil products have been found to be more effective than other competing brands like Canola oil among others.

Since this product is cholesterol free and has less fat saturation than other butter products, it has been most liked by many people (Armstrong and Kotler 41). Basically, one of the main competitive advantages of this product is that, on top of its refreshing butter aroma, Alfreshco Butteroil offers its users with a wider variety of uses.

On this basis, this product has been found quite useful both homes and industrial in various food processing products. Through being multi-dimensional in its growth ways, the company of this product has enhanced its prosperity in the market. According to Luther (98), it is quite essential for corporations to combine four product-markets, called Ansoffs matrix, as shown in the diagram below.

As the product seeks to increase its market share through expansion, its focus on large customer base can be described as an appropriate strategy to enhance its growth. As it has been observed, product development has been done in this brand since wider varieties of products under the same brand.

With regard to Armstrong and Kotler (54), if firms wish to introduce new products in the already established market segments, they would be required to do product diversification. As it has been observed in the Alfreshco Butteroil, its popularity in the market has been attributed to its uniqueness and product differentiation under the same brand.

Factors Contributing to the Success of Alfreshco Butteroil Brand

As it has been observed, this product is meant for wide range of customers. With its applicability in home and industrial food processing practices, the target market for this product seems to be food manufacturers and homes. Having its nutrients recommended to all age groups, this product has wider range of customers as it is not confined to age groups or lifestyles.

Being a multi-purpose product, it popularity in the market seems promising due to its naturalness and enticing nature to its customers (Armstrong and Kotler 43).

The reason to believe that this product is superior amongst its competitors has been facilitated by its ability to be replaced by all its substitutes for a variety of food processing processes. Having the potential to entice its customers by being multipurpose and uniqueness reinforces its positive attitude of the customers towards it (Luther 35).

More so, the frames of references for this product are strategically enhancing its success in the market. Since this brand competes with other products used for cooking, its efficient-nature in cooking reinforced by other added advantages enhances its higher relevance to the customers.

As it has been observed, natural and healthy nature of Alfresco Butteroil facilitates its high demand in the market, as it is perceived as a unique product amongst its competitors.

According to Lenscold (74), the ability of a product to have added advantages lacking in its competitors forms the basis for its ultimate success in the market. Particularly, the benefit differences between this product and its competitors forms a string basis for its success in the market.

Conclusion

As it has been observed, Alfreshco Butteroil is a product having the potential to thrive well in the market due to its various competitive advantages. Being a multi-purpose commodity, Alfreshco Butteroil has been highly useful in homes and industries due to its ability to replace all other substitutes in cooking.

As a result, this product has largely been competitive in the market due to its uniqueness and superiority in terms of usage for various purposes. However, this product seems to lack the ability to stay for long under room temperatures, unless confined in freezing conditions. This is the main weakness identified for this product.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Gregory and Kotler, Patrick. Successful Marketing Techniques. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers, 2010.

Lenscold, Jackson. Marketing ROI: The Path to Campaign, Customer and Corporate Profitability. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 2003.

Luther, Wycliffe. The Marketing Plan: How to Prepare and Implement it. New York: Prentice Hall, 2010.

Introduction

Export refers to selling goods that have been produced domestically to buyers who are in other countries¹. An exporter from Saudi Arabia, who is planning to sell incense to the Australian market, must first analyze the market conditions of the Australian market. This will give him a clear picture of the market. As a result, he will be able to determine its potential and how to capitalize on the opportunities².

Characteristics of the Australian Market

Geographical setting

In examining the geographical setting, the exporter will focus on the climate conditions and the surface transportation and communication. Australia has four climate seasons, which are explained as follows; spring, which comes between September and November. There is summer that lasts between September and February and autumn, which comes between March and May.

Lastly, there is winter, which is experienced between June and August. Spring and autumn are the months that Australia records a high number of tourists both local and international. Therefore, the exporter can capitalize on this to export incense to the country that will be used in entertainment joints³.

The country has well developed transport and communication infrastructure. The country has 353, 331 miles of its roads paved, which include both inter-city and urban roads. This is a boost to the exporter as he will be able to transport his products to his customers in an efficient way. In addition, the country has 408 airports, of which 15 are international airports.

This will enable the exporter to meet his customers orders with speed. Communication is also very good. Most of Australians are able to use the internet; therefore, the exporter can receive orders from any part of the country and be able to deliver them without meeting physically with the client⁴.

Social environment

Eighty five percent of the Australian population live in cities while rest who mainly consist of the Australian Aborigines live in the rural areas. The exporter can market to the population that lives in the cities through the major media like newspapers and television. Considering that, they are the largest segment the exporter is assured of reaching a relatively large number of the Australian population⁵.

The customer can also design strategies to meet specifically the Aborigines needs, because they can be separated as a distinct segment. Therefore, it is possible to design products that meet their specific needs. The literacy standards in Australia are very high. On average, 70% of the population has a year five standard of education. This has both positive and negative impacts.

On the positive side, the exporter can easily advertise to this population through the English language, which is common to all literate people. On the negative side, the high literacy levels make the population to prefer products from the western countries as advocated by the celebrities they adore. Therefore, they are likely to reject products from Saudi Arabia⁶.

The presence of Middle-eastern and Asian immigrants in Australia presents a favourable market for incense business in the country. Indians form a larger percentage of these migrants. Out of all immigrants from Asia, 77551 stated India as their birthplace. This is according to a census carried out in 1996 and the researchers projected that the number would grow by 3000 after every five years.

This presents a large market for incense, considering the fact that the product is highly used in India for different purposes. These include religious purposes such as temple cleansing and refreshing of homes⁷.

Another factor about the Indian community about the Indian community that favours incense business is their drive towards entrepreneurship. Most of Asian immigrants have not been able to secure job opportunities in Australia due to the difference in educational systems.

Therefore, most of the Indian middle age people have ventured in to business. An exporter of incense in to Australia therefore, can partner with these potential entrepreneurs in promoting the business in the country. This means that the importer will have local distributors who understand the different uses of incense by the target market (Asian community). Hence, they will be ready to supply the product when needed⁸.

Economic environment

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics of March 2010, there is a monthly employment rate of 9 percent, which is on a permanent basis⁹. This means that a majority of employees in Australia have no need for job security, therefore, they can focus on meeting their secondary needs.

This is an opportunity for the incense business as the exporter can package his products to meet the secondary needs such as entertainment and leisure. Statistics also show that the Australian population spent over 140, 000 dollars on leisure activities in March 2010. This is a relatively high amount and acts as an opportunity for the exporter to position his products towards leisure activities¹⁰.

Conclusion

From the analysis, it is evident that the Australian population presents a potential market for the incense export business. Most of the population has a high literacy level, which makes communication through the mainstream media easy and cheaper. There is adequate infrastructure in the transport and communication sector. This enhances the ordering of products by customers.

It also helps the exporter in efficient delivery as well as in advertising. However, some negative aspects that affect the export business are also present in the market. One among them is the high literacy levels of the population.

The literate population is highly influenced by the European culture; therefore, it will be difficult for the exporter to sell to them goods from the Arab world. In spite of this shortcoming, the exporter still stands a high chance of succeeding in the Australian market.

Bibliography

About Australia. Weather, Seasons and Climate in Australia. Web.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. Statistics. Web.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. Year book, Australia, Issue 87. Canberra: Aust. Bureau of Statistics, 2005.

Dana, Leo, Paul. Handbook of research on international entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006.

Department of Education, Science and Training. Literacy Standards in Australia. Web.

Jupp, James. The Australian people: an encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Lamb, Charles. W., Hair, Joseph F. and McDaniel, Carl. Jr. Essentials of Marketing. Mason, MA: Cengage Learning, 2008.

Footnotes

1. Lamb, Charles W., Joseph, F. Hair, Jr. & Carl, McDaniel. Essentials of Marketing. Mason, MA: Cengage Learning, 2008 p. 118.
2. Dana, Leo Paul., Handbook of research on international entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006 p. 503-506.
3. About Australia. Weather, Seasons and Climate.
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics. P. 390-396.
5. Ibid. p. 89-91.
6. Department of education, science and training. Literacy standards in Australia.
7. Jupp, James. The Australian people: an encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001 P. 430-450.
8. Ibid.
9. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Statistics (2010).
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics. P.394-395.

The management team had done enough research to quantify the size of the market. This is because the idea of the introduction of a smart card to customers shows that the management was confident that the card will be accepted. The fact that the card has several advantages to its users resulted in increased demand by individuals in different sections of the supply chain. For example, the consumers believed that the card will secure their cash as it goes electronic with a secured password. Therefore, they preferred subscribing for a smart card because, regardless of where their banks are located from the shopping malls, they can shop anytime. This convenience is the key factor that encourages most consumers to have a smartcard.

