Description
Explain the research design and methods that will be used to address the business problem you identified in Milestone One (Attached, please keep in mind the information that was lacking), justifying why they are appropriate for your research study. To support your research design, describe the methods you will use, the key variables, and ethical considerations involved in using the research design. (Rubric Attached) Here is a link to better understand the dependent and independent variables: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-equations-expressions/pre-algebra-dependent-independent/a/dependent-and-independent-variables-reviewCiting Author(s)/Sources: It is essential that you provide attribution to the materials you use in the discussion posting. When you use other people’s work, you must cite the authors/sources in the text and provide a reference(s) in the APA 7th edition format. When you summarize or rephrase other people’s work then you must cite the authors/sources making sure that the meaning of what the authors/sources describe is maintained. If the text you are writing is verbatim from other people’s work then it must be in double quotation marks.Referencing: References must be in the APA 7th edition format. Do not assume that someone who referenced an article has correctly used the APA 7th edition format. For assessment of references, refer to the grading criteria for “Writing” as described in the weekly discussion rubrics.
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Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Explain the research design and methods that will be used to address the business problem you identified, justifying why they are appropriate for your research study. To support your
research design, describe the methods you will use, the key variables, and ethical considerations involved in using the research design.
Prompt
Explain how you will carry out your research. Remember that your business problem should be able to be addressed using action research.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
Research Design:
A. Explain the research design and methods you will use, justifying why they are appropriate for your research study.
B. Describe the key variables from primary and/or secondary data sources that you will use to analyze your research problem.
C. Explain the key dependent and independent variables. In other words, how would the independent variables predict, explain, or prove the dependent variable?
D. Explain the key ethical considerations for using these data sources, including how they meet legal and professional standards.
What to Submit
Your milestone must be submitted as a 5- to 7-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA
format.
Milestone Two Rubric
Criteria
Proficient (100%)
Needs Improvement (75%)
Not Evident (0%)
Value
Research Design: Research
Design and Methods
Explains the research design and methods
that will be used, including justification of
why this is appropriate for the study
Explains the research design and methods
that will be used, but explanation is cursory,
contains issues of clarity, or does not justify
why this is appropriate for the study
Does not explain the research design and
methods that will be used
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LACKED:
Analysis of Maruti Suzuki India Business Problem and Literature Review
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Introduction
The Indian automotive industry has witnessed unprecedented growth and transformation
in the past decades, with Maruti Suzuki ranking top among the dominant automobile
manufacturers in the A-segment, which is made up of small and compact vehicles. Nevertheless,
the company’s longstanding market dominance has been challenged in recent years by new
entrants as well as existing competitors. The changing competitive landscape and consumer
preferences, particularly in the A-segment, are responsible for Maruti Suzuki’s declining market
supremacy in India. As such, the company needs an immediate reassessment of its business
strategies to maintain and enhance its market dominance.
Context and Problem Statement
In retrospect, Maruti Suzuki’s journey in the Indian automotive industry dates back to
1983, when the company, together with the Indian government, agreed to a joint venture.
Consequently, Maruti Suzuki’s market dominance and subsequent supremacy have soared over
the years, particularly in the A-segment, enjoying over a 50 percent market share in India
(Becker-Ritterspach, 2009). However, recent developments within the A-segment of India’s
automotive industry, marked by the rapidly changing competitive landscape as well as changing
consumer preferences, have threatened Maruti Suzuki’s market dominance. Notably, the broader
A-segment Indian automotive market has witnessed a surge in competition as domestic and
international automobile manufacturers introduce new attractive models (Borthakur, 2023).
Similarly, there has been a paradigm shift in consumer preferences, as design, connectivity, and
safety have replaced earlier customer preferences such as fuel efficiency and subsequent
affordability. Altogether, these underlying factors have significantly threatened Maruti Suzuki’s
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market dominance and raised concerns regarding the company’s future, particularly in the Asegment.
