3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Introduction
The aim of this research is to help businesses to appreciate
the need to capture and preserve their employees’ loyalty. Employee loyalty is
commitment of the employees to the achievement of the firm. Loyal employees
generally believe that working for this company is in their best interest. The
research will help the organizations to understand the strategies of making the
employees remain with the organization. The employees are basically satisfied
with the company and are not quick to respond to offers from other
organizations.
During the carrying out
of this study, a planned research
has been employed. To start with, a detailed literature review of the obtainable information
on employee loyalty has been used to assist the researcher to have a clear
picture of what he is looking for. Qualitative research technique has been used
to collect the primary data. This data is then evaluated considering the conventional
theory to achieve the objectives.
Experts suggest that employee loyalty is more than just tenure with
the same company. It entails the tendency of the employees wanting to
be there too. It leads to customer loyalty and eventually
organizational success. The results of this research are very significant
because it is important to understand the nature of the employees in an
organization. Different
studies agree that employees are an essential resource for virtually all
organizations. This is especially because they represent a considerable asset in the firm.
As far as the plan of
the research is concerned, the aims and the objectives, literature review and
its outcomes have been covered in the previous chapters.The summary of the methodology and tools that have
been used through out the research period are provided in this chapter. The
justification of the implementation of the study is also given in detail. Exclusively,
it covers the procedure of how the research methodology have been made and utilized
in this work. A thorough picture along with the justifications of the measured
research philosophy, research approach, and techniques for data collection has
been provided. Secondary data and primary data, sample, process of collection of
data and data analysis has been covered. Finally, the reliability, validity and
the ethical issues of the collected data together with the research limitations
of the study will be discussed.
3.2. Research Philosophy
In the research of employee
loyalty, these are the philosophical factors which affect the research activity.
This is mainly because the comprehension of these thoughtful issues has its impact
on both research design and the procedure of the research conduction
(Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). Furthermore
the preference of the research values sways the connection between the information
and the procedure by which it is created.
Generally, research philosophies
are categorized into two types, which are positivism and phenomenology. The chief
idea of the former is that the communal world is external and therefore, its characteristics
are supposed to be measured objectively.
In addition positivism is frequently
chosen by the technical researchers. In this case, quantitative data is evaluated
apart from the interpretations of scientists. Conversely the phenomenological viewpoint
focuses on community and believes that the establishment of the world is
socially made and is subjective by nature. In this case, the researcher is
convinced that it is more about the observation, situation and the
circumstances as a whole, looking into little samples exhaustively
(Easterby-Smith et al. 2002).
The origin of phenomenology or
interpretivism is the social sciences whereby the researchers look into the proceedings
from inside. The researchers are then able to perceive the meanings of the happenings
following their personal interpretations with an inductive approach. According
to studies it is allowed to understand that implementation of a positivist
prototype will enable a focus on the facts, hypotheses formulation and practice
of large samples to test them. This will be followed by a diminution of the
phenomenon to the simplest elements (Saunders et al., 2007). By distinction, phenomenological looms focus more on
the meaning as opposed to facts and figures or a mix of both quantitative and
qualitative methods (Veal, 1997).
Studies reveal that positivism
with quantitative technique has constantly been ideal for business researches.
In this study, it is essential to put into consideration that quantitative data
never matches with the reasoning of the consumers. In studies that are
concerned with the behaviors of the consumers, phenomenology with qualitative methods
has been comprehensively accepted. In addition this viewpoint is further
flexible than positivism. This suggests that drawing generalizations from the
data collected is not significant, when carrying out an important piece of
research.
Experts assert that the business
and tourism social world is more complicated and includes well-off insight into
the mentioned multifaceted situation could not be possible by basic
generalizations (Saunders et al.,
2007). Phenomenology which is also regarded as a less limited philosophy enables
examination in line to get a good understanding of the actions and intentions
of the deliberate participants. It is therefore
thought that the best applicable philosophy for the study will be the
phenomenology. This is because this approach has its origin in the social
sciences (Gill and Johnson, 1997).
