Answer 1

The scenario described above is an example of descriptive research . Descriptive research

aims to analyze and describe the current situation, such as the decline in Samsung's market
share in India despite the growing demand for mobile phones. It focuses on collecting data to
understand the factors contributing to the situation and paints an accurate picture of the
problem.

Descriptive study:
• Definition: Descriptive research is a type of research that focuses on describing the
characteristics of the population or phenomenon being studied . It does not aim to
explain or establish cause-and-effect relationships, but rather to provide an accurate
picture of the current situation, behavior , or attributes of the entities being studied.
• This research design is often used when the goal is to describe "what is" rather than
"why" or "how". It may involve collecting qualitative and quantitative data , but the
primary goal is to describe , not to analyze or predict.

Features of descriptive research:

• Objective : The main objective is to collect information that accurately represents the
situation or phenomenon being studied. This helps to understand the "what" aspect of
a given problem, rather than the "why" or "how".
• Non-experimental : Descriptive research is usually non-experimental. The researcher
observes and records data without manipulating variables. The idea is to understand
the status quo.
• Data collection : Descriptive research uses a variety of data collection methods,
including surveys, observational methods, interviews, and secondary data analysis.
• Focus on the Current Situation : Descriptive research focuses on collecting data about
current conditions, trends, or behaviors . Its goal is to provide a comprehensive
overview of a given topic.

Data collection methods in descriptive research:

• Surveys and Questionnaires : One of the most common methods of collecting data in
descriptive research. Surveys can be conducted through a variety of media (online,
telephone, in person) and typically involve asking participants about their opinions,
behaviors , and preferences.
• Observations : Researchers can observe and record behaviors or phenomena without
intervention. For example, observing how customers interact with different brands of
mobile phones in a retail store.
• Case studies : In-depth examination of a single person, group, or event intended to
provide a deeper understanding of a specific phenomenon.
• Secondary data analysis : Researchers can analyze existing data (e.g., market reports,
sales data, or customer reviews) to describe trends or behaviors without having to
collect new data.
• Interviews : Structured and unstructured interviews can be used to collect data on
attitudes, opinions, and perceptions.
• Applications of descriptive research:

Descriptive research is used in many fields, such as:

 • Market research : understanding customer preferences, market trends and brand
perceptions.
• Education : research on student achievement, teacher behavior , and school practices.
• Health and medicine : Describing the spread of disease or patterns of health behavior
in a population.
• Social Studies : Understanding cultural practices, community behaviors , and social
issues.
• Business : assessing customer satisfaction, employee behavior , or business results.

Examples of descriptive research:

• Market research : A company can use descriptive research to understand current
consumer preferences for different mobile phone brands in a particular region.
• Public opinion polling : Political parties often use descriptive research to measure
voter preferences or attitudes toward particular policies or candidates.
• Census data : Government agencies often collect descriptive data on population
demographics (age, gender, income level) to develop social policies and programs.
• Product Reviews : A company can survey its customers to describe their satisfaction
with the product and identify areas for improvement.

Advantages of descriptive research:

• Easy to conduct : The study is relatively easy to conduct, especially when the
researcher has access to a large amount of data or uses existing resources (e.g., public
reports, surveys).
• Comprehensive overview : Provides a detailed picture of a situation or problem,
helping to formulate hypotheses or make decisions.
• Flexibility : Descriptive research can be applied to a wide range of topics, from
consumer behavior to social trends.
• Non-infringing : Because it does not involve experimental manipulation, it is a non-
infringing way of collecting data.

Limitations of descriptive research:

• No causal conclusions : Descriptive studies do not provide insight into cause-effect
relationships. They can only describe what happens, not why it happens.
• Subjectivity : There can be bias in the way data is collected, especially in surveys and
interviews, where the researcher's opinions can influence the way questions are
worded or answers are interpreted.
• Lack of depth : Although the analysis provides general information, it does not always
delve deeply into the causes of observed behavior or trends.

