Business Research Reflection Report - Marketing & Research Skills

This report is a reflection on a business research assignment, detailing the development of research and marketing skills. The student explores the advantages and disadvantages of social media in business practices, gaining insights into its broader scope. The research covers the key characteristics of social media networks, direct customer communication, and strategies to stimulate business growth. The student also addresses cyber threats associated with social media. Furthermore, the report highlights the use of research design, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, inductive and deductive approaches, sampling techniques, and data collection methods. The student learned about research constraints and overcoming limitations, along with time management for research activities, enhancing their ability to make informed business decisions. The student has used the research to increase their knowledge about social media, research design, and data collection methods and has also learned about the advantages and disadvantages of social media in business practices. The student has gained experience about potential advantages of social media, direct communication with the customers, and the key characteristics of social media network. The student also increased their knowledge regarding disadvantages of using the social network in business practices.

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH
Business research

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Reflection report
This research is beneficial for me because it has not only developed my research skills but also
developed my marketing skills. This research has increased my knowledge about advantages and
disadvantages of using the social network in business practices. I have also learned that research
on the social network has a wider scope from business perspectives. This research has increased
my knowledge about social media as I have learned that social media is a sort of media which
makes link between readers by different platforms named YouTube, Facebook, and Twitters. I
have also gained experienced about the potential advantages of social media. In this way, I have
learned that social media enables the company to interact with a large amount of population who
lives in across the globe. It aids to stimulate the business growth. There are different kinds of
companies like travel and tourism, retail, and electronics which have expanded their business by
selling their products and services through online channels (Schaltegger and Wagner, 2017). I
have also gained learning that social media leads direct communication with the customers on
the subject of delivering added value. It can be used to encourage the customers to recommend
the products and services of the particular company (Zikmund, et. al., 2013). It was beneficial to
me to recommend my company’s product to a large number of customer hence it can provide me
professional growth.
During this research, I have also gained my understanding of the key characteristics of social
media network. In such way, I have learned that social media network is the direct
communication between customers and businesses. It provides the business to generate a direct
bonding with the customers and also leads to encouraging the network (Hair, 2015). This
experience has not only developed my marketing skills but also improved my communication
skills as I am competent to directly communicate with the customers.

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From this research, I have also increased my knowledge regarding disadvantages of using the
social network in business practices. In this way, I have learned that, through the social media,
people are capable to send a direct message towards products and services that can be seen by
other customer and it cannot be unseen from the websites. Hence, if a customer gives negative
feedback to any products and services of a company then it should be resolved promptly
(Bocken, et. al., 2014). This experience was effective for me to make a judgment regarding
solving the negative feedbacks. Consequently, I can grow in my career by making the right
decision at right time within an organization.
This research has also created my understanding with respect to the cyber threat. I have learned
that cyber threat can be occurred during using social media practices. Hence, the company
should assess their social media frequently in case they not handle it by itself. At the same time,
cybersquatters enable the corporation to protect the people on social media (Hair, 2015). As a
result, I am competent to use this tool in their business practices to protect the customer and their
organization existence on social media.
From this research proposal, I have developed my research skills in terms of using research
design. I have learned that research design is beneficial to facilitate the suitable guidance to
collect the information and assess the findings of the research topic. It is also analyzed that there
are different kinds of research design is used by a researcher like quantitative and qualitative
(Bocken, et. al., 2014). I have also learned that this research topic is based on the subjective
nature as a researcher will choose the qualitative research design. This research design is used to
make conceptual framework and theories about the research issue (Leonardi, et. al., 2013).
Together with, I have learned that quantitative research is used to assess the data of survey
through a questionnaire. As a result, I am able to use these research designs in future. I have also

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gained learning about different approaches like inductive and deductive approach. In this way, I
understood that inductive approach is used to obtain the reliable and valid outcome. As well, this
approach is used to generate theory about the research issue.
During this research, I have also boosted my experience regarding sampling and sample size.
Sampling is a process of choosing the participants from the targeted population (Myers, 2013).
This process is essential to obtain the data about research issue. I have gained my understanding
that there are two kinds of sampling procedure is used to select the respondents such as
probability and non-probability sampling method. As a result, I am enabling to choose the right
participant by using the appropriate technique.
From this research, I have also enhanced my knowledge about data collection method. In this
way, I knew that data gathering process is beneficial to obtain the reliable and valid information
about the research topic. There are two methods of collecting the data named primary and
secondary. In this way, it is analyzed that primary data is collected from survey through
questionnaire and interview methods whereas secondary data is collected from a different
textbook, academic journals, online and offline websites, annual report and government
publication (Sekaran and Bougie, 2016). In current time, I am competent to gather the
information from different sources which would be beneficial to increase the profitability and
productivity of my organization. This has also enhanced my market research skills as I can grow
in this field in long-term.
During this research, I have also learned that a researcher faces certain constraint to meet the
research objectives. These constraints are time, cost and resources which creates difficulties to
complete the research in a specified time period (Bryman and Bell, 2015). I have increased my
understanding that researcher should concentrate to develop an appropriate questionnaire

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structure and choose the right respondents. I have also gained my knowledge regarding
overcoming the research limitation. In this way, I knew that researcher should keep the privacy
of confidential information regarding participants. In the last, I have gained understanding with
respect to time schedule which is beneficial to do the particular activities of research in a
specified time period.

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References
Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., and Evans, S. (2014) ‘A literature and practice review
to develop sustainable business model archetypes’, Journal of cleaner production, 65, pp. 42-56.
Bryman, A., and Bell, E. (2015) Business research methods. USA: Oxford University Press.
Hair, J. F. (2015) Essentials of business research methods. UK: ME Sharpe.
Leonardi, P. M., Huysman, M., and Steinfield, C. (2013) ‘Enterprise social media: Definition,
history, and prospects for the study of social technologies in organizations’, Journal of
Computer
‐Mediated Communication, 19(1), pp.1-19.
Myers, M. D. (2013) Qualitative research in business and management. USA: Sage.
Schaltegger, S., and Wagner, M. (Eds.). (2017) Managing the business case for sustainability:
The integration of social, environmental and economic performance. UK: Routledge.
Sekaran, U., and Bougie, R. (2016) Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
USA: John Wiley and Sons.
Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., and Griffin, M. (2013) Business research methods.
USA: Cengage Learning.