Reference no: EM132322954

Assignment  - Case Study Research Design Exercise

Tasks

This assignment focuses on the research design and process required for planning and implementing research for an organisation.

It utilises the CASE STUDYon page 5 below, and research projects suggested following the case study. These projects correspond to majors on the BAM. You will need to read the case study and select the research project which is appropriate to your major and to work through the following tasks:

Task One: Research Objectives and Questions

Write tworesearch questionswhich would be the basis (or partial basis for) for the research project. The answers to these questions should assist the manager in the case study to either achieve her objective or solve a problem.

Task two: Research design

Write a summary of the research design required to undertake this research.

Use the table attachedto design the research methodology, methods and procedures

You will need to complete this task for each of the research questions you have identified in 1 above. Design the method of data collection and analysis for each RQ. Use at least three different methods but consider all appropriate methods to answer your RQs.

(N.B. You may present your work in paragraph form under appropriate headings instead of as a table)

Task three: Research process

Create a flowchart which describes the steps in the processinvolved in undertaking the research, from initial identification of research problem and questions through to completion of the research task.

You will need to utilise the symbols in the figure below to create your own flowchart.

The aim of this part of the Assignment is to identify the steps in the process and the order of those steps, by which research is carried out. Examples and exemplars are available online and these can guide you in creating your flowchart. Flowchart tools such as SmartDraw are useful and should be used. You will need to indicate checkpoints in the process where you may have to return to a previous step. See example of a flowchart from for Cooper et al. in week one

CASE STUDY

This case study features an organisation which requires research projects to identify the best options for changes it plans to implement.

The projects correspond to your BAM majors.

A small business located in the Greater East Tamaki Business District has just appointed a new CEO, Joanna Papuni.  The company has always operated as a small family business and Joanna is not a family member.  She is keen to see the business develop and has therefore arranged a bank facility for an additional $100 000 capital to be used by the business.

The company manufactures and sells plastic containers to the New Zealand market and has 30 employees. It has recently hired two new staff who are experienced in 3D computer-aided design systems. Joanna wants to utilise their skills to produce the next generation of designs for plastic containers.

One of her goals is to refocus the company’s strategies to deal with waste and inefficiencies in the current business operations. She is keen to develop an eco-footprint which measures a product’s impact on the environment and plans to introduce processes to reduce this impact.

She would like to launch the new products, together with the company’s sustainability focus, at the National Plastics Manufacturing Show which is to be held in November 2016.
She has the backing of the Board of Directors for all these initiatives.

She would like to conduct research projects on the following six areas. NOTE: Each of the projects below relate to your major/double major. Only choose the project which deals with your major.

1. She is very keen to upgrade the current accounting system and change to a fully computerised system for managing accounts, inventory control and client and customer management. She is also keen to identify the appropriate accounting information and management tools required for the company’s new strategies. (Accounting)

2. She wants to conduct market research to firstly establish whether there will be an advantage in increasing their product range; secondly to establish what their competitors are selling and plan to do in the short to medium term; and thirdly to identify consumer views on her environmentally friendly initiative. (Marketing)

3. She is aware that there are human resource issues involving family members. Some have been in the business a long time and are resistant to change. Younger members of the family are keen to shift the company to a model which is responsive to trends and able to deal with innovative and change. She sees the need for creativity to advance the company but does not wish to create a destructive split between the generations. (Human Resources Management)

4. She wants to integrate the new computer-aided design systems into the existing business operations, and for the process to be organised efficiently. She is aware that aspects of the business operations are out-dated and she wants some research done to see how the operations practices currently in place can improve. (Operations Management)

5. She wants to take the staff away on a two day conference workshops to build the team and to get the staff onboard with the new vision and direction of the company. She wants to include the staff in the planning of this conference. She wants to know where to hold this conference and the appropriate food and beverages to provide. (Hospitality, Project Management).

6. If your major does not include one of the above discuss with your lecturer another possible scenario you could design a research project around, e.g. design an applied project around sustainability and tourism.