The management must have considered the security of merchants when money handling is concerned. This means that when multiple buyers shop in the shopping malls using cash, the owners of these shops remain at risk of losing the money to gangsters. The smart card will assure them of security because when shoppers use electronic money to purchase goods, the money transfers to merchants count directly hence reducing the risks associated with handling large sums of cash.

The management had put all these factors into consideration before arriving at the decision of introducing the smart card. The market size is large because middle and high-income owners fall into the target market as they do shopping in enormous quantities. Therefore, having them own a smart card would make sense to them bearing in mind that they want security and convenience. Merchants also would consider allowing the use of smart cards as they guarantee them with the security of their money.

How valid was their assessment of probable market acceptance of the product?

The assessment of probable market acceptance of the product was valid since they convinced people of the benefits associated with the smart card. Given that they targeted the right people for this product, the assessment must be valid because all those targeted have the potential of using the card. Reliability is among the aspects used in accessing the acceptance of the product in the market.

In fact, everybody wishes to have reliable means of communication, and access to their money. This product is said to be reliable such that the user can wake up from their sleep and walk to a shopping mall and purchase goods. If consumers are assured that the product will not frustrate them at any one time, then they accept it wholly and start using it to do their shopping.

Every business person aims at reducing costs hence maximizing their profits. For the merchants, the product will have them reduce operational costs involved in handling and securing the revenue generated by sales. Therefore, the use of the smart card will reduce that cost as buyers will be using plastic money, as opposed to cash. Merchants will have to accept the product since its benefits to them translate to massive sums of cash. The issuer of the card will also accept the offer because there are many advantages associated with issuing smart cards to customers. This means that the issuer will be receiving their commissions and other fees related to the issuance and maintenance of the card. Therefore, the assessment of probable acceptance of the product to the market is valid.

Introduction

The contrasts in the life and culture of a less developed country will significantly visible in the life style of the population, they generally poor or middle class income levels. The purchasing capacity and the consumerist culture influenced by the income levels makes their market more static than dynamic.

In marketing research much of the information required is outside the firm e.g., information on why people buy only certain products and not other products. The variables involved in the marketing decisions being external to the firm make the study of external environment very important in market planning. The researcher will have to take special care to find out which of the environmental factors social, political, cultural, economic, legal, technological-are the most important for the consumption of a certain product. The researcher should also concentrate on external agents such as competitors, suppliers, customers, trade unions, governments, share holders, local community which are affecting the company most.

The major contributory factor for sustainable competitive advantage of an organization is its positional advantage. The positional advantage of a firm is decided by the assets, skills, and resources possessed by the firm. Examples of positional advantages are factors such as differentiation, customer intimacy, or low cost allowing the firm to achieve superiority and higher profit. Differentiation can be considered as more secure than cost advantage in achieving competitive advantage due to the following reasons such as:

1. differentiation will be build and sustained over time,
2. customer relationships and loyalty are the base of differentiation,
3. differentiation cannot be easily transferred,
4. differentiation can not be easily replicated,
5. quality and innovation are the building factors of differentiation,
6. differentiation stops customers from switching for a lower price,
7. differentiation is successful in creating switching costs for the customers.

Differentiation of a firms product is generally based on the following important factors such as:

1. product quality,
2. customer service,
3. product reliability,
4. after sale support,
5. technology leadership,
6. style, and image.

IN order for a company to succeed in understanding how to blend the above mentioned factors to achieve competitive advantage in a less developed country, they must have both primary and secondary information about the market. Unfortunately, it is difficult in the third world or less developed countries to get information relating to the factors mentioned above.

Take an example of a country like Rwanda where information relating to product that will be consumed will be scanty. Therefore for any new multinational going to the market will have difficulty in understanding the customer relationship and other issues that is for the market. This makes research for such markets difficult.

Definitions

Primary Research

This is carried out by gathering data related to the theme of product to be introduced in the market. It includes interviews, surveys, observations, and analyses (Driscoll, D.L. , 2006; Conducting Primary Research Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009. It involves carrying out the research by yourself, and can even help in your secondary research in later stages. Primary research can be helpful when you are conducting a study about a problem that has never before been addressed, or when there is little research available on the topic of your concern. It can be beneficial in writing about a specific product, or when you are writing on a new and original subject (Driscoll, D.L. , 2006; Conducting Primary Research Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009. For example in questionnaire-cum-interview method of conducting survey. A survey of the area is initially conducted prior to giving out questionnaires to people for filling in. the advantages of questionnaires and interviews is that they can be explained by the interviewers in case of any confusions.

The response rate is good; however, questionnaires alone can give a lower response rate (The Education Forum (2008); accessed on 17^th April, 2009) A focus group will taken for the collection of information, which is simpler and effective way to obtain in-depth information from the masses(Kauffman Foundation (2008); Retireved on 20^th April 2009. The number of people to be approached determines which method will be employed to carry out the collection of data. For example, if the number of people is less than twenty, correspondence can be done through the telephone, but if it is greater than twenty, then the survey can be conducted through the Internet (Kauffman Foundation (2008); Retireved on 20^th April 2009.

The questionnaire for the research will be build on a semi-structured approach. The questions were structured in a way that there was no bias whatsoever. The people cooperated well and answered most of the questions included in the questionnaire. There were only a small number of people who were confused regarding one or two questions; otherwise on the whole there was a good feedback from the survey group.

Secondary Research

Secondary research consists of documents and sources that contain data and results from the primary research conducted (Conducting Research, Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009. It involves the making of reports, and exists in the form of books, and journals. Secondary research may include the publications of the primary research results.

The methods used for conducting the research and survey of this paper were mostly through the internet. Online libraries, online books, and articles were consulted for gathering the required and essential information. These days everything is done via internet, from the transactions of businesses to the imparting of education. The internet is the most commonly sought and easiest method of accessing latest possible information these days. Gone are the days when people went around looking for good libraries in city centres, and searching for the books of their interests for carrying out researches. This is the 21^st century, and digital media is the latest technology being used for researching.

The greatest advantage of using the internet to access information is that it possesses ample amount of information al at once, and there is no physical hassle involved in searching matter. Rather, everything is easily accessible all at the same place, and there is no fatigue after writing papers. All the material required by an individual, regarding any subject whatsoever, can be obtained from the internet. And all of it is authentic. There are also some trash websites which do not contain authentic information, but if one knows of such cites to avoid, then a problem does not arise. This is why the only source picked for this paper was also the internet, and its various offerings and sources of information (Creswell, J., 1998).

Online Libraries

There are thousands of libraries online, which one can access through the internet and world wide web. There are various websites which offer material from libraries related to the required subjects of ones interest. These libraries would provide with written material which one can consult and rewrite in ones own words, for ease (Online Libraries 2008. Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009.

Online Books

Online books are an authentic source of information also, as they provide all latest and necessary information required subject-wise. Once again the search engines of the internet are consulted, once the names of the books required are typed, one can access the material from them to be written in the papers they are producing. You can seek out electronic texts by typing in the subject of your concern (Online Books 2008. Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009.

The significance of online books lies in the fact that a person does not have to go to visit libraries physically anymore, and the availability of such written matter help save time and energy of individuals. The books that are accessed online may not be present as a whole, rather, their abstracts may only be given at times. Sometimes you need to subscribe to various sites for access to the complete books. But mostly, a substantial amount of information can be gathered from the reviews or abstracts given. The previews given are at times only of a few selected pages from the book, and some of the pages are missing from in between. It is just like reading the book on a screen, with inclusion of even the contents and the index and glossary, etc. page numbers are also given included as in the case of traditional text books.

The information collected for this paper was also from these online books, which are also called e books. They are basically not in the hard copy form, but are present on the monitor for access of reading.

Articles

The internet contains trillions of articles and there are various directories that provide with the sources one needs. The articles are easily accessed through the search engines one has chosen for research. Currently, Google is the most authentic and commonly used search engine, and the articles available here were accessed for this papers completion too. All the names of the authors of the articles, and their references are also mentioned inside the articles which are being read, and that makes referencing easier. One can easily make the bibliography of the paper too, with the information provided in the articles. There are a variety of online texts available for viewing, (HighWire Press: Stanford University 2008. Retrieved on 20^th April, 2009

Discussion

In less developed countries a marketing researcher faces the dilemma of choosing the most suitable approach to meet the aim and objectives of a study due to availability of information. The application of a wrong approach may render the objectives and significance of the whole study insignificant. However, there is no one best approach to follow since the choice of process is different to each research as well as the objectives themselves. Besides choosing the most suitable methodology also depends on the availability of resources which is by standard is lacking in the third world. The marketer in less developed countries chooses the methodology to satisfy the needs.

The marketing researcher starts by describing the research process and its objectives. Then moves to discuss what maybe the most relevant approaches, research designs, and data collection methods and data analysis. After this, the most suitable methodology for the current research can be selected.

