DEXTER'S DEPARTMENT STORES

Dexter's Department Stores is a chain of 150 upscale department stores operating in ten different states in the United States. The company's president and CEO, Don Dexter, has been concerned for quite some time about a growing phenomenon in the field of retailing in general and in Dexter's case in particular - namely, that fewer male business graduates are attracted to careers in retailing than female business graduates. While over half of all business graduates are males, apparently less than 20% of them are considering retailing as an attractive perception. The Company's Recruiting Efforts Every year, Dexter's Department Stores recruits graduates from several major universities in each of the ten states in which it has operations as well as from a few wellknown universities outside these states. In all, Dexter's recruiters visit 40 college campuses regularly - at least once each year. They also recruit at a few other campuses but not on a regular basis. During the past year they filled 50 job openings at Dexter's Department Stores with business graduates. All 50 graduates were from the 40 campuses the recruiters visited regularly. Of these 50 graduates only 8 were males. Research Problem Mr. Dexter has been quite pleased with the quality of the female graduates his company hired. In fact, several of the females hired within the past three or four years have rapidly risen to highlevel managerial positions as a result of their excellent performance. Nevertheless, Mr. Dexter was puzzled and intrigued by the less-than-enthusiastic response from male business school graduates to his company's supposedly aggressive recruiting efforts on college campuses. He wanted to know why a highly successful company like Dexter's Department Stores was having difficulty in attracting male business graduates. Specifically, he wanted to gain insight into the relative perceptions of male and female business school seniors about a career in retailing in general and one with Dexter's Department Stores in particular. He also wanted to get a feeling for how male and female business school seniors rated retailing careers vis-a.-vis careers in such fields as selling and advertising. Mr. Dexter therefore asked his director of personnel to look into the broad issue of female versus male college seniors' views about retai1ing careers. The director at personnel, in turn request a commercial marketing research firm to draw up a research proposal for examining the issues that Mr. Dexter was interested in. Several weeks later, the research firm submitted a proposal that detailed a format, structured telephone survey' of 1000 business school seniors across the country. The procedure for selecting the 1000 respondents suggested by the research firm is described in the next section.

Sampling Plan

This section of the proposal that dealt with sampling read as follows: We will first obtain a list of all universities/colleges in the United States that have a four-year degree program in business administration. We expect that there will be about a thousand such universities. We will pick a systematic sample of 20 universities from this list. If there are 1000 universities in the list, for example, then we will pick every 50th university on the list, after randomly picking the first one. We will then get the student telephone directories from the 20 chosen universities. From each telephone directory five pages will be chosen at random, and from each chosen page 10 business school seniors' names and telephone numbers will be chosen at random for conducting the survey. Appropriate adjustments will be made in this last stage to ensure that 5 of the 10 seniors selected from each page are males. In summary, 50 business school seniors - 25 males and 25 females - will be randomly chosen from each of 20 college campuses, which, in turn, will have been chosen from a list of all campuses with four-year business programs. The resulting total sample of l000 seniors will give us an adequate, unbiased cross section of students for the telephone survey. Questions 1. How would you describe the proposed sampling plan in terms of the various sampling techniques we have presented? Explain your answer. 2. Critically evaluate the proposed sampling plan. What are its advantages and disadvantages? Is the plan appropriate for or consistent with the types of information Mr. Dexter desires?

BHARAT

SPORTS DAILY (A)

Mr Anil Mehra, a Sr. Executive with a leading newspaper published from Delhi was frustrated with his job as his idea of launching an exclusive sp0l1s daily was not warmly received by top management. Anil Mehra had written a few notes explaining the need of launching such a daily, however he was not able to convince his superior Mr Ashok Kapoor. Mr Kapoor had specifically asked him the estimates of demand for such a paper in the first year of the launch and for which Mehra had no answers based on any scientific research. Kapoor had told him clearly that unless he convinces him the need of such a paper with the help of an empirical study, he will not be able to help him out. Anil Mehra was a graduate in English (Hons) from Delhi University and has done a Diploma in Joumalism in the year 1982. For the last 12 - 11 years he has worked with many newspapers and business magazines and it was his gutfeel which was inducting him to go for this type of a venture. He was regretting for not havil1g a business background which would have otherwise helped him to carry out an MR study for which his boss had assured him the sponsorship from the newspaper. However, the amount for the research study was too small for him to contact any MR agency for help. The total budget for the study was Rs. 50,000/-. Anil thought of putting his papers and starting such a sports daily on his own that he received a phone call from one of his friend Prof Ravi Sharma who was working with one of the leading management institution of India. Prof Sharma was on a visit to Delhi for a consulting assignment and thought of calling Anil. Anil was thrilled to receive the phone call and fixed up a meeting with him for the next day evening. Prof Sharma was accompanied by one of his colleagues Prof Singh. The conversation which went between Anil, Prof Sharma and Prof Singh is as under:

Ravi Sharma

Anil, Why do you look so upset? What has gone wrong with you? Any problem with job?

