Business Research Assignment: Mind Map &Business Analysis For UK Retailer

Question

Task: Business Research Assignment Instructions:
CW 2 - Two Mind Maps
Coursework

• Please choose 2 of the options below, to create 2 Mind Maps.
• Each Mind Map is worth 10% of the overall marks for the module (20% in total)
• N.B. Submission with CW3 - WEEK 12 – SUNDAY 12TH DECEMBER 2021

General guidance – creation and presentation of 2 Mind Maps
• You can draw the mind maps by hand if you wish, as long as they are presented in an EASY TO READ format.
• Or if you have suitable software, you can use this to create the mind maps.
Presentation: Each mind map should be presented on one page, but if you need a second page, this is acceptable.
CITATION: In all cases, include the citation of the source at the bottom of the mind map.

Submission Format
Create TWO mind maps (by hand or electronically/using software).
The 2 mind maps should be submitted as one document WITHIN CW3 (report), to BB TurnItin – CW2 Mind Maps and CW3 Report

The Task:
Choose Two Options Out Of The Four Shown Below.
Option 1
Read the paper titled Taking the ‘‘Q’’ Out of Research: Teaching
Research Methodology Courses Without the Divide Between Quantitative and Qualitative
Paradigms which is available to download here https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11135-004-1670-0.pdf (institutional log in required)
Create a mind map that illustrates the core factors that are presented by the authors.

Option 2
Every research study starts with an overall aim that is linked to a specific research problem that needs to be solved. For example, here is a researchable problem based on an overall aim which seeks to investigate the factors that impact on gambling behaviours
With this overall aim at the core of the research study, create a mind map to illustrate the key considerations that need to be taken into account as you prepare to undertake this research.

PLEASE NOTE: In option 2, you may choose any aim/research problem from which to create a mind map. Such as an article of your choice, OR one of the case studies that appear in Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill or another core text.

Option 3
This option is scenario based, meaning you don’t have to undertake the research.

It has been decided that a focus group needs to be organised for a piece of research on the topic of gender equality in the workplace.
As the researcher who will undertake this focus group, please create a mind map to represent the key considerations that you need to be take into account to gather primary research data, using a focus group approach.

Option 4
Current mental health service provision for citizens living in rural locations in the Northern Periphery of Europe and the Arctic regions, cannot meet the rising demand to prevent and manage mental ill health. There is a lack of digital mental health support for tracking symptoms and for providing treatments and coping strategies at the point of need for 24/7, whilst at the same time, traditional one-to-one mental health services supporting people with chronic mental illness, as well as mild-to-moderate mental illness, is expensive and resource limited. ChatPal is an EU project, funded under the Northern Periphery and Arctic programme, that will undertake pilot trials in 5 EU regions with the aim of increasing citizen access to psychotherapeutic support using a computer-based intervention service which will be in the form of a conversational user interface, or chatbot.

You can discover more about this project at https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/funded-projects/project/233/
LW: Familiarise yourself with links within this website and make notes.

Please also use any other information that you can find through your own research to create a mind map that has taken into account the key dimensions associated with the ChatPal project.
BMG871 International Business Research Skills
CW3 – 2000 WORDS – CHOOSE ONE OF THREE OPTIONS
• This coursework is worth 40% of the overall marks for the module.
• Please choose 1 of the 3 options below, and answer all questions with your chosen option.
• Submission with CW2 (2 x mind maps) as ONE WORD DOCUMENT:
• WEEK 12 - SUNDAY 12th DECEMBER 2021 via TURNITIN/BLACKBOARD

Option 1. Qualitative Research Tasks
You should answer all tasks (a, b and c)

a) You are required to watch the following video which is a poor example of how to conduct an interview
• https://www.youtube.com/watchv=U4UKwd0KExc

Provide a written report that outlines some of the key mistakes made by the interviewer during the interview.
Just to note, the interviewer is the one asking the questions.
The interviewee is the one answering the questions.

