Essentials of Marketing - Research Proposal Example

Section Market research proposal Introduction Cheung Bei Computer Industrial Company Limited (abbreviated as CB) is a Chinese based company thatspecialises in the production of computers and computer related products. CB has also been producing a particular notebook computer known as DIL. In order to ensure that its clients are satisfied with the product, it is imperative for this company to find out what their clients are looking for in the ideal notebook computer. (Tiu & Crimp, 2000) Information from this research will be important in determining the success of the new product. This is largely because the company is likely to include this information in launching their product into the market. Most DIL consumers emanate from the professional segment; consequently, prices of this commodity were a bit on the high side. The latter issue has attracted the attention of this company to consumers representing the personal segment or ordinary consumer segment. It is expected that this group may be concerned about the issue of price and the latter proposal will ascertain whether this is a true fact or not. The client has set a period of eight weeks for the completion of the project. Consequently, all the tasks in the research will be distributed evenly within this period. Allocations will be done depending on the weight of the task and how many parties will need to be involved in the process. 2.0 Research objectives The following research objectives have been identified and agreed with Cheung Bei 2.1) To identify the right target audience for the notebook computer 2.2) To identify the internal and external features that consumers look or in the notebook computer 2.3) To explore the market psychology of notebook consumers prior to purchasing the commodity - market features such as price will be considered 2.4) To determine what features make CB's competitors do well 3.0 Information coverage Information for this research will be collected according to the following hierarchy of needs: (Hague & Jackson, 1998) 3.1) Focus group information The focus group will be essential in determining the factors that consumers consider when making decisions about the purchase of notebook computers. Besides this, they will also reveal information about sources of information that they rely on before choosing to buy a notebook computer. 3.2) Notebook computer information This part will dwell on how the notebook computer is regarded by clients in terms of its appearance. Information such as the computer's exteriors design will be looked into. For example colour, design and thickness Information about the interior features of the computer will also be imperative. Things such as display cards, memory, CPU, mainboard and other features will be examined 3.3) Competitor's information Information about the kind of features that make competitors more successful within the market will be sought. This is especially because the market has become relatively competitive today. Special emphasis will be given to price offerings in this particular industry segment as it was a serious concern by CB 4.0 Methodology A budget of two thousand pounds allows one to do more secondary than primary research. (Aaker & Day, 1990) The information sought during the research will represent both quantitative and qualitative portions of the paper. Quantitative aspects will cover the numerical elements of the research such as price. Additionally, qualitative aspects of the research will be reflected by looking into consumer experiences especially with regard to the decision making process. These two aspects govern exactly how the kind of 4.1 Desk research This part of the research will entail an examination of data sources that may have contained information about related topics to the one under consideration. Here, their methods or processes and their results will be thoroughly be examined in order to ascertain that the right procedure is being followed. Additionally, related computer websites will be consulted so as to seek information from e-forms. Competitor information will also be obtained from this segment of the research. The following computer related journals will be sought -21st Century computer hardware -Personal computer market -Today's computer -The notebook computer market reports The following websites will be -Pchome (http://www.hardware.pchome.net/) -eNet (http://www.enet.com.cn) -yesky (http://www.myhard.yesky.com/) -Pconline (http://www.pconline.com.cn/) 4.2 Questionnaire The latter portion of the research will entail structured online questionnaires. This is because of the fact that they can reach greater numbers of people at any one time. On top of that, they save on time and allow greater room for data analysis. E-forms are also particularly useful in this research because they will allow collection of more research information. (William, 2000) Online structured questionnaires have a format that will be applied in the depth interviews thus saving on time and crucial resources. It should be noted that the issue of time is also particularly important because the research deadline was set at eight weeks. 