Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

“The Elementary of a Proposal”

Submitted To
Dr. Samiul Parvez Ahmed
Senior Lecturer,
School of Business,
Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

Business Research Methods

BUS 485
Sec: 05

Prepared By

Serial No. Group Members ID No.

1. Md. Sajedul Islam 1121125

(Group Leader)
2. Rashida Akter Tanzia 1120350

3. Mehedi Hassan 1121124

4. Md. Kausar Alam 1120860

5. Debashish Datta 1120625

6. Md. Abu Nasir 1010004

Submission Date
24th July, 2014
 Content Page

Serial No. Topic Page No.

1. Introduction

2. Statement of the Problem

3. Purpose of the Study

4. Review of Literature

5. Questions and Hypotheses

6. The Research Design – Methods and Procedures

7. Limitations

8. Significance of the Study

9. References

10. Appendixes
Purpose of the study

The purpose of the research is to identify the consumer expectation of any particular product in retail
market. Finding out the methods of exceeding the consumer expectation according to their demands can be
prioritized. The objectives of consumer satisfaction refer to the product quality; easily purchase ability,
durability etc. Scrutinize the marketing mix whether these factors are responsible to regain the consumer
satisfaction. Further, the study focuses on the strategies and initiatives to compete in large market being as
retail marketers in terms of providing satisfaction to the consumers.

Specific Objective

 Identify the consumer expectation

 Assessing the factors how the satisfaction goal (consumer expectation) can be speed up / exceeded.
 Finding the objectives of consumer satisfaction including product performance, ease of the
purchase, recommendation of products etc.
 How retail markets use the marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) to gain the
consumer satisfaction.
 Focusing on the strategies, a retail market uses to gain the consumer satisfaction.
 Exploring the reasons of being competitive in the retail markets in terms of consumer satisfaction.

Questions and Hypotheses

Questions

Measuring the relevant factors that influence the consumer satisfaction, what initiatives the retail markets
can take to enhance the consumer satisfaction in Bangladesh?

Hypotheses

 Consumer satisfaction in retail markets varies according to the purchasing intention of consumers.
 At present, retail markets are providing a good number of incentives to the consumers.
 Retail markets are becoming competitive in terms of retaining the consumer satisfaction.
 Retail markets emphasize on higher product quality than the durability to achieve the consumer
satisfaction.
The Research Design – Methods and Procedure

Research Design:

In order to conduct the study, quantitative research methodology will be chosen. Causal research and
correlation research design will be used to test the relationship between the identified variables and to
answer the research questions developed earlier regarding this study. Analytical survey or causal research
design will be quantitative (such as observation, structured or open ended questionnaire). This research will
be classified as a formal study beginning with a hypothesis or research question, including precise
procedures and data source specifications. Communication or survey approach will be used as the method
for collecting data. It will be an Ex Post Facto Hypothetic design, as the researcher has no control over the
variables, and therefore will not manipulate them. They will only report what will happen. The purpose of
the study will be causal-predictive, as the study predicts how a change in one variable will affect another
variable. It will be an exact study, because it will be carried out once to represent a snapshot of one point in
time. The research design will be implemented under a field-setting.

Methodology

 Sampling Method

The key reason of this study will be concerned with the sampling which will interpret the result of this
research itself. The first step will be taken, at this stage, is to select the population size randomly. It refers
to generalizing the construct “Consumer Satisfaction” of retail markets in different location through
quantitative research methodology. For this study, random probabilities sampling will be chosen. The
population size will be taken from some renowned retail markets where that particular people are used to
purchasing goods. Agora, Almas super store, Nandan, Amana, Meena Bazar etc will be on main focus for
selecting the sample. Participants will be selected at random within a timeframe of working hour (10 am to
10 pm) and who are available to cooperate. For the research conveniences, the sample size will consist of
maximum 30 participants. The outcomes of enhancing the consumer satisfaction in retail markets will
result from several variables such as; sales promotion, durability, rating of product quality etc.

 Instrument

Primary data, structured questionnaire, 5-point likert scale rating and cronbach alpha values will be used as
research instrument.

Primary data will be collected immediately with the help of cooperative participants in the retail stores.
There will be thirty copies of structured questionnaire containing fifteen questions each. These fifteen
questions will have three segments in terms of demographic profile (Gender, age, income), independent
variables (Consumer relationship proneness, Store image, Positive Effects, Product Quality, Sales
Promotion, and Durability) and the dependent variable (Consumer satisfaction). Gender will be taken under
nominal data type whereas age and income will be placed under ordinal data type. Rest of the question
pattern will go under 5-point likert scale. The higher the rating score, the greater the research variables will
be indicated. On the other hand, the cronbach alpha will be used to testify the rationality of the scales.

