Unit 11 Research Project Assignment - Handicrafts Industry

Unit 11 Research Project Assignment - Handicrafts Industry

Task 1: Project Planning and Research Proposal

Research proposal

Title of the project: Adoption of technology in the Handicrafts Industry of UK

Objectives of Research: The main objectives of the research are:

• To identify the current status of handicrafts industry in UK
• To find out the development of technology and the opportunity for the success of business in the industry
• To identify the implications of technology on the future of handicraft industry of UK

1.1 Rationale and Background of the project

The main reason behind this research project handicrafts industry research report is to identify the real condition of rural artisans and craftsperson in UK handicraft industry.  This is to be done to develop a new business of handicrafts for the purpose of exporting it to other countries and to improve the conditions of rural and local artisans and craftsperson. The handicraft industry of UK needs a revival due to the emergence of globalization. The industry is losing its importance because of its lack in updation with the technology and lower revenues. It needs a revival to attract most of the consumers including the tourists and export businesses (Brata, 2011).

I am inspired to use this industry as the topic of my research because of my personal interest in this area and another reason is the losing importance of this industry in the country. The project requires the data for the research which will be collected through primary and secondary sources. The primary sources are the questionnaires and the interviews taken up from the craftsmen in the country and the consumers while the secondary sources are the articles, journals, newspapers, reports or any other publication which are used to gain information about the related subject (Golmeymi, et al.,  2013).

1.2 Background of research

The research is based on the development of new business in handicraft industry which needs to analyze the present situation of the handicrafts business. The main purpose of the research is to analyze and identify that how the adoption of technology can change the face of the handicrafts industry in UK. Technology, here, refers to the application of new machinery or devices for enhancing the productivity and efficiency of the workers and to provide them a suitable platform to showcase their skills or to get adequate prices for their efforts. This includes adoption of social media and online selling platforms for selling their products in the country and outside the country (Kuada, 2012).

The main aim of the research is to explore the opportunities of establishing a handicraft business in the UK market by using various technologies and digitization.

Research questions:

The main questions to be answered in this research are:

• What are the prospects of handicraft business of UK in the country and globally?
• What technologies can be adopted to enhance the business of handicrafts in UK?

1.3 Literature review

According to the report of Sir Mark Walport and Sir Richard Lapthorne, the future of handicrafts and art will be different than what it is today. But it will be only if the companies adopt the rapidly changing technologies and methods which make manufacturing faster and also when the businesses will response to the global markets to come closer to the customers (UKgovernment, 2013).A research report says that the craftsmen in UK will benefit from the age of digitization as they will get the opportunities to connect to the different clients and customers. They can also market their business through different sources (communitiesandculture, 2014). According to the report of British Museum (britishmuseum, 2011), craft is the language of material and it has a lot more importance than it is given in actual. Craft is something which has more potential and it is not recognized fully.

Some of the challenges which are faced by these industries are lack of finance, lack of marketing and outdated techniques. These challenges have to be met by the proper efforts made by the collaboration of government and the businessmen themselves (Naidu, et al., 2014). When handicraft business will get proper marketing and platforms to sell their products, the industry will flourish more than ever (Matsenjwa & Musiiwa, 2016).

1.4 Methodology of research

Methodology is the key section of research program where all the techniques and methods used in the research will be mentioned.

• Research design: The design of the research is mixed where both the quantitative and qualitative methods will be used for holding on the research. These methods will involve taking interviews from the craftsmen and also a questionnaire will be designed which will help to know the real situations of the people working in the industry. These methods will be used together to conduct a successful research on the topic.
• Data collection sources: The data collection sources used is primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources are the interviews and questionnaires and secondary sources are different articles, newspapers and journals (Kumar, 2011).
• Sampling technique and size: the people for interview and questionnaire are selected randomly. Random sample technique is adopted for  decision making  selections of sources and the sample size is 50.
• Reliability and validity: The responses given by the artists and the workers will be kept confidential and saved with the passwords to save their originality. The data collected is reliable as it is referenced as the proof of originality.
• Limitations of the research:Time for conducting research is limited i.e. 9 weeks which is limited for conducting the research on such a wide industry with a wide scope. Some of craftsmen and artisans do not provide genuine responses which affect the genuineness of the research.

1.5 Action Plan and Gantt chart

Gantt chart

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Task 2

2.1 Plan and specify the resources required to conduct the research project

The resources which are required to conduct this research project are:

• Human resources: Human resources are required to complete the research as the questionnaire and interviews will be conducted and the responses are taken from artisans and craftsmen of the related business.
• Financial resources:  Financial resources  are required to conduct the research well. Money is required for bearing the transportation costs and other expenses like of stationery.
• Time resources: Time is one of the important resources which are required to complete the research. Time is required t plan and implement the research and also to collect the data to analyze it for the findings and conclusions.

2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures.

