Research Proposal: Factors Determining Customer Choice in Airlines

This research proposal investigates the factors that influence customer choices in the airline industry, with a specific focus on Singapore Airlines. The study begins with an introduction outlining the research's scope, followed by a brief literature review that examines existing research on customer sati...Read More

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: FACTORS DETERMINING CUSTOMER CHOICE
RESEARCH PROPOSAL: FACTORS DETERMINING CUSTOMER CHOICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Brief Literature Review...................................................................................................................2
Marketing research problem............................................................................................................3
Marketing Research question..........................................................................................................4
Research objectives.........................................................................................................................4
Types of research design.................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
The study is research proposal concerning the wider study of the factors that customers
use to determine their choices for airlines. Singapore Airlines is the selected organization for the
research proposal. The study will be focused towards providing an essential framework through
which the motivations of the customers for choosing Singapore airlines could be identified and
analyzed.
Brief Literature Review
The various literatures present concerning the marketing functions of Airline companies
focus on the factors that determine customer satisfaction. This is to determine the effectiveness
of the factors of customer satisfaction towards their motivation for choosing a particular airline
company. However, there are other factors as well which have been identified in some of the
present literatures on the subject. According to Jiang and Zhang (2016) the choices for airlines
among customers are affected by the in-flight services such as entertainment, experiences of the
customers during arrival or departure time, ticket prices and the service quality provided by the
crew. The study took into account the responses of frequent passengers in China through
surveys. Jeng (2016) focus on the role of brands in determining the motivational factors that
affect the choices of consumers concerning Airlines. Additionally, the theories like signaling
theory and relationship marketing can greatly work in favor of generating positive interests
among the customers. According to Wirtz and Heracleous (2016) Singapore Airlines service
quality provided by the Singapore Airlines through recruiting effective people through its HR
functions have contributed greatly to its success. Cost effective excellence in service has been
one of the decisive factors in motivating customers towards choosing Singapore Airlines. Added

to this is the significant marketing campaign that is undertaken by the airline company that has
established the airlines as a brand among the customer base. Some significant motivational
factors are loyalty incentives that airlines offer from time, east of booking flights and the overall
experiences of the customers from time to time (Law 2017). Motivational factors are affected by
the ways customers feel that they are treated from time to time. The literatures chosen mainly
point to the fact that more customer reach and interactions are required to enhance the
motivational factors that affect customer’s choices for Airlines.
Marketing research problem
The marketing research problem that can be identified in this case is the large number of
factors that can determine customer outlooks concerning the choice of Airlines. Airline
companies cater to a large number of passengers across the world with varied ethnic,
demographic and cultural backgrounds. These in turn affect their perspectives in regards to
choosing particular Airline brands. As the study will be in regards to the factors affecting
customer choices and motivation concerning Singapore airlines, many areas would need to be
considered. Singapore airlines caters to a multi-cultural customer base. The preferences, wants,
needs and customer service requirements of the customer base are dependent on the cultural
factors (Kuo et al. 2016). Hence, this can be a significant market research problem. Issues that
can affect the research are poor structure of the previous researches that have been conducted.
Another significant barrier to the research can be poorly constructed interview questionnaires.
Poor selection of literatures can affect the presentation of the research. More importantly lack of
effective questions for the interviews can cause the irrelevant and ineffective representation of
data. It is important to note that the research may suffer from many issues due to the factors that
can affect the research. The problems for market research can make the research lose its

relevance. The main problems that Airlines in today’s world face are customer dissatisfaction
leading to customer churn. This mainly happens as they fail to understand the factors that
actually affect the choices of the customers (Chen, Tu and Wang 2016). Finding the exact
motivational factors that govern the choices of the customers can help Singapore Airlines to form
strategies to retain their customers. Hence, the problem is important in the context of both the
company and the industry in general.
Marketing Research question
Some essential research questions are formed for the research. The research question are
formed keeping in mind the essential information that need to be gathered and presented for the
research. The questions are focused towards gaining better understanding of the subject matter.
The questions that would be focused in the research are:
 What are the factors that determine the airline choices of the customers?
 Which factors are the most significant determinants for customer choices in the Airlines
industry?
 What are the motivational factors that attracts the customers towards Singapore Airlines?
 What services offered by the Singapore Airlines can further motivate the customers?
 How can Singapore Airlines utilize the findings of the study towards enhancing customer
motivation towards choosing their Airlines?
 What are the challenges the company faces towards enhancing the motivational factors?

