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Chennai Bakers’ Sales Concerns: Measuring and Scaling Dilemmas

CASELET, MARKETING RESEARCH
ET Cases, 4 pages
AUTHOR(S) : R. Muthukumar and Dr. Nagendra V. Chowdary

Case Preview

Chennai Bakers’ Sales Concerns: Measuring and Scaling Dilemmas

 

Arun Prasad (Arun) was a BBM (Bachelor of Business Management) graduate, from a premier college in Chennai. He completed his BBM with distinction. Although he  secured an impressive placement offer, he aspired to establish a business.

Arun hailed from Chennai and his family had been managing a successful tannery business over the last 7 decades. During his III year BBM, as a part of his project on Business Model Innovation he approached several food joints’ owners – hotels, bakeries, takeaways, cool drinks shops, etc. – and several students/customers to do a gap analysis. He found that there was not a single bakery within the vicinity of Nungambakkam area that offered quality bakery products with experiential store environs. Based on his primary research, he prepared and submitted a business plan and made an eloquent presentation. While the project gained him good grade, his Professor Francis Xavier (Prof. Xavier) suggested that he should convert this project into a venture, as it had the potential.............................

Assignment Questions

I. What do you understand by measurement and scaling? What are the basic characteristics of a scale?

II. What are the primary scales of measurement? How do you select a scale of measurement? What are your views on the questions developed by Arun? Discuss the applicability of each one of them in Chennai Bakers’ Marketing Research project.

III. ............

Exhibits

Exhibit I: Product Portfolio of Chennai Bakers

Exhibit II: Questionnaire for Chennai Bakers

Teaching Note Preview

Chennai Bakers’ Sales Concerns: Measuring and Scaling Dilemmas

 

Synopsis

This caselet intends to introduce the students/participants to the concept of measurement and scaling. Arun Prasad, the Founder and CEO, Chennai Bakers, a startup bakery store, wants to identify and correct the cause of declining sales of cakes. Prof. Xavier decided to develop a questionnaire with effective scaling.

Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding

The students/participants should be encouraged to read the following as it would not only broaden the context of learning but would also provide appropriate perspectives on Marketing Research:

  • • Naresh K. Malhotra and Satyabhushan Dash, “Measurement and Scaling: Fundamentals and Comparative Scaling”, Marketing Research An Applied Orientation, 6th Edition, Pearson Education, 2010 – To understand the concept of measurement and scaling and different types of comparative scaling

 

Case Positioning and Setting

This caselet can be used in:

MBA Program/MDPs/EDPs – Marketing Research Course – To introduce the participants/students to the concept of measurement and scaling and its importance in marketing research

Assignment Questions

  • I. What do you understand by measurement and scaling? What are the basic characteristics of a scale? Why are they important for marketing research in general, and for getting the relevant information in a desired format (Questionnaire, for instance), in particular?
  • II. What are the primary scales of measurement?
  • III. .....................

 

Preamble to this Case Analysis

This caselet was used to introduce the participants/students to the idea of measurement and scaling. The characteristics and classification of scaling were discussed and analyzed in the light of Chennai Baker’s marketing research project. Accordingly, this caselet was orchestrated in the following way [Exhibit (TN)-I] ........................

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Product code: MR-2-0009, MR-2-0009A

Abstract


The caselet intends to introduce the participants/students to the concept and importance of measurement and scaling in carrying out a marketing research project. In February 2015, Arun Prasad (Arun), a BBM (Bachelor of Business Management) graduate with distinction started an experiential and customer-centric bakery, Chennai Bakers, in Nungambakkam, Chennai. Based on his award-winning business plan and with encouragement from his Professor, friends and family, Arun had established Chennai Bakers' dealing in cakes, pastries, sandwiches, cookies, fruit juices and hot beverages like coffee and tea. For the first few months, the sales were very promising. However, the last two months' (July and August 2015) suddenly sales were plummeting at Chennai Bakers. A good friend, Raghu Ram, advised him to prepare a questionnaire to collect customer feedback. Arun prepared a questionnaire containing just six questions. After having collected the feedback from select customers, Arun was not sure how to process the data to arrive at appropriate conclusions. When Arun met Professor Francis Xavier (Prof. Xavier) and shared his dilemma, he stated categorically that the measurements and scales were not apt and the feedback exercise must be implemented all over again with appropriate measurements and scales. However, Arun required Prof. Xavier’s help in this regard, to achieve apposite conclusions.



Pedagogical Objectives

  • To understand the concept and importance of measurement and scaling in marketing research
  • To understand the primary scales of measurement and assess Chennai Bakers’ initial questions and suggest any required changes
  • To understand the concept and types of comparative scales and examine the applicability of the same for Chennai Bakers’ marketing research project

Case Positioning and Setting

This caselet can be used in:

  • MBA Program/MDPs/EDPs – Marketing Research Course – To introduce the participants/students to the concept of measurement and scaling and its importance in marketing research




This Case Pack Includes:
 - Abstract
- Caselet
- Teaching Note (**ONLY for Academicians)


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