ASSIGNMENT OF RESEARCH METHADOLOGY

TOPIC-

Empirical Research on Student Preference Towards Various Laptop Brands in LPU

Submitted to-Miss Sukhwinder Kaur

Submitted by

Empirical Research on Student Preference Towards Various Laptop Brands in LPU

Shobha Suman Lovely Institute of Management, Lovely professional University, Phagwara, India and Pradipta Saikia Lovely Institute of Management, Lovely professional University, Phagwara, India and Vikas Jamwal Lovely Institute of Management, Lovely professional University, Phagwara, India

ABSTRACTPurpose- The aim of this empirical study is to explore the factors that affect the Student preference towards various laptop brands in LPU and to Investigate or find out the factors impacting this study. Design/Methodology- This research is descriptive in nature and aim of study is to Investigate the relationship between various laptop brands and LPU. And For this study we have collected the respondents from Lovely Professional University using simple random sampling technique.

Findings- The result suggest that student preference is mainly depends upon seven Factors. And these seven important factors are- Entertainment, Price, Size, Look, Speed, Style and Storage Capacity. Further area of research- This study has laid some groundwork to explore the Determinants which made laptops an essential tool for studying in LPU. Keywords - Students preference, Laptops. Paper Type- Research Paper.

INTRODUCTION:
A laptop (also known as a notebook) is a personal computer designed for mobile use. It integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer. As portable computers (laptops) became smaller, lighter and cheaper. They became very much widely used for all purposes. Battery powered portable laptops or computers had only 2 % worldwide market share in 1986. But with the course of time, with its increasing popularity, in 2008 it was estimated that 145.9 millions notebooks were sold and 177.7 million in 2009. The combined sale of PC and notebook between April 2009 and March 2010 in India was reported to be 8.03 million units. Compared to last year, the PC sales stood at a growth rate of 5 % whereas notebooks showed a growth rate of 6.5 5 over last year.

NEED AND SCOPE:

There exists many a laptop users throughout Lovely Professional University. Laptops now a days have become part of a students life along with their lives. It is an essential part, especially of the students of Lovely Professional University. This study would enable one to understand the need or requirements towards laptops and their perception towards it. This study would encompass all the students of Lovely Professional University. This study would also be helpful in understanding the concept of students towards laptops and their general viewpoints regarding the various aspects of laptops.

OBJECTIVE:
To study student preference towards various laptop brands in LPU. To study the various factors which affect student preference.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Ray C .Brown (1997) made a study on Technology and innovation with notebook computers and the findings were that enrolments, retention, and student satisfaction ratings on both campuses have increased because of use of notebook computers in campus. Hahn. Jim et al (2003), made a study on Technology On Demand: Implementing Loanable Technology Services and the findings were that As this program evolves there will be an ongoing assessment to discover what improvements should be made to the program. Khalil. A Mounir (2004) made a study on Vision to reality: Applications of wireless Laptops in accessing information from digital libraries: end users viewpoint and the findings were that many academic institutions finds wireless networks are helping students, faculty and staff by providing them with this mobile computing tool. Holden. Hugh A & Deng .Margaret (2004) studied Taking pro-action: A survey of potential users before the availability of wireless access and the implementation of a wireless notebook computer lending program in an academic library and their findings were The vast majority of responses came from students, and most of them were ready for wireless access in the library and across campus. Elwood .Susan et al (2006) conducted a research on Investigating students perceptions on laptop initiative in higher education. An extension of the technology acceptance model and the findings were a laptop program can be made more useful to students and universities. Holden. Hugh & Hsieh. Ma Lei (2007) made a study on The state of wireless laptop lending programs:A survey of academic libraries and the findings were that Student usage of WLLPs ranged from extremely heavy to very light. Difficulties with library WLLPs were variously characterized as minor to stifling. Holden. Hugh & Hsieh. Ma Lei (2008) made a study on university library laptop lending service: an analysis using two student surveys and findings were that a large majority of the students believe that an LLS is a valuable service may not, in itself, assure a high level of usage.

Daim. Tugrul and Jordan .Stephen (2008) made a study on A foresight based on scientific indicators:a framework drawn from the case of laptop battery alternatives and findings were that fuel cells promise to be the technology that will replace laptop lithium batteries. Lippincott .Joan K (2010) made a study on A mobile future for academic libraries and findings were that most college students own cell phones and laptops and the capabilities of these and other devices are expanding. Cordwell . Tammy (2010) made a study on Improving Access to Computers for Students with Disabilities: Features Available on windows 7 operating system and findings were that students find windows 7 much more user friendly than the previous versions of windows. Warschauer. Mark & Ames. Morgan (2010) made a study on Can One Laptop per Child Save the World's Poor? and findings were that though the plan of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is a noble concept but yet it fails to make any impact.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY-

Research Design
The research done here falls under Conclusive research and under conclusive research it falls upon the category of Descriptive research to describe the characteristics of relevant groups, in this case students of LPU. Further, this research will fall under Cross Sectional Design and then under Single Cross Sectional Design as there is only one sample of respondents and information is obtained from this sample only once.

