Variables and Operational Definitions
In order to carry out research, researchers must define variables in terms of the actual procedures that will be used to measure or manipulate them. Operational definitions provide details regarding the procedures needed to measure a variable and if written precisely, can increase the measurement’s reliability and validity. Using your topic for the final paper, describe the dependent and independent variables of your proposed study, define their levels of measurement (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio), and provide operational definitions of each. Describe the rationale behind the definitions created, and how the adequacy of operational definitions can affect validity and reliability. Post should be at least 300 words.
Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: STEP ONE1 RESEARCH PROPOSAL: STEP ONE 6 RESEARCH PROPOSAL: STEP ONE Marcus McCall The University of Arizona Global Campus RES 7400 Research Design & Methods Quantitative Instructor: Latoya Wesley 03/13/2021 Table of Contents 1. Rationale/Problem Statement3 2. Research Questions5 3. Hypothesis:5 4. References6 1. Rationale/Problem Statement Walmart, Target, and Costco are three familiar as well as well-known names of wholesale businesses. Similar to a business, these three companies have many differences at various levels. Walmart Inc. is an American Wholesale Retail corporation operating with hypermarkets, departmental stores, and grocery stores. Established in 1962, it has spread its presence in multiple cities. According to Ofori-Nyarko, Wang, and Annoh (2017), as an acquiring organization, Walmart has shown very successful numbers, including occupying the number one spot of the wholesale retail chain in the United States of America. The company is currently focusing on expanding in the global markets through strategic alliances and mergers. One of Walmart's significant advantages is the operation size of the organization, which is enormous, due to which Walmart gets the benefit of high economies of scale. Along with this, Walmart has been recently investing substantially in technological advancements and taking the more affordable, less expensive option resulting in saving costs at various levels. As informed by Capell (2019), Target Retail Corporation was founded in 1902 in the name of Dayton Dry Goods and got its logo and name 'Target' in 1962. It began expanding rapidly from the 1980s, and it has marked its presence in various nations. The retail chain is known for offering products to its consumers at discount prices, from everyday essentials to high-end luxury products. The shopping experience with Target Corporation is rated to be very convenient. This may be due to Target's active actions, infrequent offers on discounts and customer loyalties, and up-gradation of technological advancements along with a very efficient and robust supply chain. Recently, Target Retail Corporation has strengthened its digital presence and related channels for smoother services, further luring its customers for an easy purchase experience. Walmart and Target have further emphasized their virtual presence and the strong perusal of online services in recent times, aiming for a better service experience by the customers and attempting to repeat purchases by the same customer. Karibzhanova and Safronov (2018) supported the technological innovation implementation in purchasing, and building on convenient online shopping can be one of their major strengths and give a competitive edge. On the other hand, Costco Wholesale Corporation, which was founded in 1976, has a different strength altogether on its side. One of Costco Whole Corporation's unique features is to sell its products in a chain of membership-only retail stores. The model of membership has a specific benefit. By paying the membership fee, Costco's customer keeps coming back to the store than switching buying from any other store. This makes a solid and loyal customer base for the organization. Rahman (2020) mentioned this strong advantage had played a significant role in favor of the organization, showing an upward trend of growth and outperforming other retail chains. The idea was initially thought challenging as it involved customers paying for a membership from a retail chain for the benefits. Keeping aside all the doubts, the idea took off very well and played in the company's better interest. Apart from having the lead on the customer base, the corporation has an added benefit of up-front cash collection, a massive plus-point considering the financial aspects. There are various factors, which are affecting the business all over the world. As indicated by Karle (2019), some of the significant factors that significantly impact all kinds of businesses are the constant up-gradation of innovative and changing technologies, rapid globalization, and increasing competition. The digitization of the market has brought almost all companies to be present and market their product online, giving them viable options to browse through competitions easily at their fingertips. Similar are the challenges of Costco, Walmart, and Target organizations. This paper would have a comparative study on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of these organizations. It is essential to have a detailed SWOT analysis to understand the competitive advantages or disadvantages these companies hold against each other. To understand further, the challenges that they face are common or specific to their requirements. 2. Research Questions The research is aimed to find the SWOT Analysis of big retail, wholesale corporations of Walmart, Target, and Costco. The questions formed for this research are comparative. · What are the positive points of Costco over Walmart and Target? · What are the weaknesses that Costco may have that Walmart and Target do not have? · Where can be the opportunities of Costco found? · What threats are the retail chains are at risk of? 3. Hypothesis: Costco is better than Walmart and Target Retail Corporations in the SWOT Analysis. 4. References: Capell, A. (2019). Strategic Audit: Target Corporation Karibzhanova, E. L., & Safronov, A. E. (2018). Eco-Economic Encouragement Role in Maintenance of Business Entity Efficient Resources Use. Advanced Engineering Research, 11(2), 281-287 Karle, D. (2019). Expanding Urban Cultural Production. In ARCC Conference Repository Ofori-Nyarko, N. S., Wang, F., & Annoh, W. O. (2017) SWOT ANALYSIS: WAL-MART STORES INC Rahman, M. H. (2020). Financial Analysis of Costco Wholesale Corporation: Exploring the Strengths and Weaknesses. The Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, 41(1), 17-34