The Research Process in less developed countries

The purpose of conducting research is to find a suitable solution for a specific and immediate problem that is confronted. Research is generally assumed to be a complicated task which is actually not if the various parts or phases of the research are clearly understood. Then the market research project becomes a well-structured process which has a beginning, intermediate part and the end. In todays world, research is alternatively being termed as logical reasoning (Trochim, 2006)

The problem formulation will be the first and the most important step of the research process for marketing research. The problem will defined clearly and specifically, as an ill-defined problem may result in an ineffective solution. The problem will properly translated into a research topic and the reason why the research is required will also be spelt out. Secondly, an exhaustive revision of the theoretical and empirical framework within the related review of literature will made. The literature review will based on secondary research conducted by reviewing various journal articles, books, research evidences of past research and of course the worldwide web. This step helps the study by generating and refining the research objectives. Another step is the research approach and design of the research. This step covers the way in which data will be collected to answer the research objectives. This step also influences the data collection method. The data collection will be according to the chosen method. Finally, the data is analyzed, interpreted and presented in this research.

Aims and Objectives marketing Research

The purpose of the marketing research is broadly examined in this section. Another important aspect that needs attention while conducting a research is that its objectives should be clear and specific. The objectives should cover question regarding the purpose of the study, how the study will be done, the information needs and the sources of information.

Research Design

The design of the research plan determines the tools and techniques that are employed for conducting the research. Normally the research design is broadly classified into exploratory research, descriptive research and causal research (Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India; India Center for Management Research, 2004 accessed on www.asiacase.com/case/southAsia/icmr.html).

Exploratory research helps in the identification of the presence of potential opportunities. The data for this kind of research is obtained from books, journals, magazines etc. Descriptive research is generally conducted after the above research. As the problem is clearly defined in exploratory research, the quantum or intensity of the problem is identified in descriptive research. In causal research, the cause and effect relationships between two variables are analyzed (Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India; India Center for Management Research, 2004 accessed on.

Research Design can be simply defined as the structure followed by the researcher. Research Design is the important component or key ingredient which holds all the various elements of the entire research (Trochim, 2006). A design is elaborately explained by using a succinct data which further enables in the summarization of a complex or difficult design structure in an efficient manner. A research design consists of various elements. They are as follows:

• Measures or Observations (Trochim, 2006) Observations are usually symbolised by O in a succinct design. This can be anything ranging from a single instrument or measure to a complex multiple measures.
• Treatments or Programs (Trochim, 2006) In design notations, treatments or programs are indicated by symbols such as X. Different program variations can be distinguished by using superscripts as dealt with Measures of Observations above.
• Groups  Every group on a research design is distinct and is given a separate and individual line in the structure of the research. The number of lines in the design notation indicates the number of groups considered for the research.
• Value Assignment to the Groups  This is designated by a particular letter at the beginning of each group. This described the process of assignment. Assignments are of different types

Types of Design

There are basically three types of research design. They are quantitative design, qualitative design and the mixed method design.

Quantitative design is further classified into three types. They are Experimental Design, Quasi-experimental design and Non-experimental Design (Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India; India Center for Management Research). Experimental design is conducted to establish a cause-effect relationship. This method helps in the evaluation of a particular outcome simultaneously having a control on the other factors which influence the outcome.

Quasi-experimental design is a process in which pre-existing groups are considered to carry out the research. However, while using this kind of research design, it is mandatory that the characteristics of the selected pre-existing group are described in detail (Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India; India Center for Management Research).

Non-experimental design again is classified into three types namely, correlation, descriptive and casual comparative. Correlation is used for prediction and it aims at establishing a relationship between two sets of variables. Descriptive methods just describe the existing phenomena without any change. Casual comparative method is used to prove the cause-effect relationship.

The qualitative methods of research usually give results that are well detailed and very rich in content that provides new concepts and ideas that will work to inform your program. The qualitative research methods will provide the researcher with information on how people and also on what people think about the product but it will fail to provide the information on how many people feel and think in that particular way. If one researcher wants to carry out a research using the qualitative method, the following guidelines have to be used; the researcher will have to select a particular group of people who have similar characteristics in common and thereafter the researcher will have to convene a discussion by the use of either focus groups, interviews or observation of the behavior of an individual through such interviews such as the so called in-home interviews.

The researcher should make sure that the discussion he will start will not have a specific structure so that all the participating people will be free to pick the discussion from any angle and that no specific response will be required for specific questions. He should also have in mind that an interview guide can be used to ensure that the right questions are directed to the right people during the progression of the interview. These questions being talked about here should be asked according to the response of the participant and care should be taken not to ask the questions in predetermined manner or rather order.

The results from qualitative research should be presented as percentages; they should also not be subjected to an analysis of statistics or even be projected to wider population. This is merely because those people participating in this kind of research usually do not make a sample which has been randomly selected and the given samples are usually relatively small and not all the participants are normally asked the same questions. And no matter how much qualitative research one or rather a researcher will conduct, he will still not be sure of how exactly the participants feel or of they are experiencing similar things and at this point is where a researcher will have the preference of using a quantitative research.

There are those tools are normally in common use in a qualitative market research and these tools are the focus groups and those interviews carried out on individual basis and are called the in-depth interviews. Additionally, there are many other methodologies that can be used to assist the researcher to know more about his sample group. Some of the examples of these include; pairs of friendships from which people who claim to be best friends are picked to have a discussion on the subjects that are more sensitive and the other example is observations made on behaviors and how people interact in the natural environment of the targeted participants (Dick, 2005).

This research method has got its own pros and cons which will be mentioned hereafter. The pros of qualitative research method include; this method usually explores various topics in a more detailed manner and depth compared to the counterpart method which the quantitative research method. Also this method has been proven by many to be more affordable that is it is cheaper than the quantitative method because not so many participants will be recruited and also it is not as extensive as the quantitative one. Lastly this method provides room from flexibility as far as timing and location is concerned. The cons of this method include; this many can never quantify the exact answer of your and participants and also it can not be able to generalize the researchers findings to his broader target group or generally the public.

The qualitative research method is commonly used when the researcher has one of his goals as exploration of a specific idea or even a topic (Hopwood, 2004). And also it can be used when one wants to fully understand the results obtained from the quantitative research method and lastly can be used when the researcher wants to get some input from his major informants or other people who lie outside the targeted audience.

Mixed-method design is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Data Collection Methods

Data is a collection of related observations, facts or figures. A collection of data is called a data set, and each observation a data point. As already discussed, data collection can be done either by collecting first hand information i.e. primary research or from already existing records i.e. secondary sources. Primary data is collected using research instruments like questionnaires, mails, telephonic interviews etc. Secondary data is collected from already available sources such as published papers, journals, magazines, reports, company literature etc. These strategies can at times be independent and at other times they can be combined with the quantitative methods (Richardson, 1999).

Some of the qualitative strategies will include the following:

• Semi-structured interviews:-These kinds of interviews usually have some kind of questions that are in a way very specific about issues of the project being researched on. These interviews though allow the interviewee to give very detailed answers to the questions.
• Focus groups:-These groups will be seeking to have a full understanding of the attitudes. This will be achieved by carrying out a series of group discussions that will be guided by one researcher leading the discussion and the other one taking the notes. Five or even six questions can selected to act as the guideline for an open ended discussion. The main goal of the discussion will be to achieve a consensus as a group (Robson, 2000). At the end of the discussion the facilitator and the person who was doing the recording will do a summary in written form of the major points that would have been discussed in response to every question that was given.
• Observations:- Observation will be made on the activities of the project and this will be guided by the semi-structured and the structured protocols that have been specifically designed to monitor if these key items that will be discussed in the interviews will be verified.

Procedures of data analysis

There are several steps that will be involved in the analysis of data and these steps are; understanding what qualitative data analysis is all about. The major core of qualitative analysis lies in giving a good description to the phenomenon, classifying the phenomenon and finally seeing how all the concepts interconnect (Roselyn, 2000). The next step will be introducing computers as a main data analysis tool. There are several aspects that will need the help of computers in their analysis and at this point the computers will come in handy.

The following step in the procedure of data analysis will be finding focus. In fact this should have been the first step. The researcher should always have his focus right in place. In finding focus the researcher can use the available resources to make sure everything is in the right place. Then after the focus finding, data management will be the next one. Any good analysis will require that the researcher should have good management of the data found. Information found can best be managed by filing them and giving a good access to the filed information.

A good analysis will depend on how well one reads and understands the data that would have been collected. This requires one to have good reading and understanding skills. Creation of categories will also be necessary in data analysis. These categories will help in easy analysis of data in a faster way. At this point, the data will have to be linked to the actual research project to make sure that everything blends with the other. Once the data or information flows, a conclusion will have to be made on the whole process of analysis.

Management international marketing research

A marketing research management involves a system that consists of people, procedures and methods to get information, analyze the information, evaluate and distribute this information to marketers to make good decisions out of it. It is the proper use of marketing research. It is vital because it assists a company to know what it needs I terms of information and how it will use the information to come up with a good decision in the shortest time possible. It is done by the marketing research team of the company. A market information system includes the sales information systems. These are reports that are made from the up to date sales of a company from the customer and sales representatives. It also includes the marketing intelligence system which is the procedures and sources that are used in the company to obtain information about marketing progress in the environment where they operate( Bernstein, Scheff Joanne and Kotler, Philip, 2006).

