How Nokia Can Reconnect with the Consumers Protocol
Investigators & personnel
Principal investigator
Other investigators
Study Personnel and their affiliations
Introduction
Consumer’s tastes and preferences in the market are very important to the success of a business. All the products produced by every firm are subject to the consumer demands in the market. The customers demand is affected by different factors in the market. It is the responsibility of every business to carry out the market network and determine the various factors affectingthe sale of their products in the market. The factors determine the success level of an organization within a particular market share. Research is very significant to the operations of the business. Profit maximization is the core objective of every organization in any economy. Factors affecting various businesses vary from one locality to the other (Carpay, 2007). They significantly depend on the economic situation of the place. International firms operate in various countries across the world. They face various challenges depending on the country of operations.
Competition level in the international market is very stiff. There are different regulations in various countries that affect the operations of various businesses in the country. The successful entrance into the international market requires different procedures by different countries. Governments of various countries have set up various regulations such as tariffs to control the entry of products into the economy. These factors have made business conditions in these countries very difficult. Every international business must construct different strategies in the market to help them operate easily and compete fairly with other businesses in the market. Smartphone market is one of the markets that are very crowded in the international markets. Various companies have entered the market and produce various phones to the international market. This has increased the level of competition for the smartphones in the international market. Smartphone firms such as Samsung, Apple, Techno, Infinix and Huawei have been introduced to the market.
Problem statement
Nokia is one of the firms to first enter the international market.Nokia market share has declined significantly in the international market since 2011.Nokia was the leader smartphone Company but today Samsung and Apple are the leading smartphone vendors in the international market. The primarily objective of this study is to develop various ways in which Nokia can return to the market. This study is to give the various recommendations under which Nokia can return back to the market. Nokia enjoyed a very humble entry into the beginning of their entry into the international market. Different products from the Nokia firms were sold in the international market. Nokia was the most accepted smartphone provider in the international market. Different countries allowed the sale of Nokia phones in the market. The customersacross the world accepted the Nokia products in the market (Gupta, 2014). Nokia ensured the customers taste and preferences in the market were significantly regulated and satisfied in the international market. Nokia products ensured the Company enjoyed the huge range of profit formation in the international market. This made it very difficult for other firms in the international market providing the same products to compete with Nokia in the market. This was because of the comparative advantage that Nokia enjoyed across the entire world. Companies such as Samsung posed a significant threat to the operations of NokiaCompany. This made these firms competing with Nokia to develop more advanced approaches to the international market. Samsung possessed the most intense competition to the operations of the NokiaCompany. Samsung introduced various applications that Nokia Company did not have. The development of the Nokia Company was very slow as compared to the other competitors in the international market. This led to continues drop in the sale output of the Nokia products in the international market(Bouwman, et al. 2014). The other competitors such as the Samsung Company increased the volume of sales in the market.
Reconnecting with consumers in the market involves different processes. This therefore requires different managerial decisions to be taken by the Nokia management. Different customers in the international market shifted their tastes and preferences towards the smartphones in the international market. The price of the Nokia products did not change in accordance with the changes in the market. The Nokia products remained expensive while the applications of the Nokia smartphones as compared to the other smartphones in the market. The consumers changed their preferences towards the Nokia firms. The sale of the Nokia products received a significant fall down in the international market (Nuñez et al. 2015).The consumers in the international market started to buy more of the smartphone products from the Nokia competitors in the international market. The Nokia competitors such as Samsung had to carry out market research to determine the ways of improving the market capture of the smartphones in the international. Nokia operation dropped in the international market in the sale of these other phones in the international market. This resulted to the significant fall down of the Nokia operation in the international market. Samsung and Apple introduced iPhone with touch screens while Nokia did not respond to this in the international market. The Nokia operating system, the Symbian, while the iOS and the Android smartphone market increased in the in the international market while the Nokia operations diminished slowly in the international market (Schweer, et al. 2012).
Research Questions
What would be the most effective and sustainable way for Nokia to reconnect with the consumers across the world?
What kind of smartphone applications do consumers want in the smartphones?
What is the effect of culture and ethics on the sale of the smartphone products?
What is the consumption trend for smartphones in the market for the past few years?
Management decision statement
Nokia is an international firm with a primary objective of increasing the sale output and maximizing the profit rates o0f the firm. The Company has undergone a significant slump in the sale of its smartphones in the market (Hemm et al. 2013).This management decision statement is to help find a way in which Nokia can return to its ways and be more effective in the market. In developing this following research question is asked:
What would be the most effective and sustainable way for Nokia to reconnect with the consumers across the world?