4.3 Depth interviews Depth interviews will be carried among members of the focus group. (Tiu & Crimp, 2000) These individuals will represent the new market segment that CB will be targeting i.e. students and family members. There will be ten representatives from each section and each interview shall last for a period of twenty to thirty minutes depending on how well respondents understand the questions and how they respond to them. This means that the entire interview process will take a period of one month. It should be noted that an allowance has been given for the differences in geographical areas as each interviewee will represent a different city. Participants will be expected to answer questions derived from the e-form mentioned in the latter section. On top of this, the staff members hired for the research will also come up with special questions designed to address issues that had not been fully covered in the e-form. Depth interviews are particularly interesting because of the fact that they can produce very satisfactory data to be used in the data analysis phase. (Malhotra & Birks, 2000) Respondents could possess knowledge about CB as a company and its notebook product or they may not. However, it will imperative for these participants to have at least used a notebook computer or to have purchased one so that they can have adequate knowledge about it. The research will be done through random probability sampling. However, the sample population will be such that fifty percent of the respondents will be family members while the remaining will be students. Selection of the twenty participants will then be randomly done. Numbers will be generated automatically through a computer and names will then be numbered and listed alphabetically. The participants will be chosen through the random numbers appearing on the computer screen. 4.4 Personal interviews with frontline salesmen Frontline salesmen have a mastery of notebook computer information because they have to know what they are selling. Also, they have interacted with consumers widely and are therefore at a greater position to asses the psychology of the decision making process. Depth interviews were chosen for this part of the research because they will bring in a different angle to the research. Besides that, it will go a long way in ascertaining that some hidden truths will be revealed in the process. (Brassington and Stephen, 2000) 5.0 Accuracy levels In order to ensure good accuracy levels within the research, findings from the primary phase will be compared to other related findings so as to see whether they correlate. Consequently, personal judgement will come into play. Also, triangulation is another method for ensuring high accuracy levels within this research. The latter term refers to the use of a series of methods in research so as to minimise the biases associated with the use of one source alone. The research will employ the use of three methods i.e. Depth interviews, structured online questionnaires and Desk research. The inadequacies in one method will be neutralised by the strength in another method hence the term strangulation. 5.1 The manner in which a structured questionnaire has been designed can contribute greatly towards the research's accuracy levels. If the questionnaire is well structured, interactive and comprehensive, then chances of success are much higher. These are all qualities that will be adhered to promptly within the interview process. The target audience will also be given an imperative for thinking within this research and this will therefore contribute towards greater accuracy. 5.2 The focus group and sampling population will reflect what the potential consumers of the notebook computer will be. (Guba and Lincoln, 1989)This is especially in terms of the demographics of the target group and also in terms of its knowledge base. It can therefore be said that these people's thoughts and advice will be realistic enough to minimise bias during the research process. The sales men who will take part in the depth interview will also be thoroughly experienced so as to affirm that the information given will be representative of the notebook market. 5.3 Selection of staff members to carry out the research will be done carefully and accurately. Only those who are well trained and experienced in the computer notebook industry will be sought. Additionally, a lot of care will be carried out during the data collection process so as to heighten accuracy. 5.4 Statisticians have asserted that data accuracy can always be improved when the sample size chosen is higher than usual. (Procter, 2000) It is likely that the study will be accurate because of the fact that the websites chosen for the research are visited very frequently. This means that response rates will be very high and good data analysis can therefore be done. 6.0) Resources Time and money are the most valuable resources within this research and the latter section shows how finances will be utilised Task Amount Questionnaire & Interview Gifts (20 6)+ (40 4) = 280 Internet questionnaire (cooperation with two famous websites 400 Travelling 300 Accommodation and meals 400 Staff salary 500 Printing of questionnaires and reports 50 TOTAL 1980 6.1 Staffing Since the research will entail visits to different cities, then some assistance will be required. In this case, two staff members will be chosen for the job. 7.0 Research timetable Time Research Week 1 Design questionnaires and contact websites Week 2 Desk research, questionnaire completion Week 3 Carrying out depth and personal interviews Week 4 Continue with primary research in first city Week 5 Go to second city Week 6 Collection of competitor information Week 7 Data analysis and data processing Week 8 Finalise report writing 8.0 Quality Issues 8.1 In order to ensure sound quality within this research process, then the research designer should have an experience of five years at minimum. However, for successful completion of the project, then a total of ten years will be necessary. The two staff members chosen for this work need to have a minimum of three years within this field. Additionally, they need to have travelled outside the city and must have worked independently. (Patton, 2002) 8.2 The websites chosen for the research will also contribute towards high quality maintenance because they need to demonstrate that they have been in the business for a period of five years or more. On