Problem Statement and Research Question

Problem Statement and Research Question

Problem Statement

RFID technology has become an important as well as an integral part of our society and our present life. On this note, it is important that a supermarket store or all supermarket stores integrate this technology into their daily schedule. This is an important step to take to help with the efficient functioning of the supermarket stores. RFID technology has been introduced into the market for various purposes. One of the functions of it is to help with the keeping of physical inventories to help with easier tracking of these within the premises. This technology also helps with the internal control of the assets that have already been expensed from the business for the sake of reconciling figures on the financial statements. RFID tags have assisted with the tracking of inventory and other goods, therefore, helping with the prevention of theft of goods. Lack of this technology in a business, such as a supermarket store that is need of technology that can help with tracking can prove difficult in running the business (Piramuthu, 2016).

The problem comes in where some supermarket stores lack this technology in running their businesses, which then makes it difficult when some items go missing or when the financial statements require reconciling. The biggest challenge that exists for businesses that cannot acquire this technology is the cost of the integration of the technology into some of these businesses. Some of these businesses are start-ups or are small businesses that may not be able to afford the kind of money that is required in the purchase of the technology so that it can be integrated into the business. Taking this into consideration, it is important to note that there is a gap that exists in the earnings of different people in society. These earnings reflect how incapable some of the business owners in society are which then shows their inability to afford RFID technology. The inability to afford this technology will, therefore, lead to some of the business people noticing losses from their inventories and in the reconciliation of figures and not do much about it but go back to their pockets to help fill this gap.

In light of the problem faced by some business people, it is, therefore, safe to say that the expense that goes into the purchase of RFID technology is the hindrance. If all the supermarket stores were to have RFID technology integrated into their systems, then tracking of their inventories and realizing their goals would be much easier. This would enable them to serve customers better. However, their inaccessibility to financial credit or even what they have remaining to operate their businesses cannot cater for the cost of the RFID technology, at least not with the gap that exists when it comes to financial capability. What can, therefore, be done is ensuring that there is financial credit available to this group of people. Other than the financial credit, the government can subsidize the price of RFID technology so that it is affordable to them who may not find this technology affordable (Krafft & Mantrala, 2010).

This will have brought us to the point of uplifting our economy such that people do not experience massive losses like before for lack of the financial ability to meet their need for RFID technology. This will have placed the store owners on the same platform such that they are able to account for the movement of their inventory and therefore, can trace their monies. It is an eye-opener and an easier way of operating their stores so that they do not end up disappointing themselves or their customers in the process. In a man-eat-man economy, it is only fair to allow a level playing field for all especially if the government is there to serve its people without biases and to see a thriving economy at the end of the day. This will solve much for both the government and the society at large given the fact that the assistance injected into the supermarket stores’ owners will be reflected in the growth of the economy at the end of the day.

Research questions

· How can supermarket store owners across the board integrate RFID technology into their systems?

· What is the best way of ensuring that people in remote areas get to know about RFID technology and its importance?

For both problem statements and research question to be effective in conducting a research, it is important for the researcher to get a good understanding of the topic in research. This is the most significant part of any research question as well as of the problem statement. The reason behind why the research on this topic is being done is also of great significance. This is because the person gets to understand the gap that exists right there and then. However, it is also important to consider the ideal situation of the topic in question. This is to say that if the issue is ensuring that every supermarket store has RFID technology, then the ideal scenario would be where all the supermarket stores have RFID technology integrated into their systems to help with efficiency and effectiveness of running the stores. In reality, however, this is not the case since not all supermarket store owners are able to afford the expensive RFID technology even if it is an expensive consideration. Such stores will go for the next best thing which is cheaper and thus be working for them, at least for the moment. The cheaper option would be to have people from the workforce check when the inventory arrives at the store, the pace at which it is moving and track any gaps that may be left during transactions. These people are also required to know how and when things go missing. However, this is not a very efficient method of tracking inventory since human beings are known to be faulty and might even be the reasons behind the loss, knowingly or unknowingly (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013).

When coming up with the problem statement, therefore, it is important to ensure that the gap in the topic being covered carries the problem statement. The problem statement is the problem within the topic waiting to find a solution. Here, the solution to why some of the supermarket store owners are unable to integrate RFID technology into their systems will be the focus towards the end of the research, but the problem statement is the guiding element. With the problem statement as the guiding element, it is also important to note that the main research question stems from the problem statement to help with the gaining of an insight into the root of the problem. This will make the researcher more inquisitive for knowledge. Other than this, to arrive at the research question, one ought to research the topic in question which may have been done by other authors so that repetition can be avoided. This will give a fresh outlook to the research being and, therefore, give the paper a different direction. A better understanding of the paper is also assured (Rocco & Hatcher, 2011). For both of the problem statement and research question, it is important to understand their relevance with regard to the topic in question. If they help with further research, apart from that already done, then they are relevant to a great extent. It is also important to target questions and a problem statement that will eventually find solutions to through research as opposed to focusing on such that do not have resources at all. Other than being of importance to the researcher, the research that will have been done at the end will benefit the reader and a bigger audience so that solutions recommended in the paper can be applied in real life and be used to improve the lives of many. Research papers go further than just the academic realm.

References

Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013). Constructing research questions: Doing interesting research. London: SAGE.

Krafft, M., & Mantrala, M. K. (2010). Retailing in the 21st century: Current and future trends. Heidelberg: Springer.

Kumar, R. (2011). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners.

Piramuthu, S. (2016). Rfid and sensor network automation in the food industry: Ensuring quality and safety through supply chain visibility. Wiley-Blackwell.

Rocco, T. S., & Hatcher, T. (2011). The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Sweeney, P. J. (2013). Rfid for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons