Title (max. 15 words)
Note on Content:
A title should summarize the main idea of the proposal simply and, if possible, with style. You may want to use a title and a subtitle, separated by a colon (e.g. ‘Brown Eggs: What they are Made of and How to Eat Them’)
Strategic Analysis and Choice: Chinese Auto Industry after the Financial Tsunami
Abstract (max. 160 words)
Note on Content:
A brief and comprehensive summary of your proposal.
According to the industrial analysis, China will overtake the United States in 2009 to become the world’s biggest auto market. However, most of the automobiles are come from the joint venture factories. The financial tsunami gave an opportunity to the Chinese auto industries a strategic approach to gain competitive advantage, absorb advanced technology and develop global sales network. This may be the last chance for China’s automobile industry to catch up with the other international companies. The Chinese auto industry is both increasing and declining but whether the increase will improve in the following years depends on the maximizing the benefits of financial tsunami while also responding to and mitigating the challenges that it inflicts. It would be then important to determine the key drivers of strategies that could make sustainability and competitiveness of the Chinese auto industry materialize.
Introduction (approx. 200 words)
Note on Content:
• A statement of your research question, possibly including a central question and three or four aspects or sub-questions (approx. 30–100 words depending on number of research questions).
• Explain why this question is interesting (approx. 100 words).
The key question that will be addressed is: Will Chinese auto industry emerges as the winner at the end of financial tsunami? Other questions include:
1) How does the Chinese auto industry would likely to combat the challenges of the recent financial tsunami?
2) What are the drivers in Chinese auto industry behind achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the future?
3) What are the advantages the financial tsunami is providing the Chinese auto industry?
The Chinese market is recognized as the next most important economy in the global marketplace how various industries including the Chinese auto industry could strategize to achieve competitive advantage must be explored. These questions are needed to be explored to determine whether the Chinese auto industry will reap all the benefits of the financial tsunami while also responding to the challenges. It would be also necessary to evaluate how the Chinese auto industry will succeed despite the challenges the recent financial tsunami is imposing. As such, both the opportunities and challenges available for the Chinese auto industry must be investigated from the insights of financial tsunami.
Relation to previous research (approx. 400 words)
Note on Content:
• Discussion of the relation between your proposed research and previous research. When expanded in the dissertation this will be referred to as a Literature Review (approx. 400 words).
Based on my initial research, there are no related studies about the Chinese auto industry and how the financial tsunami affects such. However, there is a report about the phenomenon. According to the report (2009), the Chinese automobile industry which is considerably at its infancy is also affected by the financial crisis. Although there is a reported 9.3451 million yields (+5.2%) in 2008, the growth speed decreases by 16.8% of the previous year. There is therefore a sharp reduction in the profits of Chinese automobile manufacturers. Further, FAW Volks, Shanghai Volks and Shanghai GE had increased in sales volume but independent brand such as Chery suffered a dropped in market share.
The Chinese government, in order to continuously promote the development of Chinese automobile industry, had approved the Revitalization Plans of Automobile Industry in January 2009. Some of the major contents of the plan are reducing the purchase tax of passenger automobiles with low emissions, offering purchase subsidy policy to specify targets so as to promote automobile consumption, supporting Chinese automobile manufacturers to develop independent innovation and technical reform, supporting these manufacturers to develop independent brands and speeding up the export base construction of automobile and accessories.
The report also pointed out that compared with international automobile companies China is rapidly becoming the manufacture and cost centers. One of the main advantages of Chinese automobile manufactures is lo cost compared to the developing countries. On the other end of the spectrum, rising costs are also apparent especially on parts and accessories. China has no advantage in the high quality accessories although the medium quality accessories have been developed in the recent years. When it comes to competition, moreover, China’s consistent rivals are India and Vietnam in the low quality manufacture which includes batteries and tires.
China Daily (2008) reported that one aspect of Chinese auto industry that is most affected by the financial tsunami is the auto export businesses. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers provided the latest statistics: 44, 000 units were sold overseas in August 2008, 22.18% month-on-month decline and 11.29% year-on-year decline. The total auto export value during that month reached .7 billion, a drop of 1.53% month-on-month but an increase of 23.32% year-on-year.
It was also said that the domestic auto part manufacturers are also suffering due to their lack of competence in scale and technologies. Auto parts exported directly to foreign automakers dropped significantly also and an independent auto industry analyst remarked that it will take at least a year to restore the export level in this niche.
Proposed methods (approx. 400 words)
Note on Content:
• A precise statement of the methods you propose to use.
• Justify the choices you make. Explain why this method is being used in preference to others.
• Discuss the specifics of the method(s) you will use. Be clear about data sources and what will count as data in your research project.
• (In your methods section you may need to make some reference to other exemplary studies and will certainly need to refer to the literature on research methods.)
Interpretivism is the necessary research philosophy for this study because it allows searching the ‘details of the situation to understand the reality or perhaps a reality working behind them’ (Remenyi et al, 1998). For this study, the descriptive research method will be utilized. Creswell (1994) states that a descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research. Best (1970) also noted that this type of research concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing.
