Factors Influencing Customers Satisfaction - A Case Study of Tesco Plc – Methodology Chapter

Research Plan and Methods

Research Approach

            The study will be descriptive in nature.  According to Creswell (1994) descriptive method can help in order to show the different facts that are connected with the nature of the status of the current problem or issue as it happens during the time of the study. Furthermore, it will use both qualitative and quantitative approach in order to take advantage of both benefits from the two approaches, which is summarized in table 1.

Table 1 Qualitative and Quantitative

Attributes	Quantitative	Qualitative
Type of Data	Phenomena are described in numerical manner	Phenomena are described in narrative manner
Analysis	Descriptive and inferential statistics	Identification of major themes
Scope and Inquiry	Specific questions or hypotheses	Broad thematic concerns
Primary Advantage	Large sample, statistical validity, accurately reflects the population	Rich in-depth, narrative description of sample
Primary Disadvantage	Superficial understanding of participant’s thoughts and feelings	Small sample, not generalizable to the population at large

Source: (VanderStoep and Johnston 2009)

Ethical Issues

            Confidentiality will be the main ethical issue to be considered in this research. All of the information supplied by all respondents will be used solely for the research or academic purposes only. Thus, any information will not be disclosed to any external entities who are not involved in the study. In addition, the author is well informed that there are some confidential and vital information about the case to be used in the study, which is connected to the marketing and management effort of the organization, therefore, all of this information will be handled by the author in full care.  As a result, it is important to send a letter of request from the management of Tesco – the manager of the selected Tesco Branch, then letter of consent will be needed from the organization.

Research Design

            Case study will be utilized in the study. It can help the author to study an actual situation in realistic setting. In addition, it will enable the researcher to know not just what is happening, but also why it is happening or why it had happened. Furthermore, it can help researchers to study the influence of actions over time. Above all, it can help researcher to acquire the ability of developing solutions and then test them in the same studies, at the same time, explain the causal influences of the research, as opposed to having to infer this from traditional statistical analysis (Naumes and Naumes, 2006, p. 64).

Sampling

            The target of the study will be consisted of two groups. The first group will be consisted 150 customers of Tesco Plc [location] branch. They will be selected in convenience sampling. Convenience sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique. As the name implies, the sample is identified primarily by convenience. This can offer advantages for the researcher, which includes the easiness of sample selection and data selection process (Anderson et al. 2009). This will help in order to lessen the time to spend in locating the respondents.

A total of 20 employees [mid-management level] will be interviewed. In order to do this a letter of consent will be sent to the management of the branch.

Data Collection Techniques and Procedures

            Survey questionnaire and interview will be used in order to gather primary data. Questionnaire will be used in order to gather the perceptions and data from the consumers. On the other hand, interview survey will be used in order to gather detailed information from the marketing staffs and employees of the company. Survey interview and questionnaire will be used in order to take advantage of its benefits, which are summarized in table 2.

Table 2 Advantages of Survey Interview and Questionnaire

Interview	Questionnaire
The subject need not be able to read or write	Less expensive because of lesser time and money to use
The interviewer can observe the responses of the subject	Subjects feel a greater sense of anonymity
Questions may be clarified if they are misunderstood	The format is standard for all subjects, therefore it is not dependent on the mood of the interviewer
In-depth data may be obtained on any subject and are not dependent on predetermined questions	Large samples, covering large geographic areas, compensate for the expected loss of subjects
There is a higher response and retention rate	A greater amount of data over a broad range of topics may be collected

Source: (Wood and Kerr 2010)

            The questionnaire will be consisted of closed-ended questions. It enables the respondents to choose the answer and responses given or supplied by the questionnaire, which will enable the respondents to answer the questionnaire in easier and faster manner (Rubin 2006). This is important because the researcher will take the time of the respondents in shopping. On the other hand, open-ended questions will be used in the interview, which will help the respondents to express themselves without limiting them with the provided answers. As a result, it can help in order to gather in-depth and rich data from the respondents (Rubin 2006).

            For the questionnaire, Likert scale will be used. This will enable the respondents to select the number which corresponds to the level of their agreement on the statements provided. The interpretation of the scale is:

4.01 – 5.00 – strongly agree

1.01  – 4.00 – agree

2.10 – 3.00 – uncertain

1.01  – 2.00 – disagree

0.00 – 1.00 – strongly disagree

            The questionnaire will take about 3 to 5 minutes of the respondents’ time, while the interview will last for 20 to 25 minutes.

Sources of Secondary Data

            Secondary data will be gathered from different online libraries, which include journals, textbooks, online articles, etc. which are related to the topic.

Methods of Data Analysis to be Used

            All of the information gathered from data gathering will be encoded in SPSS – statistical software. The formulas to be used include: mean and percentage. SPSS is a statistical analysis package which is used to analyze the data gathered via survey. This will be used in order to use the descriptive statistics feature of the software.

