Debbie Jenkins
Kaplan University
GM 599 Applied Research Project
Dr. Dan Dayton, PhD.
October 8, 2013
Introduction
Ashley Rug Company has been facing falling sales and revenues due to the economic down turn and a glut in the real estate sector. The organizational problem is to understand how this can be reversed. The problem and issues has to be redressed if Ashley’s is to sustain itself in the market. The investigation of how marketers of Ashley’s Rug Company will have to resort to bring in better perception and value add to the consumer will be researched both primary and secondary research. The primary research method to be used for collecting the data will be a combination of the questionnaires as well as in-depth interviews. Also, self-administered questionnaires would primarily contain the mix of close ended as well as open ended questions. In-depth interview to be conducted will consist of only open ended questions. For conducting secondary research the material from public domains would be collected and researched upon. This includes the work of previous authors on the same topic.
Statement of the Problem
Though the problem faced by Ashley Rug Company is the fall in sales and thereby revenues there are coincidental factors that have led to this problem. There has been a paradigm shift in home décor. Customer’s perceptions about rugs and carpets have changed and customers see no value added in home furnishings. Ashley’s Rug Company will have to make that impact and penetrate the market in a way that will really change the customer’s perception about home décor. The company is shrinking in terms of market share and is losing capability in terms of acquiring more customers. It is also having an adverse impact on the profitability of the company and poses a high threat of Ashley Rug Company losing to its competitors. The company needs to analyze this shift in demand of its customers and needs to research on the method in which it can retain old…