When conducting an employee loyalty analysis, studies
shows that it is related to customer loyalty. Studies suggest that employee loyalty cannot
be determined by direct questioning. Whether or not the employee is an active
member, loyalty is more than just a behavior and this is related to customer loyalty. Though it is challenging
employee loyalty can be measured by use of valid measurement techniques.
Research indicates that a model can be tested and proven to explain employee loyalty.
The
model includes information that shows loyalty levels and includes specifics
about the employee relationship. The information can be used to improve actions
meant to improve loyalty levels. The analysis of employee loyalty include three
major components which include constructing the loyalty profile, comprehending employees’
perspectives and perceptions of their relationship with their employer, finding
out the extent to which the company can improve relations with their employees.
The researcher will be aided with
a much wider and thorough insight of the working motivations of the employees.
The participants will give with an initial point and in accordance to that the
researcher will be able to assess, understand and find out the whole situation
along with the reasons for it. Use of this advance will also add towards the development
of new theories. This specific philosophy will ease the work as it will be less
formal and controlled.
3.3.
Research Approach
The research approach of this
study will basically rely on the adopted research philosophy. The two major
research approaches considered by researchers’ include deductive and inductive
approach. Collins and Hussey (2009) explain that deduction and Induction are
the logic of the research, not considering whether it moves from the all-purpose
to the specific or vice-versa. Studies depict that academic work employing positivism
phenomenology is usually connected to a deductive approach.
In deductive advance, the researchers
use a hypothesis from a theory and test it and at the end scrutinize the data.
The indispensable feature of deductive advance is the changeover of scientific regulations
from theory to examination and the compilation of quantitative data and the requirement
of choosing samples of adequate size in order to take a broad view of the conclusions’.
In detailed manner, it is all about focusing on examining and coming up with
theories by use of experimental observations, with the purpose of moving from obtainable
reference to particular situation.
Research suggests that it is important
for any researcher to choose adequate numerical size samples in line to simplify
about regularities in the social human behavior. Moreover, inductive advance entails
coming up with the theory after looking at experimental authenticity which is absolute
opposite of the deductive method. It is chiefly concerned with the compilers pursuing
the meanings of specific occurrences as far as human behavior is concerned,
that is phenomenological research philosophy. The chief characteristic of this method
is that the researchers frequently become the part of the study and the process
of obtaining and evaluating the qualitative data (Saunders et al., 2007).
After analyzing the pertinent
theories connected to employee loyalty behavior, it occurred that this specific
research work would possess a deductive approach. Nevertheless, deficiency of
any hypothesis and the investigative nature of the study with a phenomenological
philosophy including the liberty of evaluating the nature of employees lead to
consideration of the inductive approach. Furthermore, researchers stress that distinctiveness
of inductive advance is exceedingly dependable with the phenomenological approach.
3.4.
Data Collection Techniques
Experts suggest
consideration of both the research topic and approach while choosing the
techniques for data collection. For this research, it is essential to consider
both secondary and primary data collection techniques. A valid technique for
measuring employee loyalty can be adopted although challenging and can be used
to explain loyalty. Information identifying loyalty levels and specific
characteristics of an employee is contained in the model.
3.4.1. Secondary data
Already existing information that was collected for
some other primary research reason is called secondary data. This data is
utilized in the ongoing research work and essentially helps to increase
rational and methodical thinking skills by coming into contact with the
suggestions and views of the researchers.
In addition, secondary data aids in obtaining new ideas and helps to put
together inputs with active ideas.
Obtaining and assessing secondary data helps the
researcher to broaden the awareness about the subject of study. Moreover, it
stimulates self-sufficient thoughts and in most cases, research entails a part
to evaluate what has been previously done till date by other studies (Finn et al., 2000).