There are certain measures which are used for conducting the research, these measures are explained below:

• Primary sources: Primary sources are those which are collected for the first time and the data collected is for the purpose of usage in the research for the first time. The primary data collected in this research is from the craftsmen of handicrafts industry of UK as the research is regarding the use of latest updation in technology in the handicrafts industry for its enhancement and effectiveness. For this purpose, a questionnaire is been prepared for getting the present status of the industry and what are the prospects of this industry in future. It will also help in analyzing that how technology will help the industry to prosper. This questionnaire will be distributed to randomly select 50 artisans of the industry to know their responses and those responses are analyzed to get the findings (Mamtora, 2015). Also, face to face interviews are been conducted from 5 businessmen to know what they think about linking the industry with the technology for the betterment of the industry. 5 questions are been asked from both the groups to have their responses on the questions and to make final conclusions (Pickard & Childs, 2013).
• Secondary sources: Secondary sources are those which provide the already extracted data. Secondary sources used in this project are the articles, newspapers, journals and internet sources to find out the answers to the research problems (Hughes, 2012). The whole research has been conducted following the procedures discussed above. Reliability and validity of the projects can be known by the responses given by the artists and the workers which are kept confidential and saved with the passwords to save their originality. The data collected is reliable as it is referenced as the proof of originality. Permissions are taken from the relevant authorities for conducting the surveys and interviews.

Data is collated with the help of questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire given below is the part of the research project “Adoption of technology in the Handicrafts Industry of UK”. This will help in taking out the findings of the research and make the recommendations. The data will be confidential about the respondent and the sampling size is 50 which are randomly selected.

Questionnaire:

Gender

• Male
• Female

Age

• 18-30
• 31-45
• 46-60

Increase in the production and consumption of machine made products has resulted into the depletion of handicraft industry of UK. How much do you agree?

• Highly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Highly disagree

How do you market your products?

• Through shopkeepers
• Through exhibitions and other promotional campaigns
• Through government channels
• Through online channels

Have you used technological advancements in manufacturing and marketing your products?

• Yes
• No

The future of handicraft industry is in dark. Do you agree?

• Highly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Highly disagree

Use of technology and digitization will bring a boom in the industry. How much do you agree?

• Highly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Highly disagree

Trading across borders is essential for the business of handicrafts.

• Highly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Highly disagree

Does government take any steps to promote the handicrafts of UK?

• Yes
• No
• Don’t Know

 Shift of the trend of marketing through online channels has widened the scope for handicrafts.

• Highly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Highly disagree

Interview questions from businessmen:

• From how long you are connected with the handicraft industry of UK?
• Is the industry proven profitable for you?
• What do you think about the future of the industry?
• Have you taken some steps to bring advancements and innovations in technology for bringing boom in the business?
• What are your views for using online business channels for selling the products within or outside the boundaries?

3.1 Describe and evaluate factors that affected the achievement of your project

There are various factors which affect the achievement of the research project. These are explained below:

• Time factor: Time plays a very important role in completing the projects efficiently. Time for conducting this research is limited i.e. 9 weeks which is limited for conducting the research on such a wide industry with a wide scope.  Because of limited time, only a small sample of 50 craftsmen is selected for questionnaire and only 5 businessmen for interviews.
• Biasness in responses: Some of craftsmen and artisans do not provide genuine responses which affect the authenticity of the research. They provide biased responses sometimes which affect the achievement of the objectives of the research.
• Lack of financial resources: Financial resources are needed for completing the  research project . They are needed for transportation and other stationary expenses. Lack of money could affect the completion of project.

3.2 interpret and analyze the results

The data collected should be analyzed and evaluated for taking out the findings which are ultimately used to make conclusions and to make recommendations. Below given is the analysis of the answers of the questions which are asked from the craftsmen of UK:

• Increase in the production and consumption of machine made products has resulted into the depletion of handicraft industry of UK. How much do you agree?

Analysis: It is clear from the above chart that Most of the craftsmen i.e. 34% highly agreed that the increase of the production and consumption of machine made products have resulted into the depletion of handicraft industry of UK while only 6% highly disagreed to the same. It shows that machine made products is the main reason for the downfall of the industry and is lowering the interests of people from the handmade products.

• The future of handicraft industry is in dark. Do you agree?

Analysis: It is clear from the above chart that 35% of the respondents are neutral on the statement that the future of handicraft industry is in dark. 25% of the respondents agree to the statement because the industry is slowly fading its popularity because of the lack of updation in technology. Only 10% of the respondents highly disagreed to the same. The craftsmen know that if they will be provided with sufficient resources and opportunities, the industries will flourish well and the industry will contribute a big amount to the overall profits of the nation and also in the GDP of the country.

• Use of technology and digitization will bring a boom in the industry. How much do you agree?

Analysis: It is clear that 21% of the respondents highly agree and 25% agree to the statement that use of technology and digitization will bring a boom in the industry of handicrafts and only 14% highly disagrees. It shows that using the latest technologies increase the quality of products plus the productivity of the craftsmen.

