Evaluating Apple Brand's Impact on Consumer Decision-Making Process

This research project investigates the impact of the Apple brand name on consumer decision-making processes, focusing on the role of digital technology in the workplace. The project aims to evaluate how the brand name affects consumer choices and to determine the effectiveness of digital technology in enhancing business operations, including customer satisfaction and employee productivity. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining literature review, a questionnaire-based survey of Apple employees, and data analysis to assess the relationship between branding, technology, and consumer behavior. The findings reveal insights into how digital tools influence customer buying decisions, the effectiveness of current technologies used by Apple, and the overall impact of the brand on consumer choices. The research concludes with recommendations for improving operational activities and leveraging digital technology to enhance brand perception and consumer engagement. The report includes a detailed introduction, literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusions, providing a comprehensive overview of the research conducted.

RESEARCH PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART-1............................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................1
Title.........................................................................................................................................1
Aim.........................................................................................................................................1
Objectives...............................................................................................................................1
Research Questions................................................................................................................1
Reason for choosing this research project..............................................................................1
Literature Review...................................................................................................................2
Research methodology...........................................................................................................3
Timeline of research activities................................................................................................4
PART-2............................................................................................................................................5
Planning and designing data collection tools.........................................................................5
Questionnaire method.............................................................................................................1
Evidences using frequency distribution tables.......................................................................2
Analysing the findings............................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

PART-1
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this research is to increase effectiveness of brand name which has an impact
on customers’ decision making with the help of using digital technology at workplace. The firm
is able to enhance their profitability and production with the support of workers. Understanding
of customers’ requirements is important for business to achieve desired goals and objectives
which is described in this project. The firm aim at evaluating and determining usefulness of
digital technology at workplace. Aim and objectives are formed to conduct this research in
systematic way and also to achieve them with the help of digital technology. The project will
also evaluate impact of digital technology on customers’, employees’ and operational activities
of Apple.
Title
The impact of brand name on consumer decision making process; APPLE brand”
Aim
To evaluate and determine the impact of digital technology on brand name and consumer
decision making process.
Objectives
To examine organisation activities at Apple.
To evaluate the digital technology used by Apple.
To determine impact of brand name on customer decision making.
To recommend ways to improve and develop business operational activities at Apple.
Research Questions
What are the major business operational activities managed and controlled by Apple?
What are the technologies used at Apple.?
What is the impact of digital technology on business operational activities of Apple?
Reason for choosing this research project
I have personal interest to conduct this research in this area. It can be said that there are
various types of plans and strategies applied by the firm in order to improve their brand image in
the market so that they can attract number of customers in effective manner. This will also help
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organisation to improve its production and profitability (Epstein, 2018). In this way, the research
will help me to improve my understanding. Further, I am also willing to develop my career and
knowledge towards technology in order to determine the implication of digital technology and
strategies used by business to attract customers and improve operational activities.
Literature Review
Literature review is one of the most important aspects that it helps to evaluate and
determine different types of research carried out by the researchers. It is crucial to improve
indepth knowledge and skills about the research topic which is to evaluate the impact of Apple
brand name on consumer decision making process.
According to Huang and Sarigöllü, (2014), there are various activities carried by Apple
business in order to manage their customers in the market. This includes proper and appropriate
services to customers, time to time services, IOS, better facilities and many more. Different
people have various preferences that the firm should understand their requirements in order to
deliver products and services accordingly and effectively. Various departments such as workers,
management, production etc. All work for common goals of achieving desired goals and
objectives of business effectively.
Branding plays an essential role in order to attract customers’ attention in order to
enhance production and profitability. Brand has a direct impact on customer’s mind and also
have power to change their perceptions. The more effective branding will have positive impact
on customers and this will help to attract them towards brand. Branding involves promotion
through advertising of products and services.
Every brand differs in terms of symbol, name, trade mark, logo, design and packaging.
Brand is also a weapon which protect products and services that are similar to others or
competitors who produce similar products. Brand name also provides a number of information
and also values customers in terms of its actual meaning. Brand also represents perception of a
customer about the importance and performance of a product or service in the market.
Simonson, (2016) stated that in this modern world, there are so many changes and
development has been taken place regarding the digital technology. The firm requires
determining all the benefits with the effective use of digital technology. It is evaluated that there
are some certain issues related to digital technology which make the process of implementation
difficult.
