23/1/14

MRA 1

what did i learn today?

research design

first we define the problem, then we design research to address the problem, then comes field work and then analysis of the data we have compiled.

define the problem correctly, narrow it.

case of Dell Questionnaire:
ways to count data: 1) we can count the frequency in each question e.g. 1st question , count frequency on side.
Another way is to think about segments: age, gender... then count data after dividing into two or more segments.

or we can group together variables
e.g. satisfaction, recommendation, repeat customer

best case 1,1,1
worst case 4,5,5

so we take 15-(1+1+1) = 12 best
and 15-(4+5+5) = 1 worst
and if say these three variables gave us 3,4,5 then we have 15-(3+4+5) = 3
so we are consolidating scores from 3 variables into 1 variable i.e. the "overall" variable

take price sensitive data
take correlation of price + satisfaction
then  we see segments and see patterns among segments, satisfaction (overall) and price.

in Dell questionnaire we see that the set of Questions deal with: demographics
loyalty
price sensitivity
early adoption
image of Dell
usage

6 pieces of information survey that come out of it

Hypothesis: can be about customer loyalty, customer knowledge about environment, is customer early adopter?

then we move on to the mathematical model which was not covered in today's class.

OB 1
what did i learn today?

is lying ok?

regarding the articles:
oB
contextualized B
Ob

big B - emphasizes interesting behavior that may be relevant for organizations.
is the subject advancing the field? i.e. is it passing the core competence test?

escalation of commitment: OB equivalent of sunk cost
you took a decision, it is going wrong, you deny and become even more committed to it.

contextualized B - behavior in an organizational context
it does not pass centrality test. every behavior is not central to organization.

the Author argues that simply bringing context in studying behavior is not enough.

Big B and contextualized B have trade deficit e.g. you use psychology but don't give to that field in return.
psychology moves on but your return is not sufficient.

Big O - behavior that is central to organizing.

22/1/2014

MRA-1

what i learned today?

formation of groups for market research during next 2 terms. Future MBA proj is going to be likely on market research since companies don't let you access financial information or HR. Tomorrow we will do analysis of Dell case study

Classification of marketing research:

problem identification research
problem solving research

Marketing research process:
1) problem definition
2) development of an approach to the problem
3) research design formulation
4) fieldwork or data collection
5) data preparation and analysis
6) report preparation and presentation

marketing research suppliers and services
research suppliers
internal (own, inside the company)
external:
1) full service: syndicated, customized, internet services
2) limited service: field services, focus groups, technical analytical services etc

 OB 1
what i learned today?
what is OB - investigation of individual, groups and structures impact on each other within organizations and applying this knowledge to improve organization effectiveness.

OB consists of - psychology, sociology and anthropology

developing OB model - dependent variables - productivity, absenteeism, turnover, job satisfaction, deviant workplace behavior, OCB.
productivity - performance measure that includes effectiveness and efficiency.
difference between effectiveness and efficiency - effectiveness = achievement of goals
efficiency = the minimum input required to achieve an output.

OCB = behavior not part of formal job requirement but promotes effective functioning of organization i.e. going the extra mile.

independent variables - individual level variables - motivation, perception, learning, decision making.
group level - power and politics, teams, conflict
organization level - structure and design, policies, practices, culture

Diversity -
surface level diversity
deep level diversity

surface level - that is visible on surface such as age, gender, ethnicity
deep level - diversity in values, personality and preferences

GSBD 1
what i learned today?
pakistan lies at crossroads of middle east, central asia and india and rest of western asia. unique position to live in if properly managed economy and trade. can backfire if economic potential not utilized and if there is invasion from all 3 sides.
drawn parallels with geographic position of roman empire. roman empire attacked from north by vikings, from south and east by germanic tribes and arabic forces and from west by goths and huns.
so roman empire collapsed and that gave rise to feudalism, where warlords controlled small lands. the kings lost control over national territories. same situation is happening in pakistan.
world is moving towards regional and global integration, pakistan is moving in the opposite direction.

we will have presentations during the next classes. ours is in week 3 session 6, industrial revolution in france.