• Trading across borders is essential for the business of handicrafts

Analysis: It is clear that most of the respondents i.e. 30% are neutral on the view that Trading across borders is essential for the business of handicrafts and 25% highly agreed on that. It shows that the craftsmen wants to export their products for getting higher exposure and profits for their work and talent.

• Does government take any steps to promote the handicrafts of UK?

Analysis: It is analyzed that government has taken many steps to promote the handicrafts of UK and 45% of the craftsmen said yes, government has taken steps while 40% of the craftsmen said that no, government has nothing for the promotion and development of handicrafts of the nation. 15% of the craftsmen do not have any knowledge on this matter.

• Shift of the trend of marketing through online channels has widened the scope for handicrafts.

Analysis: The results shows that 28% of the respondents are neutral on the statement that Shift of the trend of marketing through online channels has widen the scope for handicrafts while 23% are highly agreed. Only 12% of the respondents highly disagree on the same. This shows that people does not have any resistance from the online channels and they are ready to use the online channels for marketing their products.

Analysis of interviews:5 businessmen are interviewed face to face for getting their responses on the questions asked from them. It is analyzed that businessmen are engaged in this industry from years and they are successfully trading within and outside the nations with the help of government. The emergence of online channels has widened the scope for their business but only few businessmen are fully utilizing these channels.

The businessmen agrees that yes, there is a downfall in the industry but the future of the industry is not in dark because there are lot of opportunities available and the loyal customers are still  bring success to the businesses. By bringing innovations and adoption of latest technologies, the business can boom and can be profitable in the future times also.

3.3 recommendations and areas for further research

After the research completion, it can be concluded that the future of the handicraft industry will not be in dark if the sufficient technology and innovations will be implemented regularly. It will not only maintain the interest of the consumers in the handicrafts but will also decrease the cost of the manufacturing.

The handicraft industry needs a change, it needs to have digitization and use of social media for having a wide reach among the customers. Social media and online channels will enable them to reach the customers of the nation plus the customers outside the borders directly. It is recommended for the government of UK to conduct the exhibitions and fairs at regular intervals for encouraging the artisans. These events should be organized at global level so that the talents from different places come together and showcase their talents. This would encourage art and handicrafts of different nations. Exchange of knowledge and skills will take place which will enhance the capabilities of the artists.

For the new business development, it is recommended to hire the artists and pay them well which would encourage them to give their best for the business. This would bring fine excellence of the artists and will also help the company to sell the best products in the industry. The business is recommended to develop websites and use social media to promote their products in different countries. Different technologies from different countries should be adopted to increase the productivity of the artists and to decrease the costs of manufacturing.

Areas for further research:

There are some areas for further research consideration, these are:

• Research on the future of manufacturing in UK:  a set of opportunities available and the limitations
• Research on the development of crafts in digital age
• Research on the role and value of crafts today

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References

Brata, A.G. 2011, "SOCIAL NETWORKS AND INNOVATION (HANDICRAFT INDUSTRY IN BANTUL, YOGYAKARTA)", Economics, Management and Financial Markets, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 106.
britishmuseum. (2011). What is the role and value of crafts today? Retrieved 10 28, 2016, from https://blog.britishmuseum.org/2011/08/17/what-is-the-role-and-value-of-crafts-today/
communitiesandculture. (2014). Rural Crafting Communities in the Digital Age. Retrieved 10 28, 2016, from http://www.communitiesandculture.org/projects/rural-crafting-communities-in-the-digital-age/
Golmeymi, M., Mirvaisi, M., Maleki, B. & Shirzour Aliabadi, Z. 2013, "An empirical study on the effect of WTO membership on Iranian Handicraft industry: A case study of Persian carpet", Management Science Letters, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 1375-1380.
Hughes, J. 2012, SAGE internet research methods, Four-Volume Set edn, SAGE, Los Angeles.
Kuada, J. 2012, Research methodology: a project guide for university students, 1st edn, Samfundslitteratur, Frederiksberg C [Denmark].
Kumar, R. 2011, Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, 3rd edn, SAGE, Los Angeles
Mamtora, J. 2015, Research Methods Guide.
Matsenjwa, G.N. & Musiiwa, E. 2016, "The globalization of the rural Swazi weaver: Lavumisa women in the commercial handicraft industry, 1981-2013", Journal of International Women's Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 102.
Naidu, S., Chand, A. & Southgate, P. 2014, "Determinants of innovation in the handicraft industry of Fiji and Tonga: an empirical analysis from a tourism perspective", Journal of Enterprising Communities, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 318.
Pickard, A.J. & Childs, S. 2013, Research methods in information, Neal-Schuman, Chicago.
UKgovernment. (2013). Future of manufacturing: a new era of opportunity and challenge for the UK - summary report. Retrieved 10 28, 2016, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-manufacturing/future-manufacturing-a-new-era-of-opportunity-and-challenge-for-the-uk-summary-report