Unit 11 Research Project Assignment Sample

Unit 11 Research Project Assignment Sample

Research Title:Marketing Research Plan for flavoured water market in UK and Ireland

Research Project Description and background

A drinks company i.e. The Feel Good Drinks Company and another company i.e. Isklar the Norwegian Glacial water entered in a deal for 5 years where TESCO received the full distribution rights of premium water brand in UK and Ireland. The marketers feel that the company is not dong justice as its main focus is on fruit juices rather than selling and distributing the water brand. So, a marketing plan has to be prepared to ensure the success of the flavoured water brand (Atkins, et. al., 2014).

The research is purely a mixed research as it includes the collection of quantitative and qualitative information with the help of various primary and secondary data sources. The collected will be analysed then to get the real conclusions and to provide recommendations to the company for the success of the flavoured water brand (Babin, et. al., 2014). 

Research Aim and objectives

Aim:The main aim of this research project is to identify the potential of flavoured water market in UK and Ireland and to ensure the methods which can be used for the success of the product

Objectives:Objectives can be referred to the combination of various goals which are needed to be achieved within the set time frame. The main research objectives of the research are:

• To identify the target market of the flavoured water in UK and Ireland
• To recognize the success of flavoured water in the markets of UK and Ireland
• To analyse the response of the customers towards flavoured water in UK.

Literature Review:

Market research can be referred as to the activity which includes collection of information about the customer’s needs and demands. It is the whole process which helps the organisation to define the opportunities and evaluate the actions which help the company to identify the target market. It also helps in the decision making activities of the company for future business activities. Market research is of two types, primary research and secondary research where the data is collected through different methods (, 2014).

Every new products are produced and launched by the companies to meet the demands of the people/ customers but not all of them success because most of them are not properly introduced in the market. Marketing research is one such tool which ensures the success of the product in the market by meeting the product features with the desires of the customers. Market research follows a process which includes knowing the customers and the competitors, targeting the customers, the product needs to identify and showcase its USP, Determine the marketing strategy, carry on the marketing campaign and then monitor the whole process and its success (Kotler & Keller, 2014).

The marketing Guru Philip Kotler has given various theories on Marketing, one of the best and most used theory is marketing mix which is also known as the theory of 4 P’s of marketing. Kotler said that marketing mix is a set of four variables which are used to impact and influence the response of the buyers in the market. These four variables are also used to develop USP of the brand or a product (Kotler, 2013).

Research Methodology:

Introduction: This is the major section of the research in which all the methods and techniques which are used in the report are discussed. The onion research method is used in the research.

Research theory:This research follows the Research onion Theory which has been given by Saunders et. al. (2007). This theory suggests that the research is conducted in sequence, step by step just like the layers in the onion.

Research Philosophy:This refers to the ideology of the research. The research is developed on the basis of reality which shows it is more over positivism.

Research Approach:This is the third level in which the approaches followed for the research are discussed. This research includes the following approaches:

• Quantitative approach:In this approach quantitative data is been collected which is in numerical form and statistical methods are used to analyse them.
• Qualitative approach:In this approach qualitative data is been collected in details and descriptions.

Research strategies:The fourth stage of the research project suggests that there are plans and strategies which guide how the research will be carried out.

Choices:The next stage if Research choice which tells about the choices made for the research program like in this research, mixed approach will be used in which quantitative and qualitative data are collected.

Time Horizons:This shows the time durations which are taken for completing the research project and the set of activities taken up in the research should be completed in the given time for effective results and success of the project.

Techniques and Procedures:Sampling technique for this research is random sampling technique and the sample size is 100 customers.

Collection of data and Target market:In this research, data will be collected through Primary and secondary sources. Primary data is collected through survey questionnaires from the possible customers of the flavoured water whereas Secondary data in this research will be taken from websites, journals, articles, etc.  For this research, customers of TESCO are the target market as they purchase products from TESCO and can be targeted for purchasing flavoured water (Beins, 2014). 

Research timeline and Gantt chart

Ethical consideration: The research is done by following the ethics. The words included in the surveys are not aimed at harming the sentiments of people.

Reliability and validity of research: The data used is reliable and valid as it is referenced properly.

Literature Review

Market research can be referred as to the activity which includes collection of information about the customer’s needs and demands. It is the whole process which helps the organisation to define the opportunities and evaluate the actions which help the company to identify the target market (Verschuren, et. al., 2010). It also helps in the decision-making activities of the company for future business activities. Market research is of two types, primary research and secondary research where the data is collected through different methods. This section contains the details about various concepts about market research of a new launch of a product in UK market by TESCO and theories. The research is about the launch of flavoured water which is distributed by TESCO in UK and Ireland and it has to be determined that what is the response of customers who visit TESCO towards Flavoured water (Kotler & Keller, 2014).

