QSO 500 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric Overview: For Milestone Three, you will analyze the data provided for your problem using descriptive and inferential statistics. The data sets can be found in the given case study for your final project, Maruti Suzuki India: Defending Market Leadership in the A-Segment, within the Exhibit section. You will explain the meaning of the results of your data analysis in practical terms and consider the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly. Please keep in mind that the following data sets are quantitative: Exhibit 2, Exhibit 3, Exhibit 4, Exhibit 6, Exhibit 7, Exhibit 10 and Exhibit 11. Using all of your research and your data analysis, you will develop the concluding section of your research report: conclusions and recommendations for action. Prompt: After you have collected your data, analyze it using descriptive and inferential statistics. Based on your research and analysis, develop recommendations to address the research problem. Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: Data Analysis: A. Accurately analyze the data using the appropriate descriptive statistics. B. Construct appropriate tables or graphs to accurately display the results of the data analysis. Include explanations of the meaning of the information presented. C. Accurately analyze the data using the appropriate inferential statistics. Be sure to include the output. D. Explain the meaning of the results of your data analysis in practical terms (e.g., what were the results? What results were expected? What results were unexpected? What results were unsettling?). E. Discuss the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly. What safeguards did you put in place to ensure the integrity of the study? Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: A. Summarize your research findings succinctly for stakeholders. B. Explain how the research problem can be addressed by incorporating the results from your literature review and data analysis. In other words, what do you now know about your research problem that you did not know or understand before? C. Based on the conclusion, make recommendations to address the research problem that are actionable, feasible, and realistic. D. Recommend appropriate strategies for handling any potential questions and concerns of stakeholders. E. Based on your study, make appropriate recommendations for additional research that would improve the organization’s effectiveness. Rubric Guidelines for Submission: 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. Critical Elements Data Analysis: Descriptive Statistics Proficient (100%) Accurately analyzes the data using appropriate descriptive statistics Data Analysis: Tables or Graphs Constructs appropriate tables or graphs that accurately display the noteworthy variables with explanations of the meaning of the information presented Data Analysis: Inferential Statistics Accurately analyzes the data using appropriate inferential statistics, including the output Data Analysis: Meaning of the Results Explains the meaning of the results of the data analysis in practical terms Data Analysis: Ethics of Analyzing Data Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: Research Findings Discusses the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly as well as safeguards put in place to ensure the integrity of the study Summarizes research findings succinctly for stakeholders Needs Improvement (75%) Analyzes the data using appropriate descriptive statistics, but analysis is cursory or contains inaccuracies Constructs appropriate tables or graphs to display the results of the data analysis, but some tables or graphs are unclear or contain inaccuracies or lack explanation of the meaning of the information presented Analyzes the data using appropriate inferential statistics, but analysis is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or does not include the output Explains the meaning of the results of the data analysis, but explanation is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or is not in practical terms Discusses the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly, but discussion is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or does not include safeguards put in place to ensure the integrity of the study Summarizes research findings for stakeholders, but summary is too comprehensive or lacks clarity Not Evident (0%) Does not analyze the data using appropriate descriptive statistics Value 10 Does not construct appropriate tables or graphs to display the results of the data analysis 10 Does not analyze the data using appropriate inferential statistics 10 Does not explain the meaning of the results of the data analysis 10 Does not discuss the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly 10 Does not summarize research findings for stakeholders 9 Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: Research Problem Explains how the research problem can be addressed by incorporating results from the literature review and data analysis Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: Recommendations Makes recommendations to address the research problem that are actionable, feasible, and realistic based on the conclusion Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: Questions and Concerns of Stakeholders Conclusions and Recommendations for Action: Additional Research Recommends appropriate strategies for handling any potential questions and concerns of stakeholders Articulation of Response Makes appropriate recommendations for additional research that would improve the organization’s effectiveness Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Explains how the