PROPOSAL FOR PROJECT IN ECONOMICS-I

Project Topic: MARKET FOR CELLULAR PHONES

In investigating the cellular phone market locally, nationally as well as globally,

we intend to follow the roadmap specified below. The project time-frame has been
divided into week-long periods for ease of tracking and measurement of progress. We
have identified a deliverable for each milestone (end-of-week).

Project Roadmap:

WEEK 1:

• Product overview – Studying the product (cellular phones) from the point of
view of:
i. Consumer need fulfilled
ii. Different models and technologies involved
iii. Features in each variety
iv. Modes of usage
Deliverable: a product overview document covering the above aspects in
sufficient detail

• Market overview – Getting an overview of the cellular phone

market from the following points of view:
i. Major national and global market players – major players in the
local region will be identified by a survey to be conducted further
down the line
ii. Market segments
iii. Market structure globally and nationally – from trade data. Again,
the scenario in the local market will be identified after the results
from the market survey will be collated
Deliverable: a market overview document covering the above aspects in
sufficient detail

• Pricing – The following areas will be investigated:

i. Pricing strategy
ii. Indirect taxes and their impact on price
Deliverable: tables or comparative graphs or charts showing the components of
price, comparative prices between models and between vendors, taxes, etc.

• Technological aspects – The following technological aspects

with respect to cellular phones will be studied:
 i. Most prevalent technologies in the present scenario
ii. Technologies of the future
iii. Technology behind a few common and popular services
Deliverable: a technological overview document clearly depicting the above
aspects, with special emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each
technology

WEEK 2:

• Design of questionnaires for conducting market surveys of:

i. Consumers in Lucknow city
ii. Consumers in the IIM Lucknow campus
iii. Cellular phone dealers in Lucknow city
iv. Consumers in various parts of India (survey to be conducted by e-mail)
Deliverable: A sample questionnaire for conducting a pilot study, covering
aspects like product choices, level of sophistication of consumer, etc.

• Fixing a sample for testing the questionnaires in the campus.

• Carrying out a pilot study with the identified and making necessary changes in
the questionnaires
Deliverable: results of pilot study and updated questionnaires

WEEK 3:

• Carrying Out the Survey

• City Survey: Will be targeting the cell phone user population, by going to
malls, cinema halls, and popular joints in Hazratganj. Expected sample size
~100.
• In IIM Lucknow campus: Will give questionnaires to the IIML community
Expected sample size ~100.
• Cellular phone dealers in Lucknow city: Will be visiting at least five different
dealers, get their viewpoints, and market information, buyer preferences etc.
This is to get a feel of the market.
• Email survey across India: A soft copy of the questionnaires will be mailed to
acquaintances. This will result in a varied mix of respondents, and will bring
in national level data. Expected sample size ~100
Deliverable: Completed questionnaires received.

WEEK 4:

• Working with Survey Results

• Collation.
• Analysis.
 • Extracting relevant details.

Deliverable: Information gathered from survey.

WEEK 5:

• Writing complete project report.

• Assimilate all data and information collected over the last four weeks.
• Prepare project report in Microsoft word.
• Prepare for presentation on findings.

Deliverable: Project report.

Sources of data:

For getting a local perspective on the market for cellular phones, we will rely on
the subjects of various legs of the survey for data. These subjects include:

i. Consumers in Lucknow city

ii. Consumers in the IIM Lucknow campus
iii. Cellular phone dealers in Lucknow city
iv. Consumers in various parts of India (survey to be conducted by e-mail)

For getting a national and global perspective on the market, we will consider the
following sources of data:

i. Websites of various cellular phone vendors/dealers

ii. Websites of cellular phone industry watchers for an analysis of the market
iii. Recent financial newspapers for industry news
iv. Periodicals and magazines for trade data