Stakeholders
Maruti-Suzuki India runs within a complex and multifaceted network of stakeholders
who have a vested interest in its performance and market supremacy, particularly in the Asegment of India’s automotive industry. Among these critical stakeholders include Maruti
Suzuki’s customers, who constitute the end-users and whose satisfaction levels, expectations,
and subsequent preferences significantly impact Maruti Suzuki’s market share as well as
profitability. Thus, failure by the company to meet its customer demands will inevitably risk
market share loss to competitors.
Employees account for another critical group of Maruti Suzuki’s stakeholders, as their
commitment and skills are directly related to product quality as well as customer experience.
With the changing competitive landscape in India’s A-segment automotive market, Maruti
Suzuki’s employees are primarily concerned about their job security and morale.
Shareholders also make up another critical segment of Maruti Suzuki’s stakeholders, as
they possess a financial stake in the company, which is dependent upon Maruti Suzuki’s
performance. Accordingly, Maruti Suzuki’s inherent business problem affects the shareholders’
return on their investments, as any decline in market share may affect dividends and stock prices.
Suppliers constitute another key stakeholder segment within Maruti Suzuki, as the
company’s relationship with them affects production efficiency and subsequent cost controls.
Given the changing automotive landscape, it may be necessary for suppliers to switch to new
materials and technologies. Consequently, this will affect the suppliers’ relationship with the
company.
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The government and regulators form another key stakeholder group impacted by Maruti
Suzuki’s business problem. They enact and enforce standards and regulations that affect India’s
automotive industry. They may lose on the revenue generated through taxes and levies paid by
Maruti Suzuki because of the company’s declining market share.
Lastly, competitors form another integral stakeholder group impacted by Maruti Suzuki’s
business problem. As such, both domestic and international competitors stand to gain as the
competitive landscape gives them a competitive edge over Maruti Suzuki.
Other potential stakeholders that Maruti Suzuki’s business problem may impact include
local communities and financial institutions. Notably, local communities in India will stand to
lose in the face of Maruti Suzuki’s declining market share because of low engagement in the
company’s corporate social responsibilities as a result of the decline in the company’s
profitability. Similarly, financial institutions will lose as a result of Maruti Suzuki’s declining
market share and subsequent profitability, adversely impacting the company’s liquidity and
ability to repay and access loans.
Research Objectives
The following are the study’s research objectives:
1. To identify and explain the underlying challenges responsible for Maruti Suzuki India’s
declining market dominance and share in the A-segment of the country’s automotive
market.
2. To analyze changing customer preferences and their impact on the company’s product
offering and market share.
3. To explore probable strategies available to Maruti Suzuki India for maintaining and
strengthening its market dominance in the A-segment.
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4. To analyze the subsequent benefits of the strategy implementation to Maruti Suzuki and
its stakeholders.
Accordingly, achieving the abovementioned research objectives stands to benefit the key
stakeholders in several ways:
Customers: Maruti Suzuki’s comprehension of the changing customer preferences will result in
enhanced customer product offerings best matching their expectations to enrich customer
satisfaction.
Employees: Maruti Suzuki will identify challenges facing their employees and create effective
strategies for enhancing job security as well as other career growth opportunities in the face of
the company’s adaption to the changing industry landscape.
Shareholders: Maruti Suzuki India will understand how to successfully implement strategies to
boost their market position in the A-segment and ensure financial returns for shareholders.
Suppliers: Maruti Suzuki India’s implementation of collaborative strategies will impact stronger
supplier relations, guaranteeing a steady supply chain as well as cost controls.
Government and Regulators: research insight will help policymakers understand the intricate
dynamics and nature of the A-segment automotive industry and, in so doing, craft effective
regulations.
Competitors: Maruti Suzuki’s implementation of effective strategies will help it gain a
competitive advantage over competitors by maintaining and boosting its market leadership in
India’s A-segment automotive market.
Research Question
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What strategies can Maruti Suzuki India adopt to maintain and strengthen its market leadership
in the A-segment of the Indian automotive market, considering evolving consumer preferences
and increasing competition?
