The Methodology Segment
The methodology segment provides the blueprint of how the data collection and the analysis will be done in the study. The section in this dissertation is based on Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2012)'s methodology onion. The onion approach provides a chronological overview of how the research is designed while justifying why one specific methodological choice is used as opposed to the existing alternatives. Additional sub-sections added include an overview of the data collections and analysis along with the ethical deliberations used in the study.
Philosophy
The research philosophy used in a study is quite important because it shapes the research design by influencing how the investigator understands a research question. There are different philosophies that an investigator can adopt. One is a positivism philosophy. A positivism philosophy refers to a philosophy where the investigator is only concerned with simply predicting and observing outcomes in the same way as a laboratory scientist. The approach is predominantly scientific (Saunders & Tosey, 2012, p. 58). Another philosophical position is a realism position where the researcher views reality as a concept that is separate from the mind. What the researcher perceives with his or her senses is reality shaping his or her world views.
Alternatively, a researcher can adopt an interprevism philosophy that assumes that there are law-like generalisations that are provided by the subjective meanings in different things. The approach relies greatly on the researcher taking an empathetic stance to understand the subject of the investigation. Finally, a pragmatic approach assumes that the findings provide practical consequence even though no single viewpoint can provide a holistic picture of the study (Saunders & Tosey, 2012, p. 58). In this study, the philosophical position is pragmatic. The research assesses the extent to which product placement affects customer's decision on the Chinese mobile market. The main pragmatic principle that the researcher maintains is that the research design needs to be credible and the data collected reliable enough to provide legitimate results.
Methodological choice
The methodology that will be used in the research is important. The methodological choice influences the data collection strategies that can be used. There are three methodologies that a researcher can use. The first is a quantitative methodology that can be defined as the gathering and examination of numerical data. The data can be fulling numerical, or it can be character based. Character-based data can be converted to numerical data after coding. The benefit of quantitative data is that it is easy to analyse by use of statistical software (O'Dwyer & Bernauer, 2013, p. 77). Additionally, the collection is easy, and the findings are straightforward. The biggest challenge is the need for a large sample to meet parametric requirements.
The alternative methodology is a qualitative methodology. This is essentially a methodology where the data gathered and analysed is non-numerical. The data may be conversations with people, observations of a phenomenon or non-numerical responses from the sample. The benefit is that is can be used to provide a better understanding of the subject matter when compared with quantitative methods. The respondents are not constrained by the information they provide (O'Dwyer & Bernauer, 2013, p. 75). The detriment is that the data collection process is more time consuming than the quantitative alternative. The examination of the data also takes considerably more time.
The third methodological choice is an amalgamation of qualitative and quantitative methods to create mixed methods. Mixed methods involve the collection of both numerical and non-numerical methods. The methodology was designed by scientists who wanted to collect information without the limitations of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The main detriment of this kind of research is that mixed methods do not have a viable method of ascertaining the reliability and validity. As a result, there is a large portion of the academic community that still does not consider mixed methods as a legitimate research method. In the study, the approach chosen is a quantitative approach (O'Dwyer & Bernauer, 2013, p. 89). The information being collected can be collected directly as numerical data, or it can be coded into numerical data during the analysis. As a result, the main consideration is ensuring that the parametric requirements are achieved within the existing limitations of cost since this is an academic study. The use of quantitative research will allow the use of statistical software in aiding data collection.
Research approach
After selecting the methodology and the research philosophy, the investigation should have a specific approach that should be used. One way of looking at whether the research will be deductive or inductive. When a research study uses a top-down approach, it is referred to as a deductive study. A top-down approach means that the study starts from a hypothesis or theory. The aim of such a study, in this case, is determining whether quantitative evidence from the market can support the research questions (Woodwell, 2013, p. 48). On the other hand, inductive research uses a bottom-up approach. Instead of starting with a theory or hypothesis, the inductive approach starts with an investigation and ends by creating a tentative hypothesis. The tentative hypothesis can be used to create a new theory or model to explain the phenomenon. Inductive research is quite rare because it requires the tentative hypothesis to be scrutinised by peers in the field before it is accepted. The research will be based on deductive research. The researcher aims to simply determine whether the research question is correct when it comes to product placement and Chinese consumers making their decision on the brand to purchase.
Research strategy
Before selecting the research strategy that will be used, it is important to ascertain whether the study will rely on primary or secondary approaches to data collections. Primary data refers to data that has been collected for the sole purpose of the study. The primary approach is suitable for studies in new areas or studies where changes can cause different responses in the population. The alternative is a secondary study. Instead of relying on novel information, a secondary study relies on data gathered by other researchers in the past. The benefit is that there is no difficulty in the collection because the data is readily available. However, it is very difficult for the data collected in one investigation to adequately provide the required findings in another. As a result, the proposed study uses a primary approach to data collection (Yin, 2015, p. 92). The approach increases the cost, and the time used in conducting the study; however, the data collected will be suitable for analysing research questions presented by the researcher. It will be able to provide information on the topic in question accurately.
