Hi6008 Business Research For Comparative Assessment Answers

1. Literature Review 

2. Business Research Proposal

3. Individual Reflective Journal

Answers

1. Literature review

Introduction

Literature review gives a conceptual infrastructure of the research. It broadly analyses the research subject. It permits the research to be located in the context. It is the central section of any research project. Customer behaviour is a field of study. It focuses on the activities of the customers. Globally, customer behaviour is an important issue for the marketers or the companies (Review of periodical literature published in 2015, 2016).

In this research project, the stats of a renowned Australian retail named Woolworths Limited id discussed. The marketing managers of Woolworths Limited observe the customer behavioural changes. Therefore, they decide to make changes in the products and customer service. It is crucial to understand the customer behaviour for this retail brand. The retail brand must fulfil its customers' requirements to achieve the goals to stable its subsistence. Therefore, those requirements of the customers could be satisfied by the point that the marketers would understand the organisation.

Scope of the literature review:

The literature review is based on the previous researches and the main aim of the literature review is to understand the effects and the impacts that customer behaviors on the business and the existing facts that the certain topic has in the business world. Depending on that, the literature review is mainly important to make judgment on the future result and a better way to forecasting the future. The researcher can make a better analysis of the situation based on the literature review.

Comparative analysis

Factors that influence customer behavior

Customers’ decision of purchasing does not depend on any particular thing (Nouraie, Moorineh and Kordi, 2014). Both the internal and the external factors affect them. Culture is one of those external factors. It is defined as the social relations and the behaviour. This symbolises a culture and separates it from others. Culture is an academic, mutual and symbolic system of attitudes, beliefs and values. This influences customers’ behaviour and perception. Culture is an abstract of a mental blueprint. Culture is an essential segment that affects the decision making of the customers. Moreover, it is formed by common and heritage experiment of the customers. Culture is referred to a certain social group. Customers might have the same response towards an exact product. While making a decision, the people of this social group might make a similar choice or same attitude towards marketing.

Reference groups fell an important impression on customers’ purchase decisions and hospitality (Prasad, 2009). A reference group is a group which individually identifies the point where the group dictates a standard of behaviour. As well as, a reference group is a group of people who individually compare themselves as guardians in developing their knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Thus, the customers compare their thoughts and feelings to the other people in the reference group. The members of the reference group would try to level up themselves to the standard of the particular group. A reference group can affect a customer on the aspect of forming an opinion and making decisions. Moreover, a customer will like to take the reference group's opinion.

The customer behaviour is affected by some of the factors. The factors are discussed below:

The customer's requirements make an imbalance between the customer’s anticipated and genuine circumstances (NORDENFELT, 2012).

A customer’s need is an imbalance between what customers anticipated internally and what they get in reality. Therefore, the needs of the customers drive them to take various actions to reach their targets.

The needs of a customer could be categorised into five different levels. Those five needs are social needs, safety needs, esteem needs, physiological needs and self-actualization.

Additionally, there are five key points of psychological motivations (van Zomeren, 2013). These points are ease, importance, approval, appreciation and success.

Marketing implementation on customer behavior

Customer’s review or their involvement is needed for an organization to grow up their business. An organization have to prejudice their consumer’s behavior on their products by applying some process. These are such as advertising, and develop products based on customer’s choice etc.

According to these, Woolworths Limited which is a retailer company needs to advertise their products in the market. In this way, the customers get information about the organization’s products and can be able to understand their plan and service quality. Through the advertising of the products, the employees of Woolworths Limited can understand the consumer’s reaction on their products and service.

The customers get total information about the products of Woolworths Limited through advertising. According to this, an association advertise their products via web, email, massages, newspaper, magazines, posters etc. Nowadays, people usually use web and they can get full evidence of the organization’s product. Along with these, through this options the Woolworths Limited can share their plans, products with people easily.

Due to technological developments the organization’s nowadays provide the best technological support to consumers. One of the best example is providing bills through SMS and mail. Along with these, the important duty of the organization is to collect feedbacks of the consumers so that they can understand the customers demand and what changes is needed for the development of the products. The employees of Woolworths Limited have to provide quality service so that the consumers will come to their place for more time. If the organization give positive feedback to the organization then it will be very beneficial for them to maintain an effective image and to get position in the market.

On the other side, Woolworths Limited should maintain the brand image which is very important. Customers always want quality products with reasonable price. Therefore, the organization should provide quality products with equitable price to the consumers for keep good image in the market.     