Various qualitative and quantitative research are carried out by the Nokia Company to determine the market conditions and the factors that that can make the firm be back to its best operating system in the smartphone market across the world. Primary and secondary data have thus been developed by the Nokia marketing team. This enables the Nokia to determine the consumer tastes and preferences in the market. There are different consumers expectations about the various smartphones are also being identified in the market and the Nokia team is working on these data to ensure an introduction of the Nokia smartphones in the market. Research done by Garnter and canalys shows that the smartphone use has significantly increased in the market and this has resulted to the introduction of various measures by the Nokia Company. China is the leading market for the smartphone consumption in the international market. This is followed by the United States of America according to the current statics done by the Nokia Siemens network. Consumers around the world have appreciated the use of smartphones and the smartphones have become part of their lives in the modern society. The teenagers have been realized to the most frequent users of the smartphones in the society today. Nokia is therefore working on a more intense market analysis to identify the ways in which they can recapture the market(Vuori,2015).The management decision statement for the Nokia smartphones must therefore ensure constructive primary and secondary data are collected in the market to enable the firm to identify various issues through which the organization can reconnect with the consumers.
Culture
Language is a significant aspect of culture. Different cultures across the world use different languages to communicate. English, Spanish and French are the most commonly used languages across the world. There are different other countries using different other languages such as the Portuguese. To access these markets the Nokia Company must ensure the smartphones they produce have the translation applications where individuals can translate different communications to these languages. Nokia must also ensure they understand the various behavioral and demographic patterns of the various countries before supply their products. This will enable Nokia to conquer the market and provide stiff competition to both Apple and Samsung (Pichetpongsa 2011).
Ethical
Research projects require good ethical standards to ensure the research meet the set objectives. Appropriate use of the research and the use of the appropriate research techniques are some of the ethical issues required by Nokia to ensure the market research is done accordingly. Nokia must also ensure that morals and behaviors of the employees in the market environment are those of professionalism. Nokia must also ensure that the research done by their team has a stipulated procedure that they follow in the whole process of the research (Oulasvirta, 2012).Nokia management must also ensure it is the obligation of the research team to follow these stipulated research projects. This will enable Nokia ensure their research has a given consistency in every market they operate in. The Company must also ensure the staff of the Company and the support firms have the required business ethics that will enable the consumers fill welcomed and satisfied by the services provided in the firm. This will enable Nokia to reconnect with the customers and ignite the highest possible competition to Samsung and Apple (Curran, 2015).
Research designs
Research design is an overall policy to integrate the various components of the study in a coherent and logical way to provide effective method of addressing the problem of statement. It includes processes such as collection of data, measurement and analysis of collected.
This research indicates the various measure used by Nokia Company to access the market. Nokia uses different data from various years to ensure market is significantly recaptured by the Company. Nokia conducts this research to ensure they collect adequate information on both the consumers and the competitors in the market(Vouri, 2015). Nokia thus ensures the use of different qualitative and quantitative methods to collect these data. The design follows the following process in implementation of research process. Sampling, generalization, cost and time are the most considered factors. This is done by the explanatory, descriptive and causal approaches as shown in the table and chart below.
Comparison of basic research design for Nokia
Sampling
Research collects information from the field by also applying sampling techniques in the market. Consumers are grouped in the market based on various techniques. The consumer preferences vary depending on the age and locations. The samples indicate that smartphones are most preferred among the teenagers and young families. The company therefore uses samples to determine the various demands of the different classification of consumers.
Draft protocol to reconnect with customers
Nokia will follow a draft protocol that includes interviews, focus groups, survey, observation and questionnaires. This will take a duration of five years to come up with a conclusive and well researched products. The company will then reconnect with the consumers by collecting information from the market using the protocol as below:
Interviews
Interviews are used by the research experts to get the first hand information from the consumers in the market. The consumers are asked different questions on why the prefer Samsung and Apple and what they think Nokia should include in their products.
Surveys and Focus groups
Surveys and various focus groups will also be developed by the researchers in different geographical locations to determine the issues that affect the consumer demand for the smartphones in the markets.
Observation
The researchers also exploit the use of observation in the market. Both field observation and laboratory observation are used. They observe the consumer trends and the life trends of the consumers. The observers will check on the applications of the smartphones the consumers like to use.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires are provided by the researchers to the consumers. The consumers are given time to fill the questionnaire templates and this provides a platform for privacy as the consumers can indicate every detail they have. The templates provided do not indicate the names and details of the consumers hence they fill free to indicates all the information.
