Samsung To Push Humanizing Features In New Galaxy Phone - Research Paper Example

Smartphone survey Name Institution (Disclaimer) All the work that has been included in this paper is my own and is not a publication from a previous research or thesis, and does not arise from any copying or plagiarizing, except where it is clearly quoted or otherwise cited and referenced. This paper has not been peer reviewed and the contents here in can only be use for educational purposes only. The data herein cannot be used for entrepreneurial or any other purposes and the author will not accept liability to any loss resulting from such usage. Letter of transmittal Sunday, October 21, 2013, (Insert lecturer’s name), (Insert name of institution), (Insert physical address), (Insert town or state). Dear Sir/Madam, As per your instruction, and as is the requirement of the syllabus, I undertook a survey on the uses of Smartphone and attached is a copy of the report with details about the survey results. The research was undertaken using 60 datasets and it covered the types of Smartphones that were preferred by Smartphone owners and why they preferred them. The paper further analyzes what people were looking for when purchasing their phones and whether they would consider retaining the phones that they had or notin the near future. It is my hope that you shall find the report satisfactory, thank you in advance. Yours sincerely, (Insert name here) Insert physical address. Insert position (e.g. student) Executive summary This white paper documents the report of a research carried out to analyze the usage of Smartphone among the publicand their various preferences. The first section of the paper discusses the background of the study using various primary and secondary sources to support all the discussion. In this section, the author looks at the history of Smartphone and the rapidly growing use of the same as opposed to ordinary phones without Smart Features. It also analyzes some of the most preferred phones and the reasons why users prefer those brands. There is a clear indication that users of Smartphones have unique preferences and these are varied from user to user, though there is a trend to what most users find appealing. The second section analyzes the methodology of the research and gives a justification of the methodology used. This section also criticized the questionnaire used and the questions therein to determine its strengths and weaknesses to be used as a standard for the research. The next section is the data analysis and results, which succinctly outline the data that was generated by the research and gives a balanced analysis of the same. The latter sections of this report comprise of limitations to the research, including time and financial constrains as well as lack of enthusiasm of participants. In addition, the paper documents a list of recommendations before winding up in a conclusive summary. Problem definition and research objectives using The following paper reports the findings or a research, which was carried out to find the role of Smartphones in everyday life of the public1. The difference between a Smartphone and an ordinary mobile handset is in the key functionalities. A Smartphone is designed to perform at a faster speed and do more computing operations than the ordinary mobile phone. It is designed to run on mobile operating systems and has a multiple processors to support different functions at the same time. Initially, these phones were configured with inbuilt PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants) and has since evolved to include other functionalities such as music systems, internet capabilities, memory cards, touch screens, Global positioning systems, web browsers as well as Wi-Fi among others. Since the launch of Smartphones, there has been a rapid increase of sales in the entire world, with reports suggesting that the number of Smartphones being 90% of the total mobiles phones sold. Among other operating systems that have been used include Symbian, Ios, Android, Windows Phone among others. Smartphones have been used to do more operations than just receiving calls and sending text messages2. Today, people use their phones to send emails browse the web, take and send photos, edit documents and create small presentations. In addition, with their GPS capabilities, the phones can now be used to locate geographical positions such as restaurants, routes houses and other points on a map, thanks to Google maps3. These are some of the reasons why people are considering owning a Smartphone despite the high costs of such a venture. According to most users, the price is not one of the major determinants of buying the phone, but rather the functionality and design of the phones. With the increasing number of people using them, Smartphones have become the focus of leading telecommunication companies, with Samsung, Nokia, Sony Eriksson and Apple taking the lead in Smartphone sales worldwide. This