This document provides an overview of research design, methodology, and process for a study on retail marketing at Reliance Digital. It discusses key aspects of research including defining the problem, developing a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The document also outlines different research methods, types of research, features of a good study, and the importance of research methodology. The goal is to establish a framework to systematically study consumer behavior and retail strategies to help solve problems in retail marketing.
This document provides an overview of research design, methodology, and process for a study on retail marketing at Reliance Digital. It discusses key aspects of research including defining the problem, developing a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The document also outlines different research methods, types of research, features of a good study, and the importance of research methodology. The goal is to establish a framework to systematically study consumer behavior and retail strategies to help solve problems in retail marketing.
This document provides an overview of research design, methodology, and process for a study on retail marketing at Reliance Digital. It discusses key aspects of research including defining the problem, developing a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The document also outlines different research methods, types of research, features of a good study, and the importance of research methodology. The goal is to establish a framework to systematically study consumer behavior and retail strategies to help solve problems in retail marketing.
This document provides an overview of research design, methodology, and process for a study on retail marketing at Reliance Digital. It discusses key aspects of research including defining the problem, developing a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The document also outlines different research methods, types of research, features of a good study, and the importance of research methodology. The goal is to establish a framework to systematically study consumer behavior and retail strategies to help solve problems in retail marketing.
A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve marketing research problems. In simple words it is the general plan of how you will go about your research.
2.2 Definition of Research
Research is a careful investigation or inquiry specifically through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. It is an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. Research can simply be defined a task of searching from available data to modify a certain result or theory.
Research Methodology refers to
A systematic study Defining a problem Formulating a Hypothesis Collecting and Analyzing data Deductions and Conclusions
Objectives of Research
♦ To gain familiarity or achieve a new insight towards a certain topic.
♦ To verify and test important facts
♦ To analyze an event, process or phenomenon
♦ To identify the cause and effect relationship
♦ To determine the frequency at which something occurs
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What makes people do research?
♦ Desire to get a research degree
♦ Desire to solve unsolved and challenging problems
♦ Desire to get intellectual joy of doing creative work
♦ Desire to be of service to the society
♦ Desire for innovation and recognition
Types of Research
It can be broadly categorized into two categories –
→ Pure or Fundamental Research – It is based on the Question ‘Why things happen?’
→ Action or Applied Research – It is based on the Question ‘How things happen?’
Research Methods Vs Research Methodology
Research methods are all those methods and techniques that are used for conduction of research. It refers to the methods the researchers use in performing research operations. It can be put under three groups –
Methods concerned with the collection of data
Statistical techniques used for establishing relationship between variables. Methods to evaluate the accuracy of the results.
Research Methodology – is a way to systematically solve a research problem. It is a science
of studying how research is done scientifically. Essentially it is the procedure by which the
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researchers go about their work of describing, evaluating and predicting phenomenon. It aims to give the work plan of research. It provides training in choosing methods materials, scientific tools and techniques relevant for the solution of the problem.
Research Process
It consists a logical sequence of steps or actions that are necessary to effectively solve a research problem.
(I) Formulating the Research Problem – The researcher must choose the problem he wants to study and decide the area of interest and subject matter he would inquire about.
(ii) Extensive Literature Survey – After choosing the research problem an extensive literature survey is done and a brief summary of the problem is written down.
(iii) Development of working hypothesis – A working hypothesis must be stated in clear terms. It can be developed through the following approaches:-
Finding about the origin of the problem and studying its objectives
By discussing the problem with colleagues and experts
By examining past data and records
By review of similar studies and similar problems
(iv) Preparing the research design – The research is designed depending upon its utility and appropriateness for a particular research problem. It involves consideration of the following:-
The means of obtaining the information
The availability and skills of a researcher
Accuracy, Reliability and Validity of the data
The time available for research and the costs related to the research
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(v) Determining the sample design – Sampling can either be probability sampling or non- probability sampling. The researcher must carefully choose the sampling procedure and sample size and must also look out for sampling errors.