Most of the academic data associated with this study
has been gotten from refereed educational and experimental journals, books
based upon employee behaviour and some professional business management
journals. Furthermore, considerable quantity of data was obtained to augment
the perception about the employees’ loyalty. Nevertheless data utilized in this
research was used after significant examination. This is in agreement with a detailed
discussion in the chapter for review of literature.
As suggested by previous research, collection of
secondary data helped the researcher to consider the theoretical objectives and
substantive issues of employee loyalty. Moreover, collecting of secondary data in
depth rather than just concentrating on the practical and procedural problems
of data collection. It also helped to transit the researcher’s concentration
from individual data subjects to a broader analysis of social conditions and
change over a long period of time. Finally, secondary data also aids in terms
of evaluation with the data collected by other research methodology (Finn et al., 2000)
3.4.2. Primary data
The researcher has used a qualitative
data collection technique since the
early stages on the foundation of the
understanding and necessity. This is because it is impossible to quantify or impartially
assess human behavior by the using quantitative techniques. Use of qualitative
methods of data collection provides the researcher with a chance to get full
understanding and acquaintance of what the contributor or the respondent really
says and means. In definite words it is gaining the important familiarity of
social life.
Moreover,
the primary data enables the researcher to utilize numerous sources of data and
a diversity of study methods to investigate the research questions. This
enables the findings or conclusions to be more convincing and accurate. On the basis of the decision of having a qualitative
data collection technique, the researcher found the interview as the most suitable
qualitative method for the dissertation among the other the data collection
techniques.
Studies agree that Interviews are
the most appropriate means for gaining comprehensive understanding of any topic
related human behavior and this includes employee loyalty. The factual significance
of interview is a dialogue where views and information of the interviewer and
interviewee is passed by while talking about a topic of mutual interest. This specific
method of data collection helps to comprehend the topic from the employee’s opinion.
It helps to clarify and discover the employee’s experiences preceding scientific
explanations. Moreover, it gives the researcher the possibility to adjust his inquiring
style, following up the motivating feedback and fundamental motives of the employee.
Most of the preceding researches on the behaviour of the
employees have been based on quantitative data collection procedures. Usage of
interviews in this research will lead the researcher to discover more about the
loyalty of the employees while finding out any credible new insights in their
specific organizations. Additionally, interviews are more appropriate for comparatively
lesser sample sizes and interviewing is
possible in any location and at any time, with diverse individuals. This is
well applicable for collecting data related to employee loyalty in different
organizations.
Following the above argument the significance
as well as the benefit of using interview as a data collection technique in
this particular research is quite evident. Nevertheless, the principal concern
for the researcher was to consider the precise nature of interview. Basically,
interviews can be structured, semi-structure or in detail. Structured
interviews are frequently performed with a set of questions where no
alterations are possible during the interview session. In this type of
interviews, researches are able to identify the general patterns and compare
the participant answers easily. The same are more formal in nature and are
suitable for descriptive and explanatory studies.
The questions for semi-structured
interviews are always taken from a list of themes which are common for every
session, but according to the situation
and requirement, the researchers have the autonomy to sequence, change or even leave
out questions during the session. Furthermore, the probes permit the researcher
to have an in detail perception of the area from the participant’s point of
view and
the clarification of questions enhances the dependability of the collected data.
Exhaustive
interviews in contrast can be compared with a conversation on a casual basis,
as it lacks the concept of having a prearranged set of questions. The benefit
of considering this qualitative method is that the researcher has the ability to
look at any particular area and elaborate on it. Nevertheless, there are also probability
of the researcher and the contributor of deviating from the topic or the
purpose of the dissertation. The interviewer and the participant may talk about
other aspects of the organization that have very little to do with the
participant’s loyalty to the organization.
For this research,
semi-structured interviews are chosen because of their feasibility and ability
to be rearranged or re-structured.
