Research Report: Investigating Quality Issues in Nike, Australia

This research report investigates quality issues affecting Nike's business performance. It begins with a problem statement highlighting the challenges posed by intense competition and declining customer satisfaction. The research aims to examine the quality of Nike shoes, assess quality testing practices, analyze the impact of quality issues on overall performance, and recommend improvement solutions. The methodology employs a mixed-methods approach, including customer surveys and interviews with Nike managers. Data will be collected from Nike customers and relevant sources published within the last 10 years. The report details the data sources, ethical considerations, and analytical methods used. The findings are expected to provide insights into the factors affecting Nike's quality and offer actionable recommendations to improve the company's standards and customer satisfaction. The report concludes with references to the sources used for the research.

Running head: RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
Investigating quality issues in Nike, Australia
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of contents
Problem statement......................................................................................................................2
Research aim..............................................................................................................................2
Research objectives....................................................................................................................2
Methodology..............................................................................................................................3
Data sources...............................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5

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“Quality issues in Nike”
Problem statement
In the apparel industry, Nike occupies the top most position. According to the
reporting of the Wall Street Journal, it has been noticed that Nike shoes are losing its style.
This is mainly due to the intense competition, which aggravates the complexities towards
serving quality products to the customers. As a matter of specification, investors dealing with
the basketball shoes have declined largely (Nike.com, 2018). This is specifically in the case
of the Foot Lockers, the sale of which has been affected since the entry of the stylish
sneakers. Mention can be made of the Skechers, which has taken the place of the Foot
lockers. This has deprived the customers, passionate towards sports. This deprivation has
seriously affected the sales of the sports industry (Nike.com, 2018).
Competitors like Lululemon and Under Amour are the major competitors of Nike.
Their appealing advertisement compels Nike to encounter customer turnover, especially the
women customers. The struggles of the apparel industry is pathetic, which collapses the
productivity in the business of Nike. The customers feel that their money would be wasted
through investing in the products of Nike. Herein lays the incapability of Nike staffs to
deliver quality goods to the clients and the customers (Nike.com, 2018).
Research aim
The aim of this research is to investigate the quality issues, which affect the
productivity of the Nike business.
Research objectives
 To examine the quality of the Nike shoes
 To ensure whether quality tests are conducted before launching the products for the
customers

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 To analyse the impact of the quality issues on the overall performance of Nike
 To recommend solutions for improving the standards and quality of the Nike shoes
Methodology
Mixed methodology would be used for completing the process of data collection. 50
customers would be selected for gaining an insight into their approaches towards the quality
of the shoes. Survey would be conducted on the selected samples. These surveys would
include questions related to the quality of the shoes and the customer satisfaction. Along with
this, 3 managers of Nike would be interviewed about the effectiveness, appropriateness and
feasibility of the proposed policies and practices (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). Data
Protection Act (1998) would be applied on the respondents for exposing ethical approach
towards conducting the research. Within this, explorative design would be applied for
exploring new facts regarding the quality issues. Deductive approach would be implemented
in terms of deducing new facts from the responses of the samples. Positivism philosophy
would be followed in terms of developing scientific and objective knowledge regarding the
quality issues in Nike.
The collected data would be analysed through both the primary and secondary
methods. In primary methods, charts and graphs would be prepared for analysing the
responses of the samples (Brannen, 2017). In the secondary method, themes related with
quality would be developed for assessing the response of the samples. After this, alignment
would be established between the gathered data and the proposed objectives.
Action plan and budget would be prepared by the researcher for systematizing the
activities according to the priority. This would enhance the awareness about the expenses
towards completing the methodology.

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Data sources
The data for the research would be collected from the customers of Nike. Other than
this, inclusion and exclusion criteria would be selected for referring to the sources. Those
sources would be included which has not been published more than 10 years. The sources
published 10 years earlier would be excluded. This would develop reliability and validity
with the issues of quality in Nike. Referring to the sources within the time limit of 10 years
would help in averting the instances of plagiarism and collusion (Creswell & Creswell,
2017). Mention can be made of the journal articles and websites, which would be authentic in
terms of collecting information regarding the issues of quality in Nike. Those websites, which
needs subscription, would be avoided, as they would not provide authentic information. This
aversion would reflect the ethical approach of the researcher (Barnham, 2015).

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References
Barnham, C., 2015. Quantitative and qualitative research: Perceptual
foundations. International Journal of Market Research, 57(6), pp.837-854.
Brannen, J., 2017. Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge.
Creswell, J.W. & Creswell, J.D., 2017. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Sage publications.
Nike.com (2018), Our latest and greatest, in your inbox, Retrieved 8th August 2018 from
https://www.nike.com
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. & DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods:
A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.