In summary, descriptive research is a fundamental research approach that helps companies,

organizations, and researchers understand and describe current phenomena. It is invaluable in
gathering data on trends, behaviors , and characteristics, providing a solid foundation for
further research or decision-making. However, it is important to remember that descriptive
research only answers the “what” questions, not the “why” or “how” something is happening.
For example, in the case of Samsung’s declining market share, descriptive research could
provide insights into the current market position, but it would not explain the reasons for the
decline without further exploratory or causal research.

Research questions for this study:

 • What are the main reasons for Samsung's decline in market share in India over the last
year?
• How do Samsung products compare to the competition in terms of features, pricing
and customer satisfaction?
• What changing customer preferences in the Indian mobile phone market could impact
Samsung's sales?
• How does the perception of the Samsung brand in India compare to its competitors
and how has it changed over time?
• What role do factors such as distribution channels, marketing strategies and customer
service play in Samsung's declining market share in India?
• What trends are emerging in the Indian mobile market and how are competitors
capitalizing on these trends?
• How do Samsung's promotional and advertising activities compare to those of its
competitors?
• What is the level of satisfaction and loyalty of existing Samsung customers in India?

Research Design: The most appropriate research design for this study is a descriptive
research design . A descriptive research design focuses on providing an accurate portrayal of
the situation. It will allow the researcher to collect comprehensive data on Samsung's decline
in market share and understand the reasons for this decline. Here is why this design is
appropriate:
• Collecting data from multiple sources : Descriptive research involves collecting data
from multiple sources, such as customer surveys, sales data, competitive analysis,
market trends, and customer feedback. This will help you understand both external
factors (such as increased competition) and internal factors (such as product
positioning, marketing, etc.) that may be contributing to the problem.
• Cross-sectional study : A cross-sectional study can be used to analyze data at a
specific point in time (e.g., the current market situation) and compare it across a
variety of variables, such as customer demographics, brand perceptions, and sales
performance across regions.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data : The study would combine quantitative data (sales
figures, market shares, etc.) and qualitative data (customer reviews, brand perception,
competitive analysis) to give a comprehensive picture of the factors influencing
Samsung's sales.
• Competitive Benchmarking : The study will compare Samsung's performance with
that of its competitors, which will help identify areas where Samsung lags behind and
competitors succeed.

By using such a research model, Samsung can gather actionable information and make
strategic decisions to regain its market position in India.

Answer 2
Design of an experiment to investigate the relationship between annual growth and employee
productivity at Havells India

Havells India, with 15 state-of-the-art manufacturing plants spread across 8 locations in India,
seeks to understand how different levels of annual increments (5%, 8%, and 10%) affect
employee productivity, measured in units produced. Conducting an experiment to investigate
this relationship requires a structured approach to experimental design, including defining
independent, dependent, and extraneous variables and identifying potential threats to the
validity of the study. This design can help identify the most effective annual increment rate to
increase employee productivity while controlling for various influencing factors.

Experimental Design: The experimental design to investigate the relationship between annual
growth and employee productivity is a between-subjects experimental design. In this design,
employees will be grouped based on the level of annual growth they receive, and their
productivity will be compared across these groups.

Main features of the project:

• Random Assignment: Workers from each factory are randomly assigned to receive
one of three levels of annual increases (5%, 8%, or 10%). This ensures that each
group is comparable and that any differences in productivity can be attributed to
annual increases and not other factors.
• Controlling for confounding variables: Confounding variables such as worker
experience, plant location, or working conditions should be controlled to ensure that
any observed effects on productivity are primarily due to growth levels.
• Productivity Measurement: Productivity is measured in units produced per employee
over a specified period. It is important to ensure that productivity measurement is
consistent across all sites and that other performance factors (e.g., quality of output,
absenteeism) do not distort the results.
• Duration: The experiment should run long enough, perhaps a full fiscal year, to
account for seasonal fluctuations and give employees time to adjust to the new raise
levels.