trend has prompted various companies, researchers and academics to carry out analyses on what the consumers of these phones are looking for while doing their purchases4. According to a report published by the IBM, most users prefer to own Smartphones because it enables them utilize various features such as taking photos, making and receiving calls, sending mails, messages and posting on their social sites, listening to music as well as browsing the web for news all in one place5. A different research also revealed that people go for Smartphones mostly because of its ability to allow people use 4G internet connectivity and edit their documents without using the computer. In addition, most people between 20 and 30 years of age were found to prefer a Smartphone to an ordinary phone because of its ability to support hundreds of Apps, which increase the user experience, including music and games6. Methodology Participants The participants in this research were the public, with no special preference, except the requirement of them to be in possession of a Smartphone or be using a Smartphone provided by the company. The participants in this research were students and people in various occupations, including professionals, businesspeople, managers as well as retailers. The group further consisted of both males and females from different backgrounds and ethnic communities as there was no special consideration concerning this. Method The participants were informed of the researcher’s wish to use their information as part of a research for academic purposes and their permission was granted. They were further informed that their information would not be used for any other purpose than the stated one and were referred to the course lecturer in case they had any questions or concerns concerning the research. In addition, for anonymity, their personal details such as names, physical address and contacts were not required nor were they recorded as part of the research7. All the participants were volunteers in possession of a Smartphone and they were required to complete the questionnaire in person, except where a participant was visually impaired and required special assistance to read and mark his or her choices. Data collection The research was carried out using quantitative and qualitative statistics, with major reliance on quantitative data gathered based on a closed ended questionnaire in which participants were required to check all their choices against predefined options. The questionnaire used is a standard questionnaire obtained from peer-reviewed library of research as is required when doing research of this magnitude. The questionnaires contained 48 data items which were to be filled using close ended choices8. Some of the most important aspects of the questionnaire were age groups of participants, which was categorized in five different categories as follows: Under 18; 18 – 21; 22 – 25; 26 – 29; 30 – 33; 34 – 37; 38 – 41; 42 – 45; and Over 45. The one problem that was observed with the questionnaire is the fact that it does not have any open-endedquestions, which can allow the participants to give their views or opinions concerning their reasons for using the mobile handset, other than the stated reasons. In addition, the questions were not elaborate enough to cover the broad objective of the research as documented in the research thesis. The aim of this research which is to find out what drives users to purchase their Smartphone, and what affects their selection of the specific phones over the others9. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) because the software allows vigorous manipulation of row data to provide statistical information that can be used to analyze the trend in social sciences, including minimum, maximum, count, range, median, mode, mean and standard deviations. Another reason why SPSS is the preferred software inthat it has tools such as graphic and visual displays that can be used to present the data, such as graphs, tables, charts and other objects. This functionality is most important for descriptive statistics that was used to analyze the data in this study. Findings The following table shows the percentage of people who own or use a Smartphone by age group in a population sample of 60 people10. age group number of phones Percentage under 18 7 11.67 18-21 9 15.00 22-25 11 18.33 26-29 13 21.67 30-33 6 10.00 34-37 3 5.00 38-41 5 8.33 42-45 2 3.33 over 45 4 6.67 The number of phones per were also classified under according to the number of users per brand and the following was found out following the tabulation of the data. Brand Percentage iPhone 14 Samsung 17 HTC 3 Nokia 11 Sony Ericsson 5 LG 2 Other 8 The people also gave their preferences as to why they use the kinds of phones they are using, which is demonstrated in the table below. Feature preference Thickness 1 Screen size 1 Internal storage capacity 1 Speed 1 Weight 2 4G connectivity 2 Design 2 Apps 2 Camera resolution 2 Voice clarity 