top of the latter a total of twenty thousand persons per day should be visiting this website. Critical commentary of the market research proposal for notebook computer 1.0 Introduction William et al (1990) define market research as "the systematic gathering, recording, processing, and analyzing of marketing data, which - when interpreted - will help the marketing executive to uncover opportunities and to reduce risks in decision making." The latter critical commentary aims at examining the research proposal for notebook computer section by section in order to justify some of the choices that had been made in the research process. This will include reasons for the research question, why a certain research methodology was chosen, the sampling process and achievement of the objectives within the research proposal. Generally speaking, the latter research proposal will be particularly useful owing to the fact that it will allow CB (the client and organization under consideration) to fully understand what would make their product successful. Market researches enable clarifications of a number of issues and thus give companies a way forward in terms of marketing or even producing a certain commodity. Since the company had suspected that price would be a determinant factor when clients are looking for the ideal notebook computer, then this research proposal will go a long in ascertaining whether price is important or not. 2.0 The research question A research question is important in determining the kind of information to be sort in the research. In other words, this will be a guiding factor during the research process and will go a long way in shaping other parts of the research process. (Chisnall, 1997) The development of the research question was guided by the issue of competition within the computer industry. These days, there are plenty of companies that offer computer accessories and computers in general. Consequently, the nature of the notebook computer has changed dramatically. Companies are offering different notebooks for different accessions and this makes such products highly competitive. Additionally, it is excessively difficult to find one notebook that fits all occasions or one that can deal with various demographic groups at the same time. This was the reason why CB saw it fit to introduce a new notebook computer to meet some of these needs. Therefore, the research question was derived from this perspective. CB needed to know what qualities of the notebook computer can make it ideal from the consumer's perspective. (Smith & Fletcher, 2001) 2.1 In order to ensure success of the research it is imperative to choose the right research population. This is because a research population will be the basis upon which the samples will be collected and they should therefore possess the right qualities. In the research proposal, students, family members and frontline salesmen were chosen as target populations. This was because the former two categories represent the qualities of the potential market for the new notebook computer. Frontline salesmen were chosen because they have real time experiences with clients and would therefore introduce new information that may not be easily found in textbooks and other literature. 2.2 The research objectives were chosen in that particular manner because it is imperative to implicitly describe the features of the ideal notebook computer. This was the reasons why external information such as weight, colour and thickness were chosen. Additionally, a notebook computer would be functionless without its internal components hence the need to select factors such as memory, video card, main board, software were chosen. If the new product is to meet consumer demands, then it needs to meet and exceed these high expectations. 2.3 Certain market forces must also be considered by consumers when making decisions to buy a notebook computer. Price has always been a determinant factor in the process of purchasing a commodity and it would therefore be imperative to consider such an issue when doing market research in any industry. (Proctor, 2000) However, for this company, price was particularly important owing to the fact that it was targeting different potential consumers who were considered as price sensitive. Prior to the research, CB had been offering their notebook computer mostly to professionals. Consequently, in order to reach out to other market segments, it would be imperative for this company to offer them market qualities that they had not been able to get before. One such quality is price. Understanding the psychology of the decision making process is very important for this company because it would then allow them to meet those expectations or even to exceed them. 2.4 In China, there is an old saying that knowing one's enemies as much as oneself can cause one to fight a hundred battles without having danger of defeat. In this case, a good market report would be incomplete if there was no competitor information. This proposal takes that matter into consideration by looking at prices, selling point and products offered by competitors in the computer market. Possessing knowledge about competitors will go a long way in sharpening CB's product tactics. They will be in a position to minimise all their desirables and maximise all the undesirables. 3.0 The research methodology Research methodologies are crucial in determining whether the research objectives are achieved since the former depends on the latter. Since there are numerous research methodologies to choose from, it would be advisable to settle for one that has the most favourable qualities. 