The marketing intelligence system also includes the marketing research process which is the designing, analyzing and collection and reporting of data findings to be sued in the company for marketing. Information about marketing intelligence system can be collected from various sources around the company. Some companies have data in the marketing research departments and others have to go to the field to look for information. We have two sources of information and these are (a) Internal sources (b) External sources (Chisnall, P. 2001).

Internal sources for Marketing Information System are most places where the company can get information from within i.e. from the books of accounts, various records kept in the company and former research that was done. Those are the information from records previously kept by the company. External sources include those sources that are from outside the company like publications, books, periodicals, encyclopedia and also commercial data that can be obtained by companies by payment of a fee to research companies. Company can also get information from the internet (Kumar, V., Aaker, D.A. and Day, G.S. 2002).

It is very important for a company to have good Marketing Information System because it helps the company to get more useful information quickly, for expansion, it will assist them to predict how buyers will respond to changes in features of products, environment, styles, etc. they also assist the company on competition and information about competitors price, branding. It also assists the company to develop relevant advertising and good sales promotion and they also get good information about marketing tools through Marketing Information System (Manila Bulletin, 2006).

Methods of research utilized in international marketing

Test marketing

The basic objective of test marketing is to test the effectiveness of a proposed change in a marketing policy and strategy s as to decrease or eliminate the risk attached to such a step. The test method involves an experimental marketing process on a small scale for example the same product may be tested practically in the market in different packaging. A control market is distinguished in which all factors are kept constant in which one factor that is the packaging changes. All other factors are figures so it is argues it probably the result of the difference in packaging (Schaik J.L., 2002);.

Various problems emerge such as: which determine the choice of a test market; the comparativeness of the test and control markets; the danger of the carry-over of advertising messages from the test and control markets; the test of the control markets competitors who may attempt to ruin the experiment; retailers who may act differently under test circumstances than under normal business circumstances (Schaik J.L., (2002);.

The field of application is broad and can include: the determination of the potential of new market offering; the determination of the optimum price of a product; and the determination of the most effectiveness advertising message and distribution channel (Schaik J.L., 2002).

Motivation research  the method is concerned with the question of why for example a specific consumption pattern is followed or why consumers act the way the do. The unwillingness or inability of most consumers to explain their behavior gave rise to motivation research. An investigation is thus undertaken of motivations of which the consumer has no conscious knowledge. What persuades consumers to buy a specific product is often not the physical product itself but a total need satisfying market offering and the consumers own conception of ti  they often buy images of thought and not realities. With motivation research the marketing researcher attempts to bring the consumer personality into relation with the personality of the total market offering. The techniques include among others projection techniques such as role play and cloud pictures (Schaik J.L., 2002).

The consumer panel

This method is used to record the spending behavior of the same group of consumers continually over time. The objective of the consumer panel is more specifically: to record the consumer purchases of various products on generic or brand level on a continuing basis; to collect continuous and repeating information from the same households in order to record tendencies in consumer habits and actual expenditure over time and to records tendencies in consumer expectations, attitudes and plans over time. With the aid of the above information a reasonably complete picture can be built up the total market demand and its composition as well as the product is brought when it is bought, the price paid for it who buys it whether it is new or second hand and whether it is an additional or replacement response (Schaik J.L., 2002).

The retail audit

It is thus theoretically possible to determine consumption quantitatively by measuring it at some or other strategic point along the distribution channel. A retail audit is the method which measures the flow at the end point that is the point where the products flow the channel to the consumer. It may be done on a hoc basis, which is generally known as trade research or the measurement of retail sales can take place periodically at the same sample of retail stores (Winer, R.S. ,2007).

The application possibilities of the results are numerous. The most customary one are: the determination of the competitive position of the product. The determination of the general competitive position of the and kind of retailers; the determination of the effectiveness of advertising campaigns specifically and marketing communication programmes in general; the informal can be as a basis for marker forecasting and the method the information can be used as a basis for market forecasting and the method presents an excellent picture of the geographical shift of the market demand for a particular product (Vandermerwe, Sandra 1997).

Consumer intentions

A survey of consumer intentions is usually limited to durable consumer products and for a specific time period. The potential consumers are asked what kind of product and what quantity at specific prices they plan to purchase over a given future period. The intention to buy is of course not always an indication of actual future purchases as purchases are dependent on the availability of the necessary purchasing power and other environmental variables which might affect the consumers intention drastically. The information can be made more reliable by taking into account the actual sales over time and the estimated increase in consumer income over time Schaik J.L., 2002).

Conclusion

By understanding the easiness of carrying out market research in less developed countries, multinationals will find it easier to satisfy the needs of their customers thus attaining the objectives of going global. However because there is little information as well as limited resources it becomes very difficult for the companies to carry out research in those countries.

It is clear that international marketing strategy in less developed counties is not at par with developed countries because research in those countries is very difficult because of the amount of information that is available to carry out research.

It must also be acknowledged that when people are asked the questions the responses may be different from their purchasing choices. It is also not always possible to be certain that the responses people give are a fair reflection of the way they would act in real life.

Thus, the possibility to circumvent some of these problems by hosting the questionnaire online cannot be overruled. But then, there is no guarantee that there would be fairness in the response, or for that matter any unbiased response.

Cost benefit analysis is the standard method used to estimate the net gain of a research. With the limited primary and secondary resources available, an attempt will made to elicit consumer needs and how manufacturers achieved this and in the bargain generated ample employment opportunities, and contributed to their national GDP. The results obtained will be helpful in justifying whether predictions for future growth reflect the local market sentiments.

References

Bernstein, Scheff Joanne and Kotler, Philip (2006). Arts Marketing Insights: The Dynamics of Building and Retaining Performing Arts Audiences. John Wiley and Sons, 2006.

Charles, K. (1990). Methods used in Research. Social Science, 29(10), 1160-1178.

Chisnall, P. (2001) Marketing Research. 6th ed., London. McGraw Hill.

Conducting Research: Milwaukee School of Engineering. 2009. Web.

Creswell, J. (1998). Guidelines to choosing the best research design. Phenomenology, 34, 234-245.

Dick, H. (2005). Tips to Writing good research projects. Methods of data collection, 23, 246-258.

Driscoll, D.L. , 2006; Conducting Primary Research. Web.

(HighWire Press: Stanford University 2008. Web.

Hopwood, K. (2004). Methods of data collection. Geography Journal, 38(2), 247-253.

Kumar, V., Aaker, D.A. and Day, G.S. (2002) Essentials of Marketing Research. New York. Wiley & Sons.

Manila Bulletin (2006). Intel Phils. Launches New Brand Identity.

Kauffman Foundation (2008); Primary Research Methods. Web.

Online Books 2008. Web.

Libraries 2008. Web.

Richard, S. (2002). Methods used in social research. Oxford: OUP.

Richardson, K. (1999). Qualitative research methods. Educational Research review, 70, 50-78.

Robson, C. (2000). The Handbook of Research Methodology. Oxford: Blackwell.

Roselyn, P. (2000). Best approaches to research. The art of research, 18, 123-134.

Schaik J.L., (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J.L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd.

The Education Forum (2008); Business NZ Election Survey summary results, Web.

Trochim W. and Donnelly J.P (2006); The Research Methods Knowledge Base.

Vandermerwe, Sandra (1997). Increasing returns: Competing for customers in the global market. Journal of World Business. Volume 32, Issue 4, Winter 1997, Pages 333-350.

Winer, R.S. (2007). Marketing Management; Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

It is important for AeroShield to enter the US market with its innovative product called aerogel, which will be applied to residential window glazing. Given the types of business analytics, the best option to analyze the collected data for the window market in the US is predictive analysis. It is based on the method of situational analysis and forecast of the future that allows exploring historical data to anticipate scenarios and trends emerging in the market/industry. Through it, AeroShield can plan its entry into the most attractive markets such as residential and commercial window markets with an effective strategy to prepare itself for upcoming challenges. This analysis uses data mining, statistical data, and historical data to assess future trends.

The marketing analysis assignment is also an essential tool for AeroShield to understand the market in which it is positioning itself. This analysis consists of analyzing research data that would help AeroShield understand the needs of its customers and define its target audience. It will help the company meet its competitors by looking at data surveys such as market size, market trends, market growth, and market profitability. Through the reviewed scientific articles, it is possible to say that this type of task could be applied using survey and statistical techniques.

The window and door manufacturing market is a growing industry. Residential windows in the United States are a huge market size with 50M+ units per year. Customers are seeking to buy new houses or renovate their existing houses replacing their current windows with those that can insulate the maximum indoor temperature and reduce energy use. AeroShields windows are made of the innovative nanoporous silica aerogel, the quality of which is comparable to glass. They are functional and save the maximum amount of heat indoors. Aerogel is less expensive than current alternatives in the insulated glass category, which comprises approximately 70% of windows in the United States. Therefore, AeroShield has the potential to replace standard insulated glass windows from the market. Moreover, the overall residential window market growth and energy-efficient trends contribute to the success of the company.