Guidance
You should think about the following to inform your report…
• How the interviewer introduced the research topic to the interviewee.
• The speed at which the interviewer talked.
• Interviewer behaviour during the interview, including:
o Her general behaviour
o Her body language
o Her approach to building rapport with the interviewee
o Her listening skills
o Was the interviewer respectful
• The way in which she asked questions and probed the interviewee
Were the questions objectively asked
Did she ask leading questions, did she criticise the interviewee at times

• Was the way in which the interviewer ended the interview appropriate
o If no, then explain why it was not appropriate
b) You should also watch this video
• https://www.youtube.com/watchv=eNMTJTnrTQQ0
Provide a written report outlining the good points on how the interview was conducted.

Guidance
Again, think about the following to inform your response:
• How the interviewer introduced the research topic to the interviewee.
• The speed at which the interviewer talked.
• Interviewer behaviour during the interview, including:
o Her general behaviour
o Her body language
o Her approach to building rapport with the interviewee
o Her listening skills
o Was the interviewer respectful
• The way in which she asked questions and probed the interviewee

Were the questions objectively asked
Did she ask leading questions, did she criticise the interviewee at times
• Was the way in which the interviewer ended the interview appropriate
o If yes, then explain why/how it was appropriate

c) Please provide a detailed evaluation of participant observation.
Guidance
You should include the following sub-headings to structure your response
o What is participant observation
o What is meant by overt or covert participant observation
o The advantages and disadvantages of overt and covert participant observation
o Examples of the use of participant observation as a method to gather qualitative research.

Read about participant observation in Chapter 8 of the required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK:Wiley
These YouTube links may be of some use to help your practical understanding of participant observation:
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=1HthraLhb5Y
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=TOJDadNhBkg

Word limit for all 3 tasks is 2000 words maximum
Option 2 - Quantitative Research Tasks

You should answer all tasks (a, b and c)

a) Please evaluate the structure and content of the covering letter provided for this task. It is a good example of a covering letter and one that should accompany a postal questionnaire to inform participants of the research.

Guidance

• Consider both the structure and content of the letter.
• Is it well structured Is the layout clear
• Outline the key features of the cover letter - what is good about it Is it informative
• Evaluate the implications of each component e.g. what impact does a university logo have on a potential research participant

b) Please answer the following questions using literature to support your statements and your own examples to demonstrate your understanding of the terms.

• Explain the difference between open and closed questions.
• Explain the difference between positively and negatively worded questions.
• Explain what is meant by a double-barrelled question.
• Explain what is meant by a leading question.
• Explain what is meant by a loaded question.

Guidance
Use the following subheadings to structure your response – open and closed questions, positively and negatively worded questions, double-barrelled questions etc.
Write a paragraph or so to address each question and use at least one example per each term e.g. an example of an open question is….
Read about survey design and the different types of questions in Chapter 9 of the required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK:Wiley
You should endeavour to include references from other textbooks (see reading list in module handbook).

c) Pre-testing or piloting a survey questionnaire is an important phase of the research process. Explain why
Guidance

Use your required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK: Wiley
Additionally – Chapter 11 of Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students, (seventh edition). UK: Pearson.

Word limit for all 3 tasks is 2000 words maximum

Option 3 - International Business Research Tasks

You should answer all tasks (a, b, c, d and e)

A UK Retailer who sells Bicycles and Outdoor Pursuit Clothing is keen to expand their business operations into Latin America. The overall aim of the research is to determine which countries in Latin America have the greatest market potential for their products You have been employed to coordinate some research for this firm to help inform their decision making.

Using the above scenario, you are required to:

a) Provide a background on the importance of conducting this research and outline the potential uses of your research to inform managerial decision making of the UK retailer who has commissioned it. (500 words)
b) Outline a set of appropriate research objectives (250 words).
c) Identify and justify your chosen primary and /or secondary research approaches to fulfil the objectives of your research (400 words)
d) Who is the target audience for your research (350 words)
e) Outline and critically evaluate the key challenges associated with conducting your chosen reseach approach in this Latin American country of your choosing (500)

Guidance
The word count provided for each section is indicative. You may use more words in places, which means you will use less words in other places, to ensure that your overall word count is 2000, excluding references, appendices, title page and contents page.

