Research Proposal : Mobile Homes Market

• To investigate the online business opportunities regarding movable homes
• To inquire into the advantages of using e-commerce in portable home business
• To examine the growth in online mobile home business
• To discuss the factors that can affect this online mobile home business

Research Questions:

The research questions can be as follows:

• What are the prospects of doing an online business of mobile homes?
• What are the advantages of choosing to sell mobile homes online?
• How is this business growing with time?
• What are the factors that affect this online business of mobile homes?

Rationale of the study

The concept of this study came from the idea of starting up an online business with mobile homes. Population growth and need for more houses, gave rise to this idea. In addition, e-commerce business is a profitable business nowadays. Buying things online is the latest trend among the masses. So putting together the demand in direction will result in a successful venture. This research was put together to find out a solution of how to progress in this case (realestate.com.au, 2014).

Structure of the research paper:

This dissertation or the research paper consists five chapters. The first chapter is the introductory chapter of the research study. It also includes a background of the online business of mobile homes, and one company would be focused. It will also consist of research aim, objectives, and questions. The second chapter will be composed of literature review of the selected topic. In this chapter, research will be done through theories and models as well as major concepts related to the topic. Apart from all these, there will be a conceptual framework of the research.

The third chapter will comprise research methodology. The elements that would be inserted are sampling technique, data collection, and data analysis method. In the fourth chapter, the method of data analysis will be demonstrated, and the outcome of the analysis will be discussed. The fifth chapter will sum up the research, as it will include the conclusion of the research study. Proper recommendation of the recognized issue will be incorporated in this chapter (Collis & Hussey, 2013).

Literature Review

In this section, an online business company Anchor Homes is focused. The components that are helping the business to grow are the matter of discussion here. The advantages and growth of the online business of free house will be discussed regarding Anchor Homes, which is an Australian online business company.

Conceptual framework

Fig 1: Conceptual framework of the factors affecting movable homes’ online business

Source: As created by author/researcher

Factors affecting online business growth of movable homes

Availability: Online shopping has changed the concept of traditional shopping. People, nowadays, do not wait for the stores to open. Anytime and anywhere, they can open the internet and see the products. It has solved the problem of emergency needs. However, mobile homes became popular with time and demands are increasing. The owners understand customer needs. These houses are in demand during holidays or occasions as temporary residing places. Online business has grown the chance of its 24*7 availability.

Affordability: The companies that are launching this business have the advantage of spending less to set up the business. They work as a retailer. They do not need to rent or buy any physical location to establish the shop. It involves less risk if the business does not do well. Moreover, the online marketplaces do not charge huge amount of money to list products. Even the e-commerce software packages with wide range of website options are quite inexpensive (NBC News, 2016).

Global reach: The products can reach to not only private people but also to the people living in other countries. It is the primary reason for the growth of an online business company. Anchor Homes, which is an Australian company, deliver their products to Victoria and NSW. However, it is a fact that online business broadens the customers, which is important for industry to spread and grow.

The range of products: Physical constrictions can restrain traders from exhibiting or moving a full variety of goods, in comparison to online-only dealers who can display any and every item they put up for sale, and only compensate for warehousing and postage expenses. Anchor Homes present their wide range of products on their website, along with the projects they have already worked on. This helps prospective clients to get an idea about their work quality and what options they can choose from (Freshome.com, 2015).

The absence of environmental issues: The weather, bad traffic, rising petrol prices, or trouble in parking will not affect the online market or marketplace listings. Consumers will always have trouble-free admittance to the items irrespective of these types of environmental issues. Anchor Homes has their display section where the prospective buyers can visit anytime, anywhere, regardless of the weather conditions or traveling costs.

Promotion: Purchasers’ can be directed to share Anchor’s products via public platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, with just the press of a switch. Word of mouth promotion is very potent, and it is much effortless for them to push this via an online shop.

Smooth transactions: Holdups at the physical stores such as long queues or employees not being present to serve up will not be factors for the Anchor’s online networks implying that clients will by no means be driven away by these congestions. Online transactions methods are available, which are easier and secure. Even light fingers and five-fingered concessions need not be a concern in the online retail market. It is not possible for the public to pocket items that they have not compensated for which is excellent for the profit margins (Business 2 Community, 2016).

