A Research Plan: Evaluating Mobile Phone Brand Preferences

This research plan outlines a qualitative study to explore the reasons behind varying mobile phone brand preferences among users. Employing an explanatory research approach and utilizing questionnaires, the study aims to gather diverse perspectives on brand choice. The plan details the use of open-ended questionnaires to allow for in-depth responses, emphasizing a qualitative research type to understand the motives behind consumer behavior. The sample size will be relevant to ensure accurate conclusions without incurring excessive costs, focusing on respondents who independently own mobile phones. Social network analysis is proposed as the method of analysis, examining the links between individuals and their brand preferences. The expected outcomes include advisory insights for consumers and product development teams, potentially leading to improvements in less favored brands and fostering a competitive advantage in the mobile phone market. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments.

Driscoll, 1
Research plan
Name
Course
Professor
Date

Driscoll, 2
Introduction
Mobile phones have become an essential part of our community development in the
modern days. Their basic purpose is communication, but on the other hand they can also serve as
entertainment devices through media access and other things. Communication alone would mean
that the specific type of the phone should not matter, but considering the entertainment option, it
brings along the taste and preference to the mobile phones users. This research plan is going to
evaluate the methods of carrying out the research in order to evaluate the reason behind different
brand preferences for mobile phones users (Divyaa, 2016).
Preferred research approach
There are different research approaches that can be used but for efficient research
outcomes and recommendations, we ought to choose the most appropriate approach to our
research proposal. In our case, we consider that we are trying to reach on a big sample and we
expect different specific reasons or explanations for the research proposal outcomes from
different individuals (Brannen, 2017). Our research should take the approach of an explanatory
study. The explanatory is one among many research approaches that can be used in conducting
research but in our case; it is the most effective approach. In our case, we are trying to evaluate
the reasons why different people tend to have different phone varieties (Lewis, 2015).
Preferred research method
This plan evaluates all the research methods that can be used in our research but uses the
most appropriate and effective method. Since we are determined to have the best conclusion for
our research, we are going to deal with big population samples for our research. This means that
for an effective research, considering time used to draw conclusions and the cost of the research,

Driscoll, 3
without forgetting the accuracy of the findings and the conclusion, we will need the research
method through which we get access to many responses from the respondents targeted by the
researchers in order to enhance the effectiveness and success of the research. The most
appropriate method of research in our case is the questionnaire method. This method includes
some set of questions designed by the researchers that will provide the researcher with the
information needed to derive into findings and from which conclusions will be drawn.
For some reason, others would consider one on one interview with the respondents, but
that depends on the required time frame of the research period, the availability of willing
respondents since conducting interviews will take their time which they might be challenging to
set time for interviews. On the other hand, questionnaires are more effective since the researcher
only needs to structure the questions that he intends to get responses to, in order to draw his
conclusions. Unlike interviews, questionnaires can be worked on by respondents from anywhere
at their own comfort at any particular time. In our case, we do not expect limited answers. This
means that the answers to specific questions may vary from different respondents and this means
that we have to choose the best type of questionnaire. In this case, the open-ended questionnaire
is preferred in order to explore individual reasons for the preferred brand of mobile phones used.
Preferred research type
There are two different research types. The qualitative and the quantitative research
techniques. We are basing our research on the value of the respondents’ idea in order to draw
conclusions for our research problem. This groups our research technique as qualitative and not
quantitative. Quantitative research involves the description of a social phenomenon in
mathematical or computational techniques while the qualitative research involves the in-depth

Driscoll, 4
research of the motives of human behaviour and so is our case (Taylor, 2015). This shows that
the best techniques are the one that intends to explain the motives of human behaviour as our
case requires (qualitative research) (Bryman, 2016).
Sample size and selection
Sample size and the selection of the sample size is all determined by the number of
responses required in order to draw conclusions to our research problem. In our case, we have to
be restrictive to the number of responses. Considering the techniques used for the research, we
need a relevant sample size that has just enough respondents to bring about a relevant
conclusion. Considering the two main techniques used in research, the qualitative may have an
unlimited number of respondents due to the difference in human behaviour while the quantitative
research methods are limited to a specific number of respondents in order to allow computational
of the results and the mathematical expressions of functions. Considering that in our case we are
using the qualitative method of research, we are going to have a relevant sample size in
accordance with the research problem and also to avoid high expenses. This is because at some
point we expect the respondents’ answers to be similar in a way.
In the selection of the sample size, we need a sample size that matches the requirements
of the research problem. This means that we need respondents who are able to secure mobile
phones on their own and apparently own at least one mobile phone. This will enable us to get the
accurate responses from the respondents that we have reached.

Driscoll, 5
The proposed method of analysis
In this case, we are going to consider all the methods of analyzing the qualitative research
but use the most appropriate. The most appropriate method of analysis in accordance with our
research problem is the social network analysis (Hopkins, 2017). This type of analysis examines
the different links individuals as a means of understanding the motives of their behaviour.
Literally, this will explain why people tend to have different preferences of mobile phones brand
while they serve the same purpose (Morse, 2015).
Proposed outcomes of the study
The conclusions drawn from this study will serve as an advisory case to people who need
to know what type of mobile phones to use. This means that the conclusions of the study will be
grouped in accordance with their relevance, their similarity, and their uniqueness in order to
provide the best recommendations to the intended parties. To the product development teams, the
conclusions may also be used to improve the effectiveness of some brands of phones that are not
trusted by the customers in order to create a sustainable competitive advantage in the market
(Huertas, 2016).

Driscoll, 6
References
Brannen, J., 2017. Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge.
Bryman, A., 2016. Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Divyaa, S.K..Y.N.a.D.S.K., 2016. Usability evaluation of mobile phones. Sustainable Global Development ,
pp.4063-67.
Hopkins, W.G., 2017. Estimating Sample Size for Magnitude-Based Inferences. Sportscience, p.21.
Huertas, A., 2016. Decision support system for feeding policy selection in production settings. Research
proposal., pp.112-19.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design. community promotion practice, pp.473-75.
Morse, J.M., 2015. Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative inquiry. Qualitative
health research, pp.1212-22.
Taylor, S.J..B.R.a.D.M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource..
John Wiley & Sons.