3.1 Desk research This method refers to the use of secondary data or information that has already been published and collected for a specific research. Secondary data has a lot of advantages that primary sources may not be able to offer. First of all, it is possible for one to get information rapidly. This is because there may be a lot of information on a particular topic already and all one has to do is to select the relevant information. Secondary data also spares individuals from having to conduct massive surveys that may cost too much. Usually, carrying out research on a nationwide scale may not be cost effective especially when that information is already available. (Marks, 2000) Secondary research minimises biases that arise out of relying on one source of information. This mode of research can allow one to critically analyse different perspectives on the matter thus enabling one to come up with the right conclusion on the research topic. Despite these advantages, secondary data is not an ideal research method; it may be taken out of context or it may not be able to answer all the research objectives. Consequently, one must resort to another method which in this case is primary research. 3.2 Questionnaire Crimp and Liu (2000) assert that questionnaires are a common way of collecting information from markets. This means that they must solicit positive outcomes for the respective users. The latter method of research is useful both in qualitative and quantitative aspects of research as is the case in the proposal. However, in order to reap maximum benefits from such a method, it is crucial for one to adhere to certain rules of thumb. The words used for each questionnaire must be clear and concise. They must also refrain from any form of deviation and they must be in a position to meet the research objectives. These features will be adhered to in the latter research. Structured questionnaires were chosen specifically because they save on time, they minimise deviation from the research objectives and also solicit responses that can be easily analysed. Online questionnaires were chosen specifically for this research because of the fact that it can be excessively difficult for one to reach large numbers of respondents through paper questionnaires. This case is particularly applicable in the research proposal because people from diverse geographical locations will be sought. It would therefore be more cost effective to reach out to such people through the internet. Additionally, the latter method allows one to save on labour costs that would have been utilised if the questionnaires were answered manually. 3.3 Research population and research sample It is imperative for one to ensure that they have elected the right sample for any particular research. In this case, families and students were chosen as the target population. This was largely because they represent potential consumers. Besides that, it was also necessary to select the right kind of target population for personal interviews. The latter group was represented by frontline salesmen. They were chosen because they have a lot of experience with the sale of notebook computers and are in a position to understand the psychology of the decision making process. 3.4 Depth interviews This method of research was chosen because it can be likened to long psycho analytic sessions in which the different sources of feelings are revealed or those in which free association is promoted through the use of an unstructured question guide and also through the skills of the interviewer. There was a lot of quantitative information obtained from the online structured questionnaire. In order to balance the research, it was also necessary to obtain some qualitative information which was best achieved through this unstructured information. (Creswell, 1998) 4.0 Achievement of objectives In the research proposal, there were three major research questions that had been laid out. The issue of understanding the psychology of the decision making process could be done through the use of personal interviews with frontline salesmen. Additionally, competitor information can be found through desk research. The online questionnaire will assist in determining the features that consumers look for in notebook computers. Consequently, all the research objectives can be achieved through this research. 5.0 Data analysis A systematic approach will be imperative in ascertaining that the data collected is holistic. Usually, this starts with data collection followed by immersion, reduction, categorisation, synthesis and eventually evaluation. The quantitative aspect of the research i.e. the online questionnaire will require data collection which will then be followed by a reduction process that will be done through analysis of vital information. This can then be followed by a categorisation of all the similar answers. Afterwards, a synthesis of the overall revelations in the research will be done and an evaluation of these outcomes will follow. The latter section will entail a comparison with other pieces of research in this topic. (Creswell, 2003) Conclusion The latter research is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative aspects. It seeks to look into the psychology of the decision making process; a qualitative aspect. Additionally, it also examines some competitor information and features of the notebook computer; quantitative aspects. By combining these two aspects, then an insightful analysis will be done qualitatively while at the same time offering suitable facts and figures to explain market trends. References William R. Dillon, Thomas J .Madden & Neil H. Firtle (1990) Marketing Research in a Marketing Environment, (2nd Ed.) Produced by Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing David A. Aaker & George S. Day (1990) Marketing Research, Fourth Edition. Produced by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 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