Case study
Hariharan from Banglore had developed an electric car- VERVE. It ids fully automatic, no clutch, and no gears car. This two door hatchback easily seats two adults and three children with a small turning radius of just 4 meters. It runs on batteries and as compared to other electric vehicles, has an onboard charger to felicitate easy charging which can be carried out by plugging into any 20 amp socket at home or work. A full battery charge takes less than 6 hours and gives a range of 70 km per charge. In a quick charge mode (two and half our), 80% charge is attained which is good enough for 65 km running. A full charge consumes just about 8 units of electricity. Somehow the product did not take off the way he expected. Hariharan is contemplating about repositioning the car. As he looked at the prototype, he knew that there were few questions to which he must find answers before he undertakes repositioning exercise. Who should be the targeed segment- old people, young college students, housewives or who else? What should be the positioning stance? What kind of image would these customers relate to? Was a new name or punch line required? How should the promotions be undertaken? As Hyundai had done it with Shahrukh Khan, should he also consider a celebrity? If yes who?
What kind of research study should Hariharan undertake? Define the objectives of his research.
Do the stated objectives have scope for qualitative research?
Which research method would you recommend and why? Can you construct a template for conducting the study? Which elements would you advise Hariharan to keep in mind and why?
Answers
Answer:
Hariharan from Banglore had developed an electric car- VERVE. It ids fully automatic, no clutch, and no gears car. This two door hatchback easily seats two adults and three children with a small turning radius of just 4 meters. It runs on batteries and as compared to other electric vehicles, has an onboard charger to felicitate easy charging which can be carried out by plugging into any 20 amp socket at home or work. A full battery charge takes less than 6 hours and gives a range of 70 km per charge. In a quick charge mode (two and half our), 80% charge is attained which is good enough for 65 km running. A full charge consumes just about 8 units of electricity. Somehow the product did not take off the way he expected. Hariharan is contemplating about repositioning the car. As he looked at the prototype, he knew that there were few questions to which he must find answers before he undertakes repositioning exercise. Who should be the targeed segment- old people, young college students, housewives or who else? What should be the positioning stance? What kind of image would these customers relate to? Was a new name or punch line required? How should the promotions be undertaken? As Hyundai had done it with Shahrukh Khan, should he also consider a celebrity? If yes who?
What kind of research study should Hariharan undertake? Define the objectives of his research.
Do the stated objectives have scope for qualitative research?
Which research method would you recommend and why? Can you construct a template for conducting the study? Which elements would you advise Hariharan to keep in mind and why