The effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational performance - Dissertation Example

?CHAPTER THREE 3.0 Research methodology 3 Introduction This chapter spells out the procedures and the methods that the researcher employed in achieving the objectives of the research as highlighted in the abstract of this paper. It defines location of the study, research procedures, and analysis plan that were put into consideration when carrying out this particular research project. The research is supposed to start with the clear understanding of the research objectives. Success of the project will depend on the provision of satisfying information in line with the research objectives and questions. The main aim of this research project just as a recap is to study or measure the effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational performance, and in particular, the performance of Accenture Plc. It is important to note here that this research study used questionnaires as the main data collection tool. Sample questionnaires for the managers as well as employees of Accenture Plc that were used for this study are shown in the appendix section of this dissertation. 3.2 Research methods This present research study will apply the investigative research methods because there are other available previous research studies that focused on a rather similar objective as this present research study. Secondly, the investigative research methods will be appropriate because this present study seeks to test or confirm some of the hypothesis that will be presented (Kothari, 2004). 3.2. 1 Exploratory research method According to Kothari (2004), exploratory research method is best suited for research studies where there are no or very little previous studies that can be used for reference purposes and where the aim of the study is to explore for patterns, hypotheses, or ideas of a particular subject. 3.2.2 Investigative research method According to the writings by Khan (2011), an aspect that is of great significance in this research project is the research method that shows the kinds of strategies that the researcher employed to attain the research objectives. There are various types of investigative research methods that can be employed, and the most common are; experiments, case studies, survey, theoretical perspectives, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. However, it is beneficial to examine the case study method and the survey method since they are applied in this particular research project. Survey is an important investigative research method that was relevant while conducting this research. O'Leary (2009)noted that surveys allow the collection of a large amount of data from a large population. This implies that the researcher can conduct surveys and question specific groups of people to obtain large amount of information relevant to the subject of the survey. The data is usually collected from the people either via questionnaires or through an interview process. The purpose of the survey in this particular project was to establish and analyze the views of the respondents in order to find out their opinion about the effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational performance. However, Turabian et al. (2007) lamented that despite the fact that the views from a large number of respondents can be gathered through the survey method; the data obtained might not reflect the objective of the research at an in-depth level. Case study is an investigative research method that involves investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon in the real life situation using multiple sources of evidence like financial statements. More elaborate explanation on the nature of the case study as a research method was given by Dick (2005, p. 78) who viewed case study as a representation of ‘a specific way of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data’. The case study research method has been applied in this present research project in sense that the study uses Accenture Plc as the case study to investigate the effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational performance. 3.3 Research hypothesis HO 1: Recruitment and selection of employees affect organizational performance Recruitment and selection of employees does not affect organizational performance HO 2: Employee training and development influence organizational performance Employee training and development do not influence organizational performance HO3: Employee retention strategies have an impact on organizational performance Employee retention strategies do not have an impact on organizational performance HO4: Human resource management has a significant impact on the bottom-line or profitability of a business organization. Human resource management does not have a significant impact on the bottom-line or profitability of a business organization 3.4 Target population Because this present research study employs the case study research method of which the Accenture Plc has been chosen as the case study for this research, it is necessary for the researcher to target the people working at the offices of Accenture Plc in the United Arab Emirates. Employees as well the managers of the Accenture branch, which is located in the UAE will form part of the target population for this present research study. 3.5 Sample size A sample size of at least twenty participants is reasonable considering that the researcher will only have an opportunity of accessing at least one of the offices of Accenture Plc that is located in the UAE. Moreover, there is high likelihood that the office will only have a handful of employees who are employed on a permanent basis. 