Ethical Considerations
Several ethical considerations are essential in conducting this research study and
necessitate their understanding and addressing:
Data collection and protection: Maruti Suzuki will need to ensure strict compliance with data
protection regulations to enhance data security and privacy as the study entails collecting
sensitive data such as consumer preferences as well as market strategies.
Human subjects: the study will require informed consent as well as the ethical treatment of
survey participants as it entails surveys and interviews. Therefore, it is imperative to follow
ethical guidelines in data collection to protect participants’ human rights and their well-being.
Transparency: researchers must maintain transparency in their methodologies, accurately report
findings, and avoid bias for self-interest.
Conflict of interest: researchers must declare any potential conflict of interest, including
affiliation with the company or stakeholders, that may jeopardize their research’s integrity.
Literature Review
This section of the literature review provides a critical foundation for conceptualizing the
intricacies of Maruti Suzuki India’s business problem and, subsequently, the challenges faced by
the company in maintaining and boosting its market leadership, especially within the A- segment
of India’s automotive market. To this end, the literature review provides an in-depth discussion
of Maruti Suzuki India’s business problem, accentuating their nuances and subsequent
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implications. In addition, this section also delineates the potential biases as well as limitations of
the existential literature.
Management Theories
Accordingly, studies by Barney (1991) on the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory
satisfy that a company’s inherent competitive advantage stems from its inimitable and valuable
resources. As such, Maruti Suzuki India’s longstanding market supremacy stems from the
company’s resource portfolio, such as manufacturing capabilities, brand reputation, and
distribution network (Becker-Ritterspach, 2009). Consequently, these resources offer Maruti
Suzuki India a sustainable advantage relating to quality, cost-efficiency, and market reach. For
instance, Maruti Suzuki India’s extensive dealer network is inimitable, providing the company
with a distinct advantage relating to customer service and subsequent market share (BeckerRitterspach, 2009). Therefore, leveraging these underpinned unique and valuable resources holds
enormous potential as a strategy for maintaining and boosting Maruti Suzuki India’s market
leadership in the A-segment automotive market.
Studies by Teece, Pisano, and Shuen (1997) elucidate the dynamic capabilities theory,
suggesting that companies’ continuous innovation improvement in response to dynamic market
circumstances. In retrospect, Maruti Suzuki India’s challenges stem from the fast-changing Asegment Indian automotive market due to the changing competitive landscape and evolving
consumer preferences (Borthhakur, 2023). For instance, Maruti Suzuki India’s foray into electric
vehicles accentuates its efforts to build and foster dynamic capabilities in view of the changing
automotive industry landscape and consumer preferences (Ray & Miglani, 2018). Adopting
continuous innovation improvement, particularly by focusing more on Maruti Suzuki India’s
switch to electric vehicles, holds enormous potential as a strategy set to address the evolving
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customer preferences as well as the dynamic competitive A-segment automotive industry in
India.
Behavioral Theories
Studies also accentuate the pivotal role of consumer behavior theories in conceptualizing
changing consumer preferences, particularly in the A-segment of India’s automotive industry.
According to Borthhunar (2023), in the Indian context, there has been a paradigm shift in
consumer preferences marked by a shift from fuel efficiency and affordability to sustainability,
connectivity, and safety. Sonar et al. (2023) further resonates that Indian consumers growing
demand for electric vehicles is fueled customers’ environmental consciousness, underpinning the
essence of automotive manufacturers to align their product offering to these subsequent
consumer preferences. The company’s ability to align its product offerings to these evolving
customer preferences holds enormous potential as a strategy to maintain and boost its market
leadership in the A-segment automotive market in India.
Social theories
In addition, studies also accentuate the centrality of social theories, particularly corporate
social responsibility theory, in understanding Maruti Suzuki India’s business problem. Carroll
(1979) introduces the corporate social responsibility theory, articulating a company’s
responsibility to focus on its operations’ broader societal implications. Becker-Ritterspach
(2009) notes Maruti Suzuki’s resolve to promote road safety as well as environmental
sustainability, and these aspirations, to no small extent, align not only with CSR principles but
also resonate with regulators and consumers and hold enormous potential in maintaining and
boosting the company’s market leadership in the A-segment automotive industry in India. That
said, Carroll (1978) satisfies that sustainable manufacturing practices, community engagement,
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and safety standards should be at the art of every firm’s CSR principles. Subsequently, adoption
and compliance with these CSR principles hold enormous potential in enhancing Maruti Suzuki
India’s market leadership in the A-segment automotive market in India.
