Research Methodologies for Vending Machine offering Unique protein supply for Gym members in New Zea

Discussion

Introduction
The selection of the research methodology and research strategy is one of the important steps and key factors in a research project. It is significant in this research project which is “Vending Machine offering Unique protein supply for Gym members in New Zealand  ” because it enables the researchers to know the limitations, identify its uses and helps accurately gather the data needed. It will help the researchers are to investigate the factors that affect the acceptability of Protein Vending Machine in New Zealand, to identify the market segment that will be more profitable to serve and to analyse the effective marketing strategies to promote its product. In addition, research methodologies can affect the conclusion that will provide the research and influence the phenomenon. It will be appropriate and guided by the research questions, research objectives, time and resources availability of the researchers (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009). Furthermore, the selected research methodologies that will outline in this report, will be able to collect data that is enough and will contribute in achieving the overall goals of the research (Austin & Sutton, 2014). Finally, research methodologies in this research are established and linked for addressing the research questions give successful results in this research. It is also connected not only in the research validity but also the means by which it can be replicated what is done in the research.

Discussion
Research Strategies
The research strategy is defined as a step by step process of an action plan that allows conducting research in order and on time to create successful results and detailed outline. It enables the researchers to focus, improve quality and save resources and time. Moreover, it describes the theory of the research and the activities to achieve the overall research goals (Dinnen, 2014).  

Below are research strategies commonly used in conducting different research systematically.

Survey
It is the most popular and useful strategy in research that allows answering exploratory and descriptive questions. It can be used in quantitative research methods (through numerical-rated questionnaires), qualitative research (through open-ended questions) or both (through mixed methods) strategies. Moreover, the main objective of the survey research is to acquire data and to describe the characteristics of the large sample of people in a short period (Check & Schutt, 2012). 

The survey method is suitable in collecting demographic data and describing the structure of the samples. Surveys can also generate data on behaviours which are otherwise hard to measure and use in observational methods. Nevertheless, surveys only provide estimates for the actual population, not accurate measurements. Surveys are usually inappropriate when the historical context needs to be understood and biases may happen because of the lack of responses from the respondents or the inaccuracy of the received responses (Ponto, 2015).

Research Strategies

Survey research can use various methods for gathering data, with questionnaires and interviews being the most popular. For questionnaires, it may be in printed form and mailed to respondents, delivered through email or an Internet-based application such as Survey Monkey and Google Forms (Dillman, Smyth, & Christian, 2014). Consequently, interviews can be conducted through the internet, phone or face-to-face. The advantage of face-to-face interviews is that it can describe the non-verbal feedback of the interviewee and allow both parties to easily explain and clarify any unclear communication. However, interviews can be expensive and time consuming making it impractical for large samples. (Singleton & Straits, 2009).

Case Study
It is a type of investigation in qualitative methodology where a phenomenon can be explained, characterised and explored. Authors play the most vital role in the case studies inquiry process. It enables the complexity of the research problem to be studied and described (Creswell, 2018). It is also much more complex than a usual research article and mostly includes different data streams combined in creative contexts. The complexity and power of interpretation of the case study allow readers to know the case and if the result may be relevant beyond that setting. Generally, it is reinterpreted and evolves continuously (Yin, 2018). 

Evidence sources for case studies usually involve interviews, documentation, records of archives, direct observations, observations of participants and physical objects. Interview is one of the most important data sources due to its human element in qualitative case study research. If the researchers only observe the participants, that is direct observation, which is a powerful and effective way of gathering information because the researcher is unnoticeable and may observe the response that is uninfluenced (Yin, 2018). Furthermore, observation of the respondent includes being part of the culture, while physical artefacts involves electronic devices, instruments, artworks, pictures, video clips, etc. (Emerald Publishing, 2016). 

Narrative Inquiry
It is a qualitative methodology which is about collecting, analysing and a systematic way of representing stories of individuals through actual experiences. By focusing on narrative, it allows not only the structure of the stories to be analysed and how they work, but also who creates them, their meaning, the techniques to be used and how they are accepted or argued (Narrative Research, 2014). Moreover, it follows a related, responsive process from starting with telling a story to field texts to interim and final research contents. It is also viewed as real-world measures that are suitable in real-life problems that are analysed and investigated. However, it has drawbacks such as it is difficult to quantitatively assess in an objective manner because it is subjective and personal (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). 

Survey

 Ethnography
It is a qualitative method for analysing and engaging real-life environment of the respondents of a research. It helps to understand deeply the research problem that includes the appropriate field, audiences, methods and objectives. The advantage is it provides a detailed and accurate presentation of the behaviour and approach of the respondents. Ethnography is also useful in identifying and understanding the appropriate emotions and attitudes of the user. In contrast, the disadvantage of this method is that it is time consuming. For instance, during a short study, participants may not act naturally while longer studies overcome this because the subjects develop to trust the researcher (Weston, 2011).

Research Questions and Selected Research Methods
Research question and research methods are very important part of the research project. Both are linked to each other since the research question has an impact on the research methods to be used that will give answers to the research questions as well as to validate or misrepresent the observation (Yin, 2018).

Research Questions and Methods Outline 
Below are the research questions in this research project “Protein Vending Machine offering Unique protein supply for Gym members in New Zealand ” and how they are linked with selected research strategies and research methodologies.

Research Question
1. What percentage of the Gym members is willing to use the service in purchasing protein products through vending machine?
2. What are the factors that influence Gym members in buying bulk or smaller quantity of protein supplement?
3 What are the effective marketing strategies in promoting the protein supplement products?

Conclusion
To conclude, research methodologies and strategies are vital in answering the research questions. Thus, it should be appropriate and examine well to gain accurate data for the research project success. The selected methodologies should systematically and carefully analyse and link with research questions in our research project, “Unique protein supply for Gym members in New Zealand” which are expected to provide precise information that will help to achieve the overall research goals. The most appropriate methodology which is the survey is anticipated to acquire reliable data that will help the researchers to achieve the overall success of the research. Consequently, mixed methods as the research strategy should balance the weakness and strength of both qualitative and quantitative approach in order to have a trustworthy and rich data that will help to introduce the new trend of vending machine in New Zealand and promote a healthier lifestyle for the consumers.