3.6 Sampling methods 3.6.1 Probability sampling Probability sampling is a sampling technique whereby every single person in the population has a chance that is greater than zero of being picked to participate in the research study (White and McBurney, 2012). a) Simple random sampling In a simple random sampling, each subset within a frame has an equal chance of being selected to participate in the research process (White and McBurney, 2012). b) Systematic sampling Systematic sampling involves selecting research participants using a particular ordering scheme and then afterwards selecting the participants at an interval while following the ordering scheme (White and McBurney, 2012). c) Stratified sampling Stratified sampling is applied on a sample population that has sub-population that bears distinct characteristics. Therefore, each sub-population or strata will be sampled independently to ensure a close representation of all the strata within the study population (White and McBurney, 2012). 3.6.2 Non-probability sampling Non-probability sampling is a technique whereby it is impossible to calculate the probabilities of sampling since it is hard to determine the elements of the study population (White and McBurney, 2012). a) Quota sampling The quota sampling technique is whereby the researcher first segments a given population into sub-groups and then uses certain criteria or judgments to select participants from each of these sub-groups (White and McBurney, 2012). 3.6.3 Sampling method used in this dissertation The researcher will use purposive and snowball sampling to arrive at a good sample. The respondents will be purposively selected so that respondents who are known to have key information will be selected. In snowball sampling, the researcher collects data on the few members of the target population he or she can locate, and then they ask those individuals to provide the information needed to locate other members of that population whom they happen to know (Kothari, 2004). At the offices of Accenture Plc in the UAE, one key informer is the manager who will direct the researcher to other key participants of the study. Snowballing technique is appropriate as the participants will lead the researcher to other participants for instance the branch manager will direct the researcher to the human resource manager who will then direct the researcher to other employees (Royse, 2010). 3.7 Methods of data collection 3.7.1 Face to face Face to face, data collection method involves the researcher meeting physically with the research participants and may be orally asking them questions or issuing them with a questionnaire. 3.7.2 Telephone The researcher can as well use the telephone to contact research participants and ask them research questions. However, this technique is limited in the sense that the researcher will be required to have the direct numbers of research participants. 3.7.3 Postal including e-mail Through this method, the researcher will send questionnaires to the participants through their postal address or through the e-mail address. This technique is also limited in the sense that the researcher will need to have the postal and e-mail address of the participants. 3.7.4 Method of data collection used in this dissertation Use of research tools such as questionnaires, relevant journals, periodicals, and online sources would be utilized in the process of conducting this research. In implementing the research activities, only the quantitative approach was considered, meaning that quantitative data was generated from the overall data collected based on accuracy and efficiency. The data collection process was scheduled to run for a period of two weeks whereby the manager and employees at the selected Accenture offices, which is located in UAE, were issued with questionnaires, which they filled out diligently. Prior to issuing the manager and the employees of Accenture with the questionnaires, the researcher first made calls to the offices requesting for the permission to be allowed to issue the manager and the employees the questionnaires. 3.8 Types of data 3.8.1 Primary data According to Khan (2011), primary data is data that does not originally exist in other scholarly writings. Primary data is gathered through numerous forms: including questionnaires, telephone conversations, surveys, etc.Robson (2011) stated that primary data is normally useful in validating data that has been collected from secondary sources and it is more factual than secondary data (Royse, 2010). 3.8.2 Secondary data Secondary data on the other hand is data that is already in existence. Secondary data exist in various sources such as books, journals, internet sources, and previous research studies. 3.8.3 Type of data used in this dissertation This dissertation will use both primary and secondary data. Primary data will be collected through the questionnaires and research participants will be the employees and the managers at Accenture. Secondary data will be collected from scholarly writings that cover the topic on human resources management and the impact of this function on a company’s financial performance. It is important to note that the secondary data will be presented in the second chapter and they will be verified in the fourth chapter using data that has been collected primary sources (Royse, 2010). 3.9 Questionnaire design The questionnaire designed for this particular research project enabled information to be gathered from many respondents who were directly involved with the Accenture Plc. Use of a questionnaire as a quantitative method for collecting data from the sources is the most appropriate method of collecting mass responses and as such, providing a good method of comparative analysis (Royse, 2010). Section A of the questionnaire consists of questions that are more inclined at getting to know the research participant or in other words the demographics of the participant. These questions