Business Research Methods Part III
University of Phoenix
QNT/561

July 28, 2010

Business Research Methods Part III

A survey was conducted to determine whether or not Starbucks should introduce lunch and dinner foods to the menu. Three thousand individuals were surveyed at various retail locations and malls. A series of 11 questions regarding the likes and dislikes of current food and beverage choices as well as possible future lunch and dinner options revealed several findings for Starbucks. Starbucks has decided to analyze the data as follows. If, 60% of the individuals answered Agree or above on a question Starbucks would accept. Furthermore, if seven of the eleven questions received 60% in the Agree or above column, the
Starbucks is losing business to companies such as Paradise Bakery and Einstein Bagels. If the intention of this process is to regain market share, then current customers and non-customers should be surveyed separately and with different questions. Location is also a concern. If the individuals surveyed reside in weaker economic neighborhoods, then the data gathered may not be indicative for the rest of the country. In this, the data may be skewed. Because the addition of lunch and dinner foods would occur nationwide, an accurate and true sampling would be imperative. The sample must reflect the nation as a whole. An additional concern regarding the similarity of two survey questions is apparent. However, the results from the two questions were greatly dissimilar. One question pertained to lunch, and whether participants would be willing to spend money on lunch at Starbucks. The survey results were very favorable for this question. However, the 2nd question pertained to dinner unlike the previous about lunch. The results of this question were significantly different from the previous. The authors can assume a minor difference from one to another, but with such a difference in results, the validity would be stronger if the questions had been combined. The authors have analyzed the appropriate steps to alleviate these concerns. In general, the questions that asked within the survey were adequate. The major hurdle, is locating participants that give more validity