Research Proposal Essay

1TITLE An assessment on how product branding effects consumer purchase decisions in Food Market Chain Group (FMCG) goods and durable goods. 2BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Branding is a vital element in a business. Without a brand, retailers may be confused or give the customers the wrong products, while the customers have to explain in detail the type of products they want to fully satisfy their needs and wants. It can therefore be assumed that a brand acts as a sign, name or symbol for products and services. The main aim of a brand is to identify the products or services of a seller or a group of sellers and differentiate an offering of a seller from that of its rivals (Kotler, 2003). In recent years, brand played a significant part in the market as the marketers added value to the brand to make it more preferable compared to other brands in the same market segment. For example, when quality rice is mentioned, most people will think of Tastic rice. This is just one of the successful branding strategies 3STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The purpose of the study is to know the effect of brand elements on customer purchasing decision. The brand elements are brand image, brand association, brand name, brand logo and brand awareness. The findings from the literature and the primary data shows that brand elements have significant impact on customer purchasing decisions as well as the success of the retailer. It is common knowledge that the customer’s choice is influenced by many surrogates of which the simplest of them all is the brand name. Products offered by the retailer may be equally satisfying but when the consumer is satisfied with some brand he or she is not willing to spend additional effort to evaluate the other alternative choices. Once he or she has liked a particular brand, the customer tends to stay with it, unless there is a steep rise in the price or discernible better quality product comes to his or her knowledge which may prompt the consumer to switch the brand. Companies spend a lot of money and time on the branding and thus it needs a careful evaluation on the effect of branding on consumer buying behavior. 3.1RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The above examples show that some customers prefer one brand over another even though that brand is more expensive. Price may not be the important factor while the psychological factor may be greater, for instance .Therefore, the research aims to achieve the following objectives: * To establish if any relationship exists between branding and consumer’s purchasing decision. * To identify the major aspects of branding that influence the consumers’ purchasing decision. * To examine the consumers tendency to recommend brands and its effects on purchasing decisions of their friends and family. * To establish the changes in the relationship between branding and consumers’ purchasing decision when other factors such as price are introduced. * To understand the choice of the customer on whether it is branded or non-branded goods. 3.2RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study will answer the following research questions: (a)Does any relationship exist between branding and consumer purchasing decision? (b)What are the major aspects of brand elements that influence consumer purchasing decision? (c)To what extent do consumers tend to recommend brands and the effects of consumer purchasing decisions on their family and friends? (d)How do other factors such as price when introduced affect the relationship between branding and consumers’ purchasing decision? (e)Is the choice of the customer branded or non-branded goods? 3.3Significance of the study To theory The research will help in a way because it equips readers with the requisite knowledge about how brands and their elements affect consumers’ purchasing decisions. Readers can learn through the suggested recommendations provided by the researcher hence they can be able to make wise purchasing decisions during shopping. Therefore it helps to bridge the gap in areas not being addressed and also to advance knowledge in product branding and consumer purchasing decisions. To practice The recommendations from the findings of the study may assist retailers in the Food Market Chain Group (FMCG) to effectively brand products that help them gain a competitive advantage by influencing consumers on their purchasing decisions. Therefore the research enlightens companies in the FMCG on not to spend a lot of money and time on branding and thus it helps them to careful evaluate on the effect of branding on consumer buying behavior. To self The research is conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements to acquire a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) Degree in Retail Management. The research also equips the student with the relevant skills and knowledge which he will acquire during the research. 3.4Limitations The following are the limitations envisaged in the carrying out of the proposed research: a)Availability of resources The researcher is a full time student with limited financial resources therefore it is a challenge to obtain the required material for the research. Money is needed for typing, printing and travelling costs to gather the required information. To cut costs the researcher will use questionnaires to collect data in order to cut expenses. b)Access to information The type of research will mainly depend on available information from leading retailers in the FMCG. Some of the Branch Managers may consider the information confidential depending on the aspects of branding asked to them by the researcher. They may fear that the information will be used against them by their competitors. Therefore the researcher will assure the information will be used for academic purposes only. c)Time constraint The research is running concurrently with final year semester courses therefore the time may be inadequate considering other important and competing academic commitments. Therefore to balance the forces the researcher will use a small sample of the population to save time. 3.5Delimitations The study will be carried out at leading retail supermarkets especially TM and OK supermarkets. The research is limited to the leading supermarkets because they offer all kinds of product brands. The respondents will include customers and employees of the retail outlet. 