Progress in Marketing Research

Regardless of who carries out the work involved in a market research project, it is important that a clear brief is produced against which the subsequent work will be undertaken and judged. The research brief, which should be produced in both written and verbal form, is a key document and the starting-point. In its preparation it is important that the following questions are to the fore: What do we want to know? What will we do with the information when we get it? In this way clearly defined objectives can be set and adhered to.

A market research project was conducted to determine whether: a substantial market exists for PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) to sell, operate, and/or maintain backup generators for a profit, and the estimated outage costs predicted in a previous value-of-service mail survey (VOSS) were indicative of the investment customers would make to avoid outages. The results showed that, when a more detailed investigation was performed on-site with customers who had indicated perceived outage costs exceeding the costs of owning and maintaining a back-up generator (approximately $30/kW-yr), outage costs estimates were substantially lower and dropped to $0 in 40% of the cases. It is concluded that customers had difficulty quantifying effects of hypothetical outages, and most customers expect no future outages, even though outages occurred regularly in the past. >

La comunicación es una disciplina relativamente joven en el mundo académico, al menos en comparación con otras, si bien goza de una presencia notable en la universidad, tanto en España como en el resto del mundo. Por este motivo, resulta pertinente examinar cómo es la investigación en este campo. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar indicadores relevantes de producción científica en las universidades españolas con estudios reglados de titulaciones de grado y postgrado en comunicación. El enfoque adoptado es analizar las aportaciones realizadas por mujeres en este campo. Para ello, se han analizado dos indicadores: la presentación de Tesis Doctorales y el liderazgo en Proyectos I+D financiados por convocatorias estatales. El marco temporal para el análisis es el período 2007-2013. En ese periodos hemos estudiado un total de 977 tesis doctorales, de las que 492 fueron presentadas por mujeres, y obtuvieron financiación en convocatorias estatales de I+D 143 proyectos, de los que 43 tuvieron una mujer como investigadora principal. Para ello se ha usado la información recogida en la base de datos del Proyecto de investigación ‘Mapcom’ (www.mapcom.es). Se ha empleado como metodología la estadística descriptiva, a fin de presentar cuáles son los rasgos relativos a los objetos, perspectivas y métodos de investigación dominantes en los dos elementos considerados. Este trabajo, de índole exploratorio, constituye una primera aproximación al estado de la investigación en comunicación realizada y/o liderada por mujeres en universidades españolas. Los resultados concluyen ciertas similitudes y también diferencias en cuanto a las tendencias que presenta la producción de las mujeres respecto a la investigación general en comunicación.

Purpose : This study presented a systematic review of academic research conducted on the Indian mutual fund industry (IMFI). Our objective of this review was to present the academic researchers’ perspectives on the fastest-growing preferred investment avenue of the Indian financial system. Design/Methodology/Approach : The study adopted a systematic review approach and selected two verticals of academic research; the first one in the form of doctoral dissertations, and the other is the research articles published in academic journals. Doctoral dissertations between 2000 – 2022 were extracted from Shodhganga (the digital repository of the University Grants Commission), and research articles were extracted from the Scopus database. Findings : A comprehensive review conclusion was drawn from this study, which concluded that the IMFI is growing exponentially in T30 and B30 cities (T30 and B30 cities are geographical segmentations made by SEBI and AMFI based on AUM, T30 means top 30 Indian cities contributing maximum AUM and B30 are beyond T30 cities). We reviewed 374 doctoral dissertations for this study; 83 dissertations were submitted during the first decade of the 20th century. State-level universities have produced a higher number of dissertations than central and deemed universities. Based on the dissertations’ titles, we classified dissertations into four categories of themes. The first theme is the marketing mechanism used by mutual funds to promote their mutual fund schemes, where we found the minimum number of theses; the comparative study is the second theme; here, we found that the comparison was made at various levels. The third and most interesting theme is investors’ perspectives on mutual fund investments. The maximum number of doctoral dissertations was carried out on the theme of performance evaluation. In the second vertical, we extracted 69 research articles published in 13 journals, and finally, 10 articles with a minimum of five citations were reviewed. We found no correlation between the research papers published in the Scopus database to the completed dissertations. Practical Implications : The probable stakeholders of this study are future academic researchers in the same field. For them, this study is a systematic framework that can provide a basis for future research gap analysis. Academic institutions are another stakeholder ; the important stakeholder is IMFI, where institutional policymakers can formulate strategies for their future mutual fund schemes.

