Research Problem
The client base forms one of the most integral parts of a business organization. The nature of treatment given to these individuals goes a long way in determining their loyalty and extent of retention. A number of strategies have been implemented by managers in a bid to enhance organizational best practices to consumers. One such strategy involves increase awareness among the consumers regarding the products and services offered within an organization.
This research process aims at highlight the concept of consumer awareness and usage of e-banking transactions through mobile phones. Most organizations have diverted from the normal manual transactions to the use of technology where phones, computers and the internet are used to complete these processes. In order to adequately feature the consumers and help them embrace such innovations, there is the inevitable need for an increase in the level of awareness. This paper focuses on the operations within a city restaurant dealing in fast foods, drinks and beverages.
Research Problem
Organizations tend to take a lot of time in completing transactions especially when the process has to be done manually. For instance, in a restaurant after clients have made their orders, they are forced to queue for the payments mostly done over the counter. This idea is not only time consuming but also comes with a lot of inconveniences especially on the side of the consumers. Replacing such payment procedures with a faster, efficient and more effective strategy would be vital for an organization’s growth (Ashforth and Kreiner, 2010).
The manual payment methods can therefore be replaced with technology enhanced methods for instance the use of mobile phones to complete transactions. E-banking is a common method of online based payments where individuals can use their phones to transact from banks and in turn make payment for goods and services via the same platforms. For the clients to effectively embrace such a new idea, the organization needs to raise the level of awareness among its consumers by according them the necessary codes and numbers which include till numbers and playbills.
Research Objectives
The objectives of this research are:
- To establish how e-banking through mobile phones enhances faster and more efficient transactions in business organizations
- To examine the strategies that managers can use to increase consumer awareness and help they accept the new innovations embraced within the organization.
- To determine the correlation between proper consumer awareness and their reception towards new organizational strategies like the use of e-banking in completing transactions.
Research questions
- What are the impacts of e-banking on the efficiency and effectiveness of business transactions?
- What are some of the strategies that managers can implement to enhance consumer awareness and their reception of new ideas within organizations?
- What is the correlation between proper consumer awareness and the extent of their reception towards new organizational innovations and best practices?
Data Requirements
Based on the research objectives and questions above, it is possible to deduce the types of data required. These shall include feedback and responses from clients who are attached to organizations in which e-banking is used in completing transactions (Berg, 2009). The other set of data required shall be a comparative response from consumers attached to organizations in which e-banking has not yet been embraced. This shall good a good ground for comparison to establish the advantages, if any, that come with the use of e-banking through proper consumer awareness. The other data required shall be contextual reviews and online information as well as other research papers done in the past on the same topic of current study.
Research Objectives
Methodology
The research process shall involve the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data collection and analysis. In line with the qualitative approach, information regarding the research topic shall be obtained the review of contextual data obtained from journals, books and other research papers touching on the same topic (Collings and Wood, 2012). On the other hand, the quantitative approaches shall involve the use of population sampling, issue of questionnaires as well as direct interviews. A total of 20 participants shall be sampled for the data collection process. 10 of these subjects shall be issued with questionnaires to be filled within a period of one week before resubmission (Creswell, 2009). The remaining 10 participants shall be subjected to direct interviews in which their responses concerning the research topic shall be established through a set of oral questions.
Once the data has been collected, the analysis shall be done through the use of descriptive statistics and data visualizations (Franklin, 2012). On descriptive statistics, the obtained data shall be sampled and arranged in order to deduce particular trends hence giving room for tacit conclusions. In line with data visualization, it shall majorly be applied during qualitative data formulation. The arguments and ideas of other authors based on their texts shall be examined and compared to obtain the most appropriate responses to the research questions (Fowler, 2012).
Measures to ensure data quality
Data quality is an integral part of successful research. In order to enhance the validity and reliability of the data, variations shall be made in the methods of data collection. The use of mixed methods in obtaining the data shall allow the research process to obtain a wide range of responses and feedbacks. From these feedbacks it shall be possible to derive the responses which are connected to one another as these would give a particular trend. For instance if a similar response has been given by over 10 participants, this shall be treated as valid and hence a worth consideration for the completion of the research process (Gill and Johnson, 2010). At the same time, the articles selected for the contextual review process shall be carefully examined to ensure that only those with the most relevant information are factored in for the collection process. These strategies shall enhance the quality of data finally assembled.
OHS Policy
The research process shall involve interviews with a different number of participants. Each of these individuals are considered to have different backgrounds. The research process shall be keen to ensure that the necessary OHS regulations have been firmly adhered to. For instance, the research process especially during the process of data collection shall be conducted under the careful consideration of the participants’ health and safety needs (Mills and Platts, 2013).