Since the methodology choice is quantitative, the most effective strategies are action research and survey. In this case, the survey approach is the most appropriate. A survey is essentially the collection of data from a subsection of the population, known as a sample. The main considerations when it comes to the selection of the survey is that the parametric requirements are met (Yin, 2015, p. 48). The study looks at the Chinese mobile market. The total population is over 1 billion. This means that collection of data would have to be millions so that it can be completely representative. Achieving this sample is almost impossible considering the limitations due to time and cost. As a university-based study, it will be impossible to collect hundreds of thousands of responses. Instead, a soft target of about 200 respondents can be used.
Sampling method
As highlighted, there is a need for a large sample to meet the parametric requirements. Around 200 respondents will be enough to capture an idea of the consumer perceptions. The number should be enough to ensure that parametric methods of analysis will be used instead of non-parametric methods. Sampling needs to adhere to the principles of sampling. The specific sampling approach used is snowball sampling. Snowball sampling involves the selection of people who are of Chinese descent in the University of Leicester. The respondents, in turn, request others from their demographic to take part in the study. They will ask friends and relatives in mainland China to take part in the study. The first principle of snowball sampling is randomisation. As the researcher, there will be no way to determine the participants. Snowball sampling eliminates bias that may be introduced if the researcher selects the sample. The approach completely randomises the people who will be involved in the study. The second principle is replication. Replication is achieved by having multiple respondents participate in the same survey. The third principle is local control. The principle is achieved by ensuring that the data is only collected from people who live in China or those who previously lived in China are selected. The local control will ensure that information from other regions is not introduced.
Time horizon
The final consideration according to Saunders, Lewin and Thornhill (2012) is the time horizon. They state that a study can have a longitudinal or a cross-sectional inclination. A cross-sectional study is a study where data is collected only once. The main aim is to provide a snapshot of the population by collecting data from a small sample. Cross-sectional studies are useful when investigating something as fickle as perceptions or variables that will change over time. The alternative is a longitudinal study. A longitudinal study collects data more than once from the same population or sample. A longitudinal study takes longer to conduct and may sometimes span several years. It is suitable when information on changes in a specific population or sample is being collected (Saunders, et al., 2012, p. 268). An example is an investigation on changes in the quality of life. Such studies are useful in the medical industry because they can provide insight on whether a specific treatment has a positive impact on the health of the sample. In this study, the time horizon used is cross-sectional. The study aims to take a snapshot of the impact that product placement has on brand selection in the Chinese mobile market. The information collected will not be compared with data from the same population at a different time.
Data collection
The data collection on the platform will be done by using a questionnaire. The questions included may be closed-ended or open-ended. Open-ended questions do not have choices while closed-ended questions have specific choices the respondents can choose from when answering. In this case, the study will employ a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions. As a result, it will be a semi-structured questionnaire (Neelankavil, 2015, p. 49). The closed-ended questions can be coded afterward, once the data has been collected. Some of the closed-ended questions will be based on a Likert Scale. The Likert Scale will allow the respondents to provide a rating in a structured manner.
There will be two questionnaires. One of them will be in English while the other will be in Chinese. The study will not be limited to China alone. It will also include overseas students of Chinese descent. Since the information collected will be character-based or quantitative, it will not present a problem during collection. The questionnaire will be translated into Chinese to make it easier for the respondents to answer in the native language. The translation will be done professionally to ensure that the meaning of the questions is not lost. The responses will also be obtained in Chinese. The results will be collated in Chinese and then translated to Chinese for ordinary customers to understand. The main area where the study will be conducted will be the city of Leicester as well as China. The respondents will be instructed to ensure that they only refer people who live in China or people in Leicester of Chinese descent. The sampling approach avoids the high cost of traveling to China. Those who live in China will be sent the Chinese questionnaire via email. Once they answer, the responses will be sent back using email. The approach is estimated to take around 2-3 weeks before the required 200 respondents are achieved. The researcher will push those in China to find friends and family who are willing to take part in the study. They will all be informed that this is an academic study to allay any of their fears.
Proposed data analysis
Once the data has been translated, it will be coded into SPSS. SPSS is a statistical software that has a label feature. The label feature will allow the specific variables to be coded. The result will be data that can be numerically represented. The analysis of the platform will be based on both descriptive and inferential analysis. The descriptive analysis in the paper will look at each of the specific questions and provide a breakdown of how the respondents answered. The best option for the open-ended question will be the use of the mean as the measure of central tendency. On the other hand, the closed-ended questions will use the mode to show how many respondents chose a specific option (Neelankavil, 2015, p. 52). The descriptive information will be graphically represented. The graphs in SPSS are not aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, the investigator will use Excel to create the pie charts and bar graphs in the study.
