DuPont: Case Study

Résumé du document

Problem definition is the most important step in a marketing research project. It involves stating the general problem and identifying the specific components of the marketing research problem. And only when the marketing research problem has been clearly defined, the research can be designed and conducted properly.

DuPont is a company specialized in the manufacture of carpets and represents a leader in the carpet industry. It sells its products to three end-use segments, they are:

- The commercial segment for offices, hospitals, hotels, schools, government facilities and industrial sites;
- The contract residential carpets for large residential purposes like apartment complexes or subdivisions;
- The residential carpets for homes.

Extraits

[...] It accomplishes this goal through laboratory and field experiments. These classifications are made according to the objective of the research. In some cases the research will fall into one of these categories, but in other cases different phases of the same research project will fall into different categories. Part DuPont is a company specialized in manufacture of carpets and represents a leader in the carpet industry. It could sell its products to three end-use segments that are : - The commercial segment for offices, hospitals, hotels, schools, government facilities and industrial sites; - The contract residential carpets for large residential purposes like apartment complexes or subdivisions; - The residential carpets for homes. [...]

[...] Sample size n = ( 2/R2 With: - The population standard deviation = 5 - DuPont wants to be 99% sure that the true value of the population mean that equal to $30 lies within so the margin of error R = 1 - Z-value is known as the critical value, its is at the vertical boundary for the area of in a standard normal distribution: To determine. Z-value determination: Because the sample size is equal to 30 respondents, the population must be normally distributed. A 99% degree confidence corresponds to = 0.99 = 0.01 ( is the significance level that means the probability that a positive finding is due to chance alone). [...]

[...] - Decrease in the profits of DuPont: - in 1998. - The increase of competition in carpets market. Objectives: The objective of this study is to increase the market share by positioning the new product in the target segment (residential segment). Target to research: The company needs to target the end-user consumer in the residential segment. Who is to use the findings? Analysis: Researchers and decision makers should use qualitative researches in order to respond to the questions: Why, how, where, what, when. [...]

[...] Scale: liker scale How often on average do you buy a carpet in a year? - One time - Two times - Three times - More than three times This question is asked to know whether the customer buy regularly the carpet or not and how many times. Scale: liker scale In the carpet industry, from which category of end-use segment you belong? - Commercial segment - Contract residential segment - Residential segment This question allows us to know which end-use segment offers the better potential for DuPont. [...]

[...] Part II Qualitative marketing research techniques those are useful for the DuPont research: The qualitative marketing research techniques useful for DuPont research is survey questionnaire because the researchers researches are able to control over the environment that can be limited, this is why questionnaires are easy to administer. In the case when DuPont could not have sufficient budget to finance their market research study, a Questionnaire can be low- cost to explorer. On the other hand, DuPont must keep the privacy of the respondents. [...]