MKTG 322 Team Project Step 2 Exploratory Research PDF

Team Project Step 2 =================== Exploratory Research ==================== Weighting: 20% -------------- Purpose: -------- The purpose of this assignment is to investigate your particular company and research problem using an Exploratory research approach. We use Exploratory research when...

Team Project Step 2 =================== Exploratory Research ==================== Weighting: 20% -------------- Purpose: -------- The purpose of this assignment is to investigate your particular company and research problem using an Exploratory research approach. We use Exploratory research when we do not know a lot about the topic. It can help to clarify the research problem and objectives we are investigating. Exploratory research is often carried out with qualitative research tools. We will be focusing on using Secondary Data Research and either Focus Groups or In-Depth Interviews as specific techniques of learning more about the research problem. Instructions: ------------- This team assignment is composed of two major sections. Your responses to each question should be sufficiently detailed. Please answer each question individually and as completely as possible. - The assignment should be 10 -- 14 pages (longer is fine); **this will include your final version** **of Step 1** - Use Times New Roman or Arial font (1.5 spaced) - See course schedule for due date - Value: 70 points (20% of your final mark) - Please submit using the assignment tool in D2L ***\ *** Section 1 -- Secondary Data Research ------------------------------------ Secondary Data is data that someone else has collected. Some of the benefits of using secondary data: it is cheaper than collecting Primary data, and it is often readily available through the plethora of online sources we have access to today. Some of the disadvantages, it may be dated and no longer relevant, it may not exactly match our research needs (e.g. it won't address our research objectives) or the units may not match. Investigating Secondary data is often our starting point when approaching and refining our research. Secondary Research will help you develop your questions for Section 2 of the assignment -- In-Depth Interviews or Focus Groups. Using some of the techniques and resources that you have been introduced to (including the Library resources -- physical or electronic), compile a profile of your company, including background information that you believe is relevant to the research you are looking at. If relevant, you should include the following topics: - Company Mission and Vision -- these may be provided explicitly, or implied through 'Guiding Principles", "Company Values", etc. You may derive a mission or purpose from the information available. - Company background -- it's history, it's purpose, - Industry background. - Competition -- Who are the company's key competitors; what position do they hold in the marketplace in comparison to their competitors. - Economic implications -- How are the current economic conditions affecting the company. Is this part of the problem or opportunity? - Other environmental factors (Regulatory, Social, Technology, Demographics) that you believe are important. Your Secondary Data Research section should be 4 -- 5 pages minimum. You should have ***[at least]*** 10 different excellent sources of data. These **MUST** be correctly cited (in text) and with a correctly APA formatted set of references. Use the APA Reference guide that has been provided for you. You will be marked on the quality, diversity and credibility of your sources as well as the format of your References. Your paper will automatically be processed through TurnitIn. Section 2 -- Planning and Running a Focus Group OR Conducting In-Depth Interviews --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second section of this assignment is to give you some actual experience with exploratory research -- either organizing and running a focus group or conducting a series of One-on-one In Depth interviews. If you would like to conduct a focus group, you can either organize one yourself or there is the option of convening our class as a focus group. ### Planning - Decide if it is most appropriate to achieving your research objectives to conduct a Focus Group session or In-Depth Interviews. - If you choose a focus group you will need to invite and confirm 5 -- 10 people. The session should last a minimum of 20 minutes. Longer is fine as well. - If you choose In-Depth Interviews, you will be required to interview 3 -- 5 people. Each interview should be planned for approximately 30-40 minutes. Longer is fine. - When thinking about participants, it is helpful if they have an interest or know something about your research area or company; e.g. if you are exploring new markets for a landscaping company, it would be helpful to have participants (Focus Group or Interviews) that may have hired a landscaping company in the past, have thought about it, or at least have some opinions on the topic. You are free to recruit from friends, family, classmates, etc. You can conduct these in person, if current learning environment and health restrictions allow. You can also use MS Teams and your instructor can set up a specific channel for you. Or if you have access to Zoom, you can use that tool. Telephone interviews are also fine. - Whether you are conducting a focus group or interviews, you will create a **Question Guide.