research problem can be addressed by incorporating results from the literature review and data analysis, but explanation is cursory or illogical Makes recommendations to address the research problem, but they are not all actionable, feasible, and/or realistic or based on the conclusion Recommends strategies for handling any potential questions and concerns of stakeholders, but not all recommendations are appropriate Makes recommendations for additional research that would improve the organization’s effectiveness, but not all recommendations are appropriate Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not explain how the research problem can be addressed 9 Does not make recommendations to address the research problem 9 Does not recommend strategies for handling any potential questions and concerns of stakeholders 9 Does not make recommendations for additional research that would improve the organization’s effectiveness 9 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 5 Total 100% Running head: MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD CASE STUDY Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Case Study Southern New Hampshire University QSO-500 Business Research Simona Elskoe Professor Amaria January 8, 2022 1 MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD CASE STUDY 2 Research Problem Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) was essentially known as Maruti Udyog Limited. It is an Indian subsidiary of a Japanese Suzuki company based in New Delhi. The company was established in 1981, and it was originally owned by the Indian government before it was acquired by the Suzuki motor corporation in 2003. MSIL operates autonomously from the Japanese mother company in Japan and has a market share of 49 percent in the A-segment, which includes hatch, sedan, SUV, and van. Despite MSIL having a substantial market share in the Indian market, Maruti faces big challenges, including stiff competition from rival companies, changes in the regulations, economic pressures, changes in the consumers' tastes and preferences, and technology changes. Due to a combination of the factors mentioned above, MSIL divided its hatch models into three categories, including entry-level, medium size, and premium hatch. For MSIL to retain its market share, the company needs to expand in the new markets, remain at par with consumer changing needs and preferences, and invest in the market technology. MSIL has managed to retain its market share in the Indian market since it targets middleclass customers by producing entry-level car models that appear cheaper compared to other brands across the country. However, the company has been making a small profit margin. From the case study, the A-segment profit margin varies from 3.5 to 5 percent, while the net margin is between 2 to 3 percent across the industry. Due to the lower margins, a dealership has proved problematic as the dealers share a portion of the manufacturers' profit. Instead of concentrating on producing entry hatch models, the company needs to focus more on producing quality car models that address the changing consumer preferences and needs and prioritize aggressive marketing. The company needs to establish new and more classic car models that as will eventually generate more profit margin. MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD CASE STUDY 3 Another challenge interfering with MSIL's competitiveness is the poor marketing of its car models. The company relies on the word of mouth marketing where customers recommend MSIL products on behalf of the companies. While this is a strong promotional strategy, other companies are utilizing aggressive marketing strategy thus causing inroads to MSIL's market share. In return, MSIL needs to invest in an effective marketing strategy to create brand awareness and retain its customers. For instance, the company may utilize modern technology marketing strategies to inform the customers of its existence and remind them to purchase its models. In this case, the company needs to follow the five stags process of marketing strategy. The first step involves marketing research and analysis. The second step involves segmentation, targeting & positioning decision. The third step is a marketing plan. The fourth step involves designing a design mix using 4Ps. The other step involves sustaining value through postpurchase. More importantly, the company needs to analyze the changing needs and preferences for consumers and manufacture car models that align with their expectations. Similarly, MSIL has relied on the Indian market, especially the largest cities market in the country. By concentrating on the Indian market, the company lacks global competition capabilities. The company needs to establish its market in other major urban areas, including the rural regions. By targeting other cities and towns across the country, MSIL will expand its market. It will enable the company to attract new customers in the new markets, thus expanding brand recognition. It allows the company to establish a large and diverse base, thus insulating MSIL against over-relying on a single client. Research question MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD CASE STUDY 4 Does manufacturing advanced car models, investing in marketing, and expanding in new markets influences MSIL sales and profit margin? Running head: ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH Role Of Qualitative Data in Business Research Simona Elskoe Southern New Hampshire University QSO-500 Business Research Dr. Amaria January 20, 2022 1 ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 2 This research aims to ascertain whether Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) should design and manufacture its segment car models as it described in the previous case, and whether to continue operating in the Indian market segment if at all it wants to remain a leader in automobile seller in the Indian market in the future. