Morehead state university iet 698 Research Methods Technology

Session 4

Critical Path Method

a. Market research

Pertinence of provided information – weight 25%

Reliability of provided information – weight 40%

Timeliness of provided information – weight 25%

Cost of research – weight 10%

b. Advertising effectiveness

Customer base coverage of advertising plan – weight 30%

Volume of new business created – weight 30 %

Repeat business generate – weight 30%

Cost of advertising – weight 10%

c. Employee opinion surveys

Reliability of survey results – weight 40%

Pertinence of responses to company goals – weight 20%

Pertinence of responses to current company problems – weight 30%

Amount of time interruption to production - weight 10%

d. Credit card operations

Reliability of results – weight 40%

Pertinence of responses to issues under study – weight 40%

Cost of research – weight 20%

e. Computer service effectiveness at the individual store level.

Reliability of results – weight 40%

Pertinence of data collected – weight 40%

Cost of research – weight 20%

Each category is weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the best response possible and 5 being the worst response possible. Each score would then be weighted with the associated percentage with the low score providing the best research results.

Consider the new trends in desktop publishing, multimedia computer authoring and display capabilities, and inexpensive videotaping and playback possibilities. How might these be used to enhance research proposals? Give several examples of appropriate use.

Modern multimedia capabilities add credibility to research proposals because instead of using the traditional methods of presenting a written proposal a researcher can support that writing with visual aids. For example sites like youtube make it very easy and inexpensive for people to advertise their own ideas in a modern and professional format.

For this week’s assignment you are asked to go to the Assignments and click on the Readings and read the article "A Reading List for Establishing a Base of Knowledge for Technology Management: A Delphi Study" (mcnabb032503.pdf )

Read the article and post a 250 word critique explaining your reaction to the topic, introduction, review of the literature, methods, findings, and conclusions. Do NOT use attachment. Use the text to engage you colleagues in discussions. and post it on the Discussion Board.

Introduction: This article does a good job of addressing the problem in the introduction which is how the program has clearly demonstrated the a web-site based consortium approach can more effectively deliver a Ph D level degree program to a wider audience than other more traditional strategies but the advantages that are initially gained are lost in some instances in the vastness of the system.

Review of literature:

I couldn’t find any significant problems or limitations with any of the information in this article.

Methodology:

The methodology was also clearly stated. A Delphi study was conducted. Consortium faculty from manufacturing systems were instructed to submit a list of books they believed to be essential for covering the basic ideas in their area. The selected books went through three refining rounds until they were narrowed down to a final list of ten books that represented the most important ideas in the area of manufacturing systems.

Findings/Conclusion:

In successful manufacturing of the future, as well as today, teamwork is more important than turf. Further, competitive production must include a mindset of flexibility. These ten books clearly demonstrate that the ability to change is a notion that should be taught and learned in a manufacturing technology graduate program. The Delphi study discussed here could be on effecteive way of beginning to establish a core base of knowledge in any program.

You are the new manager of market intelligence in a rapidly expanding software firm. Many product managers and corporate officers have requested market surveys from you on various products. Design a form for a research proposal that can be completed easily by your research staff and the sponsoring manager. Discuss how your form improves communication of the research objectives between the manager and the researcher

During the process of this proposal communication between the manager and research would be improved. I have suggested in the proposal to form a focus group which would encourage any and all opionions and feelings about the company to be shared by the people involved. After this proposed market research is conducted there should be a unanimous vision shared between the researcher and manager pertaining to the decision-making process for this comany's future endeavors.

Proposal for Market Research for Software Firm.pdf (657.572 KB)

What, if any, are the differences between solicited and unsolicited proposals?

A solicited proposal is a written response to any requirement that have been previously published. Such kinds of requirements are usually found in Request for Proposal, Request for Bid or in a Request for Quote. The requests for proposals shows what does a customer wants in a detailed manner and are issued by customers themselves in times when their requirements are not fulfilled. However an unsolicited proposal is used to advertise or publicize a new product and not used to respond to the needs of any customer. The unsolicited proposals are circulated in brochures, leaflets, fliers etc. (VS Pages, 2013)

Basically a solicited proposal is when the customer asks for a proposal, and an unsolicited proposal is when you send them a proposal they haven’ t even asked for.