Among all Internet of Things (IoT) devices, a subset of them are related to users. Leveraging these user-related IoT elements, it is possible to ensure the identity of the user for a period of time, thus avoiding impersonation. This need is known as Continuous Authentication (CA). Since 2009, a plethora of IoT-based CA academic research and industrial contributions have been proposed. We offer a comprehensive overview of 58 research papers regarding the main components of such a CA system. The status of the industry is studied as well, covering 32 market contributions, research projects, and related standards. Lessons learned, challenges, and open issues to foster further research in this area are finally presented.

My doctoral thesis contributes to the understanding of gait, mobility, and falls in older people. All presented projects investigated the most prominent and sensitive markers for fall-related gait changes, that is gait velocity and gait variability. Based on the measurement of these spatio-temporal gait parameters, particularly when using a change-sensitive dual task paradigm, it is possible to make conclusions regarding walking, balance, activities of daily living, and falls in older people. The research summarized in my doctoral thesis will help in the detection of early fall risk and modulation of therapeutic interventions to improve gait and consequently reduce fall risk in older people. To identify modifiable fall risk factors, such as gait disorders, the GAITRite electronic walkway system was used for objective spatio-temporal gait analysis. The simplicity and feasibility of the administration of single and dual task gait analysis make it a desirable clinical and research measurement tool. Gait analysis with walking as a single task condition alone is often insufficient to reveal underlying gait disorders present during everyday activities. However, measuring gait with a dual task paradigm can detect subtle gait deficits. Dual-tasking, walking while simultaneously performing an additional task, was used to assess the effects of divided attention on motor performance and gait control. The presented publications in this doctoral thesis investigated the association between gait parameters and several hypothesized fall-related modalities: (a) Our first review article highlighted the association between gait disorders and falls, and how related motor and cognitive impairments can be detected by measuring gait while dual-tasking. (b) A second review looked at how the dual task paradigm can be used for gait assessment in older people and how spatio-temporal gait parameters are associated with increased fall risk. (c) Our systematic literature review provided evidence about effective fall prevention interventions (exercise, home modifications, footwear, and walking aids) to reduce the risk of falls in vulnerable older people. (d) To evaluate which exercise modalities are effective in modifying risk factors for falls, we conducted an eight-week salsa intervention trial and measured the effect of dancing on static and dynamic balance, and leg muscle power in older people. (e) Besides exercise, inadequate nutritional intake is another modifiable risk factor for falls in older people, and therefore our most recent cross-sectional study examined how serum 25-hydroxvitamin D levels are associated with functional mobility in older people assessed in a memory clinic. (c) Walking aids are commonly prescribed for older people with a high risk of falls which is why we examined the influence of walking aids on spatio-temporal gait parameters in older people who used a cane, a crutch or a walker. (g) Finally, besides predominantly investigating fall risk factors for motor abilities, our prolonged and ongoing randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled intervention trial explores the potential influence of ginkgo biloba on the cognitive domain relevant for dual-tasking in older people with mild cognitive impairment.

Dataset supports the Doctoral Thesis 'Peer Support and Homelessness' by Stephanie Barker and was funded by the Vice Chancellor’s scholarship.This dataset can be requested by researchers with proof of ethical approval via http://library.soton.ac.uk/datarequest

Este texto propõe uma imersão descritiva nos modos teórico-metodológicos utilizados no desenvolvimento de pesquisas realizadas em contextos educacionais brasileiros. As três pesquisas apresentadas dialogam com a investigação qualitativa via a adoção e inspiração dos princípios da Pesquisa Narrativa (Auto)Biográfica. Essa opção teórico-metodológica admite a emersão das subjetividades dos sujeitos que constroem as pesquisas, sejam eles autores ou participantes, e defende a não dissociação entre sujeito e pesquisa, pessoal e profissional, nos processos de formação, além de auxiliar na compreensão da complexidade dos fenômenos pesquisados. Nesse sentido, apresentamos três pesquisas realizadas pelas autoras deste texto em instituições educacionais brasileiras que encontram nas suas metodologias especificidades e leituras que ampliam o olhar para o modo de construir pesquisas e produzir conhecimento. A tese de doutorado segue o olhar da heterociência como propõe Mikail Bakhtin; uma dissertação apresenta a mônada, seguindo a proposição de Walter Benjamin, como modo de organização e leitura das narrativas, e a última dissertação faz uso do entrelaçamento das narrativas de experiências de docentes e discentes construídos via entrevistas narrativas.