For each of the different sections you should draw on what has been covered in lectures. Section a) is the literature that best sets the background to the research
Section a) This section is literature based.
• Please look at the lecture “Developing a critical literature reiew” also Chapter 4 of the Sekaran and Bougie textbook; Chapter 3 of the Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill textbook
• In addition look at the lecture on International Business Research, and read Neelankavil Chapter 1 where research issues are covered. Try and incorporate new information by doing some additional independent research

Section b) Remember your objectives should begin with eg:
o To determine
o To explore
o To investigate
• Refer back to lecture topics Formulating and Clarifying a Research Topic PPT; and Generating Research ideas PPT; as well as chapter 3 Sekarin and Bougie textbook; Chapter 2, Saunders, Lewis. and Chapter 3 Neelankavil textbook

Section c)
• Think about which research approach would be best to gather the evidence linked to the research objectives.
• Explain your chosen approach
o eg a qualitative approach, a quantitative approach or a mixed methods approach
o Will the chosen approach be based on gathering primary data or/and secondary data, and if so which reseach tools will you use
For example if you are taking a qualitative approach, the research tool is the interview or perhaps focus groups
Will the interviews or focus groups be semi-structured or structured Think about an interview guide.
How do you plan to conduct these interviews – eg face to face; using meeting software or telephone

Section d) is all about your sampling approach to get a suitable population to participate in your research
o Is your target audience consumers or businesses
o Explain what type of approach you will use – for example it might be non-random purposive sampling, which is often used for qualitative research.
o What criteria will you use to select an appropriate sample population
o Explain how you will gain access to the sample population. (400 words)

Section e) you should refer back to the lecture on International Business Research Skills, and Chapter 1 of the Neelankavil textbook, also any additional research to increase your knowledge and understanding.

Answer

Business Research AssignmentCoursework 2: Mind Map

Option 2: Factors that impact on Gambling Behaviours

Option 3: Focus group operations on researching gender equality in the workplace

Coursework 3
Introduction of the Research

Research is the part of the study conducted and laid down with an effective structure ensured for reaching or meeting the objectives in a proposed manner. The research carried out will be considering the required approach that will be mentioned in the latterpart of the study and the selection of the research design will ensure the meeting of every objective of the study successfully. The respondents and theparticipation techniques will be carried out accordingly so at the maximum and requiredresponse can be acquired successfullyand help the UK retailer in laying down its business strategy in Latin America. The researchconducted will be playing a vital role in pavingseveral factors that may help the UK retailer to expand its business in foreignmarkets.

Background of the research
The research performed in context to the topic will be serving the basis of acquiring and meeting the research objectives. The research will be laid on finding the potential market for the bicycle and pursuit outdoor pursuit clothing for expanding the business in Latin America. The research is will also be conducted on finding out the potential market in Latin America. The research will help in identifying the type of primary qualitative research to gather the information related to market analysis to gather ample information and consider it in the use of the marketing analysis and implementing strategy. The researchwill help indetermining the potential market and an adequate Latin nation for the UK retailer so that they can gather and use the insights for their targeted customersand their choices. The researchconducted will also help in evaluating the positioning, market segmentation, geographical locations to identify their targeted markets. The researchwill be interviewed by the respondentsabout their opinion, tastes, preferences, choices for producing muchinformation on the latest updates. The qualitative research will target the concerned respondent about their views upon the profitable market and how could it benefit them with the help of a small population of respondents taken (Gomez, et al., 2021). The research will provide effective information on the market and how it helps the business to gather the required information on the required market.

The research will also outline the potential determinants required foridentifying the markets and based on such research the businesswill take steps. The managerial decision making will be based on the concerned research that would besupporting the UK retailer to establish the potential business (Abatecola et al. 2018). The research will be conducted on Brazil that will help in gathering the necessary information to base their activities. Itwouldalsohelp in identifying the sustainability of the local marketof Brazil and scope for such products. This would help in identifying the potential nation that would be suitable for the UK retailer and how it helps in acquiring the required market analysis for that nation. The research would help in suggesting the ways the analysis should be done and how it would help in facilitating the necessaryresearch in view to the topic. The research analysis will provide help for thebusiness to make the required managerial decision creation thatwould be based on the research done. The research conducted will be very much helpful to acquire the necessary market information on differentnations of Latin America. The research will help in gettingthrough the market indicators that would help the UK retailer take decisions accordingly.

