Sample Research Proposal on China Foods

Statement of the Problem             China Foods Holdings Ltd has blossomed in Hong Kong and moved on to internationalize its trends to some other countries / continents because of excellent supply chain management. Hence, the causes of this success must be investigated and lessons must be learned and derived from this study. Purpose of the Study This study will be conducted in order to determine the success factors of China Foods Holdings Ltd in maintaining its excellent supply chain management, and provide meaningful lessons such as learning its effective marketing strategies.             This study will also aim to increase the awareness and provide a better understanding of the issues and problems concerning most multinational manufacturing companies and organizations in order to contribute an effective approach in addressing their problems. Significance of the Study If the success factors of China Foods Holdings Ltd in maintaining its excellent supply chain management will be determined, this study will be a benefit to other manufacturing companies experiencing problems gaining ground in their respective supply chain management. Also, if effectiveness is supported, this study will be significant in developing underachieving manufacturing companies and organizations as productive and effective entities in the future. Research Questions Specifically this study will address the following questions: 1.      What significant success factors of China Foods Holdings Ltd in maintaining its excellent supply chain management were determined? 2.      What specific alternatives or measures can be done to help improve the performance of the supply chains of underachieving manufacturing companies and organizations? Assumptions The research will be based on the following assumptions: (a) all participants will be utilizing the correct procedures as outlined in the guidelines for the specific methodology employed, and (b) all participants will answer questions honestly to the best of their ability. Limitations Time will be the greatest limitation to this research, which could hinder long-term outcome objectives. Environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, will not be controlled, and this could create many variables within the research. As this study will utilize a small sample of respondents, the results may not effectively represent the general population.   METHODOLOGY               This study will be conducted in order to determine the success factors of most multinational manufacturing companies and organizations in maintaining their excellent supply chain management. In this study, the interview method of data gathering will be utilized, with a combined total of 50 employees in both Palm, Inc. and Heineken as participants. Methods of Research to be Used               For this study, the descriptive method will be utilized. In this method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. Thus, this study will use the descriptive approach. This descriptive type of research utilizes observations in the study.  To illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) guided the researcher. The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. To come up with pertinent findings and provide credible recommendations, this study will utilize two sources of research: primary and secondary.  Primary research data will be obtained through this new research study. Questionnaire survey and in-depth interview will be conducted. On the other hand, the secondary research data will be obtained from previous studies on the same topic.  Data Collection   Data shall be collected from multiple sources, allowing for a number of different perspectives to be taken into consideration in the development of the recommendations.             The data sources that will be examined include: ·        A review of the appropriate research literature. This includes examining studies where supply chain management had been used either in a research or organizational setting. Both technical articles and "how-to" articles were included in the review; An examination of the regulations and practices related to supply chain management in manufacturing companies. Focus groups and interviews with the senior and junior employees. During the focus groups, participants will be asked about their perceptions on the supply chain management of their respective companies. Instruments to be used A self-administered questionnaire, or the type of questionnaire that is usually completed by respondents (Saunders et al, 2003), had been constructed by the researcher to gather the needed data. To further enhance the study on the customer satisfaction, the researcher prepared a survey-questionnaire wherein the respondents graded each statement. Every statement constituted of four levels of responses namely very satisfied, quite satisfied, quite dissatisfied and very dissatisfied. The equivalent weights for the answers were:             Range                                                Interpretation                          3.50 – 4.00                                       Very Satisfied             2.50 – 3.49                                        Quite Satisfied             1.50 – 2.49                                        Quite Dissatisfied                               0.00 – 1.49                                        Very Dissatisfied             The decision was made to use a questionnaire for the data collection for this project due to the sensitivity of the information being obtained.  It is important for the respondents to be open and honest in their responses. The use of the questionnaire provides the researcher with the ability to test the views and attitudes of the patients.             The survey-questionnaires also will use open-ended questions to obtain as much information as possible about how the interviewee feels about the research topic.  Interviews will take between one and two hours. The questions that will be used during the interview will be based on the research questions for this project; they have been reviewed, refined and approved by the project supervisor. The researcher designed a semi-structured interview. Here, the researcher will encourage the interviewee to clarify vague statements and to further elaborate on brief comments. The interviewer did not share his/her own beliefs and opinions.     DATA SOURCES Primary Information Researcher-conducted survey among the staff Interviews of China Foods Holdings Ltd individuals concerned with the Supply Chain of the company Survey of supply management through the annual reports made by the company Secondary Information Books on supply chain management Publications on supply chain management Market information from the Internet  ASPECTS OF THE MBA SYLLABUS USED Core courses in Operations Management and Strategy will be employed in the completion of this project. PROPOSED CHAPTER HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS 1.      Introduction 1.1.  Background of the Topic 1.2.  Company Information 1.3.  Rationale of the Study 1.4.  Objectives of the Study 1.5.  Hypothesis 1.6.  Significance and Limitations of the Study 2.      Review of Related Literature 2.1.  Relevance of the Supply Chain to an Organization 2.2.  Supply Chain Management Models 2.3.  The Manufacturing Industry: Modes of IT-Related Manufacturing 2.4.  Supply Chain Management in the Manufacturing Industry 2.5.  Synthesis 3.      Methodology 3.1.  Research Methods to be Used 3.2.  Respondents of the Study 3.3.  Validity of the Data 3.4.  Administration of the Research Instrument 4.      Presentation and Analysis of Data 4.1.  Supply Chain Management in China Foods Holdings Ltd 4.2.  Effects on the Cost Acquired by China Foods Holdings Ltd 4.2.1.     Effects in the Efficiency of Operations 4.2.2.     Dependability of the Management Technique 4.3.  Effects of Supply Chain Management in the Overall Operations 4.4.  Analysis of the Supply Chain Management of  China Foods Holdings Ltd 5.      Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1.  Conclusions 5.2.  Recommendations