Sample
The sampling element consist of all the students in Lovely Professional University (LPU) and the sample size is taken as 100 i.e. 100 students or respondents of LPU has been taken as the sample size.

Sampling technique

The sampling technique taken in this research comes under probability sampling and under probability sampling it falls under simple random sampling each possible sample of the given size (n) had a known and equal probability of being the sample actually selected.

Data Collection Sources

Primary data has been taken in while doing this research in the form of questionnaires. 100 questionnaires have been asked to be filled by the respondents to have the required data.

Data Analysis Technique

Factor Analysis Technique is used as the Data Analysis Technique for this research. Because it is the best method or primarily used for data reduction and summarization

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

(From table 1)After applying data analysis technique, the KMO value comes out to be 0.661 which is greater than the required KMO value that is KMO value must be greater than 0.5. Hence, it is concluded from this KMO value that the given sample is adequate and now we go with factor analysis method for data analysis.

(From table 2)There are 7 factors which have Eigen value of 1 or more than 1. The last column in the table ( cumulative %) shows that the 7 factors extracted together account for 64.027 % of the total variance. It can be considered as good as only 7 factors ( reducing from 20 factors), only 35.973% of the information content is lost , while 64.027 % is retained by 7 factors extracted out of 10 original variables. (From table 3)-

Looking at Rotated Component Matrix, the variables 20, 16, 14 have a loadings of .692, .661, .600 respectively. This suggests that factor 1 is a combination of these 3 original variables, under the heading: Entertainment is a Necessity: Availability of graphics card in the laptop. Availability of DVD/CD ROM in the laptop. Availability of Bluetooth in the laptop.

Again for factor 2, the variables 9 and 10 are taken as they have a loading point of .874 and .842 respectively. This suggests that factor 2 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading: Size matters The weight in which the laptop is available. Size/Dimension the laptop is available in.

Again for factor 3, the variables 2 and 10 are taken as they have a loading point of .712 and .707 respectively. This suggests that factor 3 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading: Faster and quicker The speed at which the laptop will operate (i.e. giga hertz). Size/Dimension the laptop is available in.

Again for factor 4, the variables 3 and 8 are taken as they have a loading point of .634 and .773 respectively. This suggests that factor 4 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading: The better the price, the better the view The price at which the laptop is available. The display resolution the laptop is available.

Again for factor 5, the variables 4 and 13 are taken as they have a loading point of .733 and .643 respectively. This suggests that factor 5 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading:

Looks is as important as Work

The design in which the laptop is available. The number of usb-ports the laptop has.

Again for factor 6, the variables 18 and 17 are taken as they have a loading point of .803 and .522 respectively. This suggests that factor 6 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading: Its all about Style: Whether the laptop is from a reputed brand or not. The colour in which the laptop is available.

Again for factor 7, the variables 12 and 6 are taken as they have a loading point of .867 and .413 respectively. This suggests that factor 7 is a combination of these 2 original variables, under the heading: Storage in the long run Battery life or back-up the laptop has. Hard Disk Capacity of the laptop..

FINDINGSFrom the above study, the following findings have to be found 1) Consumer preference mainly depends upon the seven factors. And these seven factors are- entertainment, size, speed, price, look, style and storage capacity. 2) Second finding of my research is that 100% respondents are using laptop. And these 100% respondent rates Dell as the most demanded brand among them, then Sony viao as the 2nd & H.P as the 3rd most preferred brand,. Hence, the number of dell users having range of 35000- 50000 are high among the laptop users. 3) Third finding of my research is that the number of male laptop user respondents are comparatively higher than female laptop user respondents. 4) Fourth finding of my research is that respondent belongs to 18-25 age groups are using more laptops in comparison to other age groups respondents.

LIMITATIONSThe limitation of this research are1. There was a limited amount of sample which was 100 respondents out of the total population of 30,000 students in Lovely Professional University which represent the whole population. 2. The time period was limited which was around 3 months to finish the whole process.

RECOMMENDATIONAfter doing a brief research on the Student Preference Towards Various Laptop Brands in LPU, I would like to recommend that all the different laptop brands company have to be mainly focus on entertainment, size, speed, price, look ,style and storage capacity factors of the laptop. Because students preferred these factors most important while purchasing the laptop. And these are the main factors which mainly distinguished one laptop brand from another laptop brand.