The research conducted will help the business in layout the plan of how to conduct the market analysis on different perspectives of the business that will help in creating the designated strategy. Theresearch provides an effective way that guides the business or any project to firm their decision-making process to achieve their objectives.

Research objectives
The role of research objectives in portraying the design based on the concerned designactivities will be carried out and also it would ensure in reaching the objectivessuccessfully. The research objectives will help in ensuring the research will successfully meet the demandand goal of the research (Russo, et al. 2016). The research will help in explicitly finding out the way formeeting thegoals of particular actions in a particular way. The researchobjectives laid down are as follows:

• To explore the necessarydeterminants of the targeted market for expanding the business of the UK retailer.
• To explore the demographic and understand the consumer's choices in that particular nation or region.
• To explore the market sustainability for the concerned product and impact on the target market.

The first research objective laid down will help in identifying the necessarydeterminantsrequired for expanding the business of UK retailers so that it may help in assessing the factors for expanding their businessin the Brazil market. The second research objective will also facilitate the assessment or exploring of that nation or region that will help the UK retailer in carrying out the action plan and operations that will help in expandingtheir operation base in the required nation of Latin America.The final researchobjective will also help in identifying the necessaryparadigmslinking to the product and how the productswouldimpactthe targetedmarketand how it will influence the decision-making process for the company in further markets.

Primary qualitative Research
The research carried out will be primarilyqualitativeresearch to perform the research thatwill help in arranging the necessaryresearch of exploring themarket of Brazil for UK retailers.The primaryqualitative research will help in ascertaining the required analysis of the topic for themarketresearch. The research willbe constituting the interview of the respondent to get the response. Then theresponses will be ascertainedgathered by the respondents with the help of an interview on the concerned topic. The evidence accumulated with the help of respondents will be then evaluated so that necessary conclusions can be derived to facilitate the necessary conclusion of the research.

The primarilyqualitativeresearch carried on will be structured that will help on arraying out the strategy effectively so that the research does not get constructed in the way of laying the research. The primary qualitative research carried will help in reaching or meeting the objectives of the research that will help the UK retailer to expand their business accordingly. The responses gathered will help the research to perform the routine activities of researching that in return will help them to gathersufficient evidence about the market and related determinants. The primary qualitative research carried out will help in getting a shred of sufficientevidence that may help the UK retailer to demonstrate their business in that region (Greenhalgh et al. 2018). The primary qualitative approach in the form of responses gathered by interviewing the respondents will nearly help in gettingsignificant information for Brazilian market that will nearly help in setting up an action plan for marketexpansion of theirbusyness. The responseacquired will be of much help to the UK retailer and will support in everystep make the business go in awin and win situation. The research will be entailing the support for analysing the necessary determinants to impact the market possibilities in expanding the business operationswithin the targeted market. This will help in influencingtheirbusiness decisions to portray their strategy thatwill help them in upliftingtheir productivity and profitability. As per Levitt (2020),the primary qualitative research will help in assessing the responses generated from the respondent that will help them in creating a way that should be treated to determine the strategy forhelping the analysissuccessful in the attainment of the objectives. The primaryqualitative research will be structured in an effective way for carrying the responses gatheredby interviewing the respondents that will help in acquiring a perspective to ensure the business functionssufficiently.

Target audience
The targetaudience will be consumers that know the near region of Latin America and it will help in ascertaining their responses to base their strategy acquired from the research. The target audience will be consumers that will have a piece of thorough knowledge of the market of Latin America (Litt, and Hargittai, 2016). The targetedaudiences will be selected that know about the targeted market andnations of Latin America. The target audiencewill be interviewed by the practice forsoftwaremeeting by video conferencing that will help ingathering the necessary responses to make it work for the business analysis for expansion of the targeted market. With the help of the video conferencingtechnique, it designates sitting face to face virtually and then interviewing them with the necessary questions and interlinked responses (Archibald, et al. 2019). The video conferencing technique is one the bests way for supporting by requisite questions andresponses to procure the research to an important conclusion. The face-to-facedirect interview was not conductedby non-participation of the respondent in the research due to covid19 implications.In the pandemic, the respondents have not been taken to avoid the crowd disturbance and directinteractionensuring the following of safety protocols.

