According to the Guide to Business Data Analytics, a research question is a clear, concise, and specific question that guides the analytics work1. The research question should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound2. The question ‘How can shipping costs be lowered in the northeast to remain competitive?’ is not SMART, as it lacks some important details, such as:

What is the current shipping cost and the target cost reduction?

What are the criteria for measuring competitiveness?

What is the time frame for achieving the cost reduction and competitiveness?

What are the factors that influence the shipping cost and competitiveness?

What are the assumptions and constraints of the analysis? Therefore, the question needs to be further defined before mathematical modeling can begin, as the modeling requires clear and precise inputs and outputs. The other options are not correct, as they imply that the question is either too vague or too narrow, which is not the case.

References:1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 312: Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View, IIBA, 2019, p. 11.