Independent, dependent and extraneous variables

Independent Variable: The independent variable in this experiment is the Annual Percentage
Increase. There are three levels of this variable:
Ø 5% increase
Ø Increase by 8%
Ø Increase by 10%
This is the variable that the researcher manipulates to observe its effect on employee
productivity. The independent variable is expected to cause changes in the dependent
variable, i.e. productivity.

Dependent Variable: The dependent variable is Employee Productivity, measured as the

number of units produced by each employee. This is the outcome that is expected to change
in response to the independent variable (the level of annual growth). Productivity
measurement must be standardized across plants to ensure consistency and comparability.

Extraneous Variables: Extraneous variables are factors that may affect the dependent variable
(worker productivity) but are not the primary focus of the study. These variables must be
controlled or accounted for to avoid misleading results. Some potential extraneous variables
in this experiment include:
Ø Employee Motivation: Individual motivation can vary greatly across
employees and can impact productivity. Employees receiving the same pay
rise may have different levels of intrinsic motivation, which should be taken
into account.
Ø Work Environment and Plant Conditions: The physical work environment
(such as the quality of machinery, working hours and working conditions) can
affect productivity and may vary from plant to plant. It is important to ensure
that working conditions are consistent across plants.
Ø Experience and skill level: Employees with more experience or higher skill
levels may naturally be more productive, regardless of growth level. Employee
experience should be controlled for or measured as a covariate.
Ø Teamwork and management style: The impact of management practices,
teamwork and leadership styles on productivity should be considered, as these
factors may vary from site to site and affect productivity regardless of annual
increment.

Potential threats to internal and external validity

Threats to Internal Validity: Internal validity refers to the degree to which an experiment
accurately measures the relationship between independent and dependent variables, without
interference from extraneous variables or bias. Several factors can threaten the internal
validity of this experiment:
Ø Selection bias: If workers are not randomly assigned to different levels of
annual growth, the groups may differ in ways that affect productivity. For
example, more experienced workers may be assigned to a 10% growth group,
leading to higher productivity that is not necessarily due to growth alone.
Ø Maturation: In an experiment, workers may naturally become more skilled or
productive over time, regardless of the annual increase. If this effect is not
controlled, it can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the relationship between
annual increase and productivity.
Ø Testing effects: If performance is measured repeatedly, employees may
change their behavior in response to repeated measurements, which may result
in improved performance due to awareness that they are being observed
(Hawthorne effect) or fatigue over time.
Ø Instrumentation error: Differences in how productivity is measured across
plants or over time can introduce errors. For example, different plants may use
slightly different methods or equipment to track productivity, leading to
inconsistent results.
Ø Experimental mortality: If employees drop out of a study or leave the
company during the course of an experiment, the remaining sample may not
be representative, which could lead to erroneous results.

Threats to External Validity: External validity refers to the extent to which the results of an
experiment can be generalized to other populations, settings, or time periods. The following
threats to external validity may occur in this experiment:
Ø Population generalizability : The study is based on workers from 15
manufacturing plants. However, it may not be possible to generalize the
results to other types of workers, such as those in the corporate or service
 sectors. The relationship between annual growth and productivity may differ
in other work contexts.
Ø Ecological Validity: The study results may not be applicable to other
geographic locations or manufacturing setups that differ in terms of culture,
industry standards, or economic conditions. For example, productivity gains in
one region may be less significant in another because of different regional
economic conditions.
Ø Period: Results can only be applied to the specified period of the experiment.
Changes in market conditions, inflation, or other external economic factors
may have varying effects on future productivity, limiting the long-term
usefulness of the findings.
Ø Contextual factors: Factors such as the competitive environment, consumer
demand, and even technological advances can affect the generalizability of
results to future scenarios.

In summary, the relationship between annual growth and employee productivity at Havells
India can be studied using a well-structured experimental design, taking into account the
independent variable (annual growth), the dependent variable (employee productivity) and
extraneous variables (such as motivation, experience, working conditions). The experiment
should control threats to internal validity such as selection bias, maturation and
instrumentation bias while taking into account threats to external validity such as population
generalizability and time period effects. Addressing these threats and carefully designing the
study will enable Havells India to understand the true impact of annual growth on employee
productivity and make informed decisions about compensation strategies to improve overall
performance.

