Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) provides information technology services as well as business process outsourcing solutions to businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. ACS is based in Dallas, Texas and the current CEO is Lynn Blodgett. ACS is ranked at number 341 on the 2010 Fortune 500 list.[3] Founded in 1988, by Darwin Deason, ACS now operates in nearly 100 countries, generating over $6 billion annually. As of September 2009, ACS employs approximately 74,000 people.[4]
On September 28, 2009, Xerox Corporation announced plans to acquire ACS in a $6.4 billion transaction.[5] The deal closed on February 8, 2010
US$ 33 million from Japan, US$ 21 million from South Korea and US$ 19 million from the United States (2003). Furthermore, (2001) states that salty snacks such as potato chips and pretzels are very popular among young people aged fifteen to twenty-four in Hong Kong. This is mainly due to the growing influence of Western countries to the Hong Kong population (). Reynolds explains that most people in Hong Kong, particularly the younger generation, have started to adapt the Western styles of living in the last ten to twenty years. This influence is evidenced by the spread of many Western-based convenience stores like 7-Eleven operating on a 24/7 basis and giving unlimited access to snacks and crisps products to young professionals and teenagers ( 1991). A report published by the Foreign Agricultural Service in 1999 showed the attitudes of some Hong Kong inhabitants regarding salty snacks. The study concluded that snack foods and salty snacks have generally been a highly lucrative business in Hong Kong due to increasing customer demands, especially from young adults (2001).





Attribute

Salty Snacks

Percent of shoppers who have purchased crisps and snack items

50 percent

Age category with the most purchases

15 to 24 years old

Purchase frequency

3 to 4 times a week

Most important reason for buying

Taste (50% response)

Percent of buyers eating products as snacks

81 percent

Percent of buyers eating products as a meal item

3 percent



Figure 1: Food Attitudes of Hong Kong Chinese Purchasing Salty Snacks ( 2001).



The Hong Kong market for crisps and snacks is dominated by potato chips, nuts and dried fruits (2003, ). (2001) claims that the potato chip sector of the Hong Kong crisps and snacks market is in a boom. Potato chips were valued at 30 percent of Hong Kong's total snack food consumption between 1997 and 1998 as revealed by the Foreign Agricultural Service (). Dried meat and seafood snacks are also gaining popularity but local manufacturers fail to suffice the growing consumer demand for these products ( 2003). Dried seafood and meat products established a growth rate of around 15 to 20 percent growth in 1999 and are continuously gaining a large market share (2001).


RESEARCH APPROACHES

Observational research is the gathering of primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations. Observational research can be used to obtain information that people are unwilling or unable to provide. In some cases, observation may be the only way to obtain the needed information.

Survey research is the approach best suited for gathering descriptive information. A company that wants to know about people's knowledge, attitudes, preferences, or buying behavior can often find out by asking them directly. Survey research is the most widely used method for primary data collection, and it is often the only method used in a research study. The major advantage of survey research is its flexibility. It can be used to obtain many different kinds of information in many different marketing situations. In the early and mid-1980s, some cola companies created a taste test against their competitors. This is an example of survey research. Participants were allowed to taste different cola brands without knowing which was which. The participant then decided which brand was preferred.

Whereas observation is best suited for exploratory research and surveys for descriptive research, experimental research is best suited for gathering causal information. Experiments involve selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatments, controlling unrelated factors, and checking for differences in group responses. Thus, experimental research tries to explain cause-and-effect relationships.

RESEARCH CONTACT METHODS

Research may be collected by mail, telephone, e-mail, fax, or personal interview. Mail questionnaires can be used to collect large amounts of information at a low cost per respondent. Respondents may give more honest answers to more personal questions on a mail questionnaire than to an unknown interviewer in person or over the phone. However, mail questionnaires lack flexibility in that they require simply worded questions. They can also take a long time to complete, and the response rate—the number of people returning completed questionnaires—is often very low.

Telephone interviewing is the best method for gathering information quickly, and it provides greater flexibility than mail questionnaires. Interviewers can explain questions that are not understood. Telephone interviewing also allows greater sample control. Response rates tend to be higher than with mail questionnaires. But telephone interviewing also has its drawbacks. The cost per respondent is higher than with mail questionnaires, people may regard a phone call as more of an inconvenience or an intrusion, and they may not want to discuss personal questions with an interviewer. In the latter part of the 1990s, laws were also passed to guard against the invasion of privacy. If a person wishes to be taken off a solicitation or interview list, companies can be sued if they persist in calling.

