Business Research Problem/Opportunity
The problem confronting the managers responsible for the marketing of the store-brand cereal is that consumer acceptance of the store-brand is lagging, which is evidenced by lower than projected sales levels. The nutrient content of the store-brand cereal is equivalent to the nutrient content of the name-brand cereal against which it competes directly. The pricing of the store-brand cereal is approximately 10 percent lower than the name-brand cereal against which it competes directly. The problem requires the development of a solution that will lead to increased market share for the store-brand cereal.Development of Constructs of Business ProblemTwo constructs are developed in relation to the business problem. The constructs are (a) product quality and (b) product awareness. The concepts that are structured into the constructs are as follows:Nutrient content and taste are concepts that fit easily into a product quality construct. Price is a concept that frequently is not included in a product quality
In the case of a store-brand cereal competing directly against a name-brand cereal, however, consumers may equate a lowef price with lower quality. Outline of Business Research Process for Solution DevelopmentIn relation to the research problem discussed in the preceding sections of this paper, the business research process for finding a solution to the problem may be structured within the management research question hierarchy. Therefore, the constructs developed for the investigation this business problem are defined within the contexts of consumer perceptions. The operational definitions of the two constructs are as follows:Product QualityMean consumer response on a five-point scale comparing perceived nutrient content of store-brand cereal and name-brand cereal (5 = "store-brand much better than name-brand"; 1 = "store-brand much worse than name-brand"; with three intermediate responses)Mean consumer response on a five-point scale comparing perceived taste of store-brand cereal and name-brand cereal (scale defined as indicated above)Mean consumer response on a five-point scale measuring perception of price/quality relationship of store-brand cereal and name-brand cereal (5 = "price is not an indicator of quality"; 1 = "lower price of store-brand indicates lower quality of store-brand"; with three intermediate responses)Product AwarenessMean consumer response when shown the store-brand cereal package and asked if they had ever seen the package before this presentationMean consumer observed behavior in selecting the store-brand cereal based on four alternative shelf locations for the productMean consumer response when shown an in-store promotional poster for the store-brand cereal package and asked if they had ever seen the in-store poster before this presentationIdentification of Units of MeasureWith respect to the product quality construct, each of the three aspects of the construct will be measured on a five-point scale, in which "5" is the most positive response and "1" is the most negative response. The the store-brand cereal problem, the research process would bed structured as follows:Why is consumer acceptance of the store-brand cereal lagging?What are the alternative approaches to deal with negative consumer perceptions of product quality?What are the alternative approaches to deal with the unacceptable levels of consumer awareness of the product?What are the consumer responses to the alternative approaches (when presented to a sample of consumers to assess probable consumer responses)?What is the best combination of actions to implement to deal with the problem of consumer acceptance of the stor-brand cereal?. With respect to the product awareness construct, each of the three aspects of the construct will be measured as a frequency expressed as a percent. Operational DefinitionsIn investigating with this business problem, the objective is not to develop scientific data that "proves" that the store-brand cereal is equivalent to or better or worse than the name-brand cereal in relation to nutrient content or any other factor. The purpose of the operational definitions are to facilitate the collection of data that will accurately reflect (a) consumer perceptions of the store-brand cereal in relation to product quality and (b) those factors that most strongly affect consumer awareness of the store-brand cereal. Packaging, shelf location, and promotion all are concepts that may directly affect a product awareness construct. Awareness is not the equivalent of acceptance; however, awareness is one step in the process leading to acceptance. Rather, the focus is on identifying the source of the problem related to consumer acceptance of the store-brand cereal in order to identify a basis upon which a solution may be formulated.
Common topics in this essay:
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Operational Definitions,
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Business Statement,
Advertising/promotion Nutrient,
Awareness Mean,
Units Measure,
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Packaging Shelf,
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Acceptance Essays
