Business Research Methods: Donatos Pizza Case Assessment

This case study analyzes the business research methods employed by Donatos Pizza to understand its market challenges and innovate its product offerings. The analysis begins with an examination of the research design, highlighting the use of explanatory research and the sources of data, including customer feedback from emails, surveys, and concept screens, as well as secondary sources like industry reports. The study then evaluates the effectiveness of "Wassup" meetings as a tool for gathering employee and stakeholder input, exploring their role in generating new ideas and reframing research questions. The case further assesses the company's test market strategy, detailing the advantages and disadvantages of the in-restaurant testing approach. Finally, the study addresses the application of measurement scales, including nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales, to gather and analyze survey data, with a focus on the benefits of using a Likert scale for collecting precise and reliable feedback on customer satisfaction and attitudes related to the new product prototype.

Running head: CASE ASSESSMENT
CASE ASSESSMENT
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Answer to question 1
The concerned organization, Donato’s, took the initiative of deducing information from the
different dependable media sources with the objective of identifying the issues that are faced by
the organization (Web.wilkes.edu 2019). The organization established the explanatory research
design as a medium of understanding the issues that were affecting their rate of sales and the
manner in which the issues might be avoided. The utilization of explanatory research design by
the organization was specifically supported by the information that was derived by the same
from different authentic sources. The primary sources of data that was used by the organization
was specifically based on the e-mail comments from customers that the venture received through
their website. The organization also encouraged in-restaurant tests permitting the participants to
engage in self-administered intercept surveys or callback phone surveys and the data was used as
a primary source for backing their propositions. Again, the organization used concept screens for
encouraging participant feedbacks in the central location showing photographs of the food
products enquiring on uniqueness, brand fit, price attractiveness or purchase intent of the same.
The secondary sources that were used by the organization was through the review of
HealthFocus Trend Report of 2003 and The Yankelovich Monitor and NPD Eating Trends. The
assessment of data from the primary and secondary sources permit an organization in validating
their understanding of the situation of the business (Cornelissen 2017, pp. 372). The pros of
retrieving the primary sources of data is based on the engagement of the stakeholders on the
different propositions while gathering their point of view on the development of the new recipes
through emails, self-administered intercept surveys or callback phone surveys and concept
screens. However, the biased feedbacks from the customers is a con that might affect the rate of
improvement in the organization. Again, the utilization of the secondary sources enabled the

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organization in identifying the recent changes that are being undertaken in the industry.
However, the reliability of the data is again a con which might restrict the capability of the
organization in identifying the different changes in the customer buying behavior.
Answer to question 2
The Wassup meetings were held in the organization with the view of engaging the
employees and the other stakeholders in the innovative procedures of the venture. It might be
taken as an exploratory methodology for identifying the different impact of cultural elements on
the performance of the organization. On the other hand, the methodology provided the
organization with the advantage of different innovative ideas that might be implemented in the
organizational processes (Web.wilkes.edu 2019). The key changes in the organizational
operations are based on the engagement of the stakeholders in the diverse processes. The Wassup
meetings enabled the organization in gathering the viewpoint of the employees apart from
exploring the different feasible options. Reio and Shuck (2015, pp. 14) stated that the exploratory
methodology enables in improving a new model or strategy that is unique and is not existing. It
has been noted in the case that the employees brings up new elements in the meetings which
referred to the new modifications in the venture. The Wassup meetings enables the organization
in reframing the research questions relating to e changing preferences of the customers and the
innovations that the organization might implement for gaining a competitive edge in the markets.
Therefore, the Wassup meetings in the organization would enable the same in identifying the
different new strategies that might be planned by the same with the objective of retaining the
strategic position in the markets.

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Answer to question 3
Donatos started testing the prototype of the new pizza from the employees and extended
the operations to participants in the central location and the restaurants. The test market that was
used by the company was commenced through the in-restaurant tests in two or more restaurants
in a given location. The major advantages of the testing strategy of the organization was based
on the capability of the same in attracting the attention of the target customers towards their
improved value propositions. Moreover, the feedbacks from the customers would permit the
organization in identifying the changing taste and preferences of the customers while inducing
innovation in the pizzas. The disadvantages of the testing criteria that were followed by the
organization might be criticized on grounds of biasness of the respondents towards their
preferred service organizations from the very beginning of the process. Moreover, the lack of
organizational capability of improving the knowledge base would enable the organization in
maintaining the efficiency of the operations while operating in the different markets. The limited
test market of the organization would enable the same in improving the rate of innovation in the
product criteria to fit into the needs of the customers. The enumeration of the test would allow
the venture in minimizing the risks relating to product development through assessment of the
needs of the customers. Therefore, the testing operations of the organization have advantages as
well as disadvantages which is being highlighted in this section.
Answer to question 4
The measurement scales that I would like to apply in the survey procedure are Nominal
scale, Ordinal scale, Interval scale and Ratio scale. I would use the nominal scale for identifying
the gender and the affirmative or negative point of views of the respondents. The ordinal scale
would be used for measuring the likelihood of being satisfied while I would use the interval scale

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for identifying the age, income and frequency of visit of the respondents. Lastly, I would utilize
the five point Likert scale for testing the likelihood of success for the new product’s prototype.
Likert scale would have helped me in developing a more precise and scientific feedback
collection system for identifying the rate of satisfaction on a quantifiable basis. On the other
hand, the likert scale would have helped me in reducing the biases and thereby derive the reliable
data. Again, the likert scale would have helped me in measuring people’s attitude and behaviors
which are an important part of the innovation based operations. Therefore, the application of
likert or ordinal scale would enable me in not only identifying the nature of success of the new
recipe but also the attitude of the people that are associated with the tests.

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References
Cornelissen, Joep P. "Preserving theoretical divergence in management research: Why the
explanatory potential of qualitative research should be harnessed rather than
suppressed." Journal of Management Studies 54.3 (2017): 368-383.
Reio Jr, Thomas G., and Brad Shuck. "Exploratory factor analysis: implications for theory,
research, and practice." Advances in Developing Human Resources 17.1 (2015): 12-25.
Web.wilkes.edu., 2019. Donatos: Finding the New Pizza. [online] Web.wilkes.edu. Available at:
http://web.wilkes.edu/jennifer.edmonds/MBA_512/Donatos%20Finding%20the%20New
%20Pizza.pdf [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].