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A Study of
Consumer Perceptions And Evaluations of Saudi Telecom Mobile Services in Saudi
Arabia Project
Proposal for Submission to: Saudi
Telecom Company To be executed by: Marketing Research Class (MKT 345)
College of Industrial Management
King Fahd University of Petroleum and
Minerals
Under supervision of the Course Instructor: Dr. Stephen
Calcich
1.
Introduction Marketing Research classes in KFUPM’s College of Industrial
Management have, over the past two years, successfully executed a number of
sponsored studies for companies operating in Saudi Arabia. Companies have
benefited by receiving insight into their markets, which could only have been
achieved otherwise at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Saudi Riyals.
Students benefit from being able to work on real life projects for real
businesses rather than on hypothetical problems or student based projects
that are not necessarily business oriented. Faculty, are able to bring their
state-of-the-art expertise and experience of conducting research studies to
bear upon problems of Saudi business and industry and so make a direct and
meaningful contribution to the development of the Saudi economy. This
contribution is all the more critical as Saudi Arabia seeks to enter the WTO
with all the competitive challenges that will bring to Saudi business. 2.
Research
Objectives The research can be designed, upon
consultation with Saudi Telecom personnel, to achieve any of the following
objectives or any other objectives identified by Saudi Telecom:
·
To examine the level of consumer satisfaction with
mobile services in KSA. ·
To identify the factors that influence consumers’ satisfaction
levels. ·
To examine consumers' quality and image perceptions of
Saudi Telecom. ·
To examine price elasticity for mobile services. ·
To investigate potential new and innovative services 3.
Research
Design Dependent on the research objectives the appropriate
research design will be selected. As shown in Table 1 below, exploratory
research will be undertaken to ensure the problem is sufficiently defined to
move confidently to the next phase of the study where the appropriate
research method will be selected. The research method will most likely
involve a survey but experimentation and observation are options, which might
be preferred and can even be conducted in conjunction with a survey.
4.
Data
Collection Questionnaires and other
data collection instruments will be presented to Saudi Telecom for final
approval before data collection begins. These instruments will be in Arabic or
English or both depending on the population of interest. Care will be taken
to ensure that any sample is of sufficient size and is made up of appropriate
respondents so that valid conclusions can be drawn. There will be at least
sixty students and so having a sufficient sample size does not present a
problem. Since all our students are Saudis and mobile phone users we can
ensure their ability to appropriately administer questionnaires and interact
with Saudi society. Through their friends and relatives we can access a good
cross section of Saudi mobile phone users. 5.
Data
Analysis Data analysis,
comprising of frequency distributions and cross tabulations, will be done to
meet the research objectives. If more sophisticated analysis is required then
faculty have the expertise required and can be engaged after the semester has
finished do this. 6.
Presentation
of Results and Recommendations Saudi Telecom will receive
the best student report(s) at the end of the semester (see Table 1 for the
research schedule). Faculty can be engaged for presentation of the results
and/or discussion and interpretation of the results beyond those presented in
the written reports at the request of Saudi Telecom. 7.
Execution
Time Schedule The approximate time schedule for
completion of the project is shown below in Table1. The final report(s) will
be delivered by June 9, 2004. Table
1
Project Schedule
8.
Benefits
of the Project As described in the
introduction, both the company and KFUPM students and faculty will benefit
from such a project. We believe that STC will derive the following benefits
from this project 1.
Feedback
from the study will help STC understand its customers and better prepare the
company for the ensuing competition that will result from the planned
privatization of the Telecom sector in the Kingdom 2.
Sponsorship
for the project will be seen as support for KFUPM’s academic programs by STC,
and this will portray the company as fulfilling a social responsibility. The
company will be seen as contributing
to the professional development of the Kingdom’s managers. 3.
The
project sponsorship Improve the image of STC in the society 4.
Our
students are more aware of the Saudi culture and environment and the
historical development of STC than most professional consulting firms in the
Kingdom that tend to have a foreign background. |