Category Archives: Management Issues

Why is research important in business?

Research is a strategy that seeks to make basic discoveries and uncover new principles or factors so far not unknown or unrecognised. It is the systematic search for new knowledge.

A business research program is an increasingly popular way for companies to train and educate their managers and other employees in a vast array of different fields. Business research can pertain to economics, business strategy, and ethics, in fact, anything related to modern business and trade.

Research is an important element in business management in many different ways as follows;

1. Testing of new products: Business research tests the potential success of new products. Companies must know what types of products and services customers want before they market them. Market research will minimize risk – Market research can help shape a new product or service, identifying what is needed and ensure that the development of a product is highly focused on demand.
2. Ensuring adequate distribution: Companies may also use business research to ensure the adequate distribution of their products. For example, a consumer products’ company may want to talk to retailers about all the different brands they sell. The results of the business research will help marketing managers determine where they need to increase their product distribution.
3. Measuring advertising effectiveness: Companies use business research to determine the success of their advertising. For example, a milk manufacturer may want to know what percentage of the population saw its most recent television commercial. The milk company may find that more people become aware of its advertising the longer the television ad runs. The milk company may need to run its television advertisements at different times if few people have seen the commercials.
4. Studying the competition: Companies often use business research to study key competitors in their markets. Companies will often start with secondary research information or information that is already available. For example, a software company may want to know the percentage of customers in the market who purchase its products versus competitors’ products. The researchers can then study the purchasing trends in the industry, striving to increase their company’s share of the market. Companies will often need to increase their market share in an industry to increase sales and profits.

Other benefits include:

Research is an essential part of any business that wants to offer products or services that are focused and well targeted. Business decisions that are based on good intelligence and good market research can minimize risk and pay dividends by making market research part and parcel of the business process.

Research creates benchmarks and helps you measure your progress – Unless you measure, you may not be able to gauge how well your business is performing. Early research may highlight glaring holes in your service or shortfalls in your product, regular market research will show if improvements are being made and, if positive, will help motivate a team.

Research will help you better communicate – Your current customers’ experiences are a valuable information source, not only will they allow you to gauge how well you currently meet their expectations they can also tell you where you are getting things right and more importantly where you are getting things wrong.

Doing research in business management is vital as it helps a business plan for the future, based on what may have happened in the past. If carried out successfully it can help a company make informed plans on how to become more viable in its sector. Some business experts agree that looking to the future of business is very much about looking at the past. The two are interlinked and by carrying out research you are more likely to see a positive outcome in your chosen objective. In business, making ill-informed decisions may be very precarious as there may be too much money at risk or a company’s reputation may be put at stake.

Research is important in any business for it to stay competitive in the market. The foremost function of research is to provide a business with an outlet to accurately identify its customers. Through the surveys, a company can analyze the likes and dislikes of its target consumers. In addition to this, these studies can also give a business the opportunity to scrutinize its rivals in the industry and analyze and emulate key strategies that might likewise help in its operations.

Research provides a business with a chance to update itself on the latest market trends; such knowledge will prove helpful in the formulating of useful concepts and tactics for success in the market. All things considered, it is through research that a business is able to make educated and informed decisions.

Research helps the business to improve the productivity, lower the cost and save time and retain the expertise of their core competencies and this through research discovery of new technology and development which leads to the development of innovative management system for future growth.

Research helps the business to continually revise their design and range the product due to continuous technological changes and changing preference of customers.

It also helps in the recruitment of employees. It’s through research that human resource managers are able to identify and recruit skilled manpower. Proper recruitment of employees with the right skills and attitudes helps the firm to increase its productivity levels. Research for the right employees can be got via the internet, consultancy firms and institutions of higher learning.

Research helps the firm to get the right supplier at the right price and at the right time. A proper supplier selection enables the firm to get or acquire high-quality raw materials which result in the production of high-quality products that are consumed by the end user. Also reliable and efficient suppliers help a firm to perform effectively as supplies will be got in time.

In conclusion, every organization needs to conduct research, and small budgets are no excuse for lack of a research plan. By starting out with some easily accessible resources, you can begin to develop better marketing strategies that can position you for market growth.

Email info@edusearchuk.com to consult Edusearch Global Network Limited for expertise in business research services with the most appropriate methodology possible. Edusearch Global Network Limited is a growing business and management research firm based in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Nigeria, building capacity and informing best practices in the business research field globally.