3.5. Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting an adequate
number of people from a population whom these individuals represent to present
data about the population. For this research, different samples are taken from
different companies to determine their loyalty. There are a broad range of
sampling methods obtainable which assists the researcher to decrease the quantity
of data needed to collect and also to collect data from a sub-group rather than
all possible cases or elements.
When carrying out this research it is important to ensure
that the sampling technique does not cause any prejudice on the selection of
the employees along with the reliability of the data collected. Additionally,
it is also essential to guarantee that the features of the selected research
sample are an applicable depiction of the total population of the employees, to
guarantee the soundness, accurateness and dependability of the data collected.
The variety of diverse sampling methods can be categorized
into two groups including probability sampling and the non-probability sampling.
Considering the probability method, researchers are able to indicate the
probability of as well as any individual in the sample, as the sample is the
representative of the whole population. On the contrary, any sampling plan
where it is not expected to apply the above process can be termed as non-probability
sampling.
Since it is necessary to apply a suitable research
sample for the result of the study and the small scale qualitative investigation,
non-probability sampling method has been selected for this dissertation.
According to studies conducted on sampling methods, non-probability sampling system
gives an information rich case study in which one can investigate the question
of the research. Other studies suggest that to integrate this sort of sampling
technique, there are three criterions which need to be satisfied. To begin
with, the sample must fit to the chosen subject which in this case is the
employee loyalty, following this, the accessibility of the participants and ultimately
is the readiness of the employees to take part in the research work.
Specifically, mounting sampling technique has been utilized in this study work as
potential participants representing the population are scattered and are fro
different organizations. Furthermore due to
the lack of a prearranged sampling frame, the researcher chose to use this kind
of sampling, where each employee interviewed was asked to propose other
participants.
3.6. Data Collection Process
Access to the participants to be interviewed was
gained through the snow-ball technique as stated in the previous section. Each employee
was asked to propose the next participant, a process also termed as chain
referral. During data collection, each employee was contacted well in advance.
All the participants were given a brief write up, explaining the nature of the research.
The participants were asked questions concerning
their relationships with the company and their employers. They were then asked
to express their satisfaction with their career and commitment to their
organization. Some general information like the age, gender and working
duration of the employee were recorded. This helped to determine how much they
were committed to work for the organization and their loyalty to the
organization.
The time before carrying out the fieldwork was dedicated
to inspect the literature and to find out what has been found out in previous studies.
This was also done to investigate which aspects are not yet covered properly in
that specific field. Based on the literature review and theoretical framework,
themes were created followed by question on each section. A pilot interview was
carried out after all the arrangements which focused on one organization. The
interview lasted for a relatively short time and had a positive impact on the
confidence of the researcher. The pilot interview also aided in enhancing the presentation
in the rest of the interviews carried out.
Each interview took
approximately fifteen to thirty five minutes with a sample of each interview being
recorded in a tape recorder. Though the process did not comprise the visual
aspects of the situation, the words, participants’ tone and their pauses were recorded
properly to indicate the feelings of the participants. The recording is also
important as the tone of the employees improved the reliability of the data
collected so that the researcher had the ability to refer the accurate nature
of the conversation.
The researcher also
was capable of taking notes during any appealing conversations with the employees.
The notes were significant and helpful when writing up the report of the
findings and during data investigation, analysis and evaluation. Majority of
the interviewees from various companies showed some confidence and interest
during the interview sessions.
3.7. Analysis of Data
This study did not follow any standard procedure of
data analysis in order to come up with the findings. However, after the
fieldwork was finished, the researcher listened to all the interviews over and
over again and transliterated a few of them. The written conversations and the
written notes from the interviews were used to draw out the findings and organize
them for additional analysis.
Data was collected and organized in a comprehensible
manner and comments were noted on each question and the obtained data from the
semi-structured interviews were organized following the themes, which were made
after revisiting the existing literature and the theoretical structure and
worked upon them minutely. This process made the researcher to undoubtedly categorize
the employee motivations in different environments provided by their specific
companies.
