According to the case study, Kinshasa Abroad – Africa Cuisine and Culture, Mr. Kabasella is an experienced restaurant owner in Zaire for 14 years. After moving to Columbus, Ohio Mr. Kabasella opened an Indian restaurant in downtown Columbus. This restaurant was identical to the restaurant that was prosperous for years in Zaira, however customer turnout and revenue have been far short of what had been projected (Churchill & Brown, 2010, p. 515). Mr. Kabasella has requested the help of a research consultant to help his business prosper (Churchill et al, 2010, p. 515).

The research marketing process states that identifying and defining the problem is the first and most important step (Churchill, et al., 2010). Before you can identify the problem Mr. Kabasella and I must determine the purpose for the study, gain all background information, identify what information is needed, and how it will be used in decision-making. Without taking all these steps into consideration when planning the research the project could fail and be a waste of time and money. Information such as, which market are you trying to target, what research have you done yourself, and what problems have you been able to identify and how did you determine what those problems are? As wells as what changes are you willing to make? Changes with the menu, customer service, management, hiring and training staff, marketing, and/or capital ("7 Surprisingly Common Problems That Restaurants Face", 2014).

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing information gathered from observation, experience, reasoning, or communication. The process of market research follows critical-thinking in each step of the process. Once the problem has been identified the next step will be to develop an approach to the problem.

Since there’s a lot of information available and many studies have already been performed pertaining to restaurants and the problems they face, a descriptive research would be best. “In these research designs, data collection is not flexible, but rigidly specified, both with respect to the data collection forms and the sample design. The descriptive design focuses on describing a population, often emphasizing the frequency with which something occurs or the extent to which two variables are related to one another,” (Churchill, et al., 2010, Chapter 3, p38). If information is not readily available then I will need to collect primary data, which are data collected specifically for the study. This information can be collected by observation or a questionnaire and can be obtained either in person, telephone, mail or email (Churchill, et al., 2010, Chapter 3, p39).

Once the design and data have been collected, then analyzing and interpreting the data will follow. At which time, the research report can be documented and submitted to Mr. Kabasella for review (Churchill, et al., 2010, Chapter 3). A well-written report will determine if the information is useful by Mr. Kabasella. As stated by Churchill (2010), if the report fails to be clear and concise the data and the efforts taken to obtain the data will be viewed as useless information. In addition, an oral presentation should be given along with the written report to be most successful.