Personal interviewing consists of inviting several people to talk with a trained interviewer about a company's products or services. The interviewer needs objectivity, knowledge of the subject and industry, and some understanding of group and consumer behavior. Personal interviewing is quite flexible and can be used to collect large amounts of information. Trained interviewers can hold a respondent's attention for a long time and can explain difficult questions. They can guide interviews, explore issues, and probe as the situation requires. The main drawbacks of personal interviewing are costs and sampling problems. Personal interviews may cost three to four times as much as telephone interviews.

SAMPLING PLAN

Marketing researchers usually draw conclusions about large groups of consumers by studying a relatively small sample of the total consumer population. A sample is a segment of the population selected to represent the population as a whole. Ideally, the sample should be representative so that the researcher can make accurate estimates of the thoughts and behaviors of the larger population. If the sample is not representative, it may lead the company to draw the wrong conclusions and misuse its resources.

The marketing researcher must design a sampling plan, which calls for three decisions:

Sampling unit—determining who is to be surveyed. The marketing researcher must define the target population that will be sampled. If a company wants feedback on a new basketball shoe, it would be wise to target active players and even professional players.
Sample size—determining the number of people to be surveyed. Large samples give more reliable results than small samples. Samples of less than 1 percent of a population can often provide good reliability, given a credible sampling procedure. Most commercial samples consist of between several hundred and several thousand respondents.
Sampling procedure—determining how the respondents should be chosen. To obtain a representative sample, a probability (random) sampling of the population should be drawn. This is a means of determining who is reached by the survey to ensure they are indeed a valid cross-section of the sampling unit. Choosing passersby on a street corner, for example, would not produce a random sample, whereas allowing a computer to pick names randomly from a relevant calling list probably would (depending on how the list was compiled). Probability sampling allows the calculation of confidence limits for sampling error.
 
Last edited:

jamescord

MP Guru
Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) provides information technology services as well as business process outsourcing solutions to businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. ACS is based in Dallas, Texas and the current CEO is Lynn Blodgett. ACS is ranked at number 341 on the 2010 Fortune 500 list.[3] Founded in 1988, by Darwin Deason, ACS now operates in nearly 100 countries, generating over $6 billion annually. As of September 2009, ACS employs approximately 74,000 people.[4]
On September 28, 2009, Xerox Corporation announced plans to acquire ACS in a $6.4 billion transaction.[5] The deal closed on February 8, 2010
US$ 33 million from Japan, US$ 21 million from South Korea and US$ 19 million from the United States (2003). Furthermore, (2001) states that salty snacks such as potato chips and pretzels are very popular among young people aged fifteen to twenty-four in Hong Kong. This is mainly due to the growing influence of Western countries to the Hong Kong population (). Reynolds explains that most people in Hong Kong, particularly the younger generation, have started to adapt the Western styles of living in the last ten to twenty years. This influence is evidenced by the spread of many Western-based convenience stores like 7-Eleven operating on a 24/7 basis and giving unlimited access to snacks and crisps products to young professionals and teenagers ( 1991). A report published by the Foreign Agricultural Service in 1999 showed the attitudes of some Hong Kong inhabitants regarding salty snacks. The study concluded that snack foods and salty snacks have generally been a highly lucrative business in Hong Kong due to increasing customer demands, especially from young adults (2001).





Attribute

Salty Snacks

Percent of shoppers who have purchased crisps and snack items

50 percent

Age category with the most purchases

15 to 24 years old

Purchase frequency

3 to 4 times a week

Most important reason for buying

Taste (50% response)

Percent of buyers eating products as snacks

81 percent

Percent of buyers eating products as a meal item

3 percent



Figure 1: Food Attitudes of Hong Kong Chinese Purchasing Salty Snacks ( 2001).



The Hong Kong market for crisps and snacks is dominated by potato chips, nuts and dried fruits (2003, ). (2001) claims that the potato chip sector of the Hong Kong crisps and snacks market is in a boom. Potato chips were valued at 30 percent of Hong Kong's total snack food consumption between 1997 and 1998 as revealed by the Foreign Agricultural Service (). Dried meat and seafood snacks are also gaining popularity but local manufacturers fail to suffice the growing consumer demand for these products ( 2003). Dried seafood and meat products established a growth rate of around 15 to 20 percent growth in 1999 and are continuously gaining a large market share (2001).


RESEARCH APPROACHES

Observational research is the gathering of primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations. Observational research can be used to obtain information that people are unwilling or unable to provide. In some cases, observation may be the only way to obtain the needed information.

Survey research is the approach best suited for gathering descriptive information. A company that wants to know about people's knowledge, attitudes, preferences, or buying behavior can often find out by asking them directly. Survey research is the most widely used method for primary data collection, and it is often the only method used in a research study. The major advantage of survey research is its flexibility. It can be used to obtain many different kinds of information in many different marketing situations. In the early and mid-1980s, some cola companies created a taste test against their competitors. This is an example of survey research. Participants were allowed to taste different cola brands without knowing which was which. The participant then decided which brand was preferred.

Whereas observation is best suited for exploratory research and surveys for descriptive research, experimental research is best suited for gathering causal information. Experiments involve selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatments, controlling unrelated factors, and checking for differences in group responses. Thus, experimental research tries to explain cause-and-effect relationships.

RESEARCH CONTACT METHODS

Research may be collected by mail, telephone, e-mail, fax, or personal interview. Mail questionnaires can be used to collect large amounts of information at a low cost per respondent. Respondents may give more honest answers to more personal questions on a mail questionnaire than to an unknown interviewer in person or over the phone. However, mail questionnaires lack flexibility in that they require simply worded questions. They can also take a long time to complete, and the response rate—the number of people returning completed questionnaires—is often very low.

Telephone interviewing is the best method for gathering information quickly, and it provides greater flexibility than mail questionnaires. Interviewers can explain questions that are not understood. Telephone interviewing also allows greater sample control. Response rates tend to be higher than with mail questionnaires. But telephone interviewing also has its drawbacks. The cost per respondent is higher than with mail questionnaires, people may regard a phone call as more of an inconvenience or an intrusion, and they may not want to discuss personal questions with an interviewer. In the latter part of the 1990s, laws were also passed to guard against the invasion of privacy. If a person wishes to be taken off a solicitation or interview list, companies can be sued if they persist in calling.

Personal interviewing consists of inviting several people to talk with a trained interviewer about a company's products or services. The interviewer needs objectivity, knowledge of the subject and industry, and some understanding of group and consumer behavior. Personal interviewing is quite flexible and can be used to collect large amounts of information. Trained interviewers can hold a respondent's attention for a long time and can explain difficult questions. They can guide interviews, explore issues, and probe as the situation requires. The main drawbacks of personal interviewing are costs and sampling problems. Personal interviews may cost three to four times as much as telephone interviews.

SAMPLING PLAN

Marketing researchers usually draw conclusions about large groups of consumers by studying a relatively small sample of the total consumer population. A sample is a segment of the population selected to represent the population as a whole. Ideally, the sample should be representative so that the researcher can make accurate estimates of the thoughts and behaviors of the larger population. If the sample is not representative, it may lead the company to draw the wrong conclusions and misuse its resources.

The marketing researcher must design a sampling plan, which calls for three decisions:

Sampling unit—determining who is to be surveyed. The marketing researcher must define the target population that will be sampled. If a company wants feedback on a new basketball shoe, it would be wise to target active players and even professional players.
Sample size—determining the number of people to be surveyed. Large samples give more reliable results than small samples. Samples of less than 1 percent of a population can often provide good reliability, given a credible sampling procedure. Most commercial samples consist of between several hundred and several thousand respondents.
Sampling procedure—determining how the respondents should be chosen. To obtain a representative sample, a probability (random) sampling of the population should be drawn. This is a means of determining who is reached by the survey to ensure they are indeed a valid cross-section of the sampling unit. Choosing passersby on a street corner, for example, would not produce a random sample, whereas allowing a computer to pick names randomly from a relevant calling list probably would (depending on how the list was compiled). Probability sampling allows the calculation of confidence limits for sampling error.

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