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is an Indian subsidiary of a Japanese Suzuki company based in New Delhi. The company was essentially named Maruti Udyog Limited, but it changed its current name after a Japanese Suzuki company acquired it. The company has been competing favorably in the Indian territory compared to other local and international brands like Honda, TATA, Hyundai, and Toyota. It holds a strong record for designing and manufacturing quality car models, both petrol and dieselpowered vehicles, that meet the local market tastes and preferences. The industry data shows that the MSIL sales rose 4.7 million units between 2017/2018 and 2.4 million units in the A-segment in the same period. Although MSIL maintains the largest market share in the Indian automobile industry, it has been generating a small percentage of its profits since it manufactures lowerquality models. In most of its models, it manufactures Maruti Suzuki company targets lower to middle-income people since it has been selling these models at a cheaper cost than other car models in the industry. For the company to compete favorably, it needs to manufacture advanced car models, invest in marketing, and expand in new markets. In this case, the table selected for the purpose of this research is Exhibit 18, which describes the company’s product development choices. The table provides more details about the classifications of the car models that MSIL company intends to manufacture and market it serves to expand its market share and grow its profits thus answering the research question. The first segment that the company intends to manufacture is the entry hatch. Based on the company, this car model with have 10 percent more fuel-efficient than its other car models and will have ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 3 value for money. The model will sell at approximately ₹250,000 and serve in the 50 biggest cities in India. The product faces stiff competition from other car models like Nissan Datsun and Tata Dolphin. The model has a higher chance of dominating the market but has a strong limitation of lower profits. Although MSIL maintains the largest market share in the Indian automobile industry, it has been generating a small amount or percent of its profits since it manufactures cheaper and lower-quality models. In most of its models, it manufactures Maruti Suzuki company targets lower to middle-income people since where it has been selling these models at a cheaper cost compared to other car models in the industry. The second segment that MSIL intends to address is a mid hatch which has an additional 10 percent compared to its current, comparable models, and it’s convenient. The company will sell these models at 375,000 in 100 cities in India. It targets customer upgrading their first cars. It offers the design of car models that are spacious, fuel-efficient, and cheaper. Both entry-level and middle-sized car models have lower technology which makes them not desirable to most of the customers. The company boosts market shares by designing and manufacturing high-quality car models that are relatively expensive compared to its current vehicles. This will not only improve its profit margin but will also send a sense of quality and durability to its customers compared to other brands available in the Indian market. Similarly, it needs to address the changing consumer needs and preferences while designing its car models. It needs to rely on its marketing team to collect the customer’s views about its current car models and various modifications it would wish MSIL to undertake. Therefore, MSIL should not focus on manufacturing entry-level hatch cars. It should merge both the entry-level cars sized and middle-sized car models and produce and generate a higher profit margin. ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 4 Running head: ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH Role Of Qualitative Data in Business Research Simona Elskoe Southern New Hampshire University QSO-500 Business Research Dr. Amaria January 20, 2022 1 ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 2 This research aims to ascertain whether Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) should design and manufacture its segment car models as it described in the previous case, and whether to continue operating in the Indian market segment if at all it wants to remain a leader in automobile seller in the Indian market in the future. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is an Indian subsidiary of a Japanese Suzuki company based in New Delhi. The company was essentially named Maruti Udyog Limited, but it changed its current name after a Japanese Suzuki company acquired it. The company has been competing favorably in the Indian territory compared to other local and international brands like Honda, TATA, Hyundai, and Toyota. It holds a strong record for designing and manufacturing quality car models, both petrol and dieselpowered vehicles, that meet the local market tastes and preferences. The industry data shows that the MSIL sales rose 4.7 million units between 2017/2018 and 2.4 million units in the A-segment in the same period. Although MSIL maintains the largest market share in the Indian automobile industry, it has been generating a small percentage of its profits since it manufactures lowerquality models. In most of its models, it manufactures Maruti Suzuki company targets lower to middle-income people