Statistics - Business Research Report Proposal - Gantt Chart - Assessment Answer

Statistics Assignment

Assignment Task

1. A business research topic.Strengthen and improve initial proposal.
2. A brief literature review of the research topicProduce 2 to 3 pages on background information on your research topic.
3. Research questions for the identified problem or opportunityStrengthen and improve initial proposal
4. Appropriate research methodologies and techniques to use for the research projectStrengthen and improve initial proposal
5. A project plan using a Gantt Chart and clearly defined milestones (if in a group with clearly defined individual tasks, contributions and milestones)

   Use Microsoft Project or other software to produce the Gantt Chart.

   Your milestones for HI6008 are:

   Week 6: Literature Review due.

   Week 10: Data Collection and Analysis Report due.

   Week 14: Final Business Research (Capstone) Thesis due.

6. Description of the research processStrengthen and improve initial proposal
7. Description of data collection and analysis methodsStrengthen and improve initial proposal
8. Description of expected research outcomesStrengthen and improve initial proposal

   A completed Ethics Checklist.

Complete and sign ethics checklist below and attach with FINAL research project proposal.

Business Research Topic

The business research topic of interest in this case is to find out and establish how marketable organic food products are in Australia in contrast to conventionally grown food products. How marketable organic food products are in Australia as compared to conventionally grown food products is a topic of interest in research since prior to indulging in any business that involves organic products in any Australian region, it is very important to consider if the business will receive a ready market and the level of success the business will achieve in turning in profits. Consumer demand to a large extent determines the future of organic agriculture. Due to this reason, it is of at most importance to understand a customer oriented approach that is based on shifting market dynamics. The global demand for organic products has been estimated to be growing at an increased rate annually. However, the largest growth in consumption has been exhibited in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, which are major importers of organic food products. Since Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, they stand a chance to benefit from this expansion in demand. Nevertheless, very little is known about the organic industry and consequent research done on this issue in Australia is minimal. In addition, considering the rampant use of conventionally grown food products in Australia, it is very important to consider the production marketing and certification of organic food products across the country. It is, therefore, very important to conduct a research that can be useful in establishing facts on how marketable organic food products are in Australia as compared to the marketability of conventionally grown food products.

Literature Review

Different studies on how marketable organic food products are in Australia as well as the marketability of conventionally grown food products have been carried out before. There has been a recent boom in the organic food industry in Australia with a domestic net worth of approximately 200 to 250 million in Australian dollars per annum and a further 50-80 million per annum in export. Moreover, the organic food industry in Australia has an expected annual growth close to 60%(Organic Foof, 2016). In 2010, the retail value for organic products in the Australian market was established to be one billion AUD (Jolly, 2011). There has been an increase in the interest of organic food products worldwide as a result of concerns raised with regards to conventionally grown food products, food safety, as well as human health concerns. Most of the research comparing elements of organic and conventionally grown food products have been initiated by this increased interest(Loureiro & McCluskey, 2011).

In the agricultural food market, organic food products face competition from conventional alternatives. Besides the fact that a large number of organic food products demand a heightened price in comparison to their conventional alternatives, there are consumers who endlessly substitute conventional food items with organic food products. These food products have characteristics that demand a high price. This suggests that customers highly value such characteristics in contrast to conventionally produced alternatives(Plochberger, 2010). The customer demand for organically grown food products in Australia is growing at a rate of approximately 20 to 30% per annum. In addition, it is approximated that about six out of ten household in Australia occasionally buy organic food products today. When compared to their alternatives, organically grown food products are often more expensive since organic farming basically operates on a smaller scale, and with lack of application of herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, the overall yields are practically diminished(Sylverstone, 2013).

Generally, although there being some awareness and knowledge on organic foods, customers are inconsistent in how they interpret the meaning of ‘organic’. While consumers normally comprehend the wide concepts about organic food products, these people tend to lack understanding of the niceties and complexity organic food quality characteristics and organic farming practices. Indecisively in regards with the true characteristics of organic and cynicism about organic labelling. Some part of this stem from cases of mislabelling as well as product misrepresentation. It is also partly due to non-uniform organic levels and certification processes, may discourage some customers from obtaining organic food products. The most significant aspect that facilitates demand organically produced food products is the issue about human safety and health. This is a key determinant for customer preferences for organic food products, and is consistent with noted gradual depreciation in human health. Hence, encourages customers to purchase organic food products as investment or insurance in health.

The number of customers with the will to buy the premium-priced organic food products diminishes with premium level. Alternatively, there tends to be an increase in premiums with preferred characteristics. Consequently, its demand tends to be dependent on the price differential existing with respect to other conventional food products. The income elasticity of demand for organic food products is minute in general when compared to sensitivity of demand to changes in price. It is crucial for researchers and policy analysts to observe that organic foods, vegetables and fruits have become dominant in organic consumer segment. In addition, it is unclear whether regular consumers consider specific organic food products, for example, organic beef, as normal goods, or if customers consider such products as luxuries. The demand for organically grown food products, on the marketing front, has expanded swiftly, boosted by a number of developments over the past ten years or so. The first of these is the increased consciousness of the link between diet and health. The other aspect is the recent groups of highly publicized food scares, which increases both consumer consciousness and interest in food safety greatly. The debate over genetically modified food products has also offered organic food products further incentive due to the fact that organic certification impedes the use of genetically modified material. Other significant aspects are the increasingly aggressive and targeted promotion and marketing major food manufactures and mainstream retailers as they shift into organic product lines.

