BUSN4100 Business Management Research Methods - Free Samples

On the other hand, Gast, et al. (2014) stated that social networks could support an organization in reaching out to a huge amount of customers for enhancing their profitability and sale in least time. There are two variables such as independent variable and dependent variable. In this, the independent variable is social network while the dependent factors are sale of products and number of consumers.

According to Bauer (2014), social networks are a web-based service that could allow an organization to share their views and opinions among a large number of consumers. In addition, it is also found that social networks allow a company to build an effective relationship with their targeted consumers in limited time. Moreover, it is also addressed that social networks could be imperative for the organization as it would facilitate to evaluate the needs of consumers and satisfy them in less time and cast. 

Identify the social networks used by Iceland UK

In the current period, Iceland uses many social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to promote their product and services and make their unique image in the marketplace. In addition, it is also evaluated that this organization should use other social networks such as sanpchat, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, and Pinterest for interacting with people to enhance their awareness in the market.

To analyze the advantages of social networks practices in the organization

As per the view of Billig et al. (2014) social media marketing is described as the activity that an organization performs in order to promote their products and services in the marketplace. There are certain techniques that are entailed by the company in the process of social media marketing like social networks, blogs, online communities, and other forms of media marketing. The social network offers opportunities to company to gain their market through limited cost and time by reaching out to a large number of consumers. As a result, the company will be able to introduce their market at international boundaries. There are certain social networking platforms that could be used by Iceland to enhance awareness regarding their products and services among a huge amount of consumers. These platforms are Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. The primary purpose of the social network is to increase interaction and brand awareness of any brand with their potential consumers about the business.               

In contrast to this, Churcher (2014) stated that social media marketing could offer visibility and awareness for any brand that could be significant in changing potential consumers into loyal consumers. It can also be stated that organizations could develop a social marketing campaign to enhance product and service awareness in the marketplace. It is also examined that company could use social networking in their business as it could be crucial to improving their sales growth in the targeted time frame.

Supporting the same, Fuchs (2014) examined that online communication could support THE company to enhance interaction with customers for gaining competitive benefit. Moreover, it is also analyzed that social networking will support Iceland food retail to deliver their services to a large number of consumers in minimum time. As a result, it could help to cover a large number of consumers and retain existing consumers for a longer term. In addition, it is also found that social networks could help to create a link by which company could be capable to understand actual needs and requirements of consumers and make changes accordingly. Moreover, social network platforms could provide awareness to the community without the need for a face to face communications. A social network is a place where an organization connects with a large number of consumers.

To examine the disadvantages of social networks practising in the organization  

In the view of Fuchs (2017) social networks could decline face to face communication. Company is used social networks to promote their products and services rather than face to face communication. But at the same time, it is analyzed that face to face communication is important in real word in order to make a favorable relationship with consumers.   

In the view of Gao et al. (2011), social networking could increase probabilities of robbery and untrustworthy activities in an organization, which could decline growth of the firm. Moreover, it is also found that social network could be time-consuming as compared to other sources because there is a prerequisite to update facts and figures of business on a daily basis. It could also take more efforts to update these frequently. Such efforts also require additional cost. Beside this, it is also analyzed that when Iceland will upload anything on social networks and if unintentionally the company fails to do so then this then it would decline the number of consumers. As a result, it could also negatively influence company growth.

In the research study, research methodology helps to select appropriate techniques for accomplishing research aim and objectives. It includes certain techniques to obtain data such as research approaches, research strategies, research designs, data collection methods, and data analysis methods (Gilbert and Karahalios, 2009). It also considers sampling methods, research limitations, and ethical considerations.    

Research Philosophy

The research philosophy is the belief of researcher to collect data for attaining the aim and objectives of the research matter. It enables the researcher to obtain information, examines it and practices the research study. The research philosophy considered three kinds of methods like interpretivism, positivism, and realism philosophy (Laroche, et al., 2013).  