Research methodology:

Research methodology provides a systematic structure that is developed into a complete researched work. In this research proposal, factors such as availability, affordability, environmental issues, etc. have made the differences between the online and offline business of the movable house. The online market is growing fast due to all these factors. Anchor Homes is one such example of a fast-moving online business of mobile homes. Based on all these positive factors, the research will be conducted using both the quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. The research methodology will comprise both primary and secondary data (Creswell, 2013).

Research Approach:

The research approach is another major technique, which derives the perception of the entire study. There are two different kinds of research methods, which are deductive approach and inductive approach. The deductive approach focuses on systematic testing of the research hypothesis that would analyze the fruitfulness of research theory (Trainor & Graue, 2014).

Research Design:

 The current research work is also focused on finding out the most detailed findings regarding the research issue. In this context, descriptive design solely offers the opportunity to evaluate every aspect of research work in a comprehensive fashion (Pickard, 2012). Therefore, a graphic design will be most suitable in comparison with other research designs, which are exploratory design and graphic design.

Data collection method:

Both the primary and secondary data will be collected to reach the conclusion. The research objective, in this case, to solve the questions related to advantages and growth of the online business of mobile homes. The current market scenario that will project the growth in this industry will be analyzed using the customer's feedback as the primary data. Secondary data will be collected from the current market trends. Data related to the growth of Anchor Homes as an online business platform will be taken into consideration (Fink, 2013).

Primary data Collection:

Primary data can be collected through consumer’s direct feedback. The process involved drafting of an open-ended and close-ended questionnaire to carry out a survey. It is considered a valid and very useful method of understanding the present market condition. Direct interaction with the consumers even helps in identifying any problems that should be recovered to achieve further development.

Secondary Data Collection:

Any other resources such as company website, journal, and academic papers related to the online business of mobile homes are considered as Secondary resources. The data found from these resources are also useful in analyzing the growth in this business (O’Leary, 2013).

Sampling method:

Collection and sampling of the primary data should go through a systematic procedure in this research. Sampling method refers to the selection of a particular group of consumers to accomplish the survey. However, wrong selection of respondents may damage the entire review as it results into the sampling of false information so that the desired research objective is fulfilled.

The sampling method is of two types- probability sampling. To meet the objectives of this study, both types of sampling methods are useful.

Sampling Size:

It refers to the number of people from whom primary data is collected through a systematic survey. Both the methods will involve a large number sample size to reduce the chance of error or any deviation. However, it is found that 80% of the people have answered the questions.

Ethical Consideration:

While carrying out a study, it is necessary to follow an orderly approach where the ethical concerns are measured. Consideration of ethical concerns is essential for authenticating the study and its outcomes. It helps in analyzing the stability and reliability of the survey based on official statistics composed from the interviewees. The information collected for this research will be exclusively used for educational purpose. The questionnaire has been formatted in such a way so that no sensitive queries are asked to the interviewees. While carrying out the study, comfort and readiness of the respondents to partake in the survey are measured. The collected data will be kept private and the referencing method taken up in this study has helped in authenticating the facts (Silverman, 2016).

Research outcome:

The future examiner, who will study on the same topic, will be enormously helped by the research work. The study will provide a proper understanding of the factors that will assist a prospective proprietor to build his online business based on the factors that will assist in its success. Therefore, the online business for mobile homes will also be supported by the research work.

Gantt chart

Gant chart represents the period for carrying out the entire study. It has been shown that the research will take 14 weeks, and the duration of each step in the study has been shown in the following chart.

