The Different Factors Why Students Prefer China Phones

The Different Factors Why Students Prefer China Phones

I. Introduction There is a growing trend among young peoples in the Philippines today that is sure interesting to study about. This year, not only Nokia, Samsung or Sony Ericsson has taken large shares of the mobile phone industry in the Philippines1. China Phones, phones manufactured in the new industrial giant China, had invaded the mobile phone industry. China Phone is a general term for phones that are made in China and are sold in the Philippines in cheaper prices. The distinctive quality of a China Phone is its lower prices2 compared to the more expensive brands such as Nokia and Motorola. Interesting observation about these phones is that some phones are physically copied from original phones, (design, name and brand). Thus it is common to call China phones as 2nd hand phones or fake phones. The popularity of these phones maybe attributed to its costs. China phones are affordable. The price ranges from a lowly P3000 for an affordable China Phone to the very expensive yet feature-laden P22,000 China Phone.

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Yet, the phone’s popularity can’t only be equated with one factor. Further the phones contained limitless features that are also offered by other high-end mobile phones. According to ProductWiki, a website

1 2

'China phones' slowly creeping their way to RP. Melvin Calimag. (2009). China Phones. Michael Tan (2009).

dedicated to inform consumers of phone marketability, a floundering number of features are very desirable in a phone. ProductWiki3 says: “large coloured screens shaped perfectly to accommodate both the new features and the camera mode. You can even read the whole message as it appears on the screen at one time. The latest… phones all have speaker phone, voice dialing, digital camera, advanced ringtones, advanced messaging features, MP3 player and FM radio … have the usual games, downloadable ringtones, voice messaging, call waiting and other features…have the most easy to use and user-friendly navigation keys especially for SMS inputting and sending.”

Further China Phones also provide 3G. 3G is the latest way of new technologies that are being infused with the cell phones. Lately, one of the growing trend of the China mobile phone industry it now offers dual sim capacity. This means that a phone can now transact calls or text messages not just in one network but two. For example, a phone now can receive text messages from both Globe Telecom subscribers and Smart subscribers. This study then becomes one of the first academic thrusts of understanding China Phones and its marketability and the culture it creates towards the youth.

II. Statement of the Problem The objective of this study is to find out the factors that shape the preferences of the youth toward China Phones. 3

ProductWiki. Date Retrieved: September 29, 2009.

This study endeavors to answer the following: 1. What factor contribute most to shaping the preference of students buying China Phones? 2. Who among the agents of socialization influences more in shaping the preference of the students? 3. What features do the students look for in buying a China Phone.

III. Significance of the Study This study is among the first top tackle the issue of China Phones and its relationship to the students, or the youth in general. This study helps to open up the understanding that certain types of culture, or attitudes influence the preference of certain individuals. Further, this study is also helpful to gauge the values an individual accommodates in buying certain products during such times of crisis. Lastly, this study will also serve as a great help for students, scholars who undertake the same subject matter as China Phones and Youth Preference.

IV. Scope and Limitation This study focused on finding out the different factors that result in the preference of the students in buying China Phones. The determination of the factors of why the students prefer China Phones is done through

the dissemination of simple survey questionnaire to the respondents. The areas included are income level, certain factors that influence the attitudes of students, the influence of the agents of socialization, and the features of the phone.

V. Respondents of the Study The respondents of the study are students of Mindanao State University at Naawan. There a total of 11 BS Fisheries students who owned China Phones ranging from fake Nokias to a brand called MultiColored Mobile.

VI. Guide Questionnaire

Please Answer the following:

1. What kind of China Phone do you have? _______

2. How much does your China Phone costs? (please check) P1000-P2000 __ P3000-P4000 __ P5000-P6000 __ P2000-P3000 __ P4000-P5000 __ P6000 or more __

3. What drives you to buy a China Phone?

a. affordability

b. features c. design d. trend e. brand

4. Who do you think influences you more in buying a Chna Phone? a. parents (mother/father)

b. siblings (sister/brother)

c. relatives

d.

friends e. classmates

5. Do your parents offer comments on you buying a China Phone? If yes, do you follow them? a. yes __ , __ (yes/no) b. no __

6. Do your friends offer comments on you buying a China Phone? If yes, do you follow them? a. yes __ , __ (yes/no) b. no

7. Do your classmates offer comments on you buying a China Phone? If yes, do you follow them? a. yes __ , __ (yes/no) b. no

8. What features do you look for in buying a phone?

a. camera b. mp3 c. games d. touch screen e. tv f. internet g. fm radio h. video recording i. sound recording

9. What would you rather buy? a. an expensive original phone b. a cheaper China Phone

10. What would you rather buy? a. a China Phone with 3mp camera that cost less b. an original phone with 3mp camera that cost more

11. Are you satisfied with you China phone? a. yes b. no.

VII. Data Presentation and Findings. These are the findings of the study. How much does your China Phone costs? P1000–P2000 111 P2000-P3000 111111 P3000-P4000 11 P4000-P5000

P5000-P6000 P6000 or more Table 1. This table shows that out of eleven students asked, 6 students had bought their phones at the P2000-P3000 range. Still pretty cheaper compared to the standard P5000 phones sold by Globe telecom and Smart mobile.

