RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
LESSON 4:
TUTORIALS
1. What, if any, are the differences between solicited and
unsolicited proposals?
2. Select a research report from a management journal. Outline
a proposal for the research as if it had not yet been
performed. Make estimates of time and costs.
3. You are the new manager of market intelligence in a rapidly
expanding software firm. Many product managers and
corporate officers have requested market surveys from you
on various products. Design a form for a research proposal
that can be completed easily by your research staff and the
sponsoring manager. Discuss how your form improves
communication of the research objectives between the
manager and the researcher.
4. What modules would you suggest be included in a proposal
for each of the following cases?
a. The president of your company has asked for a study
of the company’s health benefits plan and for a
comparison of it to other firms’ plans.
b. You are competing for a university-sponsored student
research grant, awarded to seniors and graduate
students.
c. A bank is interested in understanding the population
trends by location so that it can plan its new branch
locations for the next five years. They contacted you for
a proposal.
d. You are interested in starting a new research service,
providing monthly information about the use of
recyclable items in your state. The proposal will go to
several city and county planning agencies, independent
waste service providers, and independent and
government landfill providers.
4. Consider the new trends in desktop publishing, multimedia
computer authoring and display capabilities, and inexpensive
video taping and playback possibilities. How might these be
used to enhance research proposals? Give several examples
of appropriate use.
5. You are the manager of a research department in a large
department store chain. Develop a list of criteria for
evaluating the types of research activities listed below.
Include a point scale and weighting algorithm.
a. Market research
b. Advertising effectiveness
c. Employee opinion surveys
d. Credit card operations
e. Computer service effectiveness at the individual store
level
6. Write a research proposal on the following case study
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Case Study- Pillsbury Presses Flour Power in India
The Pillsbury Doughboy has landed in India to pitch a product
that he had just abandoned in America: plain old flour. Pillsbury’s
recent products sold in the United States have diversified from
plain flour to frozen cookie dough and microwave pizzas. In
India, however, selling packaged flour is almost revolutionary.
This is due to the fact that most Indian housewives still buy raw
wheat in bulk. They then clean it by hand, store it in huge metal
hampers, and regularly carry some to a neighborhood mill, where
it is ground between two stones.
Pillsbury is onto a potentially huge business. India consumes
about 69 million tons of wheat a year, second only to China. (The
U.S. consumes about 26 million tons.) Much of India’s wheat
ends up as roti, a flat bread prepared on a griddle that accompanies
almost every meal. In a national where people traditionally eat
with their hands, roti is the spoon. Nevertheless, fewer than 1
percent of all whole-wheat flour is sold prepackaged. Indian’s
climatic extremes and deplorable rods make it difficult to maintain
freshness from mill to warehouse, let alone on store shelves.
Starting a flour operation meant turning back the clock for Pillsbury.
Though it was born as a U.S. flour-milling company 130 years ago,
it exited from that business in the early 1990s to focus on products
such as frozen baked goods and ice cream. Pillsbury thought of
introducing high-value product when it first explored India. But
it quickly learned that most Indians don’t have enough disposable
income for such fare. Pillsbury is betting that flour will generate
enough sales volume to compensate for the razorthin margin.
Marketing managers climbed into the attics where housewives
store their wheat and accompanied them to their tiny neighborhood
flour mills. Pillsbury had hoped to establish contract with existing
mills, but inspectors found hygiene and safety at some properties
to be appalling.
Many focus groups and lab test later, Pillsbury came up with its
packaged wheat blend, Pillsbury Chaki Fresh Atta. Responding to
consumers’ biggest concern, Pillsbury pitches the flour with a
promise that rotis made from it will stay soft “for six hours.” The
company declines to say what ingredients keep the flour tasting
fresh, though it say there are no artificial preservatives. The
packaging is made of a robust plastic laminate that costs about
two and a half times as much as the paper wrappers typically used
in the United States.
The value of the packaged-flour market in India is $7.14 million.
It has expanded by about 45 percent a year since 1997, according to
industry estimates. It is too early to declare the Doughboy’s foray
into India a success. The market is still minuscule, and gains will
largely depend on how quickly Indian housewives embrace
convenience. Several local companies familiar with Indian tastes
have launched branded flour in recent years, only to flounder.
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