RESEARCH APPLICATIONS IN GLOBAL BUSINESS

(RAGB)

ASSIGNMENT:

Business Research Proposal for NOKIA

SUBMITTED TO:

STEPHEN HUMPHREY

SUBMITTED BY:

SYED ALI SULTAN

pg. 1

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 3
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT ............................................................................. 3
2.1. QUESTION ......................................................................................... 3
3. STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL RATIONALE ................................... 4
4. BUSINESS QUESTION & SUB QUESTION .............................................. 5
4.1. HYPOTHESIS ..................................................................................... 5
4.2. VARIBLES ......................................................................................... 6
4.2. CONSTRUCT DIAGRAM ................................................................ 6
5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE ............................................................................ 6
6. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 7
7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................... 9
7.1. TARGET POPULATION & SAMPLE SIZE ..................................... 9
8. RESEARCH TECHNIQUE .......................................................................... 9
9. DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 10
9.1. CODING ............................................................................................ 10
9.2. TECHNIQUE ................................................................................... 10
10. BARRIERS ................................................................................................... 10
11. TIMELINE .................................................................................................... 11
REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 12

pg. 2

1. INTRODUCTION
NOKIA, one of the top brands of telecommunication handset manufacturers, is
a Finnish Multinational corporation. Its headquarter is in Espoo, Finland with
operations all over the world. Nokia is considered to be leading supplier of cell
phones and relating customer services. Nokia was the biggest phone maker
company till early 21st century. It produced its one billionth handset as a whole
in year 2005. It was the era when it captured the whole Asian and African
market. There occurred a dip in the sales of company but the recent
collaboration with Microsoft in hope for the growth and development of
company is vital.

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
PROBLEMS

ISSUES

QUESTIONS

The company is not been Nokia is sticking to the What factors involve
able
to
keep
its idea of introducing new Nokia
losing
its
customers.
platform/software
customers?

Nokia is finding hard to Less

keep its identity
Developers

Application What factors involve

Nokia losing its worth?

2.1. QUESTION
The Problem Question focused in this research proposal is about losing
customers because the main problem company is facing today is not been able
to maintain the number of consumers. A consumer of this age needs such an
advanced platform in their handsets which contain loads of life easing options
and applications. But the company is not satisfying new evolving and emerging
needs of consumers and its continuously failing to do so.

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3. STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL RATIONALE

3.1. STRATEGIC
3.1.1. REPUTATION:
This study will help to build the reputation of company to the level it once had
during the late 20th century.
3.1.2. GROWTH:
The proposal will result into the increase of demand and sales of the company.
3.1.3. COMPETTITVE ADVANTAGE:
Many customers are loyal to the Nokia and still buy Nokia handsets because of
its key features. The company must retain them to maintain a competitive
advantage. And this study will enable Nokia to do what is required.
3.1.4. AFFORDABLE PRICES:
Nokia should make such mobile phones that are within the reach of the
consumers. This research will give an insight of the budget of consumer and
why cost effective phones are required.
3.1.5. FINANCE:
With this proposal the company will be able to make increase its profit by
increasing its handsets consumer numbers.

3.2. OPERATIONAL
3.2.1. CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS:
This study will enable Nokia to determine what modern age consumers want
from their handsets.
3.2.2. INVESTMENT:
The proposal will help Nokia to decide on what areas it needs to make
investments and how it will prove to be beneficial to the company.
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3.2.3. SKILLED EMPLOYEES:

This research will enable Nokia to hire such employees that are good in
application developing techniques and can make the platform easy for the
consumers.
3.2.4. MARKET AREAS:
The study will let the Nokia know different demands of various areas around
the world. Company will then be able to decide which phones to be sent where
according to the consumer needs.

4. QUESTION AND SUB-QUESTION

What factors involve Nokia losing its customers?

4.1. HYPOTHESIS
H1: New software is negatively affecting company sales.
H2: Number of Applications increase company sales.
H3: Inflexible Customers Attitude negatively impact company sales.
H4: New mobile phone software negatively affects cell phone selection.
H5: Rigid Customer attitude negatively affects the choice of mobile phone.
H6: Mobile Applications has direct relationship with switching mobile phones.
H7: Demand of mobile phones increases sales of company.
H8: Different mobile phone users negatively affect people mind set to choose
new platform.
H9: Sales positively affects Growth of company

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4.2. VARIABLES
Variables, in our case, are the factors on which the growth of the NOKIA
depends upon. Variables are determined with the help of hypothesis and formed
a diagram showing the relationship between the variables. This relationship
between variables can be shown in the construct diagram.