CONCLUSIONThe feature of laptops plays an important role in buying decision for laptop. Therefore, laptop companies have to be mainly focused on improving the features of laptop mainly improving the quality of the laptop. And after conducting this research, seven factors are considered more important by the respondents. And the seven most important factors which have to be focused greatly by the companies are- entertainment, size, speed, price, look, style and storage capacity. And by improving or enhancing these seven factors, the company will score number one ranked among student perception. Because student preference towards various laptop brands mainly depends upon these seven factors.

ANNEXURE-

1. REFERENCES:  Cordwell . Tammy (2010), Improving Access to Computers for Students with Disabilities: Features Available on windows 7 operating system, Journal of Special Education Technology, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, pp-48.  Daim. Tugrul and Jordan .Stephen (2008), A foresight based on scientific indicators: a framework drawn from the case of laptop battery alternatives, VOL. 10 NO. 3, pp. 43-54  Elwood .Susan et al (2006), Investigating students perceptions on laptop initiative in higher education. An extension of the technology acceptance model, Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 336-349  Hahn. Jim et al (2003), Technology On Demand: Implementing Loanable Technology Services  Holden. Hugh A & Deng .Margaret (2004), Taking pro-action: A survey of potential users before the availability of wireless access and the implementation of a wireless notebook computer lending program in an academic library, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 561-575  Holden. Hugh & Hsieh. Ma Lei (2007), The state of wireless laptop lending programs :A survey of academic libraries, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 260-275  Holden. Hugh & Hsieh. Ma Lei (2008), university library laptop lending service: an analysis using two student surveys, Library Hi Tech, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 424-439.  Khalil. A Mounir (2004), Vision to reality: Applications of wireless Laptops in accessing information from digital libraries: end users viewpoint, Library Hi Tech News, Number 7, pp-25-29.  Lippincott .Joan K (2010), A mobile future for academic libraries, Reference Services Review, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 205-213  Ray C .Brown (1997), Technology and innovation with notebook computers, Campus Wide Information Systems, Volume 14, Number 2, pp. 5760.  Warschauer. Mark & Ames. Morgan (2010), Can One Laptop per Child Save the World's Poor? , Journal of International Affairs; Vol-64, No-1, pg. 33

2. QUESTIONNAIRE

Empirical Research on Student Preference towards Various Laptop Brands in LPU Dear Respondent, I am a student of Lovely Professional University currently pursuing MBA. This research is being conducted to find out the consumer satisfaction level and the factors affecting buyers decisions while purchasing laptops. Please answer all the questions with honesty, as it will help me in analysis my study further. The data that you will provide will be used only for academic purpose. Section-A 1) Do you own a laptop? Yes No If no, go to Question 8 2) What is the name of the brand that you own? Dell H.P Acer Sony Viao Lenovo Toshiba HCL If any other, than please specify..................................................................................... 3) Price at which the laptop was purchased. 15000-25000 25000-35000 35000-50000 50000 or above 4) Is this the 1st laptop brand that you have purchased? Yes No

5) If No, than what was the reason behind the switching of the brands? a) Overall dissatisfaction from the previous brand. b) Reasons other than dissatisfaction

6) What was the reason that lead to dissatisfaction? Slow Speed of the laptop Inability of installing new hardware Inability of installing new software Outdated Design Outdated technology After sales-service Availability of other attractive brands If any other, please specify.................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................ ...............................

7) Rate the following features which you would consider while purchasing a laptop, on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1-most least preferred, 2-least preferred, 3-preferred, 4-highly preferred, 5-most highly preferred) 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The processor which is installed in the laptop. The speed at which the laptop will operate (i.e. giga hertz). The price at which the laptop is available. The design in which the laptop is available. RAM provided in the laptop. Hard Disk Capacity of the laptop. Guarantee or Warrantee coming with the laptop The display resolution the laptop is available. The weight in which the laptop is available. Size/Dimension the laptop is available in. 2 3 4 5

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

After sales service provided with the laptop. battery life or back-up the laptop has. The number of usb-ports the laptop has. Availability of Bluetooth in the laptop. Availability of Wi-Fi connectivity in the laptop. Availability of DVD/CD rom in the laptop. The colour in which the laptop is available. Whether the laptop is from a reputed brand or not. Payment conditions available for purchasing the laptop. Availability of graphics card in the laptop.

Rate the following brands on a scale of 1 to 7; on the level of preference you have towards that particular brand. The brand you like to buy most, give it rank 1 and 7 to the least preferred one. Dell H.P Acer Sony Vaio Lenovo Toshiba HCL

SECTION-B Name -.................................................................... Gender: Male Female Age: below 18 18-25

25-35 35-45 45 and above

Date ......./......./........

