Project Assignment: Statistic and Business Research Methods (Essay Sample)

Statistic and Business Research Methods
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Statistic and Business Research Methods
Introduction
The use of mobile phones is rapidly increasing with recent reports recording an increase in the demand for smartphones. As Osman, Talib, Sanusi, Yen, and Alwi (2012) reveal seventy percent of the global population owns at least a single mobile phone. The author further asserts that children in America are likely to own a mobile phone than a book. This owes to the reality that 85 percent of children in America own a mobile phone while seventy-three percent of American children own a book. Critical to the discussion is the fact that the development of smartphones has resulted in an increase in the demand for such mobile phones. As evidenced, Kantar Worldpanel (2014) reveals that fifty-five percent of American mobile phone users own smartphones. Clearly, the subject of smartphone usage is attracting a lot of attention from scholars and practitioners. In support of this, scholars such as Nagarkoti (2009), Malviya, Saluja, and Thakur (2013) have made publications on the subject in question.
Evidently, the recent demand for smartphones is alarming and explains why many scholars are focusing on the subject of smartphones. Critical to the discussion is the fact that the demand and use of smartphones are high among teenagers and young adults. This owes to the reality that Arif and Aslam (2014) reveal that sixty-three percent of North American undergraduates prefer to use smartphones. It follows that understanding factors affecting consumer behavior in the smartphone industry would aid smartphone producers to customize their products based on the market demand. As a result, this paper examines the factors affecting the consumption of smartphones by university students. It is important to note that this paper does not provide the results of the study. Instead, it outlines a methodology that could be used to examine factors affecting the consumption of smartphones by university students. Consequently, the paper includes a literature review, a methodology, and the research process.
Literature Review
Evidently, previous scholars have examined factors affecting consumer behavior in the smartphone industry. For instance, Arif and Aslam (2014) used structural equation modeling to examine factors affecting student dependence on smartphones. Their results revealed that social influence, social need, and convenience significantly influence student dependence on smartphones. In a different study in Malaysia, Lay-Yee, Kok-siew, and Fah-yin (2013) reveal that brand convenience, price, and product design, do not have a significant effect on consumer behavior while student dependency on smartphones has a significant effect on consumer behavior. It is notable that Tunmibi, Aregbesola, and Asani (2015) also conducted a study on the factors influencing consumer behavior in the smartphone industry. Vital to the debate is the fact the study was a descriptive study that described the factors, but did not establish how the factors influence consumer behavior.
Malviya, Saluja, and Thakur (2013) also examined the factors influencing smartphone purchase among consumers in the smartphone industry. It is notable that distinct from other publications, Malviya, Saluja, and Thakur (2013) examined factors influencing consumer behavior after controlling for the brand as a confounding variable. Their results indicate that social influence and status symbol explain while some consumers prefer using Apple Smartphones. Analogously, price, durability, battery life, and operating system influenced how consumers purchase Samsung Smartphones, while operating system explains why some consumers prefer HTC smartphones. Evidently, existing publications on the subject in question explain factors influencing the purchase of smartphones among consumers. However, the publication from Lay-Yee, Kok-siew, and Fah-yin (2013) conflicts other publications. This implies that further studies should be conducted.
Research Questions and Hypotheses
In order to conduct the study, the researcher will rely on a set of research questions and hypothesis, which will offer directions on how to conduct the study. Specifically, the researcher will rely on the following research questions.
1 Does gender influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students?
2 Does dependency on smartphones influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students?
3 Does price influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students?
4 Does a smartphone brand act as a confounding variable on the factors that influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students?
Considering the set of research questions formulated by the researcher, the researcher will rely on the following hypotheses to make a conclusion on the research questions.
1 Gender does not influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students.
2 Dependency on smartphones does not influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students.
3 Price does not influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students.
4 Smartphone brand does not act as a confounding variable on the factors that influence how consumers purchase smartphones among university students.
Operational Definitions
An operational definition is an important aspect when conducting a study because it enables the researcher to measure variables used for the study. It follows that the researcher will measure gender as male and female. Additionally, the researcher will measure dependency using a Likert scale. Specifically, study participants will be required to rate the magnitude of how dependency on smartphones affects their decision to purchase smartphones (on a scale of 1 to 5). Explanations on the different ratings will be provided to help the study participants understand how to rate their level of dependence on smartphones. It is also important to note that price will be measured as a categorical variable because the study participants will be required to identify whether or not price influences their decision to purchase smartphones. Ultimately, the brand will be measured by categorizing the different types of smartphones available in the market. The types of brands used in the study will include Apple, Samsung, Sony, Lg, and Others.
Research Methodology
An experimental study design will be used to conduct the study with an aim of understanding the factors influencing consumer behavior in the smartphone industry. This owes to the reality that Ray (2012) argues that an experimental study design is appropriate when the researcher intends causal relationships between variables. It may be argued that an exploratory study design could be used for the study, but previous publications on the subject have already established useful methodologies for conducting the study. As a result, the researcher will emulate their methodologies to identify causes for the conflicting conclusions from the studies. It is important to note that the study will be using human subjects to respond to questionnaires implying that the researcher will only be faced with financial constraints while conducting the study. The researcher also acknowledges that the experiment could be hampered by human errors, implying the researcher will be keen to avoid errors.
Instrumentation and Sampling
As mentioned earlier, the researcher will use questionnaires to collect data from the study participants. It follows that the researcher will collect data from the university using an appropriate sample size. Considering that the institution has a population of two thousand students, the researcher will use a sample of three hundred and twenty-two students, which was calculated at a five percent level of confidence. The sample will be selected using simple random sampling with the aid of a sampling frame. Data collected from the field will be cleaned in Excel and analyzed using SPSS. Specifically, the researcher will use a T-test and an ANOVA test for to accept or reject the hypothesis. It is notable that the T-test will be used to reject or fail to reject the hypothesis of the first three research questions. Similarly, the ANOVA test will be used to reject or fail to reject the hypothesis of the last research question. Ultimately, it is crucial to note that all the tests will be conducted at a ninety-five percent level of significance
Research Process
After data cleaning and preparation is complete, the researcher will use the Cronbach alpha to examine whether the data collected can provide credible and reproducible conclusions. Further, the researcher will confirm that the data collected meet the required assumptions. Specifically, the researcher will ascertain that the data meets assumptions such as normality, homogeneity of variances, no significant outliers, a dependent response variable, and continuous or categorical independent variables. It is important to note that the dependent for both research questions will be the number of mobile phones while independent variables will be customized based on the type of test being conducted. For instance, the independent variable for the first research question will be gender; the independent variable for the second research question will be dependency on smartphones; while the independent variable for the third research question will be the price. Ultimately, the independent variable for the last research question will be the type of phone owned by the study participant. The results from the analysis will be interpreted and reported in a scholarly journal.
Expected Outcomes
Considering evidence from previous studies, it is expected that dependency on smartphones will be a significant predictor of consumer behavior in the smartphone industry. Thi...