Research Questions
Project Expectations and Ethical Considerations
The successful completion of this research process ought to be accompanied by a number of benefits. Based on the scope and objectives of the research, it is expected that its completion shall be accompanied by tacit conclusions on the impacts of e-banking on transaction efficiency and effectiveness. The work shall also have highlighted the strategies which can be implemented to enhance consumer awareness and their reception towards new ideas in organizations (Premkumar, 2015).
The right ethical considerations shall be observed. The information retrieved from the respondents shall be kept confidential and solely for the purpose of completing the research. In case the identity of the participants is to be disclosed, this shall be done strictly based on their consent. The confidentiality of the data especially the interview responses shall be upheld.
Legal requirement
In a bid to ensure a holistic consideration of all the underlying aspects of the research process, each activity shall be conducted under the strict guideline of any legal stipulations. For instance the aspects of right to privacy shall be adhered to by ensuring that the privacy of the participants is not infringed at any given point (Schein, 2014). While coming up with the population sample for data collection, the subjects shall be picked on the basis of fairness with no single trace of discrimination alongside gender, age, religious beliefs or sexual orientation just to mention but few.
Part 1 Role Play
Market Research Brief
I had a meeting with the consultant. The core objective of the meeting was to issue a brief regarding the plans for the research process in addition to a number of related requirements. The meeting was held within the school premises during which the brief was issued. The discussion was followed by the consultant’s response and thereafter an agreement on terms of engagement. The contents of the brief are listed below.
To begin with, the research process would require a number a number of things which could be termed as both materials or inform of service. The goods shall involve photocopying papers, pens, a list of journals and books. At the same time, the research would need recording services which would probably be used during the direct interviews. The research shall need the mobile service providers to aid in communication with the participants during the process of data collection. This can be estimated to be possible within a budget of $10000.
Data Requirements
Rationale for engaging an external consultant
The stages involving the successful conduction of a research process may not only complicated but also challenging in one way or the other. This reveals the need for an external consultant to provide insight and ideas which would be helpful in making the process more efficient towards the achievement of objectives. The consultant may be helpful in providing the necessary criticism which can then be used to adjust the research process to better levels.
Project Outcome
The outcome of the project is intended to provide usable conclusions regarding the aspect of consumer awareness. The project intends to gain as many responses regarding the research questions. The responses shall be arranged and laid down in a data set that is easy to analyze and understand. These outcomes shall be derived from interviews, questionnaires and review of relevant literature.
Terms of Engagement
The project is intended to take a period of two month. For this duration, one month has been set aside for the process of data collection. This shall involve preparing the questionnaire templates and interview questions before giving the participants. The last month shall be used for data analysis and compilation of the final report. Each of the involved parties shall be encouraged to strictly adhere to the stated deadlines to ensure the project ends within the stipulated period.
Role play
Consultancy report
Based on a successful meeting with a marketer, it was possible to obtain important information regarding the progress of their research process. The meeting was formal and took place within the schedule program of time. The outcome of the discussions was minuted and a number of aspects emerged.
To begin with, the researcher highlighted the need for an external consultant as a sure way of ensuring the research process is efficient. The consultants would offer appropriate advice to help improve the quality of the process. The researcher also projected the requirements for the completion of the project before stating the deliverables. Finally, the brief entailed the deadlines and a plan for completion for each of the stages of the research. With the schedules and time brackets, it is easy to estimate the exact period of time that will be required to effectively complete the research process.
References
Ashforth, B. E. and Kreiner, G. E. (2010). How can you do it? Dirty work and the challenge of constructing a positive identity. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), pp. 413-434.
Berg, L. (2009). Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Boston MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Collings, D. G. and Wood, G. (2012). Human resource management: A critical approach. Human resource management: 2(1), pp. 1-16
Creswell, J. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Fowler, F. (2012). Survey Research Method. SAGE, UK.
Franklin, M.I. (2012). London and New York: Routledge.
Gill, J. and Johnson, P. (2010). Research methods for managers (4th ed), London: SAGE
Mills J. and Platts, K. (2013). Implementing Performance Measurement Systems: Business Performance Management, 5(1), 1-24
Premkumar, G. (2015). Role of Inter organizational and Organizational Factors on Adoption of
Systems. Journal of Transport Management. 26(1), pp. 200-236
Schein, E. (2014). Coming to a new awareness of organizational culture. Sloan Management Review 25(2): 3–16.