4.3. CONSTRUCT DIAGRAM

H1

NEW
SOFTWARE

OTHER PLATFORM
USERS

H4
CELL
PHONES

H5

H3
CUSTOMER
ATTITUDE

DEMAND

H7
7

H8
GROWTH

SALES

H9
H6

MOBILE
APPLICATION
S

H2

5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The research objectives of the Proposed Study are:
Identify and analyse the modern age consumer needs.
Improvement in the platform to make it user friendly
Efficient training of Employees and application developers.

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6. LITERATURE REVIEW
Huselid, Becker and Beatty (2005) in their recent research paper found that
Human resource management provides a way to realize the objective goals and
strategies of a firm. This idea has been taken further by Egri and Hornal (2002)
that policies and strategies made by HRM help to develop behaviour of
employees to achieve sustainability goals in firm. HRM can bring the best out
of any firm by enhancing the social and financial state of company and then it
can focus more on the goals. Every company has its own goals and
sustainability policies. For example, mining company may want to focus on the
safety of its employees more but on the other hand a firm having more foreign
workers may want to facilitate its more employees because of absence of their
families. Taylor, Osland and Egri (2012) expressed that making good HRM
policies is the first and foremost step in understanding and managing goals. Any
company can progress if its HRM department is on right track. For the higher
performance of this department, training is a key element. This view has been
supported by Gregory John Lee (2012). Training must be done in a firm to
maintain high quality performance of the employees. Guest (1997) and Huang
(2001) have both shown that Training of employees will result in the
improvement of not only their individual skills but also enable the firm to be
good in other practices like team work. If there is more number of
environmentally trained workers in any firm then it is more likely the chance
that company will grow and adapt easily to new requirements (Zilahy, 2004).
Innovation is another key element in the companys growth and smooth
operations. Recent research (Prajogo and Ahmed, 2006) suggests that success in
innovation can only be possible if the firm has technology and is capable of
managing the change in technology. Dobni (2006) agrees with this suggestion
by explaining that companies need to be proactive and quick to adapt changes if
they want to apply innovative ideas. Firms must provide suitable environment to
employees to develop innovative ideas. A similar view is held by Yami and LeRoy (2007) and they took it further by adding on that firms should listen to
ideas generated workers and thus provide them a friendly environment. Silvia
Cantarello, Roberto Filippini and Anna Nosella (2012), however, suggest that
firm cannot be innovative only by bringing new innovative ideas. In fact, it
needs to improve customer satisfaction and provide better services to its
customers.
Alex, K. Michele and Carl P. (2003) explained that customer service in any
organization is a behaviour which depends on three important parts:
pg. 7

management team, employees and customers. An alternative view is that

customer service is basically a way by which organization focus on meeting the
requirements and future expectations of costumers (Schneider, et al., 1998). The
latter view is supported by Hennig-Thurau (2004, p.462). He stated that services
provided to customers by the company can be determined by the behaviour of
its employees with them. Customer service and customer satisfaction are
interlinked with each other and there is strong connection between them (Rust
and Zahorik, 1991). Customer relationship marketing is a field that deals with
how to provide best service in order to satisfy customers. The definition of
Customer Relationship Marketing by Grnroos (1994, p.355) is that it is the
phenomenon that attracts, sustain and build relationships with the consumers
and various associates. This Customer relationship marketing is important
because of the communication between firm and customers which in result
build strong and long term relation between them and increase the profit margin
of any firm. Grnroos (2000) holds a view that a strong relationship takes place
when there is compatibility between organization and customer. And an
organization can flourish if majority of its customers are relationship oriented.
Thus there is no doubt in saying that customer relationship marketing can make,
maintain and break relationship with customers when required (Rashid, 2003).
Recent research (Hashim N.Tareq, 2012) described dimensions of Relationship
marketing as: Trust, Commitment, Social Bonding and Communication.
Moreover, customers like to deal with such organizations which think in the
same manner and whose image match with that of the customers (Schiffmann
and Kanuk, 1997). And according to Kotler and Keller (2006) this behaviour is
described as the way customer recognizes the company and its products. It has
been stated that the firm should adopt offline as well as online techniques for
building strong customer relationships depending upon the product and targeted
customers (Lianga, Chenb, 2008). So, all researchers are in favour of the
argument that strong relationships between consumer and firm will improve
customer loyalty towards certain product which results in the increase in the
profit (Liang & Wang, 2006; Abdul-Muhmin, 2005).
Operation management is a field that incorporates many constituents like supply
chain, process designing and project management etc. Chase, et al. (2006)
describes the operation management as the method by which design and
operations of any firm can make and deliver products and services. Recent
researches proved that outsourcing is also vital for management decisions of the
firms. Daniel Arias-Arandaa, Oscar F. Bustinzab and Vanesa Barrales (2011)
pg. 8