Research objectives
Some significant research objectives are to be considered for the research. These
objectives would determine the framework through which the research would progress. The
objectives would be formed in accordance with the significance they have in connection with the
intended findings of the study. The research objectives would be based on the various aspects
that need to be focused towards gathering effective implications. A primary research objective
would be to understand the various factors that influence the choices of customers concerning
Airlines. Secondly, an important objective is to find the exact factors that serve as essential
motivations for the customers in the Airlines Industry. Finding the position of Singapore Airlines
concerning the choices of customers would be another objective. The exact motivational factors
that guides customers to choose Singapore Airlines would be focused. Finding the challenges
that Singapore Airlines might face while providing these motivations to the customers would be
another significant focus of the research. How passengers are motivated and the exact factors
that guide their motivations to fly with specific airlines will remain the main objective of the
research on which the subsequent objectives would be based. The objectives have been formed
through the SMART framework. Meaning that the objectives have been judged right on the basis
of being Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.
Types of research design
The research methodology would incorporate both qualitative and quantitative research
for providing a strong solution to the identified problem. Based on the same the research design
that would be used would be descriptive. Hence, the research would focus on gathering
information from primary and secondary sources. Descriptive research design would also be
used to help the mixed design as the various factors that motivate the choices of the customers

would need to be found. The research topic would require data to be collected from various
sources. Hence, it will help to form significant ideas that would contribute towards the
effectiveness of the research.
The research paradigm becomes important as it would guide the purpose of the research
towards finding, gathering and analyzing the most effective research solutions. The paradigm
that would be used for the research would be descriptive. Descriptive research is focused towards
describing the various aspects of the subject that is being studied (Creswell and Poth 2017). In
this case, as mentioned previously the research would be based on multicultural Airline customer
base of Singapore Airlines. The various aspects of the customers would be described through this
research paradigm. The “what” of the subject would be given more preference through the
descriptive design. This means that the exact factors that lead to the motivation of the customers
towards choosing the Airlines services can be effectively found. The study will focus on
gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. These data gathered would be essentially
evaluated and analyzed accordingly through the use of this design.
The research type will take into account both quantitative and qualitative research. The
various literatures related to the Airline industry and Singapore Airlines would be utilized.
Moreover, 5 important people will be interviewed in order to understand their essential views on
the motivational factors for customers in the Airline industry. The interviewees would be
selected from Airline managers and regular knowledgeable customers. 10 interview questions
would be used to understand their views. Hence, the application of both the research types would
make the study more effective.

Conclusion
It can be said the research proposal is focused towards gathering implications that would
provide clear understanding of the study. The solution to the identified problems will be the main
focus of the greater research. The research is being conducted with the goal of understanding
customer behavior in the context of the Airlines industry. It becomes important that the various
factors that could limit the understanding of the research be considered are approached
accordingly. This will help in the better presentation of the research. The interviewees would be
judged in accordance with their ability to provide factual and relevant information. The Study
will focus on gathering the most significant implications.

References
Chen, F.Y., Tu, S.L. and Wang, H.E., 2016. Green market segmentation: A case of airline
customers in Taiwan. Journal of Sustainable Development, 9(1), pp.99-109.
Creswell, J.W. and Poth, C.N., 2017. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among
five approaches. Sage publications.
Fan, T.P.C. and Lingblad, M., 2016. Thinking through the meteoric rise of Middle-East carriers
from Singapore Airlines' vantage point. Journal of Air Transport Management, 54, pp.111-122.
Jeng, S.P., 2016. The influences of airline brand credibility on consumer purchase intentions.
Journal of Air Transport Management, 55, pp.1-8.
Jiang, H. and Zhang, Y., 2016. An investigation of service quality, customer satisfaction and
loyalty in China's airline market. Journal of air transport management, 57, pp.80-88.
Kuo, T.C., Kremer, G.E.O., Phuong, N.T. and Hsu, C.W., 2016. Motivations and barriers for
corporate social responsibility reporting: Evidence from the airline industry. Journal of Air
Transport Management, 57, pp.184-195.
Law, C. (2017). The study of customer relationship management in Thai airline industry: A case
of Thai travelers in Thailand. Journal of Airline and Airport Management, 7(1), 13-42.
Wirtz, J. and Heracleous, L., 2016. Singapore Airlines: Managing human resources for cost-
effective service excellence. In Services Marketing: People Technology Strategy (pp. 695-703).