Good Case Study About Individual Case Analysis

1. What was the research design adopted by Maxfli in determining a direction for the company? Was it appropriate?
The research design adopted by Maxfli in determining a direction for the company consisted of several steps. Firstly, the company undertook an exploratory research with the use of focus groups, which aimed to explore the way buyers identified golf balls. A telephone survey was conducted further to broaden the findings from the focus group research. The sample of respondents was generated using Synovate national panels and stratified according to several characteristics, such as purchase points, location etc. The research has revealed the fashion segment among golf ball users. Maxli followed up on the telephone interview by conducting more focus groups and survey research. This step helped to identify two distinct segments in the high-performance ball market and to split the product line into two categories, Revolution and Noodle, in order to meet the demand of individual segments. The research design described above is fully appropriate for the purpose pursued by the company and allowed Maxli to change its strategy in a way to meet customer needs and to retain their leadership in the market. The research used a variety of techniques to investigate the issue of the low growth rate and implemented them in a systematic fashion in order to dissect the overall problem and to get the underlining customer needs. Such approach allowed segmenting their product line effectively.
2. Discuss the role of qualitative research in uncovering the motivations behind golf ball purchases. Are focus groups the most appropriate technique for this purpose?
Qualitative research helped Maxli to study in-details the issue of low growth, to communicate with their customers in person, and offered flexibility in choosing the topics to discuss. Focus groups represent a great way to initiate such research. Firstly, focus groups offer an exposure to a larger number of people, as compared to interviews, and help to understand the way golf players interact. Secondly, they give flexibility to the researchers to explore several subjects during the session and to investigate further the issues that have been revealed during the focus group. The rigidity of quantitative methods does not allow integrating new information as fast.
3. Is a telephone survey the most appropriate method for determining the preference of golfers for golf balls? If not, what survey method would you recommend for this purpose?
A telephone interview is not a very effective tool to determine golfers’ preference for golf balls. People on the phone are often unwilling to answer questions of the company or give very random answers in order to finish the interview faster. Moreover, the information obtained from Synovate could be incomplete, as not all buyers of golf balls are registered or keep their profiles up to date. An alternative way is to conduct in-store interviews. In this way, Maxli could target their customers more directly and approach them during the purchase process, when golfers are more likely to name the reasons why the purchase has been made.
4. Can the observation method be used? If yes, which observation method would you recommend and why?
The observation method is not a very good idea for conducting a survey on the purchase motivation. Although it allows an impartial analysis of the purchasing behaviour, it cannot reveal the information sought by Maxli. As Maxli wanted to understand the reasons behind the purchase, and not just the objective parameters related to the purchase, observations would not be very helpful. Furthermore, it is important for Maxli to understand the connection between certain factors, such as golfer characteristics, occupation or proficiency and the purchase decision. This can be best done during personal interaction, which is excluded by the observation method.
5. Discuss the role of internet in Maxfli’s future research efforts.
Internet should be used more extensively by Maxli in its research methods. Internet sales are gaining important in the contemporary world. It becomes easier for companies to generate a list of users of their products, to analyse them based on the personal information from their profiles and to send them invitations to participate in other research, such as surveys or focus groups. It is also the most cost-efficient method that allows capturing a larger audience without incurring additional cost.