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One of the major issues that the cost will incurred in relation to planning. Further, it can
be said that there are some certain set of skills possessed by employees within firm according to
their capabilities. Proper training and development program is important for employees when the
new and undated technology is implemented within firm in order to develop their knowledge and
skills effectively. In addition to this, digital technology also helps to improve operational
activities by making work easier for workers which also reduce the waste of time.
There are business activities that help to make changes that are important for business in
order to deliver high quality services to consumers in the market. Improvements evaluated by
organisation help to determine requirements and demands of customers that help to deliver
products and services accordingly and effectively (Rezaei, 2015). In addition to this, it is
determined that all workers are not same and some takes time to adopt certain changes within
firm and an effective communication or health interaction is required by the management in
order to make them adjust towards changes efficiently.
Research methodology
In order to conduct the research, it is crucial for the management that all approaches,
methods and techniques should be considered in a systematic way in order to make research
effective towards aim and objectives.
There are different types of research methodologies that are described below:
Research philosophy: Research philosophy helps to determine proper and appropriate
resources from which important information can be collected easily and effectively. Positivism
and interpretivism are two approaches used by researchers in order to gather information
(Sasmita and Mohd Suki, 2015). In this research, the researcher will use an effective
combination of both approaches such as interpretivism and positivism. This will provide a
significant way to focus on business aim and objectives.
Research design: Research design is also a systematic way from which the research is
conducted properly and appropriately. There are three types of research design such as
exploratory, descriptive and experimental. For this research, researcher will make use of
descriptive research that helps to evaluate and determine various theories related to the topic to
identify impact of Apple brand name on consumer’s decision making.
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Research approach: Inductive and deductive are two research approaches that help
researcher to develop good understanding of topic effectively. Inductive research approach
focuses on developing theory or aim from which the information and data is gathered or
collected. Apart from this, deductive research approach aim to test the theory related with the
topic of research. In this research, inductive approach is used by researcher.
Data collection: Data collection is a method from which the data is collected regarding
research topic. Primary and secondary are the two methods of gathering data and both are useful
for the researcher to conduct research on impact of digital technology on business to assess effect
of brand name on customer decision making (Xie and Lee, 2015). Primary data will be collected
with the process of questionnaire from 20 employees and secondary data with the help of books,
online websites and journals etc.
Data analysis: A proper analysis of information is important for researcher in order to
produce effective outcomes to present this sort of information in the form of graphs, tables etc,
this will be done by applying thematic that it helps to present information in systematic and
effective manner.
Timeline of research activities
Activity 1th
Week
2nd
Week
3rd
Week
4th
Week
5th
Week
6th
Week
7th
Week
8th
Week
9th
Week
10th
Week
Find
research
Topic
Literatu
re
Review
Drafting
of
methodo
logy
4

Finish
Proposal
Design
question
and pilot
research
Carry
out &
Record
Researc
h
Data
Analysis
and
Making
Graphs
Discussi
on and
Conclusi
on
Final
Report
Editing
&
Complet
ion
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PART-2
Planning and designing data collection tools
The present research is conducted to evaluate the impact of Apple on customer decision
making and the following research methods have been used:
Research philosophy: Research philosophy comprises of beliefs regarding gathering and
analysing data. It is also associated with nature and sources of knowledge. It is the first topic
clarified in research methodology and also placed at the outermost layer. There are four types of
research philosophy such as positivism, pragmatism, interpretivism and realism. An effective
combination of interpretivism and positivism is used by the researcher for the present case study.
The main reason behind this is to help in enhancing factual information with the help of
observation (Schivinski and Dabrowski, 2015). The role of researcher also limited with
positivism philosophy to collect and interpret data. The philosophy helps researcher to
concentrate on facts. This will also help to determine impact of digital technology in Apple from
which the brand has an effect on customer decision making. In addition to this, interpretivism
philosophy is adopted that it will help to assist interpretation of different elements of the study.
Research approach: Research approach helps to encompass plans and strategies that helps to
carry research. Deductive and inductive two approaches are taken for this case study. Deductive
approach will help researcher to take ways from general to specific. This is the reason deductive
approach is known as top down approach. In addition to this, inductive approach is also used for
the present case study that it will help to make specific observation about the ways digital
technology has changed brand image and customer decision power. Specific observations will
help to detect regularities and patterns.
Research design: Specific information regarding strategy which is adopted for coherent and
logical integration of various components by the researcher to evaluate present case study. There
are different types of research design such as exploratory, descriptive, explanatory and namely.