Anil

I wish I shouldn't have gone for Joumalism and would have opted Management as career like you. Mr Mehra, I don't think yours is a bad line. However, please tell us if we could be of any help to you. Prof Singh I want that we should come up with an exclusive sports daily (in English). I gave this idea to my boss. However, I am not able to convince him as he feels that it is only my hunch that there exists a demand for such a daily. He wants me to give specific estimates through a scientifically conducted research and I find myself totally at loss.

Singh

Anil

Ravi Sharma

Anil, suppose you bring out such a daily, who will be the buyers? What do you mean by this? I mean who are the people you think would be interested in reading such a sports daily, what are there age groups, education, profession, income etc. Further, how much do you think people would be ready to pay for such a type of sports daily? Well, Prof Singh, let me tell you one thing that in this business the price of newspaper is immaterial for us. In fact the cost of printing etc. is much higher than the price charged from the customer. How is it that it will be a viable proposition? It becomes viable just because the money is recovered through advertisements and if the circulation is high more and more companies advertise for the product in the newspapers. Anil, there is a sports section in all the newspapers. Why is that people would go for another one? Ravi, you are right that all the newspapers have a sports section but I don't think that sports lovers are satisfied with the material covered there. I think there would be variations in the amount of satisfaction, the readers drive depending upon which newspapers they read. Further, I feel that they can satisfy there love for sports by going through general magazines, sports coverage on TV, sports video, sports coverage on radio, and spor1s magazines and if that be the case I have my doubt that there would be enough of readership for such a sp0l1s daily. Well, Prof Singh you are right. The programmes on TV & coverage on radio is on a specific time period and the sports
.

Anil Sharma

Singh Anil

Singh Anil

Sharma

Anil

Singh

Anil

lovers may not have time to spare during those hours.

Further, general magazines and sports magazines are usually quarterly or monthly and as such would be providing only stale material on sports.

Prof Singh, I think Anil has a point. However. it would be interesting to know the interests of the sports lovers for specific games so that one could know which games the sports daily should emphasize. Further, what is the profile of Hamilton Bank, locatedthe people who like some specific games etc.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a large bank serving a number of customers in the retail (i.e. personal household Singh accounts) and I have another question. At what time the sports daily should be commercial (i.e. business accounts) brought out. That is to say should we bring it out in the sectors. In the early eighties morning or in the afternoon or in the late evening hours. Hamilton Bank was one of the few banks in the country that had a Anil Look, Prof Singh these are all my problems and I have toresearch separate marketing department. Hamiltonconvince my boss on all these issues. Please help me get aBank's marketing researchstudy conducted with the help of your students. I am sorry we department was headed byhave limited funds. We would be able to reimburse theira director of market research andtraveling expenses plus give them a token honorarium for theirhad several fulltimeefforts. employees. in

HAMILTON BANK (A)

Singh

In response to a request of our intelligent, hardworking and dedicated students to your from the head of the Commercial Division oforganization for their summer job when they would conduct thethe bank, the director of marketstudy for you. Meanwhile, please tell where would you like toresearch submitted a researchlaunch this exclusive sports daily? Further, if you have anyproposal, titled "Commercialinformation you think would be relevant to this study, kindlyServices Use and Image study," onhand it over to us. the first day of August. A proposal Anil description of this Naturally, the sports daily is to be launched in Delhi on trial follows.

Mr Mehra you don't have to worry about it. We would send two

Objective

The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation commercial marketing plan.

basis. Of course we have collected some information which we would mail to you soon. Anil Mehra mailed the relevant information to Professors Sharma and Singh which is presented research in various exhibits.
for a

How is Hamilton viewed by businesses as a supplier of commercial services? In which servi:es are we viewed as being relatively strong/relatively weak? How are we viewed in comparison with major competition? What services are being used most commonly? What services will Define the research problem as faced by Anil Mehra. companies be looking to banks for I. in the future? What are the media habits of theIf you were to conduct this study, what type of data from secondary sources 2

QUESTIONS

would be of help to you?

individuals in

How will you design and conduct the study? objective of this study is to provide

companies making banking decisions? The

answers to these questions.