Business Type

Wunderman Thompson is an American advertising company with its headquarters in New York. The business delivers end-to-end solutions that produce ground-breaking work by using its expertise throughout the entire customer journey, including media, commerce, consulting, customer relationship and experience, and technology (Wunderman Thompson, n.d.). In its role as a market research firm, Wunderman Thompson Agency primarily researches what motivates consumers and what motivates brands through a rigorous and multifaceted research methodology to pinpoint the characteristics a brand must possess, the stories it should tell, and the experiences it can create to inspire people.

Respondents Background

During my interview, I connected with C. C., a trends analyst at Wunderman Thompson. As the trends analyst, C. researches market trends across multiple industries and crafts weekly stories that break down what current research means for brands and consumers. The main reason I settled on C. is because I had come across several articles written by her where she interviews experts across industries and conducts research to showcase valuable insight for their clients. By being both a writer and researcher, she blends creativity and professionalism which I find is interesting. C. has been with Wunderman Thompson for about two years and credits the interviews she often does with industry experts as her favourite part of the job. One prominent research she has done for the company is on how brands and agencies can thrive in the digital realm of the metaverse. Moreover, her work on how digital creators and users can become owners and how social media will be decentralized features greatly in her research.

Types of Surveys the Company Conducts

Wunderman Thompson uses a wide range of tools to conduct its surveys. The company utilizes different segmentation types of surveys where it directs targeted survey questions to existing and prospective customers based on their common attributes such as lifestyle and brand preference or usage. Moreover, it also uses customer loyalty surveys to analyze why customers are loyal to a specific brand or product. Finally, there is competitor analysis that helps the company derive reports to understand their clients competitors and examine how a target market views a clients products or services compared to the competition. Using technological tools such as the Internet and media, Wunderman Thompson is able to conduct its research efficiently.

Qualitative Research Versus Quantitative Research

C. says she prefers to perform integrated research because it offers robust and complete results. This is because it offers valuable perspective and can be combined to generate actionable insights, unlike either qualitative or quantitative research that when used in isolation offers incomplete results.

Technology and Data Analysis in Market Research

C. gathers, processes, and analyzes data using a range of technologies and analytical methods. The company uses artificial intelligence to aid in making the most informed business decisions and data analysis software to execute analyses.

Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) Of A Market Research Project

The respondent establishes specific objectives and goals for the market research in order to discover key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs, such as improved sales, market share, customer happiness, or cost savings, will aid in determining the ROI of the research.

Technological Advancements in Market Research

There have been several technological advancements in market research especially in automation of data collection and analytics. However, what the respondent sees as an emerging trend in market research is virtual and augmented reality. In application the emerging technological tools will be used to conduct immersive research studies; therefore, allowing researchers to understand consumer behavior and preferences in a realistic setting.

References

Wunderman Thompson. (n.d.). Wunderman Thompson. Web.

Introduction

In the field of tourism and leisure, focusing on a single niche for too long is not a wise choice. In that regard, differentiating offers can be seen as one of the options. Offering only a single type of vacation packages is too limited, considering the different needs existing in the market. There are many opportunities in the vacation business, utilizing which at the right time can be an opportunity in itself to differentiate the services offered. One of such opportunities can be seen through luxury vacation packages to retiring baby-boomers. The present report will address the considerations that should be made in terms of supporting the marketing initiative of targeting such group.

Capabilities and Environment

After conducting a SWOT analysis, the objectives and the resources that the company has to achieve might become apparent (see Table 1).

Looking at the SWOT analysis, it can be stated that the opportunity of diversification can be seen as the most attractive, considering that the market in which the company operates is fairly known (Perreault and McCarthy). It can be stated that leveraging the company’s strengths, such as expertise, customer-base, partners, etc, it not only can utilize the opportunities in the environment, but also eliminate the weaknesses in the company. Considering the fact that at the present time, baby- boomers have just started retirement, with the oldest being 64 of age, there is still a market opportunity in the younger generation of baby-boomers, i.e., 47 and more. In that regard, the objectives can be seen in targeting such group and getting an early start in such target market.

Segmentation

There is sufficiently enough information on such target group as baby-boomers. In that regard, the focus can be narrowed down for such group. In general needs of the vacation market, can be seen through spending a particular time vacation time, for recreational, leisure, and or tourism purposes. They need a place to spend such time, a mean of transportation, a program of what to do, and accompanying conditions for comfort. The needs can be narrowed down to those who do not seek solutions, rather than all inclusive packages, from which the target age is narrowed down to those past the age of retirement.

The needs of such groups according to the group’s characteristics can be seen in the following (Perreault and McCarthy):

• Longer vacations, more time to spend.
• Higher income, more options and more expensive components of the package.
• The program is focused on activities, i.e. expeditions and travels as opposed to laying on the beach vacations.
• Healthy food.
• Sports
• No children

The geographical location of the customers and their travels is within the United States, with the recent financial crisis and the depreciation of the US dollar. The target group of those who might seek luxury packages can be characterized by such lifestyle characteristic as “Savvy Savers”, i.e. self-aware, suburban and cosmopolitan, and like to follow cultural and sporting events” (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel).

Differentiation

The positioning of the package will be made in accordance to its careful selection and luxury. As opposed to other packages which focus on kids and grandchildren vacations or cheap and affordable packages, the package in our company will be differentiated based on its premium class, all inclusive options, and satisfactions of all needs. Thus, the product promoted will be positioned as first class vacation. Baby boomers do not need to be reminded of their age and in that regard, the positioning of the product can be linked to such event as retirement as a new beginning, in which they can afford the highest quality.

4Ps

Product

The product is an all inclusive vacation package, combining recreational and comfortable leisure and active tours. The motto of the product can be stated as “You Deserve Luxury”. The package can be customized into the customers’ demands, in terms of changing location, the program, the transportation, etc. The remaining unchanged characteristic is the level of service. The appeal that should be used will satisfy the behavioral needs of customers, and thus, the main importance should be paid to the way the offer will be branded. A unified brand might be used to all the company’s offers.

Place

The distribution of the product can be seen through tour agents, and through the website of the company. The website, in that regard, can be used to directly purchase the package and/or request additional information. Additional, channels can be seen through sport and business, clubs, airline sales, etc. Baby Boomers represent nearly 40% of business travel, and thus, loyalty programs that can be redeemed for vacations (Mintel Group).

Promotion

The ads that can be used might be differentiated into two media types. On the one hand, internet and television, with an emphasis on the former, will be suitable medium for mass marketing ads. The target market is technologically oriented and thus, uses social networks as a communication medium. The second type of communication can be seen through word of mouth, where “[b]aby boomers are also heavily involved in word-of-mouth promotion” (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 98). As one of channels, the current customers of inexpensive vacation packages can promote the offers to the parents which are supposed to be baby-boomers.

Price

The price of the package will be higher than that of competing products from other providers. The justification for the price can be seen through the emphasis on the service quality. Thus, the price will support and be supported by the rest of the Ps in the mix. Nevertheless, the price should be paid only for the components that will be actually used by customers. Thus, there will be no redundant components in the package.

Works Cited

Lamb, Charles W., Joseph F. Hair, and Carl D. McDaniel. Marketing. 10e. ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

Mintel Group. “Baby Boomers and Vacation – Us – December 2010”. 2010. Mintel Group. Web.

Perreault, William D., and E. Jerome McCarthy. Basic Marketing : A Global-Managerial Approach. Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing. 15th ed. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

Introduction

Market research entangles one of the essential activities that organisations conduct to garner information pertaining to their brand loyalties. In this research, marketing research is considered as “a systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services” (Kotler & Armstrong 2007, p.56).

The principal aim of executing these tasks is to ensure that a firm is able to note and evaluate them coupled with appraising the manner in which the various elements affiliated to market mix affect the conduct of the users. In the context of Deakin University, consumers are the service users who are largely the students.

However, the contexts to which the terms marketing research and market research are deployed in this paper are distinctive. Although more commonly used interchangeably, market research is related to markets. On the other hand, marketing research is related to marketing processes. According to Bradley (2007), marketing research is “the function that links the consumers, customers, and public to the marketer through information” (p.13).

Bradley (2007) further informs that these “ information is used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process” (p.13).

Consequently, marketing research is dedicated to delimitating a myriad of information that is vital for dealing with these enumerated issues, contriving various methods of garnering information, handling, and effecting of the data garnering processes coupled with conducting a thorough analysis of the results without negating communication of finding and implication of these findings.