since it has been selling these models at a cheaper cost than other car models in the industry. For the company to compete favorably, it needs to manufacture advanced car models, invest in marketing, and expand in new markets. In this case, the table selected for the purpose of this research is Exhibit 18, which describes the company’s product development choices. The table provides more details about the classifications of the car models that MSIL company intends to manufacture and market it serves to expand its market share and grow its profits thus answering the research question. The first segment that the company intends to manufacture is the entry hatch. Based on the company, this car model with have 10 percent more fuel-efficient than its other car models and will have ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 3 value for money. The model will sell at approximately ₹250,000 and serve in the 50 biggest cities in India. The product faces stiff competition from other car models like Nissan Datsun and Tata Dolphin. The model has a higher chance of dominating the market but has a strong limitation of lower profits. Although MSIL maintains the largest market share in the Indian automobile industry, it has been generating a small amount or percent of its profits since it manufactures cheaper and lower-quality models. In most of its models, it manufactures Maruti Suzuki company targets lower to middle-income people since where it has been selling these models at a cheaper cost compared to other car models in the industry. The second segment that MSIL intends to address is a mid hatch which has an additional 10 percent compared to its current, comparable models, and it’s convenient. The company will sell these models at 375,000 in 100 cities in India. It targets customer upgrading their first cars. It offers the design of car models that are spacious, fuel-efficient, and cheaper. Both entry-level and middle-sized car models have lower technology which makes them not desirable to most of the customers. The company boosts market shares by designing and manufacturing high-quality car models that are relatively expensive compared to its current vehicles. This will not only improve its profit margin but will also send a sense of quality and durability to its customers compared to other brands available in the Indian market. Similarly, it needs to address the changing consumer needs and preferences while designing its car models. It needs to rely on its marketing team to collect the customer’s views about its current car models and various modifications it would wish MSIL to undertake. Therefore, MSIL should not focus on manufacturing entry-level hatch cars. It should merge both the entry-level cars sized and middle-sized car models and produce and generate a higher profit margin. ROLE OF QUALITATIVE DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH 4 Running Head: MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT Milestone One Final Project Simona Elskoe Southern New Hampshire University QSO-500 Business Research Professor Amaria January 10, 2022 1 2 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT Milestone one final project Introduction In a business, customer satisfaction is one of the indicators of overall success. Technology advancement has played an essential role in connecting the customers and the business and encouraging effectiveness in most production practices within the business. The increase in innovation rate and technology application has improved the customers' options (Vakulenko et al., 2019). As a result, the customers tend not to settle for less and only go for quality products and services that meet their needs. The challenge in modern-day businesses is to produce products that meet all the customers' needs and to reduce the cost of offering some of the products. Retaining these customers in a business increases the profitability of the respective business. On the other hand, the failure of the business to encourage customer retention puts it in a challenging position to meet all objectives. Furthermore, the failure of some initiatives to reduce the cost of offering some products and services puts most companies in a challenging position to relate well with the customers. Business problem A decrease in customer retention is a significant problem faced in the company. The minimal attention taken by the managerial team to address the current situation has put the company in a challenging position to examine the proper practices that may facilitate overall improvement and goal attainment (Ross, 2018). As this company seeks to explore a larger area of operation and serve a large customer base, the efforts to meet all its goals have declined. This has put the business in a challenging position to meet most objectives. When planning for the future and what should be done within the company to meet all the objectives, it is worth noting 3 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT the failure to consider some of the tools to include in any area of attention puts the business in a reasonably difficult position to understand some of the practices to be considered. This problem exists because the management focuses on expanding and increasing the sales volume, thus failing to address most of the customers' challenges. Stakeholders in the business problem Several stakeholders are affected by this problem. As an extensive company, it is worth noting that many investors have put their efforts and resources to assist in the accomplishment of the financial objectives that define the company (Abraham, 2021). Customers, competitors and suppliers are the main stakeholders that define the company and its overall functionality. The