Home Assignment for Session I

Question1: Evaluate the research in the following example:

The HiFlyer Airline company was interested in altering the interior layout of its aircraft to suit
the tastes and needs of business travelers. Management was considering reducing the number of
seats and installing small tables to enable people to work during long flights. Prior to the
renovation, management decided to do some research to ensure that these changes would suit the
needs of the passengers. To keep expenses to a minimum, the following strategy was employed:

Questionnaires were completed by passengers during a flight. Because they were to administer
and collect, the questionnaires were distributed only to the short flights (those less than one
hour). The study was conducted during the 2nd and 3rd week of December, because that was when
flights were full. To increase the response rate, each flight attendant was responsible for a certain
number of questionnaires. The management thought this was a good time to acquire as much
information as possible, so the questionnaire included issues apart from the new seating
arrangement. As a result, the questionnaire took 20 minute to complete. After the study,
management decided that the study would not be repeated, because the information was
insightful enough.

Answer 1:

 The survey should be conducted in long trip instead of short trip.

 The survey should have been conducted in general timings than holidays.
 The survey took too long time to complete in short trip.
 The management wanted to get survey of long trip business travelers and done short trip
survey with holiday travelers.
 The data collected can be used to improve the short trip experience, but that cant be used
effectively to improve in long trip business traveler’s experience.
 The length of the questionnaire too long which may increase the error in the data
collected.

Question 2: Write Marketing Research Process for the following:

Eric Sim at Samsung and Intel

Eric Sim earned an undergraduate degree in physics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA,
a master’s in CA, a master’s in engineering at UCLA, and an MBA from Harvard. He learned his
current craft at such places as Lotus Development Corp., D&B, and Spencer Trask Software
Group, a technology-focused venture-capital firm in New York City. Spencer Trask CEO Kevin
Kimberlin remembers Kim as the rare executive who knows software and electronics and is also
skilled in marketing and in marketing research- and in closing tough deals.

When Kim arrived at Samsung in 1999, the sales were on the decrease. Kim realized that the
basic problem lay in the brand image and that the Samsung brand was perceived to be inferior to
other brands with comparable products. To dig out specific, actionable issues, he conducted
marketing research involving focus groups, depth interviews, and surveys of channel partners
and customers. The research revealed that brand image was inconsistent and fuzzy from market
to market. One reason was that it employed a gaggle of 55 ad agencies. Kim consolidated
advertising, assigning Madison Avenue’s Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide to coordinate
Samsung’s global marketing. Kim made another smart move by sponsoring big-ticket events like
Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, gaining quick, cost-effective global exposure. When Kim left
Samsung in 2004, the company earned $12.04 billion in the net profits that year while many
retail-tech stars fizzled, and business in the United States had more than tripled since 1999.

Management Problem:

How to increase the sale of Samsung products and services?

Marketing Research
Problem:
Determine the awareness and image of Samsung brand?

 Who are the customers of Samsung products and services?

 Checking whether the customers can be categorized into different group according to
demographic and psychographic?
 What is the extent of awareness of Samsung products and services to the customers?
 Among those who are aware, how do they see Samsung as a brand when compared to
other major competitors?
 What are the factors that build the image of a brand?
 On the identified factors, compare Samsung with other major competitors?

Developing an
Approach to the
Problem (Theory,
Research Questions,
Hypotheses):

 Can the customers be categorized based on their income?

  Check how the high-income customers differ from low-income customers in terms of
their usage of Samsung products and services.
 Do the different customer segments differ in terms of their awareness of Samsung brand?

Research Design:

 Cross-sectional. Both exploratory design and descriptive design will be used.

Field Work or
Data Collection:

 Data collection will be done through focus groups, depth interviews, and surveys of
channel partners and customers.

Analysis and
Interpretation:

 Regression Techniques.

Report Preparation:

 Every result received that is proven or otherwise should be reported.