When it comes to the inferential analysis, the first analysis will be a cross-tabulation of some of the variables. The cross-tabulation will highlight associations between the variables. Correlation analysis will also be done to ascertain the extent to which some of the variables influence each other. The correlation results will help ascertain variables that are directly proportional and those that are inversely proportional (Saunders, et al., 2012, p. 340). Finally, a regression analysis will be used to ascertain whether the independent variables directly influence the dependent variables in the study. Essentially, it will show whether demographic variables and variables on product placement influence the brand preference variables among Chinese customers. The results will provide a direct answer to the question. The results will be compared with the literature review results from other areas to show whether Chinese customers are influenced by the same factors as customers from other places around the globe.
Validity and reliability
The validity and reliability of any study should be at the forefront of the creation of a study based on a pragmatic philosophy. Reliability in any study relates to the accuracy and consistency of the measures. The reliability is ascertained by measuring the accuracy of the instruments used in the collection of the study. The instrument used in this study is a questionnaire. It is a semi-structured questionnaire. The accuracy can be measured by determining whether there are any biased questions (Silva, et al., 2014, p. 466). The questionnaire is reviewed by the supervisor who ensures that it does not infringe on any of the rights of the participants while remaining culturally sensitive. The translation of the questionnaires will be reviewed by individuals fluent in both English and Chinese to ensure nothing is lost in translation. Since this is a quantitative study, a Cronbach alpha test will be used to determine the reliability of the questions included in the questionnaire.
Validity relates to the accuracy of the methodology that is used in the study. The validity is reviewed based on different categories. The first is the construct validity that assesses the effectiveness of the study constructed. In this case, the methodology used sequentially provides the different options that the researcher can adopt. The researcher selects one of the different options and provides a justification why the choice is the right one. An example is why the study chose quantitative research as opposed to qualitative or mixed methods (Silva, et al., 2014, p. 468). Additionally, the methodology is chronological, allowing another researcher replicate the study. The second category of validity refers to construct validity. The latter validity specifically measures the accuracy of the inferences that are obtained. The knowledge used in the collection of the information can be used to create another study that will find the same results in the future.
Ethical considerations
In any study that involves human participants, the ethics of research should be followed to ensure that their liberties and rights are not infringed upon during or after the research has been completed. There are five ethical considerations used in the study. The first is voluntary participation. None of the respondents will be compelled to participate in the study. The second is informed consent (Sibinga, 2018, p. 6). They are also informed that there will be no remuneration before the study is conducted. The questionnaire also provides a summary of what the study is about and where the study will be used. The measures highlighted allow the participants to make informed choices.
The third consideration is avoiding any misleading, offensive, and discriminatory questions in the questionnaire. The supervisor assesses the ethics of the questionnaire also to ensure that no bias is introduced in the study. Additionally, the anonymity and privacy of the respondents are guaranteed in the study. The anonymity is achieved by not recording the names of the respondents in the study (Sibinga, 2018, p. 6). The questionnaire does not ask for names, and after the initial data is collected, finally, the research maintains ethics by ensuring that all the work used from other studies is acknowledged. Proper citations will be used to ensure that the individuals are recognized. The citation is done using Harvard referencing, and a comprehensive list of references is provided at the end of the paper.
Summary
The approach used in the creation of the methodology provides the different options and the justification for the selection of the choice. The summary provides a brief overview of the specific aspects chosen in the study. The philosophy used is a pragmatic philosophy, and the approach is deductive. These two guide the approach used by the researcher in the creation of the methodology. The methodological choice is a primary study based on quantitative data collections. The researcher believes that this will provide the best way to answer the research questions in the study. The data will be collected using a questionnaire that will be administered through a survey. The sampling technique that will be used is snowball sampling, which will include respondents of Chinese descent from China and the city of Leicester. Proper ethics will be maintained during the data collection and processing.
References
Kumar, R., 2011. Research methodology : a step-by-step guide for beginners. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage.
Neelankavil, J. P., 2015. International Business Research. 1st ed. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe.
O'Dwyer, L. M. & Bernauer, J. A., 2013. Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher. 1st ed. Los Angeles: SAGE publcations.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A., 2012. Research Methods for Business Students. 6th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Saunders, M. & Tosey, P., 2012. The Layers of Research Design. Research, 43(3), pp. 58-59.
Sibinga, C. T. S., 2018. Ensuring Research Integrity and the Ethical Management of Data. 1st ed. Hershey: IGI Global.
Silva, E. A., Healey, P., Harris, N. & Broeck, P. V. d., 2014. The Routledge Handbook of Planning Research Methods. 1st ed. London: Routledge.
Woodwell, D., 2013. Research Foundations: How Do We Know What We Know?. 1st ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Yin, R. K., 2015. Qualitative Research from Start to Finish. 2nd ed. New York: Guilford Publications.