            The outcome or result of the data gathered, produced by SPSS will be presented via tabular and graphical manner. This will help in order to show the summary of the outcome of the study in comprehensive and understandable manner. Bar graph will be mainly used.

Time Plan and Resources

           

Tasks

Months

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1. Write the proposal

2. Compose timetable for the completion and work on the work schedule

3. Outline the literature review

4. Review the literature

5. Select the methodology

6. Select the approach and the instrument

7. Present the proposal to the committee

8. Revise and polish the proposal

9. Revise and expand the literature review

10. Test the methodology

11. Adjust and refine the methodology

12. Schedule data collection and begin the data collection process

13. Score the data

14. Input and encode the data into SPSS

15. Analyze the data using SPSS

16. Interpret the results

17. Write up the results

18. Write up the interpretation and discussion

19. Write up conclusion and recommendation

20. Reformat and improve the outline of the paper

21. Print

Research Budgets

Resources	Quantity	Cost
Bond Paper	2 Reams (500 sheets)	£ 13.68
Ballpen	2 boxes (100 pcs)	£ 22.46
Ink	1 4-Cartridge Multipack	£ 29.25
SPSS Software	1 SPSS 17.0 Integrated Student Version for Business Statistics	£ 14.54
Travel Expense	Travel expense – including meals, petrol to be used in order to visit the store, visit the employees, and visit the advisor of the research in the entire duration of the study [estimated]	£ 70.00
Total Expenses		£ 149.93

Bibliography

Abubakar, B, Mavondo, F and Clulow, V, ‘Customer satisfaction with supermarket retail shopping’,

Anderson, E W and Fornell, C and Lehmann, D R 1994, ‘Customer satisfaction, market share and profitability: findings from Sweden’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 53 – 66.

Anderson, D R, Sweeney, D, Williams, T A and Williams, A 2009, Statistics for business and economics. Cengage Learning.

Bendapudi, N and Leone, R P 2002, ‘Managing business-to-business customer relationships following key contact employee turnover in a vendor firm’ Journal of Marketing, vol. 66, no. 21, pp. 83 – 101.

Cardozo, R N 1965, ‘An experiential study of consumer effort, expectation, and satisfaction’. Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 244 – 249.

Cronin, J J, Jr and Taylor, S A 1992, ‘Measuring service quality: an reexamination and extension’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 55 – 68.

Ennew, C T and Ahmed, N 1999, ‘Does employee turnover predict customr satisfaction?’. Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series, vol. 4, no. 03 – 121, pp. 41 – 56.

Fornell, C 1992, ‘A national customer satisfaction barometer: the Swedish experience’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 6 – 21.

Granovetter, M S 1985, ‘The strength of weak ties’. American Journal of Sociology, vol. 78, pp. 89 – 95.

Gwinner, K P, Gremler, D D and Bitner, M J 1998, ‘Relational benefits in service industries: the customer’s perspective’. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 101 – 114.

Hill, N and Alexander, J 2006, The Handbook of Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Measurement, Gower Publishing, Ltd.

Howard, J A and Sheth, J N 1969, The theory of buyer behavior, Wiley, New York.

Kotler, P 1973, ‘Atmospherics as a marketing tool’, Journal of Retailing, vol. 49, no 4, pp. 48 – 64.

Lam, S, Shankar, V, Erramilli, M K and Murthy, B 2004, ‘Customer value, satisfaction, loyalty and switching costs: an illustration from a business-to-business service context’. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 293 – 311.

Lee, Y. K., Back, K. J. and Kim, J. Y. 2009, ‘Family Restaurant Brand Personality and Its Impact on Customer’s eMotion, Satisfaction, and Brand Loyalty’. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, vol. 33.

Lian, P C S and Laing, A W 2007, ‘Relationships in the purchasing of business to business professional services: the role of personal relationships’. Industrial Marketing Management, 36, 709 – 718.

Lovelock, C, Patterson, H, Walker, P G and Walker, R H 2001, Services marketing-an Asia-Pacific Perspective, 2^nd edn, Pearson Education Australia Pty, Limited.

Naumes, W and Naumes, M 2006, The art and craft of case writing, M.E. Sharpe.

Pizam, A and Ellis, T 1999, ‘Customer satisfaction and its measurement in hospitality enterprises’. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 326 – 339.

Spreng, R A, MacKenzie, S B and Olshavsky, R W 1996, ‘A reexamination of the determinants of consumer satisfaction’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 15 – 32.

Spreng, R A and Mackoy, R D 1996, ‘An empirical examination of a model of perceived service quality and satisfaction’. Journal of Retailing, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 201 – 214.

VanderStoep, S and Johnston, D 2009. Research methods for everyday life: blending qualitative and quantitative approaches, John Wiley and Sons.

Wood, M and Kerr, J 2010, Basic steps in planning nursing research: from question to proposal, Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Yi, Y 1990, ‘A critical review of consumer satisfaction’. In V A Zeithaml (ed.), Review of Marketing (68 – 123), American Marketing Association, Chicago.