Outcomes 

For maintaining the image of Woolworths Limited, they needs to develop their products according to the customers review. If they make themselves able to satisfy the customers then it will be very beneficial for the retailer company. According to these, the company also needs to maintain their quality of the products. It is one of the essential to encourage the customers to buy the company’s products. After getting the quality products along with affordable price, the customers will buy the products very much. The employees of the organization should communicate with the consumers so that they can share their needs with the employees. Otherwise, they disappoint their customers. Woolworths Limited also needs to provide service within time so that they will be capable to build an image in front of the customers. Customer’s behavior also a main reason. The organization needs to share their product’s information through mail, massages, newspapers, magazines etc. it is helpful for a company to share their information in a short time.

On the other hand, the association also needs to get feedback from them about their products. Direct communication is the main source to get the feedbacks. All these are, helpful for the organization to meet with their objects.

2. Introduction

Customers are the main part of any business organisation. Therefore, the customer satisfaction is essential to those business organisations (Handy, 2014). To increase the profitability in business, the marketers of the Woolworths Limited should understand the behaviour and the requirements of the customers. Moreover, before launching any product, understanding a customer’s behaviour is essential for the organisation. Because, if the organisation fails to analyse the response of a customer to an exact product, the organisation will have to face losses. Customer behaviour is a branch which deals with the varieties of stages a customer goes through before purchasing goods or services for his end use. There are numerous issues which affect the decision of buying of a customer ranging from social, psychological, economic and so on. The decision of buying of the customers mostly depend on the promotional materials, advertisements and product branding. In this way, the customers go through a selective exposure. Besides that, not all the promotional materials and the advertisements motivate a customer. Because the customers always do not pay attention to all the advertisements and the branding of the products. This is called the selective attention of the customers. The customers would surely buy a product which creates appeal for them the most. They would recall the most expressive and significant message. They would not recall something that has not anything to do with their requirements.

Justification of the research

The customer behaviour in marketing is justified in this research (SMITHIES, 2011). The Woolworths Limited should understand the customer behaviour. Because the customer behaviour is a crucial part of the retail brand before launching a product. The behaviour of a customer is very multifaceted because every customer has different attitude and mind towards purchasing a product. The customers also have different observance towards the removal and the depletion of a product. If the organisation does not observe the behaviour of its customers, the company will not get profit as well. If the marketers of the organisation understand the concepts and theories of the customer behaviour, it will help to sanction the product in the market and the run the services with great success. Thus, if the organisation observes the behaviour of the customer, it will help in a lot of ways. The customers' attitude towards the product purchasing varies very much because there is a lot of changes constantly happening in fashion trends, living standards and technology in this modern era. The product branding is mostly dependent on these major factors. So, the organisation should understand these factors. In this way, customer behaviour is becoming a key part for the marketers to meet their sales objectives.

Research questions

An important part of this research project is the research questions (Ginsberg, 2014). The research questions play a major role in the research project. The research questions of this project are listed below:

• What are the main factors of customer satisfaction?
• What is the relation between the customer behaviour and customer satisfaction?
• How can Woolworths Limited improve the level of customer satisfaction?

Research methodology

Research methodology plays an important role which helps the researcher to lead his or her research in the proper or appropriate way. Through the help of research methodology, the researcher of the project on Customer Behavior in Marketing can reach to the fruitful and effective conclusion. Some statistical parts or the elements which can be measured as the recommendation, introduction, conclusion and considering, are included in the research methodology.  A research assignment needs proper data or information that invents from the different types of crucial process of research methodology. Those proper data include effective practices and strategies to mark the project successful. On another side, the researcher can be able to analyze every characteristic of the subject matter on which the researcher can research with the aid of important factors which have been specified in currently published studies. The survey plan covers an idea of the individual persons from the individual trade substitutes and segments. The department of the Woolworth limited choses the survey and the organization can pull out their research project through the help of required data and evidence. Without this, research methodology comprises unique methods like survey strategy. Research methodology always distributes an imperative outlook to solve the collecting information that helps research survey to be successful. A field survey can be improved through descriptive research methods and designs which are originated from the basic information collection. On the other hand, secondary data assortment includes the standpoint which can be assembled from newspapers, books, the web, courses, published articles, journals and documents. In other side, all of the parts of research methodology plays very important role such as research approaches, research philosophy, research opinion, research design, data analysis and data collection process to develop a perfect arrangement to the whole research process. The various research methodology’s parts will be conferred below:

Investigation types:

Different investigation types play a vital role to understand an effective research project in the various parts of the research methodology. To analyze differently, the research requires to recognize some particular points on the survey that helps to prepare a fruitful research project. To understand far better, research approach, research philosophy, information collection method, research design and other sectors should be explained and defined in below. All the individual parts of the segmentation in the research methodology possesses a powerful contribution on the complete research project.