Central to these concerns of marketing research, an immense need for determining the effectiveness of various marketing campaigns exists. In this end, the main objective of this paper is to provide a research proposal related to the effectiveness of the latest advertising campaign undertaken by Deakin University with regard to the new Deakin’s ‘worldly’ brand. The research is engineered to unveil the manner in which such a campaign is shifting the altitude of potential and the already existing students of Deakin University.

Purpose of the research

On 10 June 2012, Deakin University launched the inclusion of the word ‘worldly’ in its brand. This initiative is directly articulated to the university’s strategic plan of ‘live the future’. According to this plan, the university aims at remaining focused on two main guiding principles.

With regard to Deakin University Australia Worldly (2012) in the web page titled Building on Our Success, these are “to develop lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with rural and regional communities, in particular those in Geelong and Western Victoria and to offer an educational experience which will widen participation and support students from diverse backgrounds” (Para.1).

This infers that the university endeavours to enhance its reputation in a world of rapidly evolving technological sophistication via its visions of being distinctive and incredibly relevant institution of higher learning within the Australian landscape characterised by the competiveness desired for a higher learning institution in the wake of 21st century economy. Directly congruent with this argument, the university has been undergoing intensive change management.

Therefore, it is crucial that the institution determines the impacts produced by these changes, which are also reflected in its brand changes.

Any organisational change rests on the need to enhance and better success of the organisation in the uncertain future. If such changes are detrimental to this endeavour, then its better doing without them. In this extent, in an attempt to seek more success and recognition of the Deakin university capacity to deliver professionals who meet the market demand, the university includes the word ‘worldly’ in its brand.

The university’s executive director of marketing further explains this purpose. With regard to University Australia Worldly (2102), in the article what in the world is worldly, the director argues the need to integrate the world ‘worldly’ to brand of the university. “Although Deakin has always aspired to facilitate students to be open minded and world-ready when they leave the university, a time that the university showcases the skills to the world” (p.1).

Arguably, this means that the university endeavours to ensure that the potential employers become aware of the skills that the graduates of the university would bring to their organisations even before the graduates join the organisations.

What this would mean to the university is that it would gain more recognition among the potential clients in that it would be placing many students to employment opportunities. Nevertheless, it still remains questionable how probable would inclusion of the world ‘worldly’ in the university’s brand help in painting the new strategic plans in the minds of the existing and potential clients.

In the attempt to provide a response to the above question, a research on the effectiveness of the campaigns launched by the university to create awareness and meaning of the brand changes is necessary. The focus of these campaigns is not only to the students but also to other stakeholders of the university.

This is evident based on the Deakin University Australia Worldly (2102) in the article What in the world is worldly which informs that, “a new advertising campaign was designed and launched to inform all Deakin’s stakeholders about the new worldly brand” (p.1). Should such campaigns be effective in orienting the focus of all parties involved in the management of the university and all other interest groups both the potential and the existing ones.

Then, it is likely that the institution would implement the changes in the management and remain compliant to its mission, aim, and objective statements. Thus, the chief purpose of this research is to provide information on the effectiveness of the new campaigns in shifting the attitude of both potential and existing students of the Deakin University to the Deakin executive director.

Type of study

Research methodology is accomplished in four main approaches. These are qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods (pragmatic approach), and emancipator approach (participatory or advocacy approach).

In this research, pragmatic approach is utilised. In the words of Freshwater, Sherwood, and Drury (2006), “pragmatic researchers grant themselves the freedom to use any of the methods, techniques and procedures typically associated with quantitative or qualitative research” (p.295). The freedom of choice of method depends on the researcher’s perception and evaluation of the methods that best suit the particular kind of research he or she is conducting.

Quantitative research is associated with paradigms of post-positivists or positivist. According to Eisner, “it involves collecting and converting data into numerical forms so that statistical calculations can be made and conclusions drawn” (1981, p.6). The process of accomplishing this research begins with laying out hypothesis. A methodology is then devised for garnering the information that is utilised in justifying the hypothesis.

To arrive at the conclusions, statistical analysis is required to reveal the differences, relationships, and associations between the variables utilised in the study. On the other hand, qualitative research is “usually associated with the social constructivist paradigm, which emphasises the socially constructed nature of reality” (Creswell 2008, p.45).

This type of research revolves around recording coupled with analysing and conducting an attempt to unveil the actual meaning and relevance of certain deeply ingrained human experiences and behaviours.

In this context, Rocco, Hatcher, and Creswell (2011) further inform that qualitative research is interested in “gaining a rich and complex understanding of people’s experience and not in obtaining information which can be generalised to other larger groups” (p.87). The focus of qualitative research is to come up with theories and or seek to look out for meaning patterns associated with the generated data in the research.

Definition of the target population

Any research is conducted for the benefit of some particular groups of people referred to as the target population. The target population of this research is the Deakin university students.

However, it is critical to note that due to resource disadvantages associated with a large population sizes “researches often cannot test every individual in the population because it is too expensive and time consuming” (Castillo 2009, Para.2). For this reason, this research relies incredibly on sampling in the attempt to make conclusions, which are then generalised to the entire population.

Sampling techniques

Sampling is conducted in research to mitigate the challenges associated with the need of conducting a census study in which every member of the population is studied. These challenges include money, effort for conducting research, and time. However, as Gauch (2003) notes, “every researcher must keep in mind that the ideal scenario is to test all individuals to obtain reliable, valid, and accurate results” (p.9).

Since the errors introduced by sampling techniques truncate to misleading data, it is essential to perform sampling properly. There are two main sampling techniques. These are probabilistic and non-probabilistic techniques. In probabilistic techniques, every member of the population has equal likelihood of being selected in the sample. Consequently, “this method guarantees that the selection process is completely randomised and without bias” (Bradley 2007, p.65).

One of the fundamental approaches of conducting a probability sampling is compiling the list of all identities of individuals, in a given population, in different papers followed by removing these papers one at a time until the desired sample size is obtained. Although, such an approach has the merit that the statistical method that would be adopted could end up being accurate for a study, in this research, it is found inappropriate.

This is because the university has a big population and hence compiling the lists of names of all students in every faculty would be time constraining. Additionally, the approach would exceed the available monetary resources available for conducting research. The alternative is to conduct a non-probability sampling.

In non-probabilistic sampling techniques, every member of the population has no equal opportunity or chance of being selected to comprise the sample utilised in the research. Stemming from this, Schwab (2009) argues, “it is not safe to assume that the sample fully represents the target population” (p.233).

Consequently, probability exists that people conducting research can deliberately make a choice of the members of the population that they want included in the sample. In the current research, these techniques are particularly significant since they are “usually employed in studies that are not interested in the parameters of the entire population” (Kotler & Armstrong 2007, p.34). They are also cheap, easy, and quick.

Consequently, they can fit well in the allocated financial resources since it can be funded within the limitations of the budget provided by the Deakin University. Precisely, convenient sampling is used in the current research (Black 1999, p.9). This decision is inspired by the fact that “if a researcher has plenty of time, funds, and workforce, he can opt to conduct the study using a completely randomised sample.

However, if the time, money, and workforce is limited, the research can opt to use convenience sampling” (Gauch 2003, p.12). Coincidentally, the current research happens to be constrained by time and financial resources. Although the work force may be recruited and readily available, financial resources available limit the number of people who can be recruited to conduct the research by deploying the total randomised approach.

The paper has established that the sampling technique that best suits this research is non-probabilistic and that the research will follow pragmatic methodology of research. Therefore, it becomes essential to determine the sample size required to obtain 0.95 confidence levels.

According to Black (1999), “0.95 confidence level is the industry standard” (p.99). Confidence level explains how precisely the sample size selected is a representation of the entire population. In this context, the sample size is selected such that the error margin is such that it is +/- 3 % at a 95% confidence level. For this level of confidence, the required sample size is 1000. Most important to note is that even though the sample size may be hiked to 2000, the resulting margin of error would decrease to 2%.

This means that doubling the human resource required in conducting the research would translate into a reduction in the margin of error to levels that are as acceptable as in the case of using 1000 as the sample size. On the other hand, reducing the confidence level to 0.90 implies that the sample size would reduce to 750. This is indeed a significant reduction in the level of confidence. Hence, the sample size of 1000 is a possible option.

Proposed budget

The following budget is proposed for the study

Potential managerial benefits of the proposed study

The proposed study presents a myriad of benefits to the Deakin University. These benefits include.