Data analysis
The researchers will conclude the entire process in the field by testing the improved versions of the Nokia phones in the market and determining the consumer reaction to the products and what should be improved on the products before producing the final product of the modified version.This processes will enable Nokia to collect different information about the smartphone consumers in the market that is key to the reconnection process with the customers.These research data will enable Nokia determine the ways of operations of the other competitors providing smartphones in the market. Data is captured to indicate the operation of all the firma providing smartphones in the market. This data is thus used by the team of experts from Nokia to illustrate and determine the better methods to be used by the Nokia Company (Hynes, 2007). Nokia must ensure the distribution and marketing techniques of the various firms in the market are significantly studied and analyzed by the organization. The number and distribution of the smartphone users across the world is significantly analyzed by the NokiaCompany. This enables Nokia to determine the distribution channels and the level of output that Nokia is to produce yearly. The chart below shows the distribution of the smartphone in the world from 2011 to 2016 (Knight et al. 2013).
Interpretation
This graphs show the distribution of smartphone users in the entire world. The graph can be used by the Company to determine the best markets for the Nokia products. This will enable the company reconnect with customers at a better rate. This graphs indicate that the use of smartphones have increases in the market in the recent years. It also shows that most consumers prefer the use of social media applications in the smartphones.
Sample designs
In this research the designs are used to explain needs for the reconnection with the customers. Nokia carries out different researches with the intension to reconnect with the customers. Nokia wants to reconnect with the customers because of the following reasons:
Nokia intends to increase the volume of the sales of the smartphones
Nokia wants to have a larger market share as compared to the other key competitors like the sum sung and Apple smartphones producers.
Nokia intends to increase the profit margin of the Company and to increase the level of revenues of the Company
Nokia wants to be famous among the consumers as compared to the key competitors Samsung and Apple.
Nokia wants to satisfy the consumers tastes and preferences in the market
Nokia wants to be the largest smartphone producer in the international market
Scope of the research
This research is very fundamental to the emergence and reconnection of the Nokia Company with the consumers across the world. The research therefore requires different facilities and equipment’s to ensure the research process is successful and beneficial to the NokiaCompany. The research project will cover the entire world since Nokia is an international Company that distributes its products to the international markets. This will require adequate amount of funds from the Company to carry out the entire research project. The research will also require the availability of different research personnel’s and experts to make it a success for the Company (Cornwallet.al, 2014). The Company must therefore ensure the employment of different experts in the Company to ensure the success of the research process. This research will involve movement of the research personnel’s from one area to the other. This will require different facilities of movement. The research will need the Company to avail different vehicles in the different countries to ensure the accessibility of the various geographical areas. Nokia must also ensure the availability of the research plan and research schedule to guide the research and to use time accordingly. The Company will also formulate the manual and guide that entails the ethics required from the researchers. This will enable Nokia to ensure the results of the research for the Company are uniform (Nunez 2015).
Means by which the research will be evaluated
This research will cover different geographical locations across the world. The research is set to ensure the Nokia Company achieve its mandate and become successful in the process of reconnecting with the customers. These recommendations of the research will be tested by applying the m on the field. The evaluation of the research will begin by the feasibility study of the entire project. This will be done to determine whether the research project is financially, physically and practically feasible (Capilla, 2011). The Nokia Company will carry out different appraisal projects to ensure the entire research process from the beginning to the end is conducted well and achieved. The Company can then finance the research project after ensuring the project is financially feasible.
Suitability of the research
This research is very suitable and easy to apply in a Company that is intending to improve its operations. The research is very suitable to a Company that covers a larger geographical area. This makes the research suitable for the operation of the NokiaCompany. Nokia is an international Company operating in various countries and supplying different kinds of phones in the international market. The main objective of this research is to enable Nokia Company reconnect with the Company (Koodli, 2009).It aims to help Nokia compete well with the more advanced and developed smartphone providers which is the Apple Company and the Samsung smartphone provider.
Conclusion
Nokia was the leading smartphone provider before its decline in the market. Its products were once trusted and preferred by most of the consumers across the globe. According to the research the main reason for the decline in the consumption of the Nokia products is the failure to introduce new social media applications on the phones they supply to the market. The difference between the Nokia smartphones and the Apple and Samsung smartphones is the applications and ability to change with the changes in the consumer tastes and demand. The Company should therefore ensure the introduction of the various recommendations in the research. This will give Nokia a platform to compete well with the different competitors in the market and thus reconnect with the consumers.
References
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