Answer 3a

Research plan: Comparison of customer satisfaction and service efficiency in online and
stationary banking

Objective of the Study: The main objective of this study is to assess and compare customer
satisfaction and service efficiency between online and offline banking. This study will focus
on understanding how customer experiences differ across both banking channels in terms of
ease of use, trust, security, convenience and overall satisfaction. Additionally, the study will
explore the operational changes that banks need to make in response to the growing adoption
of online banking and how this change impacts customer behavior and service demand.

Research questions:
• What is the difference in customer satisfaction between online and stationary
banking?
• What are the key factors influencing customer satisfaction in online and stationary
banking?
• How do customers perceive trust and security of online and stationary banking?
• What are the differences in the efficiency of online and stationary banking services?
• How do socio-demographic factors (age, income, education, etc.) influence customer
preferences for online or offline banking?
• What operational changes have banks made to cope with the growing use of online
banking?
Research Design: This study will employ a comparative research design, using a combination
of quantitative and qualitative approaches . The aim is to analyze and compare the
experiences of customers using both banking channels.
• Quantitative Analysis: Surveys will be sent to online and offline banking customers.
The survey will include Likert scale questions to measure customer satisfaction (e.g.
ease of use, speed of service, trust, security, etc.) and service efficiency (e.g. speed of
transactions, problem resolution, etc.). The data will be analyzed using statistical
methods to identify significant differences between online and offline banking
experiences.
• Qualitative Analysis: In-depth interviews or focus groups will be conducted with a
smaller sample of customers to gather detailed information about their perceptions,
challenges, and preferences. Qualitative data will complement quantitative findings
and provide deeper context for customer satisfaction and service performance metrics.

Data collection methods:

• Survey: A structured questionnaire will be used to collect quantitative data. It will be
administered via multiple channels (email, website, or in person) to ensure a diverse
sample of online and offline banking users.
• Interviews/Focus Groups: Will be conducted with selected participants experienced in
both online and offline banking. They will allow for the collection of detailed
information on customer attitudes and behaviors .
• Bank Performance Metrics: Data on transaction speed, error rates and resolution times
for online and offline banking services will be collected from the bank's operational
records to assess service efficiency.

Sampling Method: A stratified random sampling technique will be used to ensure that the
sample reflects a variety of socio-demographic groups (age, gender, income level, etc.) and
includes both online and offline banking users. The sample size will be large enough to
ensure statistical significance, aiming for at least 300 responses.

Data analysis:
• will be used to summarise customer satisfaction levels and service efficiency across
both banking channels .
• will be used to compare the level of customer satisfaction and service efficiency in
both groups (online and offline) .
• Regression analysis will examine how socio-demographic variables (age, income,
etc.) affect customer preferences for online or offline banking.
• Thematic analysis will be used to analyze qualitative data from interviews/focus
groups and identify recurring themes related to trust, safety and customer behavior .

Timeline:
• Week 1-2: Develop survey and interview questions, finalize research design.
• Week 3-4: Distribute surveys and schedule interviews.
• Week 5-6: Data collection and preliminary analysis.
• Week 7-8: Final data analysis and report writing.
• Week 9: Final presentation and recommendations.

Expected Findings: The study is expected to reveal significant insights regarding customer
satisfaction and service efficiency across online and offline banking platforms. We anticipate
that online banking will score higher on convenience and speed, but there may be concerns
regarding trust and security. Offline banking may be preferred by older customers or those
with lower levels of digital literacy. The study will provide actionable recommendations for
banks to optimize their services, ensuring that customer expectations are met across both
channels.

Ethical considerations:
• Informed consent: Participants will be fully informed of the purpose of the study and
their consent will be obtained prior to participation.
• Confidentiality: Personal information collected from participants will be treated
confidentially and data will be anonymized to protect privacy.
• Voluntary Participation: Participation will be voluntary and participants may
withdraw at any time without penalty.