Research philosophy  

Research philosophy provides a powerful impact on the research project. It is an important phase for the determining the research philosophy with the respect of process of investigation. Two types of investigation reasons are utilized as a portion of the research process and these two types of categorized reasons are interpretive and positivism. The researcher collects data and information from the various resources to make the research methodology successful. The research philosophy follows the complete process of data detailed and distinctive information. Three types of methods are there to discuss about the research philosophy. These methods are helpful for the researchers who can utilize those methods as the unit of the globe. The segments of the research philosophy can be divided into three parts such as interpretivism, positivism and realism. Positivism philosophy achieves filtered current data which are linked with some cooperative sources. It is suitable exceptionally for the examination to lead the particular study through the help of two consistencies. The approach of positivism method is more objective and rational and helps to incorporate distinguishing causes. Interpretive outlook gathers qualitative information and creates the strategic exploitation such as shapeless meeting. Positivism philosophy is less logical in the case of gathering realism and interpretivism to produce the further evidence and expose individually the truthiness of subject matter. For such these reasons, the researchers like to utilize positivism rationale for their research purpose.

Research approach

Some approaches for analysis, data collection and transformation and different theories are included in the research approaches. Two types of research approaches are there such as: deductive approach and inductive approach. The deductive approach includes quantitative research data. On the other hand, an inductive approach attaches techniques of the qualitative approach. Along with this, it is equally important as the research philosophy, thereafter, increasing needs in regarded to the investigation determination. Bedside this, it is useful to the researcher for picking the rationale research outcome with the particular end goal for foremosting successfully the research. The researcher should contribute more attentiveness to the deductive approach which is significant to record people's response and accomplish their thought. Apart from that, inductive approach helps in analyzing the data to the point. It linked up with an organization’s antiquity and these information can be collected from the regular news papers, web and the magazine. Deductive approach is more helpful than inductive approach as it is rational to separate the most needed data from some gainful issues.

Research design: 

research design can be demonstrated as a complete structure which includes each and everything about on the research assignment by using of different types of methods like mechanisms, data collection, data analysis, accessibility in an opportune and effective way. The researcher can get and find effectively appropriate solution of some certain research. Without this, the different portions of the research design included as the parts of various researchers, for example: explanatory research, exploratory research and the descriptive research. In all of these various types of researches, the descriptive research will be accurate and specific to complete the several effects of the cloud computing like the wellspring of sudden arrangements making procedure such as one drive, cloud storage and sky drive. Apart from this, the particular research will be perfectly suitable in receiving the particular data in the explained technique. Illustrative and exploratory research is more brief for collecting the interaction and information and delivering the particular information records to the individual topic.

Research onion:

It is an analogy that helps enormously the researcher to decorate or arrange research methodology in the critical and controlled way. The researchers like to depend on the research onion particularly as this particular method possesses collective flexibility and intelligence.

Research type:

Different types of research method which can be divided into significant two parts, are there. Those two parts are qualitative and quantitative research technique. These two types of research techniques can be exploited as the measure of a process to the undertaking research. Those research techniques can be applied to collect the direct attachment of secondary and primary information collection. In the description of quantitative strategy, the primary data is gathered from respondent random sample all over the survey. Though, the specimen estimate individual is needed for this policy and some research problems can be determined by replies. On the other hand, qualitative research technique accepts the importance of collected data in the secondary data collection method. This method introduces with the various reaction of research problems from the view point of individual persona. Without this, it can be explained that secondary data collection method helps to cover up some important perspective that is collected from articles, books, internet and the managerial records. This type of research is based on the quantitative method as different primary data can be collected with the aid of survey procedure. Some types of qualitative method is utilized to analyze gathered quantitative information.