2 Privacy and security 2 Durability (if dropped for example) 2 Range of accessories 2 Price 3 Battery capacity 3 Synchronise with computer 3 iCloud 3 Screen definition 3 Home screen design and format 4 Brand image 4 User friendliness 4 After sales service 5 The above data can be visually depicted in a bar graph to see the relationship between the different features. Findings and analysis Various findings came up from the analysis of the data that I collected from the field, all of which are outlined in tis section. Firstly, the survey shows that the Apple iPhone was the most popular with 40% of those who reported owning a Smartphone using one of the iPhone models11. Other types of Smartphones used include RIM Blackberry with 26%, Android operating system based phones with 22% Windows operating system phones with 8% and Palm with 4%.Compared to Smartphone sales figures for all ages in the U.S. market, Smartphone users lean more toward Apple’s iPhone. On the contrary, according to Q1 2010 estimates from the NPD Group, a market research company, Smartphone sales overall put RIM Blackberry in the lead with 36% market share, followed by Android phones with 28% and then Apple with 21% . Outside of the college-age demographic, Blackberry Smartphones continue to be strong for business people. Secondly, from the data above, it is observable that people use Smartphones while multitasking and doing another task such as watching TV, listening to music, shopping, or walking12. The growing number of Android-based phones has moved that platform ahead of the iPhone among all Smartphone buyers. Obviously, rapid technological development can see this figures shift quickly, for college-age phone users as well as all users. Students were asked how often they use their Smartphone, excluding voice calls, while simultaneously doing other activities. While watching TV, 82% use their Smartphone on a regular basis, while 85% use their Smartphone regularly while listening to music. Similar trends were seen with walking, 84%, and shopping, 75%13. The US population is comprised of people who mostly grew up with the Internet and digital technologies. Researchers already know that media multitasking is common among this generation, and that multitasking efficiency is limited by the nature of how the human brain processes information. For news providers wishing to capture the attention of students on their phones while involved in other activities, mobile content that requires serious concentration is likely less than ideal. The ability for multitasking Smartphone users to “bookmark” or save content they find interesting for later concentrated reading, viewing, or listening could be useful, however; they can postpone intense concentration on the content until a time when they don’t need to multitask14. Thirdly, the data show that, when looking at the types of information consumed on a Smartphone, the most popular uses among Smartphone users are text messaging, with 93% doing this on a regular basis, and e-mail with 93% using their phones for sending and viewing e-mail regularly. Students use their Smartphones routinely to search for specific information, with 92% using their phone for that purpose on a regular basis. In addition, 69%consume news on their Smartphone regularly. Using programs like Skype, AIM, or GoogleTalk are not popular, with 43% not using these on a regular basis. Listening to audio podcasts also is not popular, with 64% of students rarely, if ever, using this mobile media format. In addition, 61% never use their phones to watch news. Reading books is also unpopular with 84% rarely, if ever, using their Smartphones for this15. The fifth finding from the research show that the Smartphone, despite its many sophisticated features and ability to pull in information from seemingly anywhere, is still a phone, and phones are about communicating with other people. It should come as no surprise, then, that the most popular types of information consumed on a Smartphone are not new: e-mail and text messages. Neither is it surprising that using Smartphones to search for information is almost as popular. News providers can take comfort in the 68% of Smartphone users who regularly consume news on their Smartphones. In addition, this result from my survey is significantly higher than Pew’s research of mobile-phone users (not just Smartphone users) of all ages, which showed that 42% of phone users get news on their devices, and that weather was the most popular type of news. This difference can be explained both by Pew’s inclusion of mobile-phone users of all ages (not just Smartphone users as this survey was restricted to), and the inclusion of feature phones in Pew’s survey (while this survey focused analysis solely on Smartphone users). Research limitations Various limitations significantly affected the research. These difficulties may pose challenges to future research. Firstly, the time that was available for the completion of the research was limited. This resulted to inefficient data collection as would have been necessary in order to come up with a bigger sample than the one the current sample of 60 participants. In addition, financial constrains limited the extent to which the research could go. This is because the high cost of producing questionnaires as well as transport costs resulted in the need to conclude the research earlier than it was supposed to be the case. Recommendations and conclusions Having a smartphone seems to be the trend of the future of wireless communication.  