** This Guide is intended to help the Focus Group Leader to keep the conversation going, or to ensure the interviewer knows the questions to ask. I would suggest coming up with 5 very open questions that are related to different aspects of your research problem and objectives. You will need to prepare additional questions (say 4 or 5) in case you come up to a bit of a dead end with your group or interviewee. - Remember you are exploring the topic. You have a good idea of what the research problem is, so you will use the exploratory research to confirm or disprove your idea of a problem or an opportunity. - If you are working in a group, decide who is going to lead the session (can be co-led) - Decide who will take notes (can be multiple members). - Plan how long you will leave for each question. - Figure out how you will prompt further discussion - Compose a Letter of Informed Consent and if possible send it ahead of time to all participants to review. They will need to sign the letter or verbally agree (and have it recorded) to the conditions at the start of the actual session. Your instructor will provide a template for you. This is an important part of doing your research within ethical guidelines. ### Focus Group Outline & Question Guide / In Depth Interview Outline & Question Guide Create an outline in the form of a script, so that you know exactly what you/the moderator will say in the introduction. **Suggested Format:** - **Introduction** - Introductions of research team - Include the purpose of the research - Review the Letter of Informed Consent - Emphasize confidentiality of the data collected, stored securely, planned deletion dates - Ask for permission to record the session - Thank them for their participation and ask if they have any questions - **Warm up** - For a Focus Group, you may choose to have an ice breaker to help set the tone and ensure your participants are comfortable - For in depth interviews, you may choose to ask some basic, non-threatening questions (demographics are often good questions to ask at this stage) - **Questions** - Outline 4-5 broad questions to ask about your topic. - Start with the most general questions - Get increasingly more specific with your questions - Have 4 or 5 additional questions in case you move through them very quickly. - **Summary and Wrap up** - Once you have asked your questions, summarize again for your participants what will happen next - actions such as data security and protection, what happens with the data, or your research, etc. - Thank them again for their participation. ### Conducting Focus Group or In-Depth Interviews - Use your prepared script (created in the last section) - Start with your introduction -- purpose of the research, what you would like to get out of it, thank them for their participation. - Ask for permission to record. I would suggest recording the session, as it may be difficult to capture all of the discussion. Ensure that each participant is aware of this (MS Teams will automatically notify them, but it's a good idea to emphasize the point). - Ensure they have seen the Letter of Informed Consent (have a copy with you) and obtain their verbal agreement to it. - Begin by introducing the topic and what you are trying to accomplish. You might also want to indicate how long you think it will take. Introduce yourself and the rest of the group (if you are working in a group). - For Focus Groups: Encourage everyone to answer questions -- ask for other opinions. Some people always like to contribute, others are more reticent. Try to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute. Remember the more diverse opinions/answers you get, the richer will be your data. Section 3 -- Summarizing your Findings -------------------------------------- You will take the qualitative data that you have obtained from your Interviews or Focus Group session and summarize it. You may do this using several methods. As a preliminary summary, you can transcribe the session and then input that text into a Word Cloud. Summarize the key points that came out of the Focus Group in a one page summary. Submission of Step 1 and 2 -------------------------- Your paper will include your final version of Step 1 and Step 2 - **Title page** (assignment name, company name, group member names, section). - **Step 1 -- This should be updated with feedback on the draft submission of Step 1** - **Introduction** - **Company Description** - **Symptoms** - **Research Problem** - **Research Objectives** - **Identification and discussion of data required to address research objectives.** - **Step 2** - **Secondary Data Research** section including all requirements for Section 1 of the assignment. - **Description of the Focus Group or In Depth Interview sessions --** e.g. date, time it was held, number of participants, observers, etc. - **Summary of the findings** -- this can include the word cloud if you produced one. Then a written summary of the findings for each question, and then an overall summary of what you have distilled from the session. - **Conclusions** - You may have reason to adjust your research problem and your research objectives based on the data you collected in your Focus Groups or In Depth Interviews. If this is the case, then explain that. Or if you have not changed them, confirm them and explain why the focus group has led you to believe you are on the right track. - **References** -- in APA format. - **Appendices** - **A copy of the Question Guide** Individual Focus Group or In-Depth Interview Reflection ------------------------------------------------------- In addition, all students are required to complete the Interview or Focus Group Reflection. The assignment document is found in D2L under "Activities". You will, individually complete the reflection and upload it separately in D2L. This reflection is a part of your Activities and Participation mark. ### Marking Rubric The marking rubric for this assignment is associated with the assignment in D2L. You are encouraged to review the rubric prior to starting the assignment so you are clear on the expectations of the assignment.