Every new products are produced and launched by the companies to meet the demands of the people/ customers but not all of them success because most of them are not properly introduced in the market. Marketing research is one such tool which ensures the success of the product in the market by meeting the product features with the desires of the customers (Bryman & Bell, 2015).  Market research follows a process which includes knowing the customers and the competitors, targeting the customers, the product to identify and showcase its USP, Determine the marketing strategy, carry on the marketing campaign and then monitor the whole process and its success. Marketing Research can be defined as the systematic process of collection and analysis of data for marketing the goods and services in the target market. It improves decisions of the business and success of the product (, 2014).

The marketing Guru Philip Kotler has given various theories on Marketing, one of the best and most used theory is marketing mix which is also known as the theory of 4 P’s of marketing. Kotler said that marketing mix is a set of four variables which are used to impact and influence the response of the buyers in the market. These four variables are also used to develop USP of the brand or a product (Kotler, 2013).

These variables work in the relation to each other. The analysis of 4 P’s for flavoured water in UK and Ireland is done below:

• Product: The product is flavoured water which encourages the habit of drinking water of people in the country. Flavoured water is a healthy alternative of the drinks which contains sugar like soft drinks and juices. The products are differentiated from the competitors with the help of packaging or benefit which has been offered by the product in comparison to other alternatives or brand (, 2014).
• Pricing: For making people attractive towards flavoured water, TESCO should sell it at lower prices so as to penetrate the market. The prices of the product are decided after doing a research on the acceptability of the product and the prices determined by the competitors. The cost of the development of the product is also considered on which the profit margins are added. Logical pricing is adopted so that the volume of sales can be maintained and revenues can be earned at good amount (Kotler & Keller, 2014).

• Promotion:  Flavoured water has to be promoted by adopting best strategies so that people get aware about the product and its benefits and its sales can be increased. The flavoured water will be promoted in the target market which is people who are health conscious (Cassell, 2015). The product has to be established as a different product from its competitors and can be promoted by the company through advertisements on television so that people can have an image of the product in their minds. It can hire a celebrity as a brand ambassador which can attract many customers towards the product. The celebrities can be sportsperson who are health conscious. Product endorsed by them will create a good image in the minds of people. In TESCO, free locusassignments.can also be given to make people aware about the product and its benefits (Keegan & Green, 2013). 
• Place: place means the distribution channel through which the product is been provided to the customers from the manufacturers. Flavoured water is being distributed By TESCO in UK and Ireland. So, the major distribution channel is retail supermarkets of TESCO. Feel Good Drinks can also sell these products through direct sales force of the company which will increase its sales volume (Armstrong & Kotler, 2013). 

Research Tools and Techniques: Research Methodology

Introduction: This is the major section of the research in which all the methods and techniques which are used in the report are discussed. This section contains the details about the methods of the data collection, analysis methods, timescales, limitations of the study, etc. The onion research method is used in the research which shows different stages in which the research is been conducted.

Research theory:This research follows the Research onion Theory which has been given by Saunders et. al. (2007). This theory suggests that the research is conducted in sequence, step by step just like the layers in the onion. This shows that when every layer is removed more details are accessed so the stages in the report are like the layers in the onion (Saunders, et. al., 2012). 

Research onion Theory

Research Philosophy:This refers to the ideology of the research. The research is developed on the basis of reality which shows it is more over positivism. The rules and regulations have to be followed so as to avoid any legal actions.

Research question

• What are the chances of success of flavoured water in the markets of UK and Ireland?
• What is the response of the customers towards flavoured water in UK?

Research Approach: This is the third level in which the approaches followed for the research are discussed. This research includes the following approaches:

• Quantitative approach:In this approach quantitative data is been collected which is in numerical form and statistical methods are used to analyse them.  Quantitative data is been collected through survey questionnaire in which 12 questionnaires are included to test the response of the customers towards flavoured water (Sekaran & Bougie, 2013). 
• Qualitative approach:In this approach qualitative data is been collected in details and descriptions. The qualitative data is been collected through various academic sources, journals, websites, etc.

Research strategies:The fourth stage of the research project suggests that there are plans and strategies which guide how the research will be carried out. This research has a research strategy of setting the objectives and then meeting them by collecting the data and analysing it for conclusions and recommendations.

Choices:The next stage if Research choice which tells about the choices made for the research program like in this research, mixed approach will be used in which quantitative and qualitative data are collected for collecting the data in this type of approach, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used.

Time Horizons: This shows the time durations which are taken for completing the research project and the set of activities taken up in the research should be completed in the given time for effective results and success of the project. If the research activities are not completed on time, it will hamper the growth of the project. The time horizon is minimum 3 months for the project.