For this research, interpretivism philosophy will be practiced by the investigator as it will permit the researcher to integrate human interest into the research study. It is examined that this philosophy is based on the idealism that support to obtain reliable information about research concern. This philosophy also enables to get conceptual or theoretical data about the current research matter. Besides this, the researcher will not practice positivism and relativism philosophy because this research is subjective in nature. Since, positivism philosophy enables the investigator to collect facts and figures about research matter. Apart from this, realism philosophy is a combination of interpretivism and positivism, which would also not be appropriate for obtaining data about research matter (Leonardi, et al., 2013)

Research approach will offer a valid way in which the research is being framed and operated. There are two kinds of research approaches: inductive and deductive approach (Lewis, 2015).  The inductive approach facilitates researcher to collect opinion and views of research candidates about the research matter. In addition, the deductive approach enables the researcher to frame hypothesis and accept or reject the hypothesis on the basis of collected data (Mackey and Gass, 2015). The research approach could be imperative for practicing accurate technique and collecting data. In this research study, the inductive approach would be exercised by the researcher to obtain non-numeric data towards research matter. In this research, the deductive approach will not be used by scholar because there is no need to frame a hypothesis (Mao, 2014). Hence, it can be said that researcher would practice the inductive approach rather than another method for obtaining a reliable result. 

The research strategy is significant to provide a clear path to an investigator for accomplishing research aims and objectives. In this, the investigator will practice literature review and survey through questionnaire method to obtain a favorable outcome in the context of current research concern (Miller, et al., 2016).The literature review method will be used by the researcher to develop theoretical understanding towards the research matter. For this, the investigator will entail many sources to obtain data like academic sources, online and offline sources, books, and journals. Apart from this, survey through questionnaire will enable the investigator to get views and opinion of participants towards research dilemma (Nadeem, et al., 2015). It will help research scholar to collect numerical data and solve research matter.       

Research Design

The research design is crucial for a research study because it supports an investigator to obtain accurate data to attain aims and objectives of the research. In this, two kinds of methods are considered to obtain information about current research matter (Neuman and Robson, 2014).  For this research, research scholar will practice mixed data collection methods to collect suitable data about research concern. The mixed data collection methods consider two kinds of methods including qualitative and quantitative research design as it would help the investigator to get the advantages of both methods and obtain the result in favor of the current research question (Panneerselvam, 2014). In addition, qualitative research design will enable the researcher to get non-numeric information in the context of research issues while quantitative research design provides numeric information about research concern (Shirky, 2011).The qualitative data will be collected from the literature review and quantitative data will be collected from survey through a questionnaire.

The data collection method is crucial for investigator because it facilitates to obtain factual information about the research concern. There are two kinds of methods that are considered in research study including primary and secondary data collection method (Silverman, 2016). The primary data collection method supports research scholar to collect fresh data about research matter.  The primary data is collected by considering survey through a questionnaire. Beside this, secondary data collection method will be collected by an existing source. There are different sources of secondary data collection method like academic sources, journals, offline and online sources, and books (Smith, 2015). For this research study, the researcher will imply mixed data collection method wherein he considers both primary and secondary data collection methods. It will facilitate investigator to collect reliable data about research issue. Moreover, primary data collection method could enable the investigator to obtain factual information about current research matter. Through secondary data, the researcher will be capable to obtain conceptual information about research issue by including literature review (Smith, and Zook, 2011). Thus, it can be said that mixed data collection method will aid investigator to fill the gap of the research study. Moreover, mixed data collection will also enable to obtain essential resources in the context of research issue. The researcher will obtain information towards advantages and disadvantages of social networks in the firm (Stelzner, 2014).

Data analysis method

The data analysis method can help to evaluate the collected data and obtain a feasible result in less time and cost. For this research, the researcher will practice the statistical data analysis method to gather the data systematically. A researcher will use MS-excel to include different factors named bar diagram, column diagram, and pie chart. As a result, it will facilitate researcher to evaluate collected information in the context of research matter (Panneerselvam, 2014).

Moreover, there are many elements that are included in research limitations like cost, time, and other resources. A specified time structure could limit investigator to attain their research objectives in a specified time as it would decline quality of the research outcome (Sunstein, 2018).Furthermore, it is analyzed that primary data collection method takes more time as compare to other research activities that could also create a problem for the researcher to accomplish their research task in specified time. Moreover, the researcher will avoid plagiarism, data manipulation as it would support researcher to attain specified aim and objectives. Furthermore, the researcher will directly converse with research respondents by using e-mail method as it would be difficult to solve query of research respondents. Moreover, it is also found that when the researcher is unable to secure the data of participants then it could create complexity to conduct the research appropriately and attain the specified goal (Taggart, et al., 2015).

