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Running head: TOYOTA: BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS, PART I Business Research Methods, Part I Name of Student or Team QNT561 Online University of Phoenix Introduction Earlier this year consumers were blind-sided with news that brake failures in certain Toyota automobiles were occurring because of defects in the automobiles electrical systems. As a result, the Toyota customer base swiftly turned its loyalties elsewhere making it necessary for Toyota to quickly react. Research Question Developing the research question for Toyota includes identifying the management dilemma by looking at the problem symptoms, defining the management questions that outline what the organization must solve, and finally defining the research question that asks what alternative actions Toyota can choose to solve the dilemma. Toyota’s management dilemma is in brand loyalty. Recent surveys completed by Consumer Reports and Kelley Blue Book and indicate Toyota brand loyalty has slipped from 70% to 50% – a 20% loss. The Management Question: How can Toyota increase brand loyalty' The Research Question: Will quality control improvements lead to an increase in Toyota brand loyalty' Toyota needs to reconsider new strategies that will provide better quality control. Consumers expect quality and it is ceasing to be a point of differentiation. If Toyota develops a differentiation strategy, it needs to keep in mind that differentiation is a prerequisite in the marketing world. Differentiation calls for a company, e.g. Toyota, to sell non-standardized products to customers with unique needs while keeping quality as a given, not a differentiator. Research Design According to Cooper and Schindler (2006), the research design is the blueprint for fulfilling objectives and answering questions and will be a guide for selecting sources and types of information to assist in decision making. (p 71). Will quality control improvements lead to an increase in Toyota brand loyalty' Secondary data analysis can assist Toyota in making decisions, in researching its own prior successful methodologies, and to help avoid duplication of prior data that can provide information for resolving the current dilemma. In a research design there will be at least one independent variable (IV) and one dependent variable (DV), and the independent variable will cause the dependent variable to occur. In this case Toyota found its’ electrical system is the cause for brake failure in certain models. The independent variable would be the electrical system and dependent variable would be brake failure. The research design will give a step-by-step layout on how the study will show the agreement between the independent and dependent variables and how the presence or absence of one is associated with the presence or absence of the other. The research design’s definition must specify characteristics and must be clear enough so that any competent researcher can classify the object in the same way. Operational definitions will be used to specify exactly how they will identify the objects or events that fall under their research category. Sample Design To increase loyalty, Toyota must determine what its customers would deem as quality control improvements. This can be done via sample design. An organization must carefully define its target population; e.g. the owners that may not purchase another Toyota in the future. Once a sample is carefully selected to represent the population other controls must be determined: Will this sample include Toyota owners within the past year, a specific age range, a region of the country only, or a specified number' The development of this sample must follow five procedural questions: What is the target population' What are the parameters of interest' What is the sampling frame' What is the appropriate sampling method' What size sample is needed' (Cooper, 2006) Cluster sampling would be the most useful in collecting the data needed to respond to the research question because the population is divided into internally heterogeneous subgroups (Cooper, 2006). The methods of survey include both postcard questionnaires and telephone interviews, and would include at least one question asking the respondent if quality improvement measures would likely change their response from negative to positive. Conclusion Toyota is currently facing one of the biggest reputation problems the brand has ever experienced. However, this can quickly turn around and a new legacy built if it accurately defines its problem and designs a complete research questions to solve it. References Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2006). Business research methods [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text] (9th ed.) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.