3.6Definition of terms Brand The name ,term, design and symbol that allow consumers to identify the goods and services of a business and to differentiate them from those of the competitors ( Jones and Hall 2008 ) FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) The industry includes food and non-food everyday consumer products that are usually purchased as an outcome of small-scale consumer decision so they are heavily supported ( advertising ) by the manufacturers. Customer Refers to a person, organization or other entity that buys goods or services from a store, person or other business. 4LITERATURE REVIEW 5 METHODOLOGY The sub heading outlines the techniques that are to employed by the researcher to collect the relevant data and its subsequent analysis.Haralambos (1992) postulates that methodology is concerned with detailed research methods through which data is collected and analysis of data are used. It discusses the research design ,target population and respective sampling techniques ,data collection methods and the research instruments. 5.1 Research design Fisher (2004) defines research design as the specification of methods and procedures for acquiring the information needed to structure or solve the problems.The function of a research design is to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible.Dawson et al (2002) postulates that a research comprises of redefining problems and is thus ,an original contribution to existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement.Therefore searching for information and presenting it is the job of the researcher. The qualitative approach is the best research methodology which leads to a better understanding of how product branding affects consumer purchasing decisions. The qualitative approach includes questionnaires, observations and interviews. Interviews will allow the researcher to probe the respondents for more information. Saunders et al (2007), notes that survey design is a popular and common strategy in business and management research. 3.2Study Population Frankel and Wallen (1996) highlights that the study population includes all individuals whom the researcher is interested in getting information from and making conclusions. They further explain that study population consists of those subjects whose characteristics are similar to those of the in the sample and one makes conclusions from the sample drawn from this study population. In this study a population will refer to TM supermarkets specifically in Harare, Gweru and Karoi.O.K supermarket Gweru can also be included for the research to be effective and also to cut transport costs to the researcher. 5.3Sampling Allison, Scott and Russel (2001) stress a sample as a group of subjects whom the researcher collected information. A sample is a small part of the population which has the same characteristics of the population. The concept of sample arises from the inability of the researcher to test all the individuals in a given population (Castillo 2009). Sampling is therefore a process of selecting group(s) of subjects for a study in such a way that the individuals represent the larger group from which they were selected. The main decision which the researcher has to make is to whether go for a census or sample research. The sample was selected on a random basis that avoids bias and makes the findings more representative and credible. According to Kothari (2007) census means each and every element which forms part of the research will be investigated and sample means few elements which represent the entire research would be investigated. Practically it is not possible to conduct a census. Hair (2003) defines sampling as a process of selecting a relatively small number of elements from a larger defined group of elements so that the information gathered from the smaller group allows one to make judgments about the larger group. Sampling Techniques a) Random Sampling Method Basically there are four methods of sampling under random sampling. Simple random sampling is a method, which ensures that each element of the population has an equal chance of being selected to become part of the sample (Peatman 1947). Systematic sampling is when elements are chosen from the population at a uniform interval that is measured in time, order or space. Saunders et al (2007) describes stratified sampling as involving the dissection of a population into groups of strata along some dimension that uniquely distinguishes each stratum from the rest and is relevant for the information sought after. Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into strata, with each stratum having relatively homogeneous elements. Once the strata have been identified a simple random sample is selected from each stratum separately, the sample corresponding to the proportion of elements in each stratum. Stratified sampling is used when the population is thought to consist of a number of smaller subgroups or sub populations such as male/female, different age/ethnic / interest groups, which are thought to have an effect on the data to be collected (Allison et al; 2001). Cluster sampling involves splitting the population into groups called clusters and is usually used when the population covers an area that can be divided by regions (Allison et al; 2001). The sample elements are then chosen from the different clusters to come up with one sample. b) Non Random Sampling Non-random sampling can be done through four ways, which are convenience, quota, judgmental and snowball sampling. Convenience sampling is where the sample is drawn for the convenience of the researcher. Convenience sample only includes those subjects that are immediately to hand (Allison et al; 2001). Quota sampling is where the respondent selection is in the same ratio as found in the general population. Judgmental sampling includes elements thought to be representative of the population and in this case the researcher attempts to come up with sample using judgment and the amount of error depends on the expertise of the researcher. Snowball sampling is commonly used when it’s difficult to identify members of the desired population (Saunders et al; 2007). The researcher adopted a non- probability sampling method because of limited resources at her disposal since it is based on available elements. Only operational managers and departmental heads of short term insurance brokers firms were targeted. Views were also taken from assistant insurance brokers. Sample Size According to Saunders et al (2007) the sample size is determined based on a 95% confidence rate interval, an estimate of margin of error and the total population which the sample was to be drawn. A general rule of thumb is to always use the largest sample possible. The larger the sample the more representative it is going to be, smaller samples produce less accurate results because they are likely to be less representative of the population (Wood and Haber 1998). The selection of respondents will the sample more representable of the retail sector and the findings credible. 