Example research essay topic: Marketing Activity Decision Making - 1,642 words

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1. Introduction This document is a commentary that critically examines the research proposal for investigating the impact of marketing activity in the recruitment of students from the Republic of Ireland to the University of. This commentary looks at the rationale for carrying out the research and how the research methodology was derived. Before embarking on any research project Zikmund (2000) suggests that a cost-benefit analysis be undertaken. Questions that should be asked include: a) Will the pay off or rate of return be worth the investment? b) Will the information gained by research improve the quality of the decision to an extent sufficient to warrant the expenditure?

c) Is the proposed research expenditure the best use of available funds? The cost in this scenario for research is 2, 000 plus researcher's time. If the research identifies ways of attracting more students to the University then this should generate more than sufficient funds to justify this expenditure as well as ensuring that the substantial sums invested in normal activity does produce some benefit. 2. Defining the problem As Smith and Fletcher (2001) point out " a problem defined is a problem half solved." The nature of the problem at is multifarious. A lack of evaluation and assessment has not been developed to adequately judge the value of activity and by default does not allow for planning and allocation of resources to increase the impact of marketing activity or decide that resources can be better allocated elsewhere. If the management at the University of can have information on: < sum> How many students come from Ireland? < sum> How were they attracted initially to the University? < sum> What activity conducted does attract students? < sum> What percentage of the market share do we have and is there room for expansion?

Market research should clarify whether current perceptions are correct and give them evidence on which to base future decisions. But in order to do this the research objectives will have to be defined. This is important because as Hague and Jackson (1999) state " every research project should have a defined and explicit objective which succinctly states why the research is being carried out" and "all other aspects of planning and carrying out the research flow from this perspective." To define the research objectives and thus get a better understanding of the research problem exploratory research will be used. This will enable us to determine the research question that needs to be asked to help us achieve the research objectives. This view is supported by Chisnall (2001) who states that "exploratory research gives valuable insight, results in a firm grasp of the essential character and purpose of specific research surveys and encourages the development of creative, alternative research strategies." This stage is particularly important since the University is making a major decision and as a result we need to understand the research problem as much as is financially feasible within the time constraints. 3. Research Methodology The answer to questions such as how many Irish students are studying at the University and where they are from will be followed by a questionnaire designed to see how they found out about the University.

This will provide the rationale and focus to continue in-depth analysis for the purposes of a marketing campaign. Primarily it is important that the research gives the University an understanding of how to market effectively in Ireland. Discovering how the decision making process of prospective students about choosing where to study can be influenced. This will be reflected in the feedback on what activity has been influential with current students.

Secondly, how can we attract more students? Alternatively, research that explores what demands or lack of provision exists in Ireland HE market may also provide information for a marketing campaign. Exploratory research will help to clarify and define the nature of the research. It is also useful because of our limited knowledge about the issue under investigation. As Zikmund (2000) suggests ' exploratory research is a useful preliminary step that helps ensure that a more rigorous, more conclusive future study will not begin with an inadequate understanding of the nature of the management problem." The purpose of this exploratory research is to gather enough background information to help develop questionnaires and discussion topics for the depth interviews and focus group and help direct the research to issues relevant to achieving the research objectives. This part of the study is considered to be very important because without it we could end up asking the wrong questions to the wrong respondents.

Chisnall (2001) comments that " these initial steps should not be dismissed as of little consequence; the opposite, in fact, is nearer to reality, for exploratory research gives valuable insight, results in a firm grasp of the essential character and purpose of the specific surveys, and encourages the development of creative, alternative research strategies." For exploratory research a survey provides an ideal instrument. It enables rapid gathering of data providing a "quick, inexpensive, efficient and accurate means of assessing information about the population" (Zikmund, 2000). Considerable attention should be given to the survey instrument and how it relates to its international audience. 4. Secondary Research "Secondary data helps to define the problem, to develop an approach to it and to formulate an appropriate research design" (Malhotra & Birks, 2000).

Insights into recruitment in Ireland by the University of can be gained from many different angles. Firstly a thorough analysis of the marketing and management information available at the University should take place. Secondly, other Universities may have encountered similar decision making issues and information may be available. Similarly professional journals and market reports may shed light on the problem.

Desk research will also provide some quantitative background data such as the number of Irish students at the University, what they are studying, where they are from and what year of entry. Internal data collection is the starting point of our research. Since the research is on existing students we would begin our investigation by examining our internal records. The University has a database of all the students and this database holds basic geo-demographic data of the students at the University. The usefulness of the University's database stems from the fact that, by the nature of its business it is up-to-date (for current students) for the particular academic session.

However, Zikmund (2000) cautions on the use of secondary data. He particularly singled out the fact that data may be outdated; may need conversion and the researcher is not in control of the accuracy. This should be kept in mind as the sample selected will be small and therefore tiny variations in the information will have greater impact. On a positive note, Chisnall (2001) argues that "desk research has the attractive attribute of being non reactive or unobtrusive, is an established method of collecting secondary data, it is economical, comparatively speedy and can be undertaken with complete confidentiality." A quantitative study would be able to determine statistics such the level of impact marketing has on the decision making of current Irish students to attend the University of.

But what is also required from this research is a greater understanding of what activity would impact on a greater number of students in Ireland. Chisnall (2001) argues that " for all its limitations qualitative research is able to provide unique insights to inspire and guide the development of marketing strategy and tactics." The University of has strong links with a number of 'feeder' colleges in Ireland for a number of courses but conducts a limited amount of general marketing activity. A simple survey of current students to see what impact the range of activity has had will assist in defining the scope of action to be undertaken. Hague and Jackson (1999) assert that qualitative research has the "emphasis on understanding rather than simple measurement." Once it had been decided that qualitative research was to be employed it was then a matter of selecting suitable techniques within the budget of 2, 000.

Procter states, "the precision of the survey is a function of the sample size. " (2000), in this case 100 % of Irish students will be contacted. In reality we have little idea of why students have chosen to attend the University of. If student attitudes have changed, for example in light of tuition fees, the University may be missing opportunities or may be unaware of threats that might soon face them. For that reason such research should be "part of normal, ongoing business operations, rather than in response to specific marketing problems or opportunities" (Malhotra and Peterson, 2001). 5. Primary research The qualitative data for the research will be collected from Irish students and academic staff at the University of. Though there might be an argument that the research should extend to non-students in Ireland, the problem with such an approach will be that it will make the research too broad for the budget and time limitations.

However, we do have contacts in Irish institutions and an Agent working for us who is aware of the HE market in Ireland. However, concern must be expressed as the Agent has a vested interest in continuing the work and expanding it if possible. 5. 1 International Dimension Reynolds (2000) points out that, "The single most important cause of failure in the international marketplace is insufficient preparation and information." Compared to domestic research, international projects create not only more challenges but also very different ones. They include issues of culture, data availability, social and economic conditions and simply the logistics of collecting information from another country. Initial research of an exploratory nature is appropriate as a start. But this will be followed by a thorough investigation in the form of qualitative research to probe beneath the results to determine the underlying reasons for behaviour as is prop...

Research essay sample on Marketing Activity Decision Making