Business Related Theories
Porter (1980) introduces the competitive strategy theory as part of Porter’s Five Forces,
which are critical in analyzing an industry’s competitive landscapes. The competitive strategy
theory explores Maruti Suzuki India’s business problem from the competitors’ perspective to
establish and maintain a competitive advantage over the company through exercising cost
leadership, strategic partnerships, and product differentiation. In this regard, the competitive
strategy theory necessitates that Maruti Suzuki India leverages its cost-efficient manufacturing
practices, as well as its economies of scale, to ensure product offerings with competitive prices to
ensure maintaining and strengthening its market leadership in the A segment Indian automotive
market.
Bias and Limitations in the Literature Review
Although the theories mentioned above offer valuable insight into understanding Maruti
Suzuki India’s business problem, it is prudent to acknowledge their potential biases and
limitations. Fundamentally, the existing literature is subject to bias as the research elucidates
vested interests. Most of the literature is industry-funded research, pointing to a high tendency to
downplay the underlying challenges causing Maruti Suzuki India’s business problem.
In terms of limitations, regional focus is a crucial limitation facing the study as some
studies are limited to some geographical regions in India. As such, they do not capture the entire
market dynamics spectrum. In addition, time sensitivity elucidates as a critical limitation given
the automotive industry’s highly dynamic nature, making research findings susceptible to fast
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outdating, particularly with the increased focus on electric vehicle studies. Lastly, data
availability also accentuates as another crucial study limitation owing to the access restrictions to
proprietary company data, thus hindering a comprehensive analysis of the most current
developments.
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References
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of
management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Becker-Ritterspach, F.A.A. (2009). The Case of Maruti—Suzuki India. In: Hybridization of MNE
Subsidiaries. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230233492_5
Borthakur, P. (2023, July 3). Evolution of Car Purchasing Behaviour and the Reasons Behind it
among Indian Consumers: A Comprehensive Analysis from 2010 to Present. Preprints.
https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202307.0069.v1
Carroll, A. B. (1979). A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance. Academy
of management review, 4(4), 497-505. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1979.4498296
Ray, S., & Miglani, S. (2018). Upgrading in the Indian automobile sector: The role of lead
firms. Available at SSRN 3204258. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3204258
Sonar, H., Belal, H. M., Foropon, C., Manatkar, R., & Sonwaney, V. (2023). Examining the
causal factors of the electric vehicle adoption: A pathway to tackle climate change in
resource-constrained environment. Annals of Operations Research, 1-27.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05519-8
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic
management. Strategic management journal, 18(7), 509-533.
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7%3C509::AIDSMJ882%3E3.0.CO;2-Z
RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
Research has three traditional methodologies (we include action research and design science)
–Qualitative
–Quantitative
= Recommended Consideration
–Mixed Methods
–Action Research
–Design Science
Each methodology has several design options
Qualitative Designs
Mixed Methods Designs
–Phenomenology
–Triangulation
–Case Study
–Explanatory
–Ethnography
–Exploratory
–Exploratory
–Grounded Theory
Quantitative Designs
Action Research / Design Science
–Correlational
–Variation of Traditional
–Experimental
–Quasi Experimental
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
Professional use tools to perform their work in an effective and efficient manner
Tools vary depending upon the discipline (e.g., a plumber’s tools are similar yet different
from a surgeon’s tools)
A research tool is a mechanism or strategy to collect, manipulate, or interpret data (Leedy &
Ormrod, 2013)
A research methodology is a general approach a researcher takes to conduct a research
project (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013)
▪
The approach determines the kind of tools that are needed
A research design is the plan to conduct the research project (Creswell, 2013)
▪
Identifies the specific tools and actions to be performed
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