Trying to understand which Smartphone brand and model is the most popular among students, and why this specific brand and model is the most popular, it is essential to conduct a research applying to the questionnaire.
The questionnaire should contain the questions which are essential for the research and some particular questions which may help to understand what students need. The range of the data which is to be collected is to be focused on two main questions, which brand and model students need and which criteria they are guided by while making a choice.
Here is a list of the major laptop brands and their latest models students may be interested into, BlackBerry, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Samsung, HTC, and Apple iPhone (UK study, 2010). It is important to check the latest models of each of the brands to make sure that students are informed about the latest data and all of them stay at one and the same position of being informed.
After the model and the brand have already been considered, it is essential to understand the possible key reasons student can have for voting a brand and model.
The most varied reasons may be as follows, favorable appearance, appropriate size, necessary weight, positive reputation, user friendliness in use, fit for studying/business/entertainment purposes, correspondence to the personal needs requirements. Some students may have some particular requirements they pursue when choosing a Smartphone based on their private characteristics and needs.
Therefore, this is the main data which is to be gathered to understand what Smartphone students want to have. To make sure that all the questions are included in the questionnaire and that al the questions are appropriate, it is essential to create a questionnaire which is going to be offered to students with the explanation why this specific question is to be included.
A Questionnaire for the Research Subjects
- Choosing the Smartphone, which of the following reasons are you guided by?
- Brand image
- Attractiveness of the Smartphone models
- Functionality (including appropriate platforms)
- Your variant
This question is helpful in understanding whether students’ choice is based on the reasonable thinking or on advertising. Choosing a Smartphone, students are usually guided by ne primary reason and other ideas just support their choice, will, the main criteria is the only one and the better the researchers understand what this criteria is, the better outcome may be expected.
- Which of the mentioned brand/model do you like more? Please tick those you prefer most of all.
- BlackBerry
- LG
- Motorola
- Nokia
- Sony
- Samsung
- HTC
- Apple iPhone
- Your variant
The information gathered in this question will help the researchers to understand students’ desires in the means of the brand company. Each of the brands is based on the specific platforms which define their functionality. Android, Windows, and Galaxy are the most popular platforms, therefore, choosing the brand, students usually choose the platform they want to work with. The information considered from this question will help determine which brand of the Smartphone will be chosen.
- What are the reasons which led you to the first choice?
- Appearance
- Size
- Weight
- Functionality
- Possibilities
- Positive reputation
- User friendliness in use
- Fitting studying/business/entertainment purposes
- Correspondence to the personal needs requirements
- GPS, Wi-Fi, etc.
This question helps understand what students expect from a Smartphone, whether the size and appearance are more important or the functionality and the availability of the additional services play a vital role.
- What would you choose, the latest brand which does not correspond to your initial needs or the previous model which comprises all the functional possibilities you need?
- The latest brand which does not correspond to your needs
- The past model which comprises all the functional possibilities you need
Te information considered from this question will help understand the reasonable choice of students and their practical application of the possibility. Smartphones are going to be presented to the best students and it is important to understand how the new facility is going to be used. Moreover, students will direct the choice of the researchers to the necessary model.
Secondary and Primary Research Method(s) Used to Collect the Necessary Data with Merits and Possible Shortcomings
Questionnaire mentioned above is the primary research which is to be conducted while selecting the Smartphone model. After the information is synthesizes and analyzed, it would be possible to name the brand and the model of a Smartphone which is going to be selected for the present.
The primary research should be completed by all third year students (even though who do not have GPA 3.5 at the moment) as there is a possibility that this situation will motivate students to study better. To make sure that the choice of the Smartphone is correct and students will get what they really want and need, it is possible to conduct one more research based on gathering the information about the cell phones students have at the moment.
This information will help in understand what students have, whether they are satisfied with their choice or not and what they want to change in their Smartphone. Both primary research works may be organized online to save the time on the research and to give all students an opportunity to answer the questions they want to.
The next step the researchers are to complete is to find the shop which will deliver such a great number of the items from the best price. Torres (2012) is sure that the Internet is the best place for buying in this case and it is impossible to disagree with this information.
The researchers are to conduct a thorough search and to define which of the online shop is the most appropriate. The Internet is full of different offers and the secondary research should be based on the comparison and contrast of the conditions of the purchase and the price.
The initial search shows that ACMEmarkets.com, Shopping.com, EBay, Amazon.com, Buyonlinenow.com, Buy.com, Overstock.com and Flipkart.com are the most spread online shops which may offer the required items.
Apart from the search of the appropriate place for buying the Smartphone basing on the price characteristics, it is essential to conduct a research and to find out how each of the services delivers the items and how responsible each of them are about the sold products. The feedbacks should be read with the reference to the company website to understand whether the service can guarantee the warranty.
Reference List
Torres, M. (2012). Comparison: Buying Online vs. In A Store. About.com TV/Video. Web.
UK study: only 10% of Smartphone owners expect to buy a new Nokia (41% want an iPhone). (2010, July 10). Unwired view.com. Web.