What drives you to buy a China Phone? a. affordability 11111111111 b. features 11111 c. design 111 d. trend e. brand

Table 2. This table shows that the first thing that the students think of purchasing a China Phone is their affordability. Features came in close second, and further 3rd is the design.

Who do you think influences you more in buying a China Phone? a. parents (mother/father) 1111 b. siblings (sister/brother) 1 c. relatives 111 d. friends 11111111 e. classmates 1 Table 3. This table tells us that friends, or peers as agents of socialization have more influence on students that made them buy China Phones. It is

remarkable how the parents had become 2nd in line for influencing their child’s preference in buying a China phone.

Do your parents offer comments on you buying a China Phone? If a. Yes b. No

yes, do you follow them? 111 11111111

Table 4. In connection with table 3, table 4 provides that parents somehow does not provide certain comments on their children’s decision to buy China Phones.

Do your friends offer comments on you buying a China Phone? If a. Yes b. No

yes, do you follow them? 11111111 111

Table 5. This table shows that indeed students hear comments from friends, in the way consulting them of buying China Phones. A small number of them does not ask any comments from them.

Do your classmates offer comments on you buying a China Phone? a. Yes b. No

If yes, do you follow them? 111111 11111

Table 6. More so, in this table, the students had asked their classmates about buying a China Phone. This maybe the case for maybe some classmates may turn out to be friends on the other hand.

What features do you look for in buying a phone? a. camera 11111111 b. mp3 11111111 c. games 1 d. touch screen 1111111 e. tv 11111 f. internet 11111111 g. fm radio 11 h. video recording 1111111 i. sound recording 111 Table 7. In this table, camera functions, mp3 (music) and the internet provided the functions that the students look for in buying a mobile phone. This is closely followed by touch screen functions and video recording. This result reflects the fine tuning of today’s youth to modern technology and to the world of the internet.

What would you rather buy? a. an expensive original phone 1111 b. a cheaper China Phone 1111111 Table 8. This table shows that students preferred China Phones rather than original phones. This is in customary to the direct adjectives

we associate with original phones as expensive, and China phones as cheap.

What would you rather buy? a. a China Phone with 3mp camera that cost less b. an original phone with 3mp camera that cost more

11111111 111

Table 9. This table reveals that students like to buy a China Phone embedded with 3mp camera that cost less rather than an original camera that costs more.

a. Yes b. No

Are you satisfied with you China phone? 1111 1111111

Table 10. This table shows the data that most students are not satisfied with their China Phones. The researcher did not further put on the questionnaire as to why had they become indifferent with their phones.

VIII. Conclusion and Analysis Most students who had participated the research had bought heir phones in the range of P1000-P4000. This price bracket is categorized as somewhat cheaper in comparison to branded phones in Smart and Globe kiosks that sells for P5000 and above. In this shortage of enough money

and resources to buy for higher ended phones with valuable features, the students had shown the value of thriftiness in this dire economic situation. Considering that these students had bought their phones wholeheartedly or half-heartedly, the students showed practicability in choosing China

phones

over

the

hefty-priced

branded

phones.

Choosing

affordability and practicability as reasons in buying a China phone means that these students had become more secularized themselves and shown great respects for adopting changes brought in by the environment. As these students still aged from 16-20, almost all of these students lived within their parents. Yet, surprisingly, students found it easier to consult friends and classmates than their own parents in matters relating to buying China Phones. The reason may not have been grasp by the researcher, but the researcher recommends that further studies should be undertaken to understand the indifference of students of asking their parents toward this subject. Further, the study also noted that cameras, mp3 functionability and internet connectivity are three major functions that students are looking for in choosing a China Phone. These functions are being highlighted by the fact that in today’s world connecting to the internet is a must and not a luxury. This tells that students are not only thinking about money and use, but they see their phones as objects of multi-tasking capability. They

want that their phones hold, internet, camera and musical functions rolled into one. Interestingly, the research found out that these students showed a little

less

satisfaction

with

their

phones.

This

contradiction

has

dumbfounded the researcher to find the reasons why. Preceding questions were asked into which ones is favorable, a cheap China Phone or an expensive China Phone. The researcher then recommends further that a substantial research is to be initiated to know the reasons why the students still are not satisfied with their China Phones, though they provided reasons to become favorable with it. In the end, this researcher

found

out that the factors of

affordability, functionality, practicality and substantial peer pressure lead to the students of buying China phones.

Bibliography Calimag, Melvin. (2009). 'China phones' slowly creeping their way to RP. http://www.mb.com.ph/node/218270/china-phone. Date Retrived: Spetemebr 29, 2009. ProductWiki. (2006). The Most Preferred Mobile Phones. http://www.productwiki.com/home/article/the-most-preferredmobile-phones-nokia-phones.html. Date Retrieved: September 29, 2009.

Tan, Michael. (2009). China Phones. http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090527 -207327/China-phones#. Date Retrieved: September 29, 2009.