Business Decision Marking Project: Part 1 1 Business Decision Making Project Part 1 Maryan B. Negron University of Phoenix QNT/275 Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 2 Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 Every company's success is dependent on the type of decision it makes. Decisions ought to be made from a foundation of sound reasoning and knowledge, which eventually leads to prosperity. When Apple Company envisioned a future where phones without keypads would be in demand Microsoft CEO Bill Gates laughed at this saying it would never be successful. Today Microsoft Company is struggling on the bottom trying to figure out what it should do to counter the competition in the Smartphone market. By last year the company only held 3.5% market share compared to Apple, which holds 14.8%, and Google/Android, which holds 80.2%. This study paper has identified Microsoft Company as the subject of this research. The study problem lists poor marketing as the reason why Microsoft window phones are not doing well in the market compared to other brands. The research variable is the Microsoft Windows phones. On several occasions, Microsoft Company has had to call back it's Window operating system phones due to the failure of the OS to update. Additionally, Microsoft window phone has so many faults such as the lack of enough applications and complexity in use (Adrian, 2016). Problem Description With the sales of Smartphones increasing by 4% globally, Microsoft Company has not yet managed to solve it Microsoft Window Phone problem since the phone is still performing poorly. The company has failed to capitalize on market share growth by dropping from the previous 3% to 0.7% this is according to Gartner sales report on Smartphones. It is estimated that the company managed to make sales of only 2.4 million window phones. The problem that Microsoft is facing is credited to its poor marketing efforts and failure to come up with a better version of window phone that is more preferable to consumers (Yoni, 2016). In this research, we Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 3 focus on why consumers are not buying the Microsoft window phone. The type of faults found on the phone and what is lacking in the Microsoft window phone to make it less desirable? By comparing the Microsoft window phone to other phones in the market, the paper will try to find solutions for Microsoft Company. Microsoft products have always been known to perform better in the market the fact that the company has failed terribly to reach out to its customers and convince them that the window operating system phone is the best way to go may pose a threat even to its other products. Failing to find a solution to this problem would also mean that the window phone will be leaving the market due to poor performance in sales. Additionally, the company failing to make sales for the already manufactured products means that it will encounter a huge loss. Research variable The research variable for this study paper is the customer attitude towards Windows operating system phones. A variable is the attributes or characteristics of an individual, environment or education system that is of interest to a research study (Eye & Clogg, 2007). The customer attitude will be easy to measure and using this variable it will be easy to explain the variance that makes the Microsoft window phone less preferable compared to other smartphones. Use of qualitative method There are several reasons why the qualitative method was preferred over quantitative. One of the reasons why a qualitative method is most effective for this research is because it is concerned human behavior and try to understand why people behave the way they do from an informative perspective. Quantitative would not be effective in this case because it focuses on identifying facts regarding a social phenomenon which is not what we will be doing in this paper. Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 4 Also, the reason I chose qualitative is that the method for data gathering will involve collecting the data by interviewing the customers and making observations, unlike quantitative method which involves collecting data through measuring things. Furthermore, qualitative will allow me to analyze data based on the description of my sample group. On the contrast, the quantitative method would have required the data to be gathered by way statistical inferences and numerical comparison. Moreover, the means of data reporting is far simpler using the qualitative method whereby data is reported using the informant language and not statistical analysis. Therefore using qualitative method will make it easy for the research and the audiences to easily interpret the data. Qualitative method is the most effective when researching on what people feel about a product, which is what we will be doing in this research (Pawar, 2004). Data Collection To know if my data collection method will yield the valid and reliable result, I will have to ensure the instrument selected is field tested and have in the past demonstrated reliability and validity of data. To ensure that the measure is reliable, the following will be observed that a reliable measure ought to produce responses that are stable regardless of whether who the data collector. If the measure is unreliable, it won't matter who the collector is the answers will be different from the interviewees. The fact that the method chosen for this study is qualitative data collection method poses a validity problem. Meaning that before the actual interview the respondent will be trained on how to use the instrument so that the differences can be minimized in case different collectors will be used that will also have to be trained on how to use the data collection instrument. Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 5 To ensure that the right data, which enough for this research is, gathered an adequate sample size will be used. Therefore, the research will begin by starting with a bigger sample group and then narrow to a smaller group. Regular check up will be done to ensure that data from the smaller group is properly coded will be done. In summary, Microsoft Company was chosen for this research because it faces a common problem that has led to the closure of so many companies or the elimination of some promising products. The fact that the company failed to make a head start does not necessary mean that it should give up on the window operating system phone. Rather, that the company ought to embark on series of a marketing campaign and ensure that its product reaches both the tapped and untapped markets. All in all, in this research, I hope to identify what customer think about Microsoft products and what kind of changes they would like to see done on the window phone. Business Decision Making Project: Part 1 6 References: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. It's time for Microsoft to give up on Windows Phone and switch to Android. ZDNet. Retrieved on July-5-2016. From http://www.zdnet.com/article/its-time-formicrosoft-to-give-up-on-windows-phone-and-switch-to-android/ Ewan Spence. Three Lessons From Microsoft's Windows Phone Misadventures. Forbes. Retrieved on July-5-2016. From http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2015/07/12/microsoftwindows-phone-writedown-nokia-lessons/#38d6f55d2a19 Eye, A. ., & Clogg, C. C. (2007). Categorical variables in developmental research: Methods of analysis. Amsterdam [etc.: Elsevier. Paul Thurrott. The Long, Slow Decline of Windows Phone. Retrieved on July-5-2016. From https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/windows-phone/64299/the-long-slow-decline-of-windowsphone Pawar, M. S. (2004). Data collecting methods and experiences: A guide for social researchers. Elgin, IL: New Dawn Press. Yoni Heisler. Microsoft engineer exposes the inside story: Why Windows Phone was doomed from the start. BGR. Retrieved on July-5-2016. From http://bgr.com/2015/08/03/windows- phone-failure-microsoft-engineer/