proposed outsourcing as a technique in which some core activities of the

organization are carried out outside of the local boundary in order to modify
strategies and minimize the cost. Outsourcing should be included in the decision
making for the operation management strategies of firms (Miles and Snow,
2001).

7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
According to philosophical study, this research is considered as positivism and
the research technique should be quantitative with inferential statistics as data
analysis technique. Quantitative method is better suited as it can provide more
data for the measurement of result based on peoples mind set.

7.1. Target Population and Sample Size

According to Rugimbana (2007), students are considered a top priority for this
kind of study because of their maximum adaptability towards innovation in
mobile field. Thus, target population will be students of university of
technology. Students of that age group are maximum users of technology for
entertainment and educational facilities (Choi, Hwang & McMillan, 2008).
The sampling method used in this study is purposive method. Recent research
of Churchill & Iacobucci in 2002 stated that in this method, sample target is
assumed to assist in the research. 400 students will serve the purpose of this
research. As this sample size is considered appropriate with researches done
earlier that was based on the idea of cell phone usage among students
(Abdelkarim & Nasereddin, 2010).

8. RESEARCH TECHNIQUE
The research technique that will be used in this research is questionnaire with an
open box at the end. This will be distributed to 400 students of the chosen
university. Strength and reliability will be calculated of the questionnaire design
so that it will serve the exact purpose of research theme.
Structured interviews are the way of collecting data but it limits the researcher
to certain questions. He cannot divert from a set pattern in order to get more out
pg. 9

of the interview. Furthermore, the structured interviews cannot conclude

sufficient results because no consumers will be willing to take part in such long
interviews for assessment.

9. DATA ANALYSIS
9.1. CODING
Coding is a technique in which data is transformed in a language that can be
easily understood by the computing software.
The choices in the questionnaire will be given different codes so that it becomes
easier for statistical analysis. This is done in order to get the best results out of
the quantitative analysis. The open box will be post coded according to the
response and remaining designed set questions will be pre coded in order to
assess the response.

9.2. TECHNIQUE
The type of data we obtain will be ordinal because of the questionnaire options.
If the data is parametric we will analyse with the data with the Pearsons
correlation and if the data is non-parametric we will use Spearmans rank
correlation co-efficient to find the closeness between variables.
Afterwards, Regression analysis technique will be used to determine actual
time usage of mobile phone by consumers assuming the linear straight line
association. These results will then be analysed by the SPSS software for
getting accurate results.

10.

BARRIERS

10.1. SUFFICIENT DATA

Receiving correct amount of questionnaires from the participants is very crucial
for the research. Research cannot be done if there is not appropriate amount of
data because for the analysis of quantitative data there ought to be certain level
of data. Otherwise, it results would not be reliable.
pg. 10

10.2. FINANCIAL STATUS

Well-being of the person who is participating in the research is very vital. It will
affect the decision of the person and in result will have a major effect on the
results of research.

10.3. OPINION OF RESEARCHER

There is a valid risk that opinion of research might disturb the analysis of data
in the research. So the researcher must not be biased towards certain
technology.

10.4. QUESTIONNAIRE FILLING

There is risk that some participants will not be willing to take part in the survey
or some will not give honest responses while filling the questionnaires. So it
will disturb the result of statistical analysis of data in the research.

11.

TIMELINE
1-Aug 11-Aug21-Aug31-Aug10-Sep 20-Sep30-Sep 10-Oct 20-Oct 30-Oct 9-Nov
Questionnaire design
Pre-trial
Select the assesors
Select participants

Questionnaire distribution way

Time, date , place
Conduct survey
Data analysis
Results and conclusion

pg. 11

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