Data collection process:

Data collection method is all around calculative and well organized process. This method helps to gather all the essential information from the wide range of the external sources to obtain the data to the point. It helps to provide the total description of the research. Two types of data collection process has been observed by the experts. Those two types of data collection methods are: qualitative data collection and quantitative data collection process. In which way the data is accumulated at first is called the primary data. The secondary data can be recognized as the result of the direct research in a successful way. The secondary data can be gathered from the books, sites, web and the other helpful sources. The researcher has the needs both of the primary and the secondary data to complete successfully his or her research project.

Qualitative data gathering:

The another name of qualitative data gathering process is the secondary data collection method. This type of process generally  based on the survey, assemblies, surveillance, center assembly and observations for collecting data or information to provide the measurement of an assumed research project. This qualitative data gathering process is the important portion for improving the conduct of the qualitative data.

Quantitative data gathering:

This type of data collection process helps to include the usage of realistic and numerical number for analyzing the gained data. It is one of the most important parts of the data collection process and it can be recognized as the primary data.

Research limitations:

The most important issue in any study is the time management process and this research project contains some limitations. Time management is the vital factor for successfully accomplishment of each and every research project.

3. Individual reflective journal

I had reviewed different types of secondary information through different journals, articles, books and internet to develop this research paper. The literature review which I discussed in assessment 1 includes different types of expert opinion. In assessment 2, I explained how the research methodology help me to analyze and determine the collected information. In other words, with the help of research methodology and literature review, I developed research proposal which can explain the significance of consumer purchasing behavior in business context. Along with that, I experienced that, in order to develop the productivity of an organization, the management needs to focus on the requirements of the customers. In addition, I discussed vital factors of customer satisfaction and customer retention in assessment 1 which effect on organizational productivity. On the other hand, Woolworths Limited includes its own marketing planning and strategies by which business can be expanded in Australia. Besides that, I mentioned that the communication is one of the significant element which helps to satisfy a customer. Moreover, I critically examined that, communication skill is required to influence customer purchase behavior which can increase the profit level of Woolworths Limited. I would like to thank the management and the customers who supported and helped me to develop this research proposal. In other words, without the contribution of Woolworths Limited and secondary information about customer purchase behavior, I could not conduct this research proposal.

I also discussed how different types of research method help to develop a successful research proposal in assessment 2. In other words, I strongly felt that, research methodology is one of the essential element or research instrument by which proper and accurate data or information can be collected. Besides that, I examined different types of data on the basis of customer purchase behavior through qualitative and quantitative research method. In addition, research methodology also includes different marketing research techniques which I used to analyze secondary information in assessment 1. In other words the information which I collected from different types of books and journals and discussed them in assessment 1. Those information included vital source which can be notified as secondary data. With the help of these secondary data, I determined that, the management of Woolworths Limited needs to focus on the needs of their customer. I also analyzed the secondary information of assessment 1 through different types of research strategy which I explained in assessment 2. In other words, regarding customer purchase behavior can be affected by verbal and non-verbal communication skills of an organization. On the other hand, the management of Woolworths Limited, needs to appoint highly qualified employees who able to meet customer satisfaction by analyzing actual requirements of the customer. Moreover, I justified in assessment 1 and assessment 2 how communication skills and other factors help Woolworths Limited to meet customer’s satisfaction.

References

Ginsberg, H. (2014). The 2013 ACC/AHA Guidelines on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol: Questions, Questions, Questions. Circulation Research, 114(5), pp.761-764.

Handy, C. (2014). THE SHAMROCK ORGANISATION. Business Strategy Review, 25(4), pp.81-81.

NORDENFELT, L. (2012). STANDARD CIRCUMSTANCES AND VITAL GOALS: COMMENTS ON VENKATAPURAM'S CRITIQUE. Bioethics, 27(5), pp.280-284.

Nouraie, M., Moorineh, H. and Kordi, J. (2014). Investigating the Effect of Personal Factors on the Customers' Purchasing Decision. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 3(6.a), pp.138-146.

Prasad, P. (2009). Reference Services to Senior Groups in the San Antonio Public Library. The Reference Librarian, 50(1), pp.99-108.

Review of periodical literature published in 2015. (2016). The Economic History Review, 70(1), pp.275-322.

SMITHIES, D. (2011). Moore’s Paradox and the Accessibility of Justification. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 85(2), pp.273-300.

van Zomeren, M. (2013). Four Core Social-Psychological Motivations to Undertake Collective Action. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(6), pp.378-388.