2 questionnaires will be distributed per each retail supermarket. 5.4Instrumentation 4 Research instruments and Data collection For the purpose of this study, the researcher employed the survey design in which data was collected by way of questionnaires and interviews. This was done to ensure more internal validity of the research. According to Cohen and Manion (1980: 280), â€Å"the use of two or more methods in data collection is referred to as the triangulation method† The data sources can be divided into primary and secondary data sources. 3.4.1 Primary Data Primary data is that first-hand information collected directly from public. The data obtained through primary means usually accurate and provides more reliable information about the subject investigation. When primary data sources are used, data is acquired from the main source and is not derived from any pre-existing research. The primary data sources the researcher used in doing this research were (a) Questionnaires (b) Personal Interviews 3.4.1.1Questionnaires According to Saunders et al (2007) a questionnaire is a technique of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. Brian White (2000) postulates that a questionnaire is regarded as a series of questions; each one providing a number of alternative answers from which the respondents can choose. The questionnaire was used as this enabled the researcher to gather as much data as possible since the question was in both standard and open ended questions. Advantages (a) Questionnaires are cheap and the researcher does not incur high travel and accommodation expenses. They are printed on bond paper which is not costly though and need not to be necessarily colorful. (b) They provide anonymity of respondents and thereby giving assurance of their confidentiality. (c) Questionnaires are a relatively quick way of receiving a response. In some instances, the researcher had to wait while the respondents filled in the questionnaires and some of the questionnaires had to be collected a day after they had been dropped. (d) They avoid interview bias. Personal questions are often more willingly answered as the respondent is not face-to-face with the interviewer Disadvantages (a) As questions cannot be complicated, and need to be simple and straightforward, the richness of information that is sometimes collected with other methods is lost. (b) You may not receive a spontaneous answer as respondents may discuss the questions with others before completing the questionnaire. As all questions are seen before they are answered, the answers cannot always be treated as independent. (c) Respondents gestures and facial expressions could not be observed as these are essential communication signs that can effectively be used to evaluate responses. (d) The targeted respondents may not complete the questionnaire. For instance, a busy manager may ask a personal assistant to complete it on their behalf. Personal Interviews The targeted interviewees were busy people due to the nature and demands of their roles in their organizations therefore the researcher did not carry as many interviews as the number of questionnaires that were distributed. Appointments were made with respondents prior to interviews. Since the interviewees were busy with other company commitments, the researcher had to save on time and used a structured approach where a set of prescribed questions for the interview were set. Advantages (a) The real benefit of an interview is that you are face-to-face with the interviewee and thus any misunderstandings are cleared immediately. (b) In addition to the above benefit, also during the interview the researcher can re-word or re-order the questions if something unexpected were to happen. (c) The interviewer can encourage the respondents to answer as fully as possible and check as appropriate, that the question is correctly understood. (d) Response rates are usually higher than for other methods of questionnaire administration (e) Materials that need to be shown to respondents can be properly presented Disadvantages (a) They are time consuming, taking into consideration the length of the interview, the time taken traveling to and from interview and notes revision. (b) Interviews are subject to bias as some interviewees may tend to please the interviewer and as a result may not tell the truth. (c) Relatively costly time wise and in monetary terms. Secondary Data This refers to information from sources other than the main source, whereby some intermediate agent has compiled data or information in their own research and has now presented it as some part of a bigger study. This proved to be the most helpful method and thus accounts for much of the data used, especially in the literature review and the analysis sections of this research project. The Internet The internet unarguably forms the most endowed ‘library’ ever. The researcher accessed e-journals, e-books and works by other scholars and organizations via the internet. With ease, the researcher could check both technological and legal developments in electrical safety of other countries. Some of the questionnaires were sent to respondents via e-mail. Advantages (a) Provides the researcher with current updated information (b) The Internet is user friendly and provides the researcher with all referencing and cataloguing done electronically. Disadvantages (a) Internet speed and efficiency is dependent upon how congested the network server is and the higher the congestion, the slower it will be to retrieve information there from. (b) The internet is vulnerable to the virus risk. Computer viruses can easily corrupt documents before or after the researcher completes his work. Textbooks and Journals The researcher made reference to numerous text books and journals on competitive advantage. These journals and textbooks showed the researcher the different views of writers from all over the world. Data analysis and presentation Data collected from both primary and secondary sources will be analyzed and presented through tables, pie charts and graphs.