Market research process

Hi all

We started to cover the market research process in the last session.  This is probably one of the most vital chapters in the manual as a lot of the information in this chapter will be expanded on later on in the module.  According to the manual there are:

1. Define the research problem
2. Estimate the value of the information to be provided by theresearch
3. Select the data collection method(s)
4. Select the measurement technique
5. Select the sample
6. Select the analytical approach
7. Evaluate the ethics of the research
8. Specify the time and financial cost
9. Prepare the research proposal

The first stage-defining the problem is the most critical stage of the

market research process.  it is essential that the actual problem is

identified and not just the symptoms of the problem  The next stage

is to identify the amount of money that will be required to conduct

the research.  This should include the costs of 

secondary information, the cost of designing questionnaires,

conducting focus groups and one to one interviews, cost of

analysing the data etc.

The third phase will look at the data collection methods available to

the company.  If the company is  choosing to use secondary

data methods it is essential that they can trust the source of

information and how it was inputted etc.  The primary data

collection methods are mainly,  surveys, interviews/focus

groups, observation and experiments.  In some cases the company

will use a combination of methods to gather as much information as

possible. 

If the researcher is going to use primary data then the next steps are

critical.  The next step will look at how you plan to measure peoples

attitudes, opinions and  values especially when

conducting primary research.  Once this is determined the

researcher has to decide on their sample. A  sample can be drawn from  for example,

the company's database, by buying a database or from a telephone   directory. Once

the sample has been determined then  the researcher will conduct the research and

then have to analyse the results.  Ethical issues will need to be

taken  into consideration before releasing the results of the survey/focus group etc. 

Finally the research will be printed and presented to management for review.

Business Administration-Classical Theories (Cont)

This blog is a continuation of the blog from last week.  This week we will look at the theory Bureaucracy and the Human Relations Approach.  The theory of Bureaucracy was developed by Max Weber. 


Bureaucracy




Bureaucracy is mainly where organisations develop excessive rules which in some cases end up delaying the processing of information or the delivery of goods or services to the customer/client.  What are the characteristics of bureaucracy?

With Scientific Management, the focus was on production and
efficiency. Bureaucracy is the emphasis on the process rather
than the person.  


The organisation is deemed to be very hierarchical in nature. Tasks are allocated as official duties to
employees.   Employment is by way of educational qualifications (i.e. certificate, diploma etc) and there is a
tendency to stay with the organisation for the duration of your working life.  Employees are not encouraged
to get to know their clients/customers as is the practice in the majority of profit making organisations.
Employees use a set of rules and regulations to ensure that the same decision is reached no matter who deals
with the client or customer.

As with any other theory there are criticisms associated with bureaucracy.  The one major criticism of
bureaucracy is that employees become dependent on rules and regulations so over  a period of time
initiative may be stifled.

Human Relations Approach

Elton Mayo was the main theorist behind the human relations Human relations theory identified that
employees worker hardest approach.  For the first time there was a focus on the employee

rather than on production or the organisation itself.  Mayo conducted a number of experiments which
were as follows:

1.       The Illumination experiments

2.       The relay assembly test room

3.       The interviewing programme

4.       The bank wiring observation room


Elton Mayo discouvered that employees worker hardest when they were been monitored by
their supervisors.  For the first time the concept of employee groups was investigated in detail.
Mayo focused on norms within groups and the impact ofnorms on production in the workplace

E-Business

Hi all


This is the first blog for your E-business module.   The following is just an outline for the module.


Module outline for E-Business Students

• The Evolution of E-Business

• Technology Infrastructure for E-business

• Web based systems

• The major types of e-commerce and e-commerce business models

• Implementation

• E-Business Concepts

As well as this blog there is also a facebook page which will have additional links to more information.  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Online-Lecture-Room/146680602089510

Yesterday we covered the history of the internet.  While it will not be examined in your final exam it is important to understand how the internet has evolved during the last five decades.  

The aim for the next session is to create a blog.  We will also be looking at the future of EC and how to classify EC.

Market Research-An outline of the module

The aim of this module is to understand the importance of market research for a company no matter what industry they operate in.  There are a number of text books that focus on market research-the one that I would highly recommend is Market Research in Ireland by Domegan and Fleming.  It is an easy to read textbook with some Irish case studies included.  As we go through the module I will be referring to some of the modules in the textbook. 

The course will begin by analysing the role and development of market research. The next stage is to discuss in detail the stages involved in the market research processs.  In essence this will cover the majority of elements in the course.  This is also an important part of the module as it often appears as an exam question.  As part of the market research process we have to identify why companies need information and where to obtain it.  If companies cannot obtain the information that they require (for whatever reason) they can undertake what we refer to as primary research and this can take many forms such as surveys, observation and experiments.  There is also the issue of measurement and attitude scales which are commonly used in questionnaires. or surveys.  There are a number of different scales that can be used to gauge the attitudes of a respondent. 