Challenges in the research
The research conducted through the primary qualitative way will help in creating the research in such a way that it would help ensure in meeting the objectives to understand the market of Brazil and their customers.The primary qualitative analysis will be carrying a structured way for theinterview done as well as the interview will be placed with the questions before thevideo conferencing tools forenabling the answer directly. Nevertheless,there possess some limitations in the research to carry out an effective marketing analysis. The use of video conferencing process for conducting the interview can be efficient in the collection of data from organisational managers in Brazil. These managers will be selected for the research as their experiences can help to gain insights on the efficiency of business operations within the Brazilian market. Being able to collect data from managers in major Brazilian companies such as Petrobras, BancoItaúUnibanco and more can help to gain more detailed and efficient information. Software systems such as Zoom video conferencing or skype will be used to conduct these interviews. However, this technique ofvideo conferencingtechniquescan result in software disturbancethat may affect the research procedure (Donaghy, et al. 2019). The research process can get affected by this andalso by directparticipation of respondents will enable more in-depthquestions and their responses that may result in getting the desiredresponse. This in turn would help the UK retailer in taking other more profitable steps fortheir conclusion. The primary qualitativeresearch is an effective approach to gather the necessaryresponses forstudying the marketanalysis on the Brazilian market, a Latin American nation for the expansion of the business. Nevertheless, the interviewdone by direct use of respondentswouldhelp in getting direct and in-depth answers concerning the marketanalysis of Latin America. The direct interview conducted would involve the respondents similar to the topic relatedpart that would help them in ensuring an effective approach to get the desired response for the Brazil market.

Conclusion
The research was conducted for exploring the business analysis for the UK retailer in the overseas market for expanding their operations in the overseas market. The UK retailer is about following the research for selecting a favourable Latin America and the nation that would be most suitable for their business strategy and favourable for their productivity. Theresearch carried out for the marketanalysisfollowed by the primaryqualitativeresearch for portraying an effectivemarketstudy. The primaryqualitative research has taken the respondents to view in a structured manner so that effectiveresponsesare gatheredand help inaccomplishing the research objectives. The primary qualitative research was carried out in a structured manner so that the necessary responses could be gathered to procure the researcheffectively and it will able in helpingthe UK retailer to devise the strategy accordingly. Also, theresearch will be entailing thesoftwaremeeting by videoconferencing technique to meet virtuallyin front of each other and acquire theresponses required for the study.

Reference List
Abatecola, G., Caputo, A. and Cristofaro, M., 2018. Reviewing cognitive distortions in managerial decision making: Toward an integrative co-evolutionary framework. Journal of Management Development.
Archibald, M.M., Ambagtsheer, R.C., Casey, M.G. and Lawless, M., 2019. Using zoom videoconferencing for qualitative data collection: perceptions and experiences of researchers and participants. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, p.1609406919874596.
Donaghy, E., Atherton, H., Hammersley, V., McNeilly, H., Bikker, A., Robbins, L., Campbell, J. and McKinstry, B., 2019. Acceptability, benefits, and challenges of video consulting: a qualitative study in primary care. British Journal of General Practice, 69(686), pp.e586-e594.
Gomez, T., Anaya, Y.B., Shih, K.J. and Tarn, D.M., 2021. A qualitative study of primary care physicians’ experiences with telemedicine during COVID-19. Business research assignmentThe Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 34(Supplement), pp.S61-S70.
Greenhalgh, T., Thorne, S. and Malterud, K., 2018. Time to challenge the spurious hierarchy of systematic over narrative reviews. European journal of clinical investigation, 48(6).
Levitt, H.M., 2020. Reporting qualitative research in psychology: How to meet APA style journal article reporting standards. American Psychological Association.
Litt, E. and Hargittai, E., 2016. The imagined audience on social network sites. Social Media+ Society, 2(1), p.2056305116633482.
Russo, D., Billington, G., Bontadina, F., Dekker, J., Dietz, M., Gazaryan, S., Jones, G., Meschede, A., Rebelo, H., Reiter, G. and Ruczyski, I., 2016. Identifying key research objectives to make European forests greener for bats. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 4, p.87.