Health and fitness have become increasingly important issues
in the twenty-first century. With concerns about rising obesity levels and a
greater understanding of the importance of good nutrition, consumers have been
demanding healthier food options from their out-of-home dining choices.
Responding to the market – assignment overview
A local fast-food restaurant has recently been put into
receivership and the receivers want to collect more information about the
operating environment of this business ultimately to determine if it has a
viable future or not. To do this they want to know the answers to 3 main questions.
They have decided to tender a contract for a research company to get these
answers and as luck would have it you have just started your own research
company.
Food Receivers Inc, has put out a tender for research
companies to provide answers to ONE of the following questions. Food Receiver’s
Inc is very clear that it wants a different research company for each question
so your bid only needs to address one of these questions.
1. What are the current attitudes and values of the general
population toward the consumption of fast food and how can this be used to
identify any opportunities or gaps in the market that this business could
exploit?
OR
2. What are the issues related to quality productivity and
professionalism amongst employees in this industry given the high reliance on
casual and part-time workers who are often teenagers and who do not see these
jobs as careers?
OR
3. How does the local community feel about this business,
given that the previous owners have left people without jobs and suppliers
unpaid for services? What do people think in terms of the social responsibility
of this company and will it have any negative impact on the company for future
trading business models.
The Assignment Task
You are required to pick ONE of these questions to focus on
for your assignment. You are to write a bid to conduct a program of research
for Food Receiver’s Inc. to uncover the answers to one of these questions. In
your bid you need to outline the research design you would recommend and what data
collection and statistical tests, if any, should be used to answer the question
and you need to defend your recommendations with appropriate theory.
When research companies bid for work in these cases they
expect their proposals to be compared to other organizations. You need to
therefore consider this in the way you present the information in your
proposal, in the language you use and in ensuring that all recommendations are
well supported and defended. Remember that Food Receiver’s Inc is looking for this
information to determine whether and under what business models, the business
should continue. So your research proposals need to consider the managerial
decisions that are going to be made with this information.
Assignment Structure
Your report should include the following elements:
1. A brief introduction identifying the question you have
focused on and the background for your bid (keep this short and to the point).
2. A short literature review or summary of secondary data
from existing sources that relates to your research question (approximately 500
words) for example if you are exploring people’s fast food eating preferences
then you might explore what is already known about the changes in food
preferences, food values and society’s reaction to fast food. By contrast if
you were exploring consumer sentiment about social responsibility you would
investigate what currently we know about this issue. This literature review is
specifically designed to provide background information on the issue (what we
already know so that you can build on this knowledge); what previous research
has been done in this area (what techniques and tools were used that you might
also use); and what remains still unknown (the focus of this research). You
should look to build on the research designs previously used in any existing
studies;
3. A statement of the research question(s) and objectives
for this piece of research – what is it you intend this research program to
achieve and what questions it will address – keep this focused and brief;
4. A recommended research design and methodology justified
and supported with appropriate theory (from the applied business research
literature) and evidence that will best address the research question and
provide answers to the receivers. This includes discussion about whether you
are recommending a qualitative or quantitative approach (and why – justified
and supported with theory), and within this what specific methods you are
recommending (from the list of possible options) and why;
5. Recommendations about the most appropriate sample unit
and sampling methodology (also with justification) to match the design you are
recommending and in this discussion show you have identified issues related to
the research ethics of this proposed research and how you will address these;
6. A discussion of the data (questions) that would need to
be collected – being as specific as possible and showing evidence of an
understanding of the form and level of data required to answer the research
questions and how these ultimately will allow you to address the overarching
research objective or question;
7. A discussion of the type and level of analysis that
should be conducted with this data to address the research questions (supported
with theoretical justification); and
8. A discussion about the validity and reliability elements
of your proposed research plan and any limitations of the research that should
be considered by the Food Receivers Inc board when viewing your findings and
suggestions.
9. Finally, a summary statement about how this design will
address the issue that Food Receivers Inc is interested in exploring and will
provide the answers to their questions – about one or two paragraphs at most.
You DO NOT have to collect data, actually design a
questionnaire or conduct any primary research for this assignment.
Format of the Assignment
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