If a company is to undertake primary research there is the issue of who to include in a survey, observation or an experiment.  This is referred to as sampling.  Again this is another significant part of the module due to the fact that if the wrong sample is chosen the information that is gathered may be of no use to the company. 

The final part of the course will focus on a number of issues including international market research, industrial market research and of course ethical concerns concering market research.

Business Administration-An Introduction

The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the principles of business administration and marketing.   Over the next twelve weeks or so the focus will be on understanding the various elements associated with business administration. 

 

Understanding Business Administration
Often there is confusion over the difference between management and business administration.  Business administration requires not only an understanding of the principles of management such as planning, organising, controlling, commanding and motivating but also an understanding of the functional aspects of a company (such as production, informatoin technology, marketing, purchasing and finance). 

 

We are all familar with the term management but are we aware of the theories associated with management?  So this is the first step-understanding the history of management.  There are four main stages in the evolution of management thought.

 

Firstly there are the early influences on management mainly the Roman and Egyptian influences which mainly focused on construction and the ability to manage, what we refer today as large scale projects. For these projects to be successful it is necessary that managers are able to plan, organise, command and control all elements involved in building these pyramids.

 

 

 

The second stage was the industrial revolution. 

 

During this era there was a focus on productivity and economies of scale(the more a manufacturer produced the cheaper it should be for the manufacturer to produce the item).  The focus was now on efficiency and how to save on costs such as labour and waste. 

 

This leads on to the the third stage of management development.  At this stage a number of theories were devised to try and understand the practice of management in an organisation.  There are four main theories associated with classical management.  These are:

• Scientific Management 
• Administrative Management 
• Bureaucracy
• Hawthorne Experiments

 
Scientific Management



Frederick Taylor devised the theory of scientific management and was later referred to as the Father of Scientific Management .  During his observations in the workplace he identified the term 'soldiering' (employees working slower than they should).  Taylor's theory focused on how to improve productivity in the workplace. The following are some of the key principles of Scientific Management. 

• Scientific selection-a system was devised to ensure that people were selected for particular jobs in an organisation.  Workers were also trained to carry out particular tasks in an organisation.  The idea then was when the workers was trained they would become an expert in their jobs and therefore, employees could produce more which in turn meant that the company would benefit from an increase in production output.
• The best way of performing each task in an organisation.  This is where each task is broken down, each stage involved in the task is documented and timed.  The idea here was to identify the more efficient way of carrying out each task in the organisation no matter how complex or simple that task is.
• Workers and managers-There should be a clear division between workers and managers.  Therefore, management should allocate tasks to workers; ensure that tasks are carried out on time and with minimal waste.  The workers job was complete each task.  Workers were rarely consulted workers were often deemed ignorant and uneducated.

Taylor also devised the 'piece rate' system where workers were paid per item they produced.  There was the idea that employees were only motivated by money-therefore if you rewarded them for producing more this would motivate them to work harder and ensure that they would stay with the company. 

So what are the main benefits or advantages of Taylor's Scientific Management Theory?

1. Task times were greatly reduced, therefore increasing efficiency and productivity in an organisation
2. For the first time tasks were broken down into a step by step process where each step was clearly identified and timed.
3. Employees were paid by results-i.e. the more they produced the more they got paid. 

What are the main criticisms of the theory

1. There were also questions in relation to whether money truly motivated employees in the long term?
2. Because employees were producing more this led to organisations needing less workers and during this period there were large scale redundancies in some manufacturing organisations. 
3. Workers were trained to do the same task over and over again.  This led to employees becoming bored and detached in the workplace

Administrative Management

Henri Fayol was responsible for devising the theory of administrative management. Unlike Taylor's theory-the focus of this theory was not on the worker but on the total company.   He also devised the five key principles of management which were known as the POCCC (Planning, organising, control, commanding and co-ordinating.

Fayol was responsible for grouping business activities into the following categories

• technical
• commercial
• financial
• security
• accounting
• managerial

The next blog will deal with the remaining classical theories: bureaucratic management and the human relations approach. 

Books to Read!

Here are some books that may be of some interest.  These are available from most good bookshops and from websites such as Amazon.co.uk and Play.com.

Business Administration and Management

Modern Management (Morley, Tiernan and Foley)

Modern Business Administration (Appleby)



Marketing Books

Foundations of Marekting (Jobber and Fahy, 2009)




Marketing an Introduction (Armstrong and Kotler, 2010)




Marketing: An Introduction for Students in Ireland (Rogan, 2011)



Not on the label (Lawrence)




Shopped  (Blythman)


Tescopoly (Simms)




Purple Cow (Seth Godin)




Permission Marketing-Turning strangers into friends and friends into customers (Seth Godin)


No Logo (Naomi Klein)







Market Research

Market Research in Ireland (Domegan and Fleming)


Basic Marketing Research (Malhorta, 2011)



E-Business Development


(Turban, 2010)


E-Business and E-Commerce Management (Chaffey, 2009)