Written Assignment 1: A New “Joe” on the Block
November 4, 2011

[Question 1]

In my opinion, there are two top key decisions that Joe faces in regards to his situation. The first key decision is determining the basis for which Joe will model his coffee shop after. With supporting evidence from research, he must determine which indicators on taste/experience/price/etc. will ultimately establish his positioning in the competitive market. This is an important decision because it narrows the scope of his coffee shop’s situation and will aid him in taking the necessary steps towards determining key factors for success.

The second key decision that Joe encounters is whether or not he should enlist the help of a marketing research …show more content…

markets for new coffee shops, optimal location, reasons for popularity, and American coffee preferences. Joe then conducts an exploratory research on the subject. His internet queries on the comparison of different coffee shop tastes represents an investigation into “previous research.” Finally, Joe conducts another exploratory search on “data showing coffee consumption patterns and the number of coffee shops around the United States…” (pg. 63).

Because Joe has yet to move on from the first stage of the marketing research process, the planning the research design and sampling steps have not been encountered. In the second step (planning the research design), an overall plan regarding the collection and analysis of information would be developed.

The third step of the marketing research process, sampling, entails the procedures associated with the formulation of conclusions regarding statistical measurements of the population. In relation to Joe’s situation, the appropriate target population, sample size, and sampling units for his coffee shop would need to be determined.

[Question 5]

It is evident that it would be better for Joe to hire a consultant to perform research. Despite Joe’s 30 years of market researching experience, it does not seem that he has the necessary background to conduct a thorough descriptive research of the coffee shop industry. “Unlike exploratory research, descriptive studies are