• The research provides an immense opportunity for Deakin University to develop market for its new brand. Consequently, the university would make a subtle decision for the incorporation of the word ‘worldly’ in every aspect of students’ affairs. This is crucial in case the research reveals that such an inclusion can induce the capacity of students to adopt a similar view of the enrichment of the university’s strategic plans that the word produces in the eyes of the management.
• The research results would facilitate Deakin University to profile services and products it produces with the existing and potential students needs. This is particularly significant since in any organisation, the management has a noble role to orient all its resources to meet the needs and demands of its service and products consumers, in this case being the students. Apparently, without the students, Deakin University would cease to exist.
• The results of the study would also be immensely vital in ensuring that the campaign to market Deakin’s new strategic plans to woe more enrolment advances more effectively. This is because “Research enables advertising to be tested during a campaigns development or prior to launch to ensure its effectiveness, and after launch to measure the success of the media used” (Kinnear & Root 1988, p.12). In this context, the university would save incurring costs of spending on campaigns that may turn out detrimental to its success. Therefore, the research proposal would facilitate testing of the new product ideas before full launch to the market.
• Conducting a market research on the capacity of the alteration of the brand of Deakin University is critical in enhancing and “providing objective explanation for success and failure of the market” (Kinnear & Root 1988, p.14). Deakin University aims at ensuring that it provides competitive products to market, which meets the demands of the existing technological sophistication. What this means is that the organisation also needs to paint a differing image that is in turn constructed in the minds of students whenever they see an advertisement running concerning the programs offered at the university. In a dynamic environment, it is desired that the potential student community see in its mind a dynamic institution, which changes its policies and programs to suit the emerging needs of the market. For the university to be satisfied that the new branding is capable of helping it to achieve this endeavour, it is necessary that the research be conducted on the existing students so that the results can be projected in the future.

References

Black, T 1999, Doing quantitative research in the social sciences: An integrated approach to research design, measurement, and statistics, SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA.

Bradley, N 2007, Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Castillo, J 2009, Research Population. Web.

Creswell, J 2008, Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research, Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Deakin University Australia Worldly 2012, Building On Our Success. Web.

Deakin University Australia Worldly 2012, What in the world is worldly? Web.

Eisner, W 1981, ‘On the Differences between Scientific and Artistic Approaches to Qualitative Research’, Educational Researcher, Vol.13 no.3, pp.5–9.

Freshwater, D, Sherwood, G & Drury, V 2006, ‘International research collaboration. Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network’, Journal of Research in marketing, vol.11 no.4, pp 295–303.

Gauch, G 2003, Scientific method in practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Kinnear, T & Root, A 1988, 1988 Survey of Marketing Research, American Marketing Association, Chicago.

Kotler, P & Armstrong, G 2007, Principles of Marketing, Pearson, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Rocco, S, Hatcher, T, & Creswell, J 2011, The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing, John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA.

Schwab, M 2009, ‘Sampling techniques’, Journal for Artistic Research, vol.2 no.1, pp 233-251.

The healthcare system in the U.S. is largely dependent on the number of health professionals available in public and private healthcare facilities across the country. Nurses are at the core of the healthcare system by virtue of their role in the doctor-patient relationship, and hence their availability is fundamental if the country is to uphold an effective, competent, and efficient healthcare system (Rickles, n.d.).

However, it has not been easy for many states to maintain the required number of nurses in their health facilities judging by the vastness of the healthcare sector and high level of specialization witnessed in the industry. This paper aims to use the article by Rickles et al (n.d.) titled ‘California Policy Options: Supplying California’s needs for Nurses’ to evaluate the labor market for nurses in California state.

Factors Influencing the Supply and Demand of Nurses

The demand and supply of nurses is influenced by a multiplicity of factors judging by their relative importance to the healthcare system. Indeed, analysts are of the opinion that the U.S. is not anywhere near satisfying the demand for more nurses, and a time when the supply of nurses will effectively deal with the demand can never be imagined as of yet (Rickles, n.d.).

California’s shortage of qualified nurses is among the most relentless in the U.S. as many of the state’s health institutions experience great difficulty in the process of recruiting and retaining qualified nursing personnel (Rickles et al, n.d.).

By 2005, California had an estimated 200,000 registered nurses, with credible projections suggesting that the state’s demand for registered nurses will stand at 300,000 by 2010 and 458,733 by 2030 (Rickles et al, n.d; Hausellberg, 2010).

The above scenario can be attributed to a variety of factors that influence the dynamics of supply and demand of the nurses in the state. On the demand side, it can be safely argued that the demand for nurses in California has sharply risen in the past and will continue to steadily grow in the future due to the population’s ever rising demand for healthcare (Rickles et al, n.d.).

The trend is that individuals residing in California are increasingly utilizing hospital facilities, with around 4 million patients being released from hospitals in 2003, a 7% increase from the figures recorded in 1998.

The total population of California has also expanded by at least 8% between 1998 and 2003, and is projected to continue expanding in the future. Still, California’s elderly population is increasing by the day, impacting heavily on the demand of nurses since the elderly requires more medical attention than any other age-category.

Other influences on the demand side include the reimbursement approaches employed by health insurance plans, federal regulations on nurse staffing ratios to meet the required nurse-to-patient ratios, aging of the Registered Nurse work force, natural attrition, and personal wealth (Rickles et al, n.d.).

Influences that determine the supply of nurses into health facilities based in California seems so much constrained to meet the ever rising demand. The supply of nurses in California is mainly influenced by the duration of the nursing educational program, new graduates, input of retired nurses who may wish to return to active employment, external recruitment of nurses from other states, licensing requirements for new nurses, and sourcing of nurses from other countries (Rickles et al, n.d.).

Supply of nurses is also determined by the number of students nurturing an ambition or interest to train in nursing. Rickles et al (n.d.) posits that “…for the first part of the 20^th century, licensed nursing was one of a few occupations widely open to women…As career opportunities expanded for women in the second half of that century, however, nursing had to compete with other attractive professions for new entrants” (p. 105).

It is therefore prudent to argue that the enhanced labor market prospects for women have worked to diminish the supply of nurses. Lastly, the supply of nurses in California has been given a lifeline owing to the relaxation of some U.S. immigration regulations.

How Nurses Pay is Determined and Structured

The pay for nurses must be determined based on the local labor situation and the forces of supply and demand (Clanton, 2009). When a health facility faces a shortage of nurses as it is the case in California, the net effect on the market equilibrium in competitive market situations would be an increase in nurses’ pay.

Other factors that may influence the market equilibrium and hence determine the nurses pay include costs of living prevailing in the state, consumer price index (CPI), and fluctuations in the purchasing power of the American dollar (Rickles et al n.d.).

Furthermore, federal regulations such as the nurse-to-patient ratios are likely to increase the nurses’ pay as states fight to attract more nurses to keep up with the set legislations. Lastly, the professional bodies representing the nurses may play a fundamental role in determining their pay.

The pay structure for nurses in the state is determined by a number of factors, namely the level of education and experience, position in the labor force, duration of service, level of specialty, nationality, and station of duty (Rickles, n.d.).

Towards Increasing the Supply of Nurses

The concerned stakeholders need to offer more monetary and non-monetary incentives to attract more nurses and trigger more students to enroll in nursing schools. The federal government of California should step in to guide the labor market for nurses by offering more funds to schools for training purposes aimed at boosting supply. To further enhance supply, the central and federal governments should further relax immigration restrictions for qualified nurses from other countries to join the labor market (Rickles, n.d.).

The retired nurses who have the capacity to continue in the service should be encouraged to apply through offering incentives such as bonuses and flexible working hours. Lastly, the government should chip in and assist the health facilities meet the escalating labor costs associated with enhancing the nurse-to patient ratio as per the regulations put in place (Clanton, 2009)

Reference List

Clanton, S. (2009). Nursing: Labor Market Research. Web.

Rickles, J., Ong, P.M., & Spetz, J. (n.d.). California policy options. Supplying California’s needs for Nurses. Web.

Hausellberg, W. (2010). Registered nurses in California looking at a glowing demand. Web.

Brand History

In the year 1984, Thomas Sabo started his business of jewelry in Germany. He is a self made person. His brand became well known all over Europe and Untied States in the early years of his business. Today the Charm Collection of Thomas Sabo is popular in the whole wide world. He established his first jewelry company in the historical area of Bavaria.

The brand is famous for excellent quality of style and design and for the amazing quality in the silver jewelry. Thomas Sabo also has a keen interest in music and rock and roll, so it also reflected in the designs of his products in the fairly time of all the years (Thompson, 2010).

There was a time when an unwritten law was passed about the silver jewelry and the fair trade of the jewelry was announced, so the retailer’s demand of jewelry went high, it was the specific time when Thomas Sabo had an idea of introducing silver ornaments and started the trademark of his own.

At that time, the purchasers had to tackle only with the brand names and it was bought through the structure of trade fairs (Thomas Sabo, 2010). In the early 1990’s, he hired a designer named Susanne Kolbli who became the creative director of the company. With the help of team work and cooperation they were able to attract the customers and make the brand significantly successful. They both struggled exceptionally hard and through a constant support they created a brand having a unique look.

They emphasized upon every detail of the silver jewelry, showed an incredible consideration on the materials and had a great sense of fashion and design that helped to create a totally new segment in the jewelry market that is highly appraised by the customers. Today its Charm Club Collection which is well known throughout the world was also originated by Susanne Kolbli (Thompson, 2010).

As the brand achieved a massive success, so at the ending of the year 1990 the company became certain to open its own retail outlets. Exclusive and fashionable stores were built all over the United States, Asia, Europe and America. Due to the speedy success they also set sales agencies in different countries.