 Data Collection

Survey questionnaires will be used to collect primary data from the interested respondents. Permission to
conduct the survey will suppose to be obtained from the manager/authority personnel of each supermarket.
The next step will be that the interviewers will pay a visit to the supermarkets and select any readily
available individuals as participants and survey them using the questionnaire. Each participant will be
surveyed using questionnaires via personal interview. Since, the sample size will include only 30
participants and not much time will be spent on field for collecting data. Five questionnaires will be
completed each day, therefore completion of all thirty questionnaires required six days.

 Data Analysis

As mentioned earlier, quantitative data will be analyzed. Specialized windows based software, known as
“SPSS” will be used. This software is mainly based on the statistical and to some extent, mathematical
Method. There are some statistical tools that will be using to analyze the whole data; namely:

 Frequencies
 Descriptive
 Crosstabs
 Regression
 Cronbach Alpha
 Graph

Demographic data will be analyzed using Frequency distribution. For detail information, Descriptive data
will be used. Crosstabs method will be used In order to analyze the data containing two variables. This will
provide more information about any data. It is a widely-used method for informative data, as well. To
measure the positive correlation and strong correlation in statistical manner, regression will be used. The
reliability of the scales measuring the variables will be tested using the Cronbach Alpha value. Graph will
be used for visual effects of all these methods. Because, sometimes it is more clear to understand the data
than calculation or methods.
Limitation of the study

The potential weaknesses of this study will highly reflect on the nature of self-report, instruments of
research and the sample. In addition, there will be other factors that enlarge the list of limitations:

 The sample size will be relatively small (Only 30 people)

 The respondents of the sample will highly focus on a very specific group of people in terms of
social status, income, geographical location, purchasing power and so on.
 It is not expected that all the respondents will spare their time for this study. It is very natural that
some of them will not be cooperative to fill up the questionnaire.
 The participants, in some cases, will be unable to understand the significance of this study. Their
Falsehood and biasness will make hindrance to this study to be successful.
 The variables mentioned earlier will not be applicable for all the super stores at a time. But the
questionnaire will be the same for all the stores. So, respondents will skip some of the questions.
 Positive effect is only one person-within-situation antecedent of satisfaction. There may be other
potential antecedent such as; mood, negative effect etc. So as a variable, to some extent, it will spoil
the importance of this particular variable.
 The empirical relationships in the literature are tentative in the sense that they are on the cross-
sectional data in one moment of time. The concepts and constructs will vary with the passage of
time. So, it will be hard to focus on the exact causal nature of the link between both the concepts
and constructs.

 Finally, the purpose of cross-validation, additional exploration of the relationships will need to be
extended beyond the current setting mentioned earlier.

Significance of the Study

This study will help maintain the standard of strategic plan mainly focusing on consumer satisfaction in
retail stores. This study will be a proper guideline how to attract, motivate and achieve the credibility of the
end users. Retail stores will be able to have more knowledge and suggestion about higher quality services
provided for the consumers. From this study, a retail store will have ideas especially about retaining the
store image to the consumers over years through diversifying product and service quality.

This study will not only be effective for the store itself but also be applicable for the scholarly research,
theory, practice, educational interventions, curriculum, counseling, policy etc. As the variables change over
time and have interrelation with each other, further valuable information and criteria will suppose to be
invented.
 Appendixes

Questionnaires

Personal Information:
Gender: Age:
Male 15-20
Female 21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
40 Above
Income Level: (per Month)
5000-15,000
16,000-25,000
26,000-35,000
36,000-45,000
46000-55,000
56,000 Above

1= Strongly Disagree 2= Disagree 3= neither Disagree nor Agree

4= Agree 5= Strongly Agree

Please circle the number, which most closely responds to your thinking.

1. Consumers of this shop are happy with the product quality 1 2 3 4 5

2. This store has a good collection of products with various
features 1 2 3 4 5

3. This retail market has good arrangement for their consumer’s

1 2 3 4 5
kids
4. This retail market has good maintenance for safe keeping car
1 2 3 4 5
parking etc.
5. This retail market cares for their valued customers (by sending
gifts on their birthday, anniversary etc) 1 2 3 4 5
6. This retail market offers discount or coupon on certain amount 1 2 3 4 5
of selling
7. This retail market offers special price discount on the occasion
of Eid, Pahela Baishakh, puja, New Year etc. 1 2 3 4 5

8. This retail market serves fresh product directly purchasing

from the manufacturers. 1 2 3 4 5

9. All the products of this shop have better durability than that
1 2 3 4 5
of other stores
10. This retail market can cope up with international retail shops
1 2 3 4 5
(like Wal-Mart, Hallmark)
11. This retail shop is among the few shops which maintains
1 2 3 4 5
International standards.
12. This retail market is striving for vast consumer services along
with reasonable price in terms of native retail shops. 1 2 3 4 5

Thank you for your cooperation.