3. Screen shot Of Variable view

4. Screen shot of Data view

5. TableTable of Factor Analysis

KMO and Bartlett's Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square Df Sig. .661 493.554 190 .000

Component Matrixa Component 1 processor type processor speed .435 .522 2 -.259 -.406 3 .533 -.108 4 -.189 -.325 5 .279 .191 6 -.261 .113 7 -.191 -.238

Price Design RAM hard disk capacity gurantee or warranty Display Weight size/dimensions after sales service battery back up number of USB ports Bluetooth Wi-Fi cd/dvd rom Color brand image payment condition graphics card

.455 .398 .596 .577 .562 .463 .317 .356 .470 .355 .327 .522 .595 .551 .257 .205 .256 .440

.301 .086 -.352 -.316 -.106 -.007 .581 .702 -.242 -.164 .497 .219 -.113 -.186 .596 -.091 .523 -.068

.563 -.350 -.266 -.275 -.009 .455 -.227 -.221 -.005 -.204 -.130 .160 -.111 .160 -.128 .308 .305 -.288

-.023 -.258 .020 .052 -.019 -.289 -.270 -.102 -.188 -.080 -.067 .559 .029 .158 .233 .456 -.158 .500

.097 .154 .016 -.068 -.130 -.256 .112 .017 .449 -.025 .010 -.143 -.273 -.421 .344 .553 -.261 -.042

-.127 .493 -.061 -.100 .193 .196 -.466 -.303 -.100 -.209 .426 -.124 -.073 .163 .280 .183 .087 -.148

.078 .056 -.081 .131 .143 .331 -.053 -.007 -.164 .734 -.173 .039 -.075 -.210 .148 .158 -.168 -.244

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. a. 7 components extracted.

Total Variance Explained Compon ent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total 4.024 2.465 1.597 1.300 1.216 1.162 1.042 .941 .815 .763 Initial Eigenvalues % of Variance 20.119 12.326 7.986 6.498 6.079 5.810 5.208 4.704 4.075 3.815 Cumulative % 20.119 32.445 40.431 46.930 53.008 58.819 64.027 68.730 72.806 76.620 Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total 4.024 2.465 1.597 1.300 1.216 1.162 1.042 % of Variance 20.119 12.326 7.986 6.498 6.079 5.810 5.208 Cumulative % 20.119 32.445 40.431 46.930 53.008 58.819 64.027

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

.711 .660 .587 .567 .458 .440 .399 .364 .308 .182

3.557 3.301 2.934 2.834 2.288 2.201 1.995 1.820 1.539 .912

80.177 83.479 86.413 89.247 91.534 93.735 95.730 97.550 99.088 100.000

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotated Component Matrixa Component 1 processor type processor speed Price Design RAM hard disk capacity gurantee or warranty Display Weight size/dimensions after sales service battery back up number of USB ports Bluetooth Wi-Fi cd/dvd rom Color brand image .069 .246 .056 .073 .538 .526 .389 .086 .005 .108 .110 .120 .117 .600 .589 .661 -.013 .017 2 .025 -.113 .298 .027 -.007 .008 -.058 -.099 .874 .842 .094 .092 .269 .226 .105 -.178 .376 -.194 3 .670 .712 .158 .230 .442 .294 .165 .093 .125 -.072 .707 .034 -.050 -.169 .184 .088 -.157 .178 4 .411 .041 .634 .008 -.077 -.033 .288 .773 .034 .090 -.007 .085 .170 .242 .178 .370 .010 .038 5 -.310 .234 -.087 .733 .112 .079 .271 .134 .058 .189 .064 -.009 .643 -.073 .081 .079 .521 .024 6 .182 -.139 .348 -.035 -.038 -.030 .032 -.037 -.087 .016 .152 .035 .066 .438 -.125 -.073 .522 .803 7 -.077 .066 -.029 .164 .237 .413 .252 .274 .065 .032 .071 .867 -.228 .008 .140 -.105 .001 .036

payment condition graphics card

.071 .692

.342 .144

-.131 .069

.546 -.258

.180 -.007

-.068 .202

-.296 -.052

6. GRAPHS-

Do you own a laptop?

What is the name of the brand that you own?

Price at which the laptop was purchased

Is this the 1st laptop brand that you have purchased?

If No, than what was the reason behind the switching of the brands?

What was the reason that lead to dissatisfaction?

Rating of the brands:

Table 1 Count dell 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H.P 1 2 3 4 5 6 38 22 17 16 1 2 4 19 29 23 18 7 2

7 Acer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sony viao 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lenova 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Toshiba 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 HCL 1 2 3

2 5 13 6 12 24 22 17 1 27 22 23 12 6 7 3 6 6 16 19 23 17 13 1 2 9 13 19 25 31 3 5 9

4 5 6 7

9 20 25 29

GENDER

AGE