(vi) Collecting the Data – There is a need for reliable and accurate data to carry out an effective research. Data collection may be done by any of the following methods:-
(vii) Execution of research – The research must be systematically executed in order to collect correct and accurate data.
(viii) Analysis of Data – Analysis of data involves the application of many tools and techniques to the raw data to make meaningful and useful interpretations. The main task includes establishment of categories, tabulation of data and drawing out statistical inferences.
(ix) Hypothesis testing – After analyzing the data the researcher tests the hypothesis formulated by him in the earlier stages.
(x) Generalizations and Interpretations – The hypothesis testing may be favourable or
unfavourable. The researcher arrives at generalizations based on the result of the hypothesis testing.
(xi) Preparation of the research report – The layout for a research report should be in the order:-
Preliminary Pages – The research report must contain the full title, foreword and acknowledgement in the preliminary pages.
Main body or text – The main text must contain an introduction, summary of findings, main report and conclusion.
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End Matter – The end matter of the report must contain appendices in respect of all technical terms and data used in the report and must end with a bibliography.
Features of a Good Research Study
♦ It should be Systematic – A research must be structured with specified steps in a specified
sequence, according to well defined set of rules.
♦ It should be Logical – A research must be guided by logic reasoning and the logical process of induction and deduction.
♦ It should be Empirical – The research must be related to one or more aspects of real life situations.
♦ It should be Replicable – Other people must be able to verify and replicate the original research report.
♦ The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common concepts used.
♦ The research procedure should be well described in detail to permit replication.
♦ The Design should be planned to yield results that are objective.
♦ The researcher must report with complete frankness and flaws.
♦ The analysis of data must be adequate and the method of analysis should be appropriate.
♦ Conclusions must be confined to those justified by the data and limited to those for which data is not adequate.
♦ The Researcher is experienced, has good reputation and is a person of integrity.
Importance of Research Methodology
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♦ Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and promotes development of logical habits of thinking and organization.
♦ Research plays a dynamic role in several fields and it has increased significance in recent times, it can be related to a small business and also to the economy as a whole.
♦ Most of the Government Regulations and Policies are based on and are a result of intensive research.
♦ Its significance lies in solving various planning and operational problems.
♦ It aids in decision making.
♦ It involves the study of cause and effect relationships between various variables and helps to identify behavior/patterns/trends in certain variables.
LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION Retailing is an upcoming area in the field of management research. Though retailing is a concept which is existing during the existence of the mankind, but the concept of unorganized retailing turning to organized one is not that older a concept. Indian retailing has gone through a drastic change late nineties after liberalization. The advent of retailing as a more organized form has given way to a lot of research avenues and off course the human behavior at the pivotal of this. It is the main area which is on focus for every researcher. Consumer has been the most important factor for any retailing activity. In other words, retailing is always consumer centric and studying the consumer behavior is of utmost importance for the retailers, marketers and the researchers. Retailing has offered the researchers with a lot of key areas to study right from the behavioral aspects of the customer including consumer expectations, perception, personality, attitude, lifestyle, preferences, patronage behavior, shopping motives, shopping experience and entertainment aspect of shopping to the retailers functional attributes like retail store attributes, store formats, merchandise management, assortments, variety, vendor management, display and visual merchandising, ambience and atmospherics, service quality, store layout and location, store image, branding and promotion, private labels, retail market
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A Study on Retail Marketing at Reliance Digital strategies, store operations, information technology in retailing, SCM, CRM, and a lot more areas pertaining to the retail research. Another aspect of modern retailing that has aroused the interest of the researchers is the growing concept of the malls as shopping destinations. Recent changes in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) guidelines for retailing in India have also led way to the research prospects. Also, cabinet’s recent decision on allowing 51% FDI in multi-brand retailing and further rollback has also paved way for the researchers to generate their views on the same. There have been substantial studies conducted on various aspects of retail over previous few years on some of these areas pertaining to different geographies and demographics. The researcher has undergone extensive study on the literature already available and tried to generate an idea of the research prospects and various aspects over which a research can be conducted in retail sector.
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A Study on Retail Marketing at Reliance Digital The studies that the researcher felt relevant for the further research have been listed below with the findings as under:
