Question

A business researcher is interested in the relationship between marketing strategies and competitive performance of a firm.

a) Using two examples, state both the null and alternate hypothesis for this study from the topic above 2mks

b) Identify the various variables you would use for this study. 4mks

c) Classify the above variables as (independent, dependent, moderating, mediating and extraneous) 4mks

d) Develop appropriate objectives using the above identified variables 4mks

e) During the data collections, the researcher notices that the target respondents were shying away from responding to some questions. What are the ethical issues that would have been causing this behavior and as a trained researcher, recommended how you would advise to solve this problem. 6mks

Answer 1

In this study, the null hypothesis is that there is no relationship between marketing strategies and competitive performance of a firm, while the alternate hypothesis is that there is a relationship. The variables used in the study are marketing strategies and competitive performance, with marketing strategies being the independent variable and competitive performance being the dependent variable.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) The null hypothesis for this study would be that there is no relationship between marketing strategies and competitive performance of a firm. The alternate hypothesis would be that there is a relationship between marketing strategies and competitive performance of a firm.

b) For this study, the various variables that could be used include:

• Marketing strategies: This would involve the different marketing tactics and techniques employed by the firm.
• Competitive performance: This would involve measuring the firm's success in relation to its competitors.

c) The variables can be classified as follows:

• Independent variable: Marketing strategies
• Dependent variable: Competitive performance

d) The objectives for this study could be:

• To examine the impact of different marketing strategies on the competitive performance of a firm.
• To analyze the relationship between marketing strategies and competitive performance.

e) The ethical issues that could be causing the respondents to shy away from certain questions could include privacy concerns, fear of judgment or repercussions, or discomfort with the topic being discussed. As a trained researcher, it is recommended to address these issues by ensuring anonymity and confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and creating a safe and non-threatening environment for respondents to share their thoughts and opinions.