3.8. Reliability and Validity
Based on previous research, the quality of the
outcomes of this study can be evaluated alongside two aspects including
reliability and validity. Reliability is the ability of the research findings to
remain the same if the study was to be carried out again at some later date or
with a different set of samples. The outcome is said to be reliable if the
results are in a way related to the previous research. On the other hand, validity
is the degree to which data or information collected by the researcher truly
reflects the subject being studied. The data or information is valid if it
represent the phenomenon being studied (Veal, 1997).
This research is based upon a restricted sample of
participants from a few organizations and hence does not represent a full scale
of the behaviour of employees in every company. Moreover, the respondents were
from diverse backgrounds with diverse personalities working in different
companies at different levels. Due to the mentioned circumstances, it is impossible
to eliminate the issues connected to reliability and validity.
In sequence to reduce the levels of unreliability
and threats of validity, the themes and the interview questions were created
with a lot of care and were presented to the superior for additional evaluation.
This was then followed by a pilot test to guarantee the validity of the
research topic. While carrying out the interview, the researcher and the participating
employee were entirely aware of the research subject and the themes being
discussed. This made it possible for the results to remain valid to the
research question. The researcher also gave the participating employees a
circumstance, where they were free to communicate their own thoughts,
understandings and views, without any comment passed from the interviewer.
3.9. Ethical Issues
The entire
research complies with the Oxford Brookes University’s ‘Ethical standards for
research that involves human participants. The research work requires a careful
understanding of the employees’ commitment to the success of an organization
and therefore ethics is a significant aspect. Some information acquired from
the employees is personal in nature. In the entire cases participant’s
anonymity is mandatory; their names are not disclosed (Denzin and Lincoln,
1998).
All
the participants were contacted by telephone and subsequent to their agreement
to taking part in the research, an attachment comprising the aims and the
objectives of the study along with its implications were sent through e-mails.
The attachment sent to the prospective participants also informed them about
their right to confidentiality (Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). It also informed them of
their right of not answering any specific question or withdrawal from the
interview anytime. Additionally, each participant was aware of the researcher’s
objective of writing her dissertation based on the data collected from the semi-structured
interviews. According to research any
research design should not subject the participants or the research contributors
and facilitators to any kind of awkwardness or material difficulty. Respect for
every individual together with honesty is the most important guides essential for
the research ethics. These guidelines were observed during the interview
sessions and the entire research activity (Veal, 1997).
3.10. Research Limitations
The thesis is not generic in
nature and emphasize on the nature of employees in various organizations, therefore,
this is a path for a potential limitation. Furthermore, the outcomes are
limited to a specific population and hence, the reliability of the collected
data is debatable due to the diminutive sample size. The major problem with
this small sample is that numerical generalization is impossible.
Use
of snow-ball sampling poses another drawback as a result
of the deficiency of a prearranged sampling frame, this is a key limitation
associated with this kind of sampling. In addition, experts suggest that qualitative
finding may also be affected negatively by the ability, experience and perception
of the person collecting information. In contrast others disagree and assert
that it does not essentially make the research investigation any less compelling.
Interview sessions with lesser samples are said to be more likely to provide an
opportunity for a better understanding of the subject being studied. Nevertheless,
the qualitative information got from various individuals varies at a certain
point of time and therefore cannot be essentially compared in a prearranged manner
to the rest of the results of the remaining respondents.
Another limitation is the different cultural setting
of each interviewee. This may cause a lot of prejudice in their opinions as
suggested by Saunders et al., (2003). Different period of the interviews that
is evident for this kind of research is another drawback. This is because of
the likely possibility that some interviews producing more in detail information
than the others. Finally, for both the researcher and the participating
employees, time was a major drawback. Most participants wee busy with their
work and it was hard for them to dedicate a considerable amount of time for the
interview.
No comments:
Post a Comment