Sampling (Population profile, sampling theories, and sampling size)

Sampling method supports a researcher to select the appropriate candidates for conducting a research study and get a favorable outcome. In a research study, two kinds of methods are considered such as probability sampling method and non-probability sampling method (Taylor, et al., 2015). These methods could help research scholar to obtain accurate observation towards research issue from a different population. The probability sampling is a method that could apply in the form of a random selection of research candidates. Besides this, the non-probability sampling methods do not provide an equal chance to the researcher to select the research candidates. Through this method, the researcher will be mandated to select their candidates on behalf of age, gender, education, and income (Verhoef, et al., 2014).

In this research, the researcher will use probability sampling method to conduct their research. This method provides an equal chance to the researcher for selecting research participants to conduct the research. The researcher will select 40 employees and 5 managers of Iceland food retail organization to collect their opinion and views towards advantages and disadvantages of social networks in business. The non-probability sampling method will not be used by researcher because it could create bias in research. Moreover, this method will support to obtain a reliable outcome in the context of research matter.

In this, primary and secondary data collection method will be used by the researcher to collect data about research matter. Investigator will collect data from 2014 to 2017 in order to discover a current problem in the context of research issue. For collecting the primary data, the researcher will use survey through questionnaire and collect responses of research candidates as it would support to obtain a reliable outcome.

Ethical issues could create a major problem for the researcher to attain their research aim and objectives systematically. In this research study, the investigator will exercise data safety and security act 1998 to secure confidential data of research candidates. It will help the investigator to develop a robust relationship with research candidates for the upcoming period. In this, the researcher will consider many factors like data manipulations, plagiarism, and proper use of university regulation as it could provide support to conduct the research in an ethical manner (Sunstein, 2018).

Significance of research

In the current scenario, it is complicated for organizations to effectively retain a workforce for long-term. Hence, the company uses modern technologies to attract consumers and get higher competitive benefits. Herein, use of social networks  tools and techniques could support the organization to gain their efficiency and build a unique image in the marketplace. The primary aim of this report is to determine advantages and disadvantages of social networks.

In the current scenario, social networks practices support the company to keep an effective and positive relationship with workforces as it would support to enhance employee retention and commitment level (Verhoef, et al., 2014).This research proposal is supportive for both reader and organization to gain an understanding about advantages and disadvantages of social networks in an organization. This research could be beneficial for the researcher in order to make their career in the management department.   

Deliverables

Project expected output

The result of this research would support to provide critical structure to examine the advantages and disadvantages of social networks in the business. Thus, it is also analyzed that research proposal could support to create new understanding about approaches that will be practiced by management to resolve current research matter. This report will support to develop a clear picture about research issue, which will support to find out actual information about research concern. Moreover, there are different factors that could affect the social networks such as relevancy, quality, voice, UGC (user-generated content), timing, and volume. In addition, it is also stated that such factors could directly impact on quality of research outcome.

Required Resources

The estimated budget for this project is approximately GBP 2100 to attain specified aim and objectives of a research study in particular time period.    

The following activities will be accomplished by a researcher in a specified time:

• A researcher will spend GBP 700 to accomplish literature review. There are different sources that will be used by investigators like course book, online resources, academic journals, and editorial, which could be costly than primary data collection method.     
• For collecting information from the different organization, the researcher will spend approximately GBP 700 as it would be significant to appropriately collect the data.      
• To address data for information scrutiny, tables, graphs, and financial plan cost, the researcher will spend GBP 700 to easily accomplishing the research aim and objectives.

In synopsis,

Research Plan

The following table demonstrates the research plan for this particular research matter:

Table 1: Research schedule for completing the project

As per the above data table, it is analyzed that there are many research activities that are considered in whole research such as Selection of Research dilemma, Design of research aim and objectives, Selection of data collection method, and Questionnaire design. Other activities are Selection of adequate sampling method and sample size, Selection of data collection analysis, Proofreading and report writing, and Final submission of the report. In addition, it is found that the researcher has estimated ten weeks to complete the whole research. For data collection, the researcher has estimated 3 weeks to properly complete this activity that could be higher as compared to other activities.                

Conclusion

From the above interpretation, it can be summarized that the social network offers many advantages to the organization such as enhancing the awareness of goods and services, enhancing the consumer satisfaction level, and increasing the interest of people towards the company goods and services. Beside this, it can also be concluded that social networks could take more time and cost for accomplishing the goal of the organization, which could lead to a decline in the growth of the organization. Hence, it can be said that the social networks could positively as well as negatively impact of the firm.

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