Principal activities	Week 1-2	Week 3-6	Week 7-8	Week 9-10	Week 11-12	Week 13-14
Topic selection and analysis
Identification of sources and collection
Literature review
Research methodology
Design of survey
Primary data collection
Data analysis
Conclusion

 

Ethical checklist

1.	Will the human subjects be informed of the nature of their involvement in the collection of data and of features of the research that reasonably might be expected to influence willingness to participate?	Yes
2.	Will the human subjects be told that they can discontinue their participation at any time?	Yes
3.	Will the human subjects in your study be aware that they are the targets of research?	Yes
4.	If the subjects are underage, will their guardians be asked to sign the consent form?	N/A
5.	Is the confidentiality of the human subject’s identity positively ensured?	Yes
6.	In cases where there is a possibility that the human subject's identity can be deduced by someone other than the researcher, is the subject's right to withdraw his/her data respected?	Yes
7.	Will the researcher fulfill all the promises made to the human subjects including providing the summary of the findings upon request?	Yes
8.	Will all necessary measures be taken to protect the physical safety of the human subjects from dangers such as faulty electrical equipment, poor grounding, lack of oxygen, falls, traffic & industrial accidents, the possibility of hearing or vision loss, etc.?	Yes
9.	Will the human subject be debriefed (told the true nature of the study) after the data has been collected?	Yes
10	In cases in which the human subject is dissatisfied or a complaint about the researcher or procedure, will the researcher explain to the human subject that he or she may express this complaint to the Subject Coordinator?	Yes
11.	Does the study involve concealment from and/or deception of the human subject?	No
12.	Will deception be used to obtain agreement to participate?	No
13.	Will the study involve human subjects who are legally or otherwise not in a position to give their valid consent to participate such as children, prison inmates, mental patients?	No
14.	Will information on your human subjects be obtained from third parties?	No
15.	Will any coercion be exerted upon subjects to participate?	No
16.	Will the study involve physical stress to the human subjects such as might result from heat, noise, electric shock, pain, sleep loss, deprivation of food and drink, drugs, alcohol?	No
17.	Will the study cause any mental discomfort to the human subjects such as fear, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, shame, guilt, embarrassment, etc.?	No
18.	Could publication of the research results possibly interfere with strict confidentiality?	Yes
19.	Could publication of the research results possibly harm the human subject -  either directly or through identification with his/her membership group?	No
20.	Are there other aspects of the study that may interfere with the protection of the    well-being of the human subjects?	No

References

Anchorhomes.com.au. 2016. [online] Available at: https://anchorhomes.com.au/modular-display-homes [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016].

Barnes, S. and Hunt, B. eds., 2013. E-commerce and v-business. Routledge.

Business 2 Community. 2016. Online Versus Offline: The Pros and Cons of Online Retail. [online] Available at: https://www.business2community.com/consumer-marketing/online-versus-offline-the-pros-and-cons-of-online-retail-0205608#2w7VQKFII2BffFmA.97

Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave Macmillan.

Creswell, J.W., 2013. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.

Fink, A., 2013. Conducting research literature reviews: from the Internet to paper. Sage Publications.

Freshome.com. 2015. 10 Basic Facts You Should Know About Modular Homes - Freshome.com. [online] Available at: https://freshome.com/2013/03/27/10-basic-facts-about-modular-homes/

Houzz.com.au. 2016. Anchor Homes's Projects. [online] Available at: https://www.houzz.com.au/projects/users/anchorhomes

NBC News. 2016. Tiny Houses: A Big Idea to End Homelessness. [online] Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/tiny-houses-big-idea-end-homelessness-n39316

Nzherald.co.nz. 2016. www.nzherald.co.nz. [online] Available at: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11432127

O'Leary, Z., 2013. The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage.

Outsidetheratrace.com. 2016. Outside the Rat Race: Is It Worth Buying A Manufactured Home?. [online] Available at: https://www.outsidetheratrace.com/2013/01/is-it-worth-buying-manufactured-home.html

Pickard, A., 2012. Research methods in information. Facet Publishing.

realestate.com.au. 2014. What’s happening in the world of prefab housing? - realestate.com.au. [online] Available at: https://www.realestate.com.au/news/whats-happening-world-prefab-housing/

Silverman, D. ed., 2016. Qualitative research. Sage.

Trainor, A.A., and Graue, E., 2014. Evaluating rigor in qualitative methodology and research dissemination. Remedial and Special Education,35(5), pp.267-274.