employees in the company and the owners are other categories of stakeholders who are directly influenced by the expansion of the company and the potential losses that may affect how some operations are run. Objective This research aims to explore the factors that lead to low customer retention and the factors worth considering to elevate the company's position and reduce the complexity in operating. The other objective of this research is to create a better way to educate the organization members on what they need to follow to improve overall efficiency. This objective will benefit the stakeholders by teaching them the best measures they need to include in their operations to improve the various forms of organizational operation. Research question 4 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT Since this is a somewhat sensitive topic, having a reliable research question may increase decision-making efficiency. Therefore, the main research question to explore is: What impact does low customer retention have on the business in goal attainment? Ethical issues Technology and social media application are the central ethics that influence how the company operates and attains most of the objectives are the potential ethical issues associated with the study. The completion of this study will be based on social media applications that will require the researcher to communicate with other participants and rely on social media for all objectives (Hangerdoff, 2020). the unregulated use of social media may harm the general community. The other ethical issue associated with this is disclosing sensitive information given regarding the company. The gathered information needs to be handled effectively to avoid any possible complications associated with the operations. Theories The company has remained stagnant and did not report any innovation made. This affected their financial performance since most operations were based on outdated tools. The company re-evaluated policies, incidents, significant operational methods, and how they affected growth. Further, the assessment of the leadership theory that governs how the operations are run. Leadership theory examines how some operations can be run and how decision making can influence overall operations. Therefore, considering how some resources may lead to growth based on the objectives may influence customer connection. Addressing the possible bias in the research allows the researcher to overcome unexpected challenges. The possibility of bias may arise due to the minimal efforts taken to identify the best approach to be used. The limitations 5 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT that may harm the study include insufficient data to support the research. This problem may arise when creating the right tools for solving the current issues that face unpredicted challenges. According to Higgins et al. (2019), minimal attention to potential barriers may make it hard to create reliable ways to make the right decisions. Other companies with a similar problem Although this company seems to be going through a relatively sensitive issue, it is worth noting that other companies have also experienced similar problems. Uber and Boeing are the leading companies that have lost customers' trust. These companies have engaged in previous operations, have been the binding force of the loss of trust. According to Sthapit & Björk (2019), the operations and decisions made by the management of Uber in its operations had a significant impact on the loss that the company incurred. Due to changes in perspectives, the customers started viewing Uber as a company that has no intention to address their needs but meet their financial objectives. A similar perspective is given by Khafie et al. (2019), who states that the inefficiencies of Boeing and high crash risks were responsible for the loss of customer trust. Due to this, the company suffered significant financial loss. Conclusion In conclusion, having a solid customer base is one of the factors that determine the objective that the company may accomplish. It is the role of the managerial team and other stakeholders to create a proper way that may encourage production and positive communication with the customers. Showing the customers that their needs are always considered is essential to encourage them to continue supporting the company. Also, focusing on facilitating collaboration 6 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT and communication approaches may encourage them to support the company and its provisions fully. 7 MILESTONE ONE-FINAL PROJECT References Abraham, K. J. (2021). Midcentury Modern: The Emergence of Stakeholders in Democratic Practice. American Political Science Review, 1-14. Hagendorff, T. (2020). The ethics of AI ethics: An evaluation of guidelines. Minds and Machines, 30(1), 99-120. Higgins, J. P., Savović, J., Page, M. J., Elbers, R. G., & Sterne, J. A. (2019). Assessing risk of bias in a randomized trial. Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions, 205-228. Kahfie, I., Ramadan, M. C., Rafi, S., & Perawati, D. (2019). The Crash Of Boeing 737 Max 8 And Its Effect On Customer Trust: Case On Lion Air Passenger. Advances in Transportation and Logistics Research, 2, 764-769. Ross, N. (2018). Customer retention in freemium applications. Journal of marketing analytics, 6(4), 127-137. Sthapit, E., & Björk, P. (2019). Sources of value co-destruction: Uber customer perspectives. Tourism Review. Vakulenko, Y., Shams, P., Hellström, D., & Hjort, K. (2019). Service innovation in e-commerce last-mile delivery: Mapping the e-customer journey. Journal of Business Research, 101, 461-468. 
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