Descriptive research design is used by researcher for the current case study as it helps to focus on
depicting participants effectively. The characteristics of phenomenon are also conducted by this
research (Ho, Hogan and Scott Morton, 2017). Three methods are provided by description
research design such as observation, case study and survey in order to conduct research. The
design also helps to adopt suitable easy methods in order to study the implication of digital
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technology on organisation operational activities. The aim of the study to determine impact of
brand name (Apple) on consumer decision making is also attained by survey method. The design
will provide better understandings of digital technologies' implication used in Apple.
Data collection: Data collection method is concerned with using quality and effective methods
in order to collect information that helps to accomplish aim of the study. Primary and secondary
are the two data collection method that helps to collect information. Primary and secondary both
methods are used by researcher to gather and collect data that both are useful to conduct research
on impact of digital technology on business to assess effect of brand name on customer decision
making. Primary data is collected with focus groups, interviews, observations and surveys etc.
for the present study, the information and data is collected with the help of survey questionnaire
method (Fatema, Azad and Masum, 2015). It is collected from the workers of business.
Secondary information is already presented in previous researches and for the present case study
the secondary data is collected from books, online websites, blogs, business records, online
articles and journals.
Sampling: Probabilistic and non-probabilistic are two techniques of sampling. Probabilistic
sampling technique is used for the present case study as it helps to deliver equal chances to every
member of population who are involved in the case study. For this, 20 workers of Apple are
selected effectively by using simple random sampling technique.
Data analysis: Data analysis techniques include cleaning, coding and transforming data in order
to make conclusion. There are two methods of data analysis such as quantitative and qualitative.
Qualitative analysis will help to interpret information and situation provided by employees and
people. It also helps to deliver insights of a specific phenomenon. In addition to this, quantitative
data analysis include the use of quantitative techniques and statistical tools to analyse the
information presented for the case study (Lerrthaitrakul and Panjakajornsak, 2014). Qualitative
analysis has been used by researcher for the present case study in which thematic technique is
used to analyse data effectively. The technique will help to examine and record patterns in
collecting information and data. Themes are formulated on the basis of identified patterns which
helps towards describing phenomenon effectively.
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Ethical issues: There are some ethical issues that are considered by researcher while carrying
out the case study such as:
Informed consent: Prior permission from the employees who are participating by
informing them about the case study was one of the ethical considerations that was carried out by
researcher effectively. Non- compliance with the same could have led to ethical problems. The
employees who participated were also informed about the case study purpose and informed
consent was obtained.
Confidentiality: The confidentiality of information and data was also an ethical issue
provided by the participants effectively. It was essential that anonymity of participants is
managed. The researcher provides and believes employees that their personal information and
identity would be secured by them (Iglesias, Ind and Alfaro, 2017). The information provided by
them was also like an assurance that it will be confidential. Proper storage of data is adopted by
researcher and also unauthorized access to information was checked properly.
Cost considerations
It is analysed that the study requires research in different sectors and areas due to which
the cost of research may be incurred. This includes analysing primary and secondary data; this
data collection includes various sources as well debate. The financial resources are limited and
minimising the cost of research is an issue that must be addressed by researcher. Research
assistant is also not appointed due to the lack of financial availability as different procedures
were carried out by researcher himself.
Access issues
The researcher also faced some access issues while collecting information using primary
and secondary data collection method. Issue of gaining access to participants was an issue
conducted by researcher in primary data collection method which was resolved by taking
business management permission. There were also some restrictions faced by researcher to
collect data from online websites, journals and articles. This was resolved by obtaining access of
full article.
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Questionnaire method
1. Does Apple make effective use of new and updated technology in business operations?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
2. Do you think that effective use of technology is beneficial for Apple to improve customer
buying decision?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
3. Is the existing technology used within Apple is effective?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
4. Do you think brand name have any impact on customer’s decision power?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
5. Is digital technology helpful towards developing organisation activities?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
6. Are workers provided with Training and Development program for new or updated technology
uses?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
7. Do you think that better, effective and quality services are provided to consumers with the
help of digital technology?
 Yes
 No
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 Not sure
8. What are the benefits that you think business receives with the use of digital technology?
 Reduce wastages
 Improves customer satisfaction level
 Deliver quality services
 Improves consumer decision power to purchase products
Evidences using frequency distribution tables
Does Apple make effective use of new and updated technology in
business operations?
Frequency
Yes 12
No 6
Not Sure 2
Do you think that effective use of technology is beneficial for Apple to
improve customer buying decision?
Frequency
Yes 16
No 2
2
12
6
2
Yes
No
Not Sure