Current Business Research Project Paper Synopsis

Current Business Research Project Paper Synopsis

Abstract

This assignment was designed to address several subjects related to an article of the student's choosing. The subjects discussed in this synopsis answer the definition of the business research article reviewed, the article's research purpose, the business problem investigated, data collection methods used in the research, and the researchers' conclusions. The article chosen from the University of Phoenix library is entitled, "International Reality of Internet Use as Marketing Tool".

Business Research Definition

The business research definition analyzes how the internet affects companies' infrastructures. The article describes how and why the internet raised the bar for companies, who strategically desire to achieve and exceed competitive advantage.

Business Research Purpose

The research analyzed the importance of the internet as a marketing tool in the U.S., Europe and Asia to determine (1) what factors inherent in the internet result in marketing success, (2) how the potentialities of the internet as a marketing tool affects efficiency and impacts business, (3) establishment of a "theoretical set of reference for the accounting of the results achieved with internet presence" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Hypotheses section, para. 2), and (4) enhance current knowledge regarding the "types of company activities that use the internet as a fundamental component of the business" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Abstract headnote section, para. 1).

The Business Problem under Investigation

The business problems include (1) "understanding...the changes" occurring "on managerial and marketing practices...under an organizational perspective" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Hypotheses section, para. 1), (2) companies' reactions to the internet's growth in a globally demanding environment needing to create "new business structures, new mentalities and culture, and new competencies" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Introduction section, para. 1), and (3) efficacy of the internet as a marketing tool.

Data Collections Methods

Data collection methods included a questionnaire sent to subsidiary companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and directed to the strategic planning managers (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Methodologies and Results section, para. 1). The questionnaire addressed such areas as "financial results, customer relations and buying efficiency", and was devised as a "cluster analysis...testing the nature of the companies surveyed in two areas", which were "the firm's characteristics" and "the approach the firms took in the use of the internet marketing tools" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Abstract headnote section, para. 1).

Other valid analytical tools included in the cluster testing collected and measured reliable data, and included "Anova analysis, Final Clusters and Chi-Square tests" (Tiago, Couto, Natario & Braga, 2007, Methodologies and Results section, para. 5-8). "Anova (Analysis of Variance) is a statistical technique" used to "evaluate whether there are differences between the average value, and mean, across several population groups" (Villeneuve, P., 2002, para. 1). Final clusters (k-means analysis) is the "best number of clusters that yields a stable homogeneous classification" (Wishart, D., 2005, Convergence section, para. 1). The Chi-Square test (KHGR2) is "the most commonly used method for comparing frequencies