Research Design Tools for Solar-Powered Cars

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION
FACULTY OR DEPARTMENT
COURSE ID & NAME
TITLE:
RESEARCH DESIGN TOOLS
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT ID NUMBER
DATE OF SUBMISSION

RESEARCH DESIGN TOOLS
The research aims at finding an environment conservative alternative to the internal
combustion engine vehicles. The solar-powered cars are vehicles that use renewable energy
which does not destroy the climate and environment (Hewson, Laurent, Nigel , Lee, & Blank,
2011). The Elexo company is also planning on the marketing strategy and plans on conducting
case studies and surveys from sample to find out whether the drivers would be willing to move
from ICE to the solar-powered cars. Some research design tools have been proposed such as
questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and study of previous materials. The research design tools
aim at aiding the researcher collect data from relevant samples, in the most cost-effective way,
and using very convenient means. The information will assist in the design of a marketing
strategy. Depending on the kind of data that needs to be collected, there are different tools such
as the questionnaires, the interviews, schedules, observation techniques, and rating scales (HE
Academy, 2008).
Defining a Sample
According to statistics, Auckland has about 1.5 million people. According to the statistics
on the number of cars by the year 2016, 830,000 cars were recorded to be ICE. As a researcher,
one needs to get a representation of the entire population which would be too expensive to gather
information from, and it would be tedious and time-consuming to compile all the data. A random
sample is obtained from the large population (Schwandt, 2007). The research design uses online
and hand out questionnaires. The example is targeted even on online platforms to reach person
located far from the researcher’s location. The sample ought to fit a 95 percent confidence level
and should have minimal errors.
Design of Questionnaires
A questionnaire is a research design tool that provides a systematic collection of
questions that are used to gather the required information. The surveys are usually distributed to
the sample. In this case study, the proposed sample size is 100. It captures the necessary
information required, should have a level of anonymity to allow the respondents to provide
accurate responses. When designing the questionnaire, it is essential to have a well-organized
inquiry that presents the questions in order of complexity. The survey ought to be easy for the
1