As with all new technology, there are both advantages and disadvantages to having one, both in and outside of the workplace.  Overall smartphones seem to have more benefits than risks and this has been proven by their rise in popularity and increasing saturation of the consumer market in recent years.          There are numerous advantages to having a smartphone in and outside of the workplace.  Increased connectivity is a major advantage of owning a smartphone, allowing for immediate access to data online, whether one is at home, travelling, or at work. Users today can use their phones to order movie tickets, find restaurants, and even pay bills from the phone’s web browser.  These phones also integrate contact information, which makes keeping in touch with friends, family, and coworkers much easier.  For the workplace specifically, they are useful for storing all business contacts.  Since many companies now require the employees to travel or be in constant reach, smartphones make managing information on the go much easier and they can do much more than the standard cell phone.  They require no additional carrying burden because most people carry cell phones anyway.  Smartphones also decrease the number of technological devices that professionals like businesspersons and doctors need to carry.  It was not that long ago, that we would see businesspersons carrying, a cell phone, a palm pilot, and a pager and now thanks to technological advances the excessiveness is passé.  The many applications offered for smartphones allow users to customize their phones with tools that they will use, which have a greater range than the few preloaded applications that come on traditional cell phones.  These applications contribute to the better entertainment for even the times when users are waiting in line at stores.       However, few users have still found some disadvantages to having a smartphone for use at home or on the job.  One of the main concerns that people have over smartphones is that they are typically expensive to own because most of these phones require purchasing wireless data plans.  Another large concern about these phones is that they contain typically large amounts of private and work-related data that if the phone is lost or stolen, then it is a liability for hacking and identity fraud.  If smartphones break, then it is costly because so much information is stored on them and the phones themselves are expensive.  This is very easy to do because most of these phones are very fragile and have glass screens, so precautions must be taken to protect them.  With all the applications and entertainment options, it would be easy for users to get distracted at work.  When comparing smartphones to office computers, smartphones have very limited memory storage space and they are not efficient to use for typing long reports on the small keyboards.   The resolution of photos from a smartphone cannot replace that of a regular camera and most of these phones do not come equipped with a flash for taking pictures at night.  In addition, older people might not understand the new technology and the small screens can be difficult to use for email and other advanced functions for people with bad eyesight.         Overall, the smartphone can benefit in both the workplace and at home.  This phone technology allows users to stay connected to all their contacts and data no matter where they go, which is beneficial to all those people who benefit from convenience. Smartphones help keep people’s lives organized with their linked calendars and planners courtesy of their advanced operating systems, which also cut down on the amount of physical organizers that users have to walk with.  Immediate access to information in any emergency is one of the main benefits to owning a smartphone.  For example, if someone is lost driving somewhere, then smartphone users can just use their GPS to help them find their way.  This modern technology is only predicted to advance with time and with all the more that smartphones can accomplish, the fewer disadvantages they will have.  