This research aims to find out the current situation of the articles in terms of teacher training in gifted and talented education. The key words used are as follows: “gifted education”, “teacher training”, “teacher education” and limited to publications between 2000-2020. In the research, google scholar, TUBITAK ULAKBIM Dergipark, Council of Higher Education Thesis Center, ERIC were used as data base of this research. The researches which are inaccessible were left out of the scope. Each of the studies was examined according to aim, sample, methodology, and results using content analysis technique. This research is a meta-synthesis study. Four master and five doctorate dissertations, 21 articles, 30 in total, were included in the analysis. An extensive literature review was the focus of this research in order to access all the researches including the defined key words. At the end of the research, some suggestions were presented related to the conclusions.

Brian Turnbull Robson, 1939–2020

The experimental method is more exact compared to other quantitative methods, although it can have drawbacks, related to the positivist epistemological position. Determining exactly the educational effects of existing, innovative and new pedagogical concepts, programmes, systems, models, methods and instruments commands the use of experiments in pedagogical research. If completed pedagogical research projects are analysed, the conclusion is experiments are used much less frequently than other methods. This study determines the prevalence of parallel-group designs as compared to how frequently other experimental designs are used. A representative sample of scientific and professional papers was analysed and it was ascertained that the conducted experiments partly satisfy relevant theoretical and methodological criteria. It is evident that result reliability when using the experimental method is still relatively low, which may have negative effects on the development of pedagogical sciences and related scientific disciplines, as well as on scientifically grounded innovation of the teaching and learning process and enhancement of the educational process. Hence, it is crucial to use multi-method research approaches (employing the experimental method as appropriate, depending on the research problem) in preparing (and approving) doctoral dissertations, writing reviews and publishing research papers. Article visualizations:

Platform-based ecosystems are omnipresent in today’s world. This doctoral thesis focuses on cloud computing, which is an emerging platform-based ecosystem that companies adopt in their IT strategy quickly. Actors in cloud computing often create value by adding functionality to services already existing in the ecosystem. This development is likely to transform cloud computing toward complex, globally distributed networks, consisting of many different actors and connections. In the doctoral thesis I define those structures as cloud networks. For general platform-based ecosystems, Tiwana et al. (2010) and de Reuver et al. (2018) each set up a research agenda for platform-based ecosystems. I contribute to four proposed research items: (1) Tiwana et al. (2010) demand research on how platform architecture influences the dynamics in ecosystems and modules. (2) de Reuver et al. (2018) emphasize research on the question regarding how actors strategize, i.e., think strategically, about a situation or business in platform environments, as interconnected thinking is particularly important for decision makers. (3) de Reuver et al. (2018) demand research on how platform providers can jointly shape platforms with other stakeholders of the platform. (4) Tiwana et al. (2010) emphasize research on how the fit between platform architecture and platform governance influences the dynamics of ecosystems and modules. The doctoral thesis consists of five papers that directly contribute to these research items. By providing a taxonomy of actors, a taxonomy of risks, as well as a reference model that enables the instantiation interactions between actors in cloud networks, it provides a tool that enables the illustration of dynamics in cloud networks. Next, it illustrates strategies for companies in platform-based ecosystems and provides guidance for ITgovernance with respect to the specific characteristics of cloud networks. Also, it analyzes how customers can utilize cloud spot prices to monetarize their temporal flexibility. To illustrate the shaping of platforms, the dissertation describes preliminary design principles for a power flexibility platform that many companies develop jointly in a publicly funded research project. By analyzing the utilization of cloud spot prices and by describing preliminary design principles for the power flexibility platform, the thesis further guides actors on how to utilize digital options in platform environments, and it provides decision support for specific scenarios which could transfer knowledge to the general context of platform-based ecosystems. Finally, the doctoral thesis analyzes how platform governance influences the dynamics in platform-based ecosystems and provides guidance for IT-governance with respect to the specific characteristics of cloud networks.%%%%Plattformbasierte Okosysteme sind in der heutigen Welt allgegenwartig. Diese Dissertation konzentriert sich auf Cloud Computing, ein aufstrebendes, plattformbasiertes Okosystem, das Unternehmen schnell in ihren IT-Strategien…

Cobb's Paradox (Bourne, 2011) asks: 'We know why projects fail; we know how to prevent their failure-so why do they still fail?' This study immerses itself into a major Australian IT project in order to unearth the drivers of project failure. Several new and novel findings have emerged. Using Multi-Grounded Theory this research has developed models and rich descriptions of new phenomena. The phenomena identified in this research, are drawn from social psychology and economic theory and highlight the issues of project execution as a social undertaking. This paper addresses one of those findings, namely the lack of domain expertise by senior management and vendor representatives. This paper examines the consequences of 'actors-working-in-organisations' (Manning, 2008, p. 678) and in particular looking at individual interactions, decisions and consequences (Goffman, 1959) through the lens of the Kruger-Dunning Effect (1999).