Techniques and Procedures:sampling technique is the technique through which a specific segment is chosen from the mass population to conduct a research easily.Sampling technique for this research is random sampling technique and the sample size is 100 customers.

Collection of data and Target market: In this research, data will be collected through Primary and secondary sources.

• Primary sources are the ones which are contacted for the first time and provide raw data.  Primary data is collected through survey questionnaires from the probable customers of the flavoured water (O'Leary, 2014). 
• Secondary sources are those which are already used by someone and the data supports the primary data. Secondary data in this research will be taken from websites, journals, articles, etc. (Cooper & Schindler, 2014). 

This is the layer in onion theory which focuses on the collection of data and the target market. For this research, customers of TESCO are the target market as they purchase products from TESCO and can be targeted for purchasing flavoured water.

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Research timeline and Gantt chart

Ethical consideration: The research is done by following the ethics. The words included in the surveys are not aimed at harming the sentiments of people. The permissions are taken from the related authorities for making the research ethical.

Limitations of the study:The limitation of my research is that the customers may not provide genuine responses in the survey which might influence the conclusion of my research.

Reliability and validity of research: The data used is reliable and valid as it is referenced properly. Also, the responses collected and the other data is protected by strong passwords so that no unauthorised person can access or damage the data.

Conclusion and Recommendations

From the above research conducted on the flavoured water and its response in the market it is concluded that the flavoured water is very innovative step that the companies has taken to attract people and to provide them the new taste in the drinks which already exists. It has been observed from the data collected that the flavoured water is the effective presentation to the world among the drinks but it has not captured the hearts of people completely as it is not only containing the beneficial aspects. According to the research conducted the conclusion can be drawn that the organization has taken the good initiative of flavoured water as well as it is healthy for the kids as well as adults. The flavoured drinking water contains the different flavours which the person can taste in the less costs. The flavoured water has the facility to provide the flavours of fresh fruits and the other likely eatables which the people find in the juices. But it has not as effective as the fruits because fruits contain the real juices of the fruits. The flavoured water contains the maximum flavours. The flavoured water is a healthy product as compared to the soft drinks and the cold drinks which are poisonous to health of the people. The flavoured water can work as the alternative to the hazardous cold drinks. According to the above data collected it has observed that the people like the flavoured water but it is not as compared to the normal water and the juices. By this project we were able to meet the objectives and the aims of conducting the research which is to observe whether the flavoured drinking is effective in the market or not.

Recommendations to the companies can be that they should improve the flavours of the water by increasing the quality flavours and the instincts of the flavours in the water so as the people can consume the water with more interest and the flavours should be innovated in a manner to provide the unique taste as compared to the juices and the other soft drinks and the prices of the flavoured water should also be decreased in order to attract the people to purchase it. The flavoured water should be promoted very effectively and the companies should also use the effective strategies for the advertisement and promotion and the marketing of the flavoured water to attract them. The companies should also provide the offers and the promotional schemes to the flavoured water to increase its sales and the consumption. For gaining the maximum popularity for the flavoured water it is needed that the company’s should provide the maximum effective features to the flavoured water to increase its sales and the marketing.

References

Armstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2013). Marketing: An introduction (11th, Global ed.).Boston;London;:.
Atkins, S., Gill, L., & McConnell, C. (2014). Teaching dimension reduction to business students via mixed methods research. European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, ,29.
Babin, B. J., D'Alessandro, S., Lowe, B., & Winzar, H. (2014). Marketing research (Asia-Pacific 3. ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning.
Beins, B. (2014). Successful research projects: A step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Bryman, A., & Bell, E., 1968. (2015). Business research methods (Fourth ed.). New York, NY, United States ofAmerica;Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;:Oxford University Press.
Cassell, C. (2015). Conducting research interviews for business and management students. Thousand Oaks,California;London;:SAGE.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business research methods (Twelfth ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Keegan, W. J., & Green, M. C. (2013). Global marketing (7th, global ed.). Boston,Mass;London;:.
Kotler, P. (2013). Principles of Marketing. Education Limited.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2014). Marketing and Management,., USA: Prentice Hall.
O'Leary, Z. (2014). The essential guide to doing your research project (2nd ed.). London: SAGE.
, D., & Books24x7, I. (2014;2013;). The 20 ps of marketing: A complete guide to marketing strategy. GB: Kogan Page Ltd.
Saunders, M., 1959, Lewis, P., 1945, & Thornhill, A. (2012). Research methods for business students (6th ed.). Harlow: Education.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach(Sixth ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley.
Verschuren, P., Doorewaard, H. (., & Mellion, M. J. (2010). Designing a research project (2nd ed.). The Hague: Eleven International Publishing House.
Walker, R., Solvason, C., Bowen, J., Scott, W., McNiff, J., &ebrary, I. (2014). Success with your early years research project. London, [England]: SAGE.

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