Methodology A total of 1750 mail questionnaires will be sent to businesses in our six country trade areas plus Lehigh County (250per county). This mailing will follow a pretest of the questionnaire accomplished by conducting approximately ten personal interviews. Before the questionnaires are sent, a telephone call will be made to each company asking the name of the person making banking decisions, informing the company of the imminent arrival of a questionnaire, and soliciting cooperation in completion of the questionnaire. Follow-up contacts may be necessary in order to

solicit cooperation. All businesses will be randomly selected from a listing presently in-house. Image results will be reported at the following levels: 1. Major STC classifications. 2. Brand image (our customers); competitive image (non-customers of Hamilton Bank); total image for Hamilton Bank. 3. Competition without Hamilton brand/competitive total image. 4. Image by trade area: Hamilton, competition; brand, competitive, total.

Time and Cost

The majority of this project will be done internally by the Market Research Department. An outside consultant will be retained to do the required statistical calculations. The costs for this project are estimated as follows: Internal Labour $3000 Consultants' Fee 1000 Postage 700 Total $4700 This project will be completed and a report issued by the end of September. This proposal was approved by the head of the Commercial Division. Questions 1. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed research design. 2. If your were the head of the Commercial Division, what questions, if any, would you raise about the proposal? What alternative approaches would you suggest?

BUSINESS WORLD

"Business World", a f0l1nightly magazine, is published from Bombay. It is brought out by management of Anand Bazaar Patrika Limited, Calcutta. In accordance with the decision taken in the annual ed itorial workshop of Business World held in early May 1986, a questionnaire was printed in some issues of Business World to know what readers thought of this magazine. By undel1aking a survey of this type, the management hoped to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the magazine. This would enable it "to tailor Business World to readers' requirements".

Questionnaire
Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________

Profession:______________________________________________

Designation:______________________

Age;...............................City:......................................................................,...................................
Income:_____________

1.

Which of these business magazines do you read? (please tick)

Regularly

Occasionally

Irregulgularily

Economic Times Financial Express Business Standard Business World Business India Fortune India

Update Others (specify) 2. My areas of interest are (Please tick. one or more)
Corporate and business affairs Economic policy and development Political affairs People and lifestyles Art literature Investments ( ( ( ( ( ( ) ) ) ) ) )

3.

Rank the following magazines on a I to 5 scale (5 for very good, I for poor) for the following a! tributes:
Business World

Business India

Fortune India

Update

1. Timeliness of information 2. Depth of information 3. Range of information 4. Depth of analysis 5. Language and style of presentation 6. Quality of printing and visuals.

4.

How much time do you spend in reading an issue of Business World? --------------Hours How much of Business World do you read? (Please tick one) (I) The entire magazine (2) More than half the magazine (3) More than a quarter of the magazine (4) Less than a quarter of the magazine

5.

6.

Which of these features in Business World do you usually find inter~sting and read? (Please tick one or more) (I) Cover Feature (2) Spotlight (3) Business News (4) In the News (5) International News ( ( ( ( ( ) ) ) ) ) (7) Editorial (8) Company News & Events (9) International Briefs (10) Entrepreneurs (11) Leisure ( ( ( ( ( ) ) ) ) )

(6) Off Stage 7.

Which of these specialist pages in Business World do you read and find interesting? (Please look at the shoulder heads inside the magazine pages if you are not sure.)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (c) (I) Political comment Banking and finance Econom ic comment Taxation 1'v1anagement Computers (g) (h) (i) Ci) (k) (I) Careers and professionals Media trends Book serial Business information Marketing Investment

8.

In order to suit my requiremcnts better, Business World should have Fewer main features stores The same number of main feature stories At least one more main feature story ( ( ) ) ( )

9.

Thc lead features (cover and spotlight) should be Shorter Same length Longer ( ( ) ( ) )

10. Business World's coverage of the following items (Please tick one column for each entry): Is adequate Needs to be reduced Needs to be expanded

Technology Marketing Management Corporate Finance Investment/Stock Markets Book Reviews Economic Policy Policy Analysis Corporate Performance Corporate Case Studies Behaviour 11. Do you buy your copy of Business World from the News-stands or are you a subscriber? -

a) News-stands

b)Subscriber

I f (a), do you find it difficult to get a copy of Business World on the news-stands') Yes ____ No _______

12. How soon after the magazine is published each fortnight do you receive your copy of Business World? 1 3 days 3 - 6 days
~

6 12 days
-

Longer than 12 days

13. Do you have any other suggestions to improve Business World

Evaluate this questionnaire in the light of the object stated. Can you suggest a few more items that can be included in the questionnaire?