Culling from a recent annotated bibliography project of medieval and Renaissance studies in Taiwan, this author sets out to investigate the status and issues faced by Medieval European studies in Taiwan between 1980 and 2000. Apart from books and chapters in anthologies, learned articles incorporated in this project are primarily those gleaned from scholarly periodicals, proceedings of conferences, academic journals, master's theses, doctoral dissertations, monographs and critical introductions of books. Essays in the literary page of newspapers, translation articles (except those with scholarly values) and unpublished research reports are not considered for this purpose. Two large domains are included in this survey: historical studies and literary studies. The low production of scholarly medieval studies basically reflects the number of medievalists in Taiwan. In general, the vista of medieval studies depends on personal interests and the resources researchers can gain access to. Aside from various topics and issues that engage the attention of medievalists in the field, large scale and collaborative studies are conspicuously absent. Occasionally, there are studies that go beyond the boundary of language restriction, e.g. the study of Anglo-Norman writers. Translations of primary texts are picking up in this survey period though focusing mainly on a handful of major authors. In terms of interpretive strategies, medieval studies in the Taiwan scene are conventional and very much patterned after their western colleagues yet less vigorously developed. All in all, medieval researchers in Taiwan are limited in number, resources, institutional support and are confined to developing their areas of concentration. Yet, the present situation is already largely improved from that of the previous decade of this survey period though medieval studies is still a fledging field.

In 2002, a colleague and I hired a researcher for a project funded by the Government of Canada. We had 25 years of combined experience with various non-profit agencies that had successfully completed comparable studies, and we approached the hiring process with confidence and zeal. After finding a researcher with a vested academic interest in our study and a resume listing several similar projects, we drew a Contract of Employment and Statement of Work that clearly outlined the tasks to be performed and the means of payment for completing these tasks. All went well for several months. Our researcher kept us very well informed, and we had lots of tangible evidence that the work was proceeding as planned. Then she asked for permission to make some significant changes to the research design, and when we refused, everything fell apart. We suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a contractual dispute that we could not resolve, and our research project went horribly awry. The following suggestions for hiring a researcher on contract are based on the unfortunate chain of events that transpired. This article is based on my own understandings of the process as I experienced it; it does not purport to represent the perspectives of any of the other parties who were involved. 1. Do not hire a Ph.D. candidate with the understanding that your research will become part of his/her degree program. Ph.D. candidates have their own research agenda, and this agenda will prevail when their researching needs conflict with yours. In our case, the researcher indicated a need to supplement the data collection in order to beef up her doctoral dissertation. We refused permission to add this extra dimension to the research process on the following grounds: a. It was not specified in the original proposal as approved by our federal funding agency. b. Our research timeline and salary funds could not accommodate the extra work that would be required. c. The extra participants whom the researcher wished to invite did not meet the selection criteria listed in our funding proposal. The researcher's reaction to our refusal was climactic. Within a few hours, she notified the first set of research participants that she would be adding more participants to the study. Then, when we reminded her that we had not given her permission for this initiative and we asked her to set a meeting to discuss the project, she simply refused to have any further communication with us except through registered mail, including a letter in which she indicated that she was consulting with a lawyer. 2. Check references and ask for references from recent contractual employers. A clear research agenda itemized on a resume is not enough. It does not tell you the employers' degrees of satisfaction with the researcher's work. It is embarrassing to tell a professional colleague about your new research project and researcher, only to have that person reply, Oh, dear! How's it going? Had we checked with those who had previously hired our own researcher, we would have discovered that these individuals found her difficult to work with interpersonally and were dissatisfied with her final reports, which they described as brief summaries rather than the detailed reports for which they had contracted. We too, found this researcher's interim reports scanty, and when she asked for--and received--a detailed description of what we expected in a final report, she simply replied in writing that she was incapable of the task. 3. Draw a clear employment contract with the aid of a lawyer, and do not deviate from this contract in any way. Include the lawyer's consultation fee in your original funding proposal. …