According to IBIS world, an improved and stronger economy, due to the growth of organic food products, is leading consumers to focus on ethics and health outcomes. According to a research report by The Organic Food retailing market, the organization offers crucial company analysis and company statistics, analyses present as well as future trends, measure market size, and exhibits market share for the largest organizations in the industry. IBIS World publishes the biggest compilation of industry reports to enable an individual to see the supply chain of an industry, economic drivers and important markets and buyers. The industry of Organic Food Retailing consist of retail sales of organic beverages and food by farmers' markets, supermarkets, independent retailers as well as home delivery(Organic Farming in Australia: Market Research Report, 2015). Organic describes a method of farming that employs only natural fertilisers and pesticides and observes an elevated standard of livestock welfare and crop rotation. The industry of Organic Farming provides a range of products, which include beef, fruit, vegetables and poultry. These organic products are free from fertilizers and pesticides artificial chemicals, or genetically modified organisms. Over the past half a decade, organic farming has been one of the economy's best performing industries. Worldwide demand for organic products is increasing with on-going high standards of health awareness. Industry revenue is expected to grow at a rate of 13.9% annually over the next half a decade through 2015-16. Revenue is predicted to reach $733.8 million in 2015-16, up 5.6% from the previous year(Organic Farming in Australia: Market Research Report, 2015). Australia boasts of the biggest area of organic farmland globally, covering over 22.0 million hectares. The majority of this land is large rangelands for organic cattle farming(Organic Farming in Australia: Market Research Report, 2015).

Research Questions for the Business Research Topic

So as to comprehensively cover the research topic on the marketability of organic food products in comparison to conventionally grown food products, there are a number of research questions that consumers need to respond to. These research questions include:

1. How knowledgeable and informed are customers about both organic and conventionally grown food products?
2. How often do customers purchase organically grown food products or conventionally grown food products?
3. What is the most important factor that facilitates consumer demand for the type of food product they purchase?
4. What primary economic considerations and issues affect the customer’s choice in purchasing either organic food products or conventionally grown food products?

Research Methodologies and Techniques

So as to achieve success in conducting this research, the most appropriate research design to adopt is a qualitative approach. This is so due to the fact that a qualitative research is particularly useful in contexts with complex questions that can be conclusively answered by a yes or no hypothesis. The primary objective of a qualitative research is to generate comprehension from data as the analysis procedure proceeds. The application of a qualitative approach in this research will generate a more detailed and enriched set of data on a minimal number of respondents. In addition, carrying out a qualitative research will create a platform or the researcher to employ open ended questions which are aimed at yielding data that is detailed and that highlights diversity. Moreover, conducting a qualitative study will generate a hypothesis and will be effective in saving time and resources(Louise & Mils, 2015).

Sampling

Simple random sampling is the most appropriate and suitable method of sampling in conducting this research. The primary objective of this research is to determine how marketable organic food products in Australia are in comparison to conventionally grown food products. Due to this fact, employing a simple random sample will guarantee that each respondent in the study is chosen at random and entirely by chance. Each person has an equal chance of being selected as a participant in the study since simple random sampling is an un-biased technique of sampling(Teddlie & Yu, 2012).

Data Collection

The most relevant methods of data collection for this study are the conducting of face to face interviews as well as focus groups. In an effort to create a comfortable and suitable environment for the respondents to efficiently answer the research questions, it is important that these interviews are conducted at locations of the respondents choosing. Conducting face to face interviews as a method of data collections gives the interviewer an opportunity to accurately screen the respondent and have a foundation to be able to judge whether the information provided is true or false(Rabiee, 2012). This will also provide the interviewer with an opportunity to capture both verbal as well as non-verbal cues that can express the participant’s level of uneasiness with the questions asked. The researcher will also be provided with the ability to keep and ensure that the participants are focused on the interview and moreover, the interviewer will also be able to capture emotions and behaviours of the respondents. Focus groups involve the application of in-depth group interviews in which participants are chosen due to the fact that they are purposive in nature. Use of focus groups as a method of data collection generates a platform for a discussion that is free and open, and has the potential to result to the development of ideas that might be new and useful(Rabiee, 2012).

Data Analysis

When face to face interviews and focus groups are conducted as methods of data collection in a study, the amount of data that is generated tends to be large. As a result, with respect to this study, the process of data analysis will be carried out concurrently with the process of data collection. The analytical procedure for the data collected will primarily consist of five major stages. These five stages include familiarization with the data, indexing the data, charting of data, mapping the data, and finally, the interpretation of data(Rabiee, 2012).

Expected Result Outcomes

With respect to the past research that has been conducted in this field, as well as the current developments in knowledge and technology, there will be a significant amount of people in across Australia who prefer consuming organic food rather than their conventionally grown alternatives, despite the high prices of organically grown food products in the market. Individuals in Australia who are well informed, and better knowledgeable understand the significance of consuming organically grown food products This is because they are aware of how dangerously their health and safety is at risk with continued consumption of conventionally grown food products. As a result, these individuals will always purchase organically grown food products rather than their conventional alternatives and, therefore, although small, this will create a ready market for any organic food products produced. This ready market is expected to feature more Australian individuals living in urban and modified regions around Australia in contrast to those living in rural areas. Nevertheless, there will still be a huge population of individuals across Australia who will still purchase conventionally grown food products as a result of lack of information on organic food products.

Ethics

Apart from research being considered a significant tool in the shaping of programs and services, research may also involve in the collection, use as well as disclosure of data deemed personal. Therefore, before the commencing of this research, the researchers should be informed that it is their responsibility to carry out their research within an ethical framework. When conducting a research, the researchers follow an ethical code that strives to ensure that participants are treated respectfully, they are not misled or exposed to any risk, and that their personal data is kept confidential. During the study, the researcher should ensure that they understand all the aspects of the study that may interfere with the protection of the well-being of the human subjects(Brace, 2013).