Thomas Sabo became a well developed globally recognized brand and came out from the world of enigmatic guard of fashion insiders. Fashion is introducing more and more diverse trends and so it is bringing more opportunities to Thomas Sabo brand to provide new and amazing collections (Thompson, 2010).

Target Customers

Thomas Sabo jewelry is not prominent among the females of all ages but also becoming well known among men. Every person likes to look attractive with the striking rings, earrings, bracelets and other ornaments and for this Thomas Sabo is a leading brand (Reynolds, 2010). Its potential customers range from 35 to 55 of age although its jewelry is worn by people of any age groups.

It is extremely beneficial to analyze the social and cultural factors in selecting the target market. Thomas Sabo has carried a detailed research and selected appropriate locations for his outlets and shop-in-shop fixtures. It has used exceptional window displays to create a center of attention for the customers.

For instance recently, its Summer Spring campaign shows an outer space ground where robots and flying saucers have been displayed which helps to attract the female shoppers who like adorable, delicate items (Fashion Jewelry, 2008). Thomas Sabo also make small teddy bears, little high heels and lady birds etc as multipurpose charms that create an urge into the customers especially girls, they even collect them and keep them as little treasures (Fashion Jewelry, 2008).

Brand Strategies

Thomas Sabo offers a unique collection to every individual. The sterling silver collection of Thomas Sabo brand presents a wide variety of products ranging from rings, necklaces to bracelets and brooches. The company has named its silver ornaments as Charm Club Collection.

The charmed bracelets are becoming immensely famous among the users and are available in 450 varieties. These charms are attractive, and in addition people have a belief that the use of these charms helps to bring love, victory and romance in the lives. They are designed according to the needs of the customers. Troll beads are also another collection of Thomas Sabo. Various designs and patterns have been engraved on these beads and built a feeling of fashion icon in to the users all around the world (Reynolds, 2010).

Initially it was decided by Sabo that he is not going to sell the word jewelry he had a firm belief of building a brand. He even used the phrase fashion accessory rather than using the term jewelry, and this brand strategy is highly flourishing now. Today it is generating almost twenty five million Euros in the international sales. The marketing director of Thomas Sabo said, “From the beginning, it was clear that we were selling a brand name, not a product.

We realized jewelry was a difficult category in travel retail. Our idea is to make the category simple for our retailers and attractive to our customers. We have created a concept in visual merchandising that appeals to the consumer, where they can find a huge variety of items of very high quality, attractive in their designs, colors and shapes.

Our customer is a contemporary woman looking for a fashionable accessory, not just jewelry.” (Thomas Sabo, 2006) The brand strategy is maintained by tough advertising promotions and strong public relations. The company has also established a self service concept which is highly accepted by the retail market and consumers (Thomas Sabo, 2006).

Thomas Sabo has also adopted another strategy of providing a facility to create your own jewelry ornament. Every person can make her own fashion statement by creating their own design. There are 500 varieties available and the customers pick their choice of jewelry from these wide options to create their unique design. The self made jewelry presented by Thomas Sabo brand helps to make the person’s occasion memorable and extraordinary.

Furthermore, Barbie and Disney themes are also well-liked by the novel users. These ornaments help the person to introduce their own fashion apart from exhibiting their personality. All the users of Thomas Sabo are totally satisfied by the products. It has become a universal designer brand and is well ahead in the market providing exciting collection to everyone (Reynolds, 2010).

Brand Positioning

Thomas Sabo has made the brand look fascinating and accessible. Its every piece of ornament depicts elegance, attraction and mythical preference. It is now ranked as the best provider of sterling silver jewelry throughout the globe (Thomas Sabo, 2006).

Micro Environmental Factors

Competitors

Today Thomas Sabo has to face challenges as a number of replicas and fakes have become popular in the jewelry market. More and more offshore competitors are using their talent and resources and offering elaborated equally gorgeous and professionally engraved gothic silver ornaments to the rock n roll lovers and bikers at reasonable and affordable prices compared to the branded items.

These alternatives have provided feasibility and access to gothic fans. These competitors are diverting the attention of Thomas Sabo consumers, and fans and they are illumining the realty of trade marks (Thomas Sabo Charm, 2010).

The branded products are always expensive and it charges a premium price and every customer is not able to pay for it. So mostly they switch to its alternatives that are affordable and cheaper, but designer’s label jewelry is always rare and unique. However, the consumers should always know the status of the jewelry they are paying for as the fakes and replicas are similar but not up to the mark.

Thomas Sabo brand’s competitors vary from good quality substitutes and nearest replicas produced by real jewelers to wholesale manufacturers who are producing products in mass collection and using base metals (Thomas Sabo Charm, 2010).

Suppliers

There are a number of suppliers that are dealing with Thomas Sabo. These include Deborah. A Thomas, Thomas Limited, Jie Yang City Hong Kong Limited, Sarita Thomas, and Thomas Wolf Enterprises they are selling the items on Internet (Bossgoo, 2010).

Macro Environmental Factors

As the prices of gold is increasing every day so most of the costumers are shifting to silver jewelry, and as Thomas Sabo is selling their products in silver so that’s a plus point for the company, but if we consider the jewelry it is also facing a number of challenges based political, social and environmental factors. There are three main activities that are carried out in the manufacturing of jewelry and that are mining then polishing the product and then retailing. The jewelry industry has undergone various factors such as an abrupt rise in the prices of raw materials, the new and unique demands of the public and obligation of many rules and regulations announced by the government (Fashion Products, 2010). Various social and economic factors are helping to transform the fashion jewelry industry, but there are also some factors that are holding back and creating barriers in developing the fashionable jewelry. These factors include:

• There is a shortage of providing supplies of raw materials. The drastic increase of prices of raw materials has made a significant competition among the regions that carrying polishing process. Due to the shortage of polished semi precious stones the prices of finished jewelry is increasing which is affecting the entire jewelry industry.
• The change in fashion trends is also a crucial factor that Thomas Sabo and other leading jewelers should always consider. As the users are becoming highly aware of the upcoming, and new trends so their demands are also changing which are sometimes hard to cope.
• The retail sector is also been affected as there is a lot of substitutes introduced in the markets such as bead jewelry, leather jewelry and other various types of materials and metals are being used that are diversifying the consumers interest (Fashion Products, 2010).

Long term Strategies

Thomas Sabo is planning to open new stores in Melbourne and Brisbane, but there is no exact time frame as it is particularly beneficial for them to first evaluate and analyze the premium location of the stores according to the consumers demand.

According to Edward Thomas Sabo manager “No other stores planned at this stage and explained that the limited number of openings was part of a strategy to maintain the exclusive nature of Thomas Sabo. Further stores would only be considered on a strictly limited period by case basis” (Jeweller Magazine, 2010).

Ansoff Matrix

Ansoff matrix also known as market matrix helps to identify the sets of growth strategies of the company to increase the market share. There are four main factors; market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. If we consider the Thomas Sabo brand it is planning to penetrate in the jewelry market by providing strong advertising and media campaigns and driving out its competitors by providing innovative products.

It is also increasing its market value by introducing new segments. For instance, its upcoming variety of Spring and Summer campaigns would attract the female shoppers who like cute and admiring products (Fashion Jewelry, 2008). It also carried out a beer festival party in year 2010 in Munich and its theme was known as “Hunting for Love”.

Company’s basic motto was to introduce their upcoming jewelry of sterling silver collection. This party was a massive hit. The guests were presented with little souvenirs which were Charm surprises especially the female guests were highly delighted, and Thomas Sabo brand got a positive feedback (Thomas Sabo, 2010).

The company is also planning to diversify their brand and is building new outlets in various countries its latest strategy is to introduce their products in Japan and for that the research, and development are carrying out various analyses to collect the primary and secondary data.

References

Bossgoo. (2010). Thomas Sabo suppliers. Bossgoo. Web.

Fashion Jewelry. (2008). Tremendous ways to hype your brand. Fashion Jewelry Accessories. Web.

Fashion Products. (2010). Fashion Accessories Overview. Fashion Products. Web.

Jeweller Magazine. (2010). Thomas Sabo’s new store a hit. Jeweller Magazine.

Reynolds, J. (2010). Some Great Jewelry Collections From Thomas Sabo & Trollbeads. Retrieved from Finance Business Articles. Web.

Thomas Sabo Charm. (2010). Thomas Sbo and its Illustrious Founder. Retrieved from Thomas-Sabo-Charm. Web.

Thomas Sabo. (2010). History. Retrieved from Thomas Sabo. Web.

Thomas Sabo. (2010). THOMAS SABO “HUNTING FOR LOVE” BEER FESTIVAL PARTY 2010. Thomas Sabo. Web.

Thomas Sabo. (2006). Thomas Sabo meteor dazzles as sales go into orbit. Moodie Report. Web.

Thompson, D. K. (2010). Thomas Sabo – History. Web.