Data Analysis for Research Essay

Scenario 1: Customer Perceptions of the Toyota Brand WKB Toyota in Chichester want to investigate customer attitudes towards the Toyota brand, to see if the press coverage regarding mechanical failures during 2009-2010 have had any long-term impacts on customer loyalty and potential sales to new customers. In the first instance, WKB can offer access to their own marketing database. Scenario 2: Market Segmentation for Visit Chichester Visit Chichester is in the process of realigning its marketing strategy to key customer groups in order to more effectively promote the visitor economy in the Chichester District. As part of the process they wish to conduct research to investigate current attitudes towards the Visit Chichester website. They wish to seek views from across a range of profiles including families with children, couples, and the retired market. The results will be used to determine the structure and content of the new Visit Chichester website. Scenario 3: NatWest Banking Charter Following its widespread publicity campaign, which included TV adverts and street billboards, and as part of its commitment to customer service, NatWest wish to undertake research to establish the impact of its Customer Charter. More specifically, they want to ascertain whether it has lead to a discernible improvement in customers’ perception of the bank’s service quality. They also wish to undertake an internal audit to assess whether staff have noticed an impact of the Charter. Scenario 4: The Green Economy The West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership has commissioned the University of Chichester undertake research assessing the level of sustainable business practice by businesses across a range of sectors in West Sussex. Specifically the WSSBP would like to establish the extent to which businesses are adopting green measures in key areas such as operations management, purchasing, and energy management. They also want to establish business awareness of available support for going green, and general business attitudes to the green agenda. The results will help WSSBP help businesses prepare for the green economy being championed by the coalition Government. Scenario 5: HMV Music In the light of poor trading figures, and the imminent closure of 60 of its UK branches, HMV want to undertake research to ascertain the factors that are causing poor sales and determine which product lines should be continued and which ones should be discarded. They are also interested in how they can improve their online sales performance as part of a realignment of their retail strategy. Scenario 6: Tourism Industry Response to Recession and Recovery The Sussex Tourism Partnership have commissioned the University to undertake research into the impact of recession on the tourism industry in Sussex, and the strategic response adopted by tourism businesses, including accommodation providers and attractions. They wish to establish the degree to which different sectors have felt the impact of recession, either positively or negatively, and identify the key measures these businesses have taken to remain competitive in the current downturn. Scenario 7: Evaluation of Goodwood Motor Racing Events The Goodwood Road Racing Company (GRRC) has commissioned the University of Chichester to undertake research investigating visitor perceptions of the overall quality of the visitor experience at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival. They also want to assess visitors’ views about potential new events, products and services that could be developed at Goodwood that would increase revenue without significantly increase the negative impacts currently generated by the Festival of Speed and Revival events. Scenario 8: Green policies at Sainsbury PLC The aim of the research is to establish whether there are any economic benefits from adopting green business policies at Sainsbury supermarkets. The supermarket’s Operations Manager wants to identify ways in which the economic impacts of Sainsbury’s adoption of green business polices can be measured. In particular, she is interested in the identification of costs and benefits associated with implementing green business policies at Sainsbury, and to identify the economic incentives and disincentives which Sainsbury has from its stakeholders such as customers, suppliers and government to adopt green business policies.