My research will operate within the cross-sectional design, as I will be collecting data on more than one case using semi-structured questionnaires. The benefit of this would be that I would be able to focus on the breath of the research. Moreover, by exploring the breath of the topic, I am increasing my validity and the truthfulness of my research, and thereby minimize the confounding variables. I am planning to survey Chinese car operators and derive from then insights on how the industry will thrive in the future amidst the financial tsunami. Through a convenience sampling of Chinese car operators, I intend to survey at least 30 of them.
The research will utilize both primary and secondary research. In primary research, the study will use semi-structured questionnaire as instrument. It is planned that the questionnaire will have open-ended and reflective questions aside from the 5-point Likert scale and ranking questions. A secondary research will also be conducted in the study. Sources in secondary research will include previous research reports, newspaper, magazine and journal content. Company reports, documents and online statistics will be also explored. Existing findings on journals and existing knowledge on books will be used as secondary research. The interpretation will be conducted which can account as qualitative in nature.
Quantitative analysis will be also applied. The results of the quantitative part of paper will be processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to address the central and sub-questions of indicated in the earlier part of the paper. Further, the thesis will be presented in written form with the addition of data charts which will present the project’s results. Pie charts and network charts will be needed to illustrate some of the analyzed data. This cannot be confirmed, however, until the research data have been analyzed.
Reflections (approx. 450 words)
Note on Content:
Include reflections on:
• Potential practical and empirical obstacles (e.g. access).
• Conceptual and theoretical problems and difficulties.
• Ethics (both in the narrow and the broader senses).
• Your position as a researcher in a political field, and reflection on how this will impact on your study.
A study that will investigate how the Chinese automobile industry could succeed despite the challenges of the ongoing financial tsunami, this study might provide results that the Chinese automobile operators could translate into new strategies. This type of study will allow seeing the importance of assessing opportunities and challenges so that the local authorities will know how to respond to them. However, like any other study, this research also has various limitations that may affect the credibility of its results. One of the limitations is that data will only be acquired through survey. Surveys are limited only to abrupt responses. A way to deal with this threat is to provide the respondents enough time to study the questions so that answers will be accurate and adequate.
Participation may also be a limitation of this study as there may be some who will not be willing to participate or who may participate half-heartedly. The company’s data will be collected. However, I will respect the commercial confidentiality of any information obtained. The respondents of the survey will be able to choose whether to identify them or stay anonymous. I will establish with the data providers the use of my data and will ask their permission in case of publishing data. Before sending out the questionnaires, I will check them with my supervisor.
Developing a good semi-structured questionnaire may also be a problem. In this matter, sufficient literature review will be conducted. Literature reviews will be presented in Chapter 2 of the study. The discussion of these literatures will stand as secondary data of the study. These literatures will help the readers understand the basic and advanced concepts that are related with the problem of the study.
A pre-test of the questionnaires will also be conducted so that errors can be spotted and they can be modified immediately to suit the study better. A pre-test of the questionnaires will be conducted so as to validate if its contents are okay and can actually answer the research questions of the study. If ever the questionnaire is not suitable as the pre-analysis show, it will be immediately modified. The suggestions of the 4 pre-test samples will also be considered in the modification. The pre-test samples will not be included in the actual set of respondents.
I want to place myself in the position wherein I could provide new orders of thinking applicable to incumbent and posterity. Limitations inherent in this kind of research would include susceptibility from the researcher’s subjectivities in the context of the research study. I would have to remain vigilant in interpreting data in this research. Further, the research does not intend to interpret phenomena but only those that are affecting the marketing environment.
Conclusion (max. 200 words)
Note on Content:
• Very brief wrap-up, including discussion of immediate next steps you need to take. Do not restate everything you have already said.
The Chinese auto industry, although is still in its infancy, faced its biggest challenge yet: the financial tsunami. Sustaining competitive advantage would be difficult for the Chinese auto industry if it is bombarded with a financial crisis that is affecting virtually all aspects relating to the industry. Nevertheless, the industry could also reap the benefits of the financial turmoil when it comes to transferring manufacturing to China which boasts for its low cost manufacturing and/or production. The proposal is intended to provide information regarding exploring how the said industry could still succeed in the future. The results of the research would then be used to examine the kind of strategies that are useful in dealing with financial tsunami challenges.
As seen in this research proposal, the research should undergo stages. In the research design, the researcher should collect secondary data and formulate and develop the questionnaire. In this stage, the instrument should be subjected to approval and validation. Upon approval of the research, the next step would be to update literature readings and then initially develop research questions. Future research can either be quantitative or qualitative. However, quantitative research may be more advisable as it can cover a larger population. It also provides a generalized statistics results.
Timetable (approx. 100 words, or a one page diagram)
Note on Content:
• Provide dates and major steps or milestones.
• This should be presented in bullet points or as a pictorial diagram.
• Make sure that you include other commitments such as holidays, and allowing time for tutors to approve your research proposal.
References (max. 75 words)
Note on Content:
• A full list of works referred to in the text referenced correctly.
• Quality is more important than quantity, demonstrating engagement with relevant literature.
• The Internet should not be the only source of references.
Best, J. W. (1970). Research in Education. (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: prentice Hall Inc.
China Daily. (2009). Financial crisis hits China’s auto exports. Automotive News.
Creswell, J. W. (1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc.
Remenyi, D., Williams, B. & Swartz, E. (1998). Doing Research in Business Management: An Introduction to Process and Method. London: Sage Publications Inc.
Report of Chinese Automobile Industry under International Financial Crisis. (2009).
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