This study will enable a comprehensive comparison of customer experiences, helping banks
improve service efficiency and increase customer satisfaction across both banking channels.

Answer 3b

Structured Questionnaire: Customer Satisfaction and Service Efficiency in Online and Offline
Banking: This questionnaire aims to gather information about your experiences with online
and offline banking services. Your responses will help us compare customer satisfaction and
service efficiency across both channels. All responses will be confidential and will be used
for research purposes only.

Section 1: Demographic Information

Age group:
o 18-25
o 26-35
o 36-45
o 46-60
o 60+
Sex:
o Man
o Woman
o Other
o I prefer not to say
Highest level of education:
o High school
o Student
o Postgraduate
o Professional degree
o Other: __________

Income level (monthly):

o Less than ₹ 30,000
o ₹ 30,000 - ₹ 50,000
o ₹ 50,001 - ₹ 1,00,000
o ₹ 1,00,001 - ₹ 2,00,000
o ₹ 2,00,000
Which banking service do you use most often?
o Online banking
o Offline banking (branch visits)

Section 2: Online Banking Experience

o How often do you use online banking services?
o Every day
o Weekly
o Monthly
o Rarely
How easy is it to navigate your bank's online platform (website or mobile app)?
o Very easy
o Easy
o Neutral
o Difficult
o Very difficult
How satisfied are you with the speed of transactions (e.g. money transfers, bill payments) on
the online platform?
o Very satisfied
o Content
o Neutral
o Dissatisfied
o Very dissatisfied
Do you think your financial information is safe when you use online banking?
o Yes, very safe
o Yes, relatively safe
o No, it's not safe
o I'm not sure
What is your overall level of satisfaction with online banking services?
o Very satisfied
o Content
o Neutral
o Dissatisfied
o Very dissatisfied

Section 3: Offline Banking Experience

How often do you visit your bank branch to obtain services (e.g. withdrawals, inquiries,
submitting documents)?
o Every day
o Weekly
o Monthly
o Rarely
How satisfied are you with the availability of services at a bank branch (e.g. staff availability,
ease of making transactions)?
o Very satisfied
o Content
o Neutral
o Dissatisfied
o Very dissatisfied
How satisfied are you with the waiting time at your bank branch?
 o Very satisfied
o Content
o Neutral
o Dissatisfied
o Very dissatisfied
Do you feel your financial information is safe when interacting with bank employees?
o Yes, very safe
o Yes, relatively safe
o No, it's not safe
o I'm not sure
What is your overall level of satisfaction with offline banking services?
o Very satisfied
o Content
o Neutral
o Dissatisfied
o Very dissatisfied

Chapter 4: Comparative Analysis

Which banking method do you find more convenient?
o Online banking
o Offline banking
o Both are equally comfortable
Which banking method do you think offers better customer service?
o Online banking
o Offline banking
o Both are equally good
Which method do you prefer for urgent transactions (e.g. transfers, bill payments)?
o Online banking
o Offline banking
o Both are equally effective
Which method do you trust more for financial transactions and data?
o Online banking
o Offline banking
o Both are equally trustworthy
Would you recommend online banking to your friends or family?
o Yes
o NO
o Maybe
Would you recommend offline banking to your friends or family?
o Yes
o NO
o Maybe

Chapter 5: Future Preferences and Behavioral Insights

In the future, would you prefer to use online banking more often or continue to use offline
banking services?
o Use online banking more often
o Continue using offline banking services
o Use both equally
What improvements would you suggest for your bank's online banking services?
o Faster transactions
o A Safer Platform
o Better user interface
o Improved customer service
o Other: _______________

What improvements would you suggest in the offline banking services offered by your bank?
o Shorter waiting times
o More staff availability
o Better security
o More service options
o Other: _______________

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. Your feedback is invaluable in
understanding customer preferences and improving banking services across online and offline
platforms.

Note:
• This survey aims to discuss various aspects of customer satisfaction and service
efficiency in online and stationary banking.
• The responses will provide insight into customer preferences, perceived levels of
security and trustworthiness of both channels, and areas for improvement.