For now, we can see that these phones are fulfilling their mission to increase efficiency in people’s lives16. References Brandon, J 2013, 'How Safe Is Your Smartphone?', Inc, 35, 4, p. 48, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Guglielmo, C 2013, 'Apple iPhone Still A 'Work of Art,' But Samsung's Galaxy S4 Ups the Smartphone Ante', Forbes.Com, p. 1, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Hanley, M, & Boostrom Jr., R 2011, 'How the Smartphone is Changing College Student Mobile Content Usage and Advertising Acceptance: An IMC Perspective', International Journal Of Integrated Marketing Communications, 3, 2, pp. 49-64, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. KIM, B 2013, 'Phablet Phenom: Samsung Galaxy Note Pens Best-Seller', SERI Quarterly, 6, 2, pp. 73-81, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. 'MobiCon: A Mobile Context-Monitoring Platform' 2012, Communications Of The ACM, 55, 3, pp. 54-65, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. 'MobiCon: A Mobile Context-Monitoring Platform' 2012, Communications Of The ACM, 55, 3, pp. 54-65, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Olson, P 2013, 'Reviews Describe Samsung's Galaxy S4 As Plastic, 'Gimmicky' Phone', Forbes.Com, p. 21, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Olson, P 2013, 'Samsung To Push Humanizing Features In New Galaxy Phone', Forbes.Com, p. 17, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Suki, N 2013, 'Students' demand for smartphonesStructural relationships of product features, brand name, product price and social influence', Campus -- Wide Information Systems, 30, 4, pp. 236-248, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 October 2013. Appendices Smartphone survey Hello, I am a University of Canberra student studying the subject Marketing Research Methods. Your assistance in completing this survey for study purposes is appreciated. If you have any questions about the study, please contact my lecturer peter.rylands@canberra.edu.au - The survey should only take a few minutes of your time. Thank you. 1. Do you own a smartphone, or use a smartphone supplied by your employer? □ Yes □ No 2. What is the brand of phone you own or use most at present? □ Samsung □ HTC □ iPhone □ Nokia □ Sony Ericsson □ LG □ other (please name the brand) ……………………………………….………………….. 3. How long have you been using that phone? □ less than 1 year □ between 1 and 2 years □ between 2 and 3 years □ 3 or more years Please put your response to the following statements by circling 1-5. The boxes represent the following: 5 = very frequently, 4 = frequently, 3 = only occasionally, 2 = infrequently, 1 = never How often do you use the following functions on your smartphone? No. Function VF……………..…LF 4 Email 5 4 3 2 1 5 SMS 5 4 3 2 1 6 Music 5 4 3 2 1 7 News 5 4 3 2 1 8 Apps 5 4 3 2 1 9 phone calls 5 4 3 2 1 10 photo taking 5 4 3 2 1 11 watching movies 5 4 3 2 1 12 document processing 5 4 3 2 1 13 synchronising with a computer 5 4 3 2 1 14 iCloud 5 4 3 2 1 Please put your response to the following statements by circling 1-5. The boxes represent the following: 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain / neutral, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree When you buy a new smartphone, do you agree that the following features will be important in choosing the brand you will buy? No. Feature SA……………...SD 15 Thickness 1 2 3 4 5 16 Weight 1 2 3 4 5 17 Screen size 1 2 3 4 5 18 4G connectivity 1 2 3 4 5 19 Price 1 2 3 4 5 20 Battery capacity 1 2 3 4 5 21 Design 1 2 3 4 5 22 Internal storage capacity 1 2 3 4 5 23 Apps 1 2 3 4 5 24 Speed 1 2 3 4 5 25 Synchronise with computer 1 2 3 4 5 26 iCloud 1 2 3 4 5 27 Camera resolution 1 2 3 4 5 28 Screen definition 1 2 3 4 5 29 Voice clarity 1 2 3 4 5 30 Home screen design and format 1 2 3 4 5 31 Privacy and security 1 2 3 4 5 32 Durability (if dropped for example) 1 2 3 4 5 33 After sales service 1 2 3 4 5 34 Brand image 1 2 3 4 5 35 Range of accessories 1 2 3 4 5 36 User friendliness 1 2 3 4 5 Please put your response to the following statements by circling 1-5. The boxes represent the following: 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain / neutral, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree When I buy my next smartphone, I would seriously consider buying the following brands: No. Brand SA…………………..….SD 37 iPhone 1 2 3 4 5 38 Samsung 1 2 3 4 5 39 HTC 1 2 3 4 5 40 Nokia 1 2 3 4 5 41 Sony Ericsson 1 2 3 4 5 42 LG 1 2 3 4 5 43 other 1 2 3 4 5 Please put your response to the following statements by circling 1-5. The boxes represent the following: 1 = strongly agree, 2 = percentage iPhone 14 Samsung 17 HTC 3 Nokia 11 Sony Ericsson 5 LG 2 Other 8 agree, 3 = uncertain / neutral, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree No. SA………………………SD 44 In the future I will keep using the brand of phone I am using now 1 2 3 4 5 45 I am happy to recommend to my friends the brand of phone I use now 1 2 3 4 5 46 The brand of phone I use now would be better for me if I owned more accessories for it. 1 2 3 4 5 Your Details: 47. What is your age group? Under 18 18 – 21 22 – 25  26 – 29  30 – 33  34 – 37  38 – 41  42 – 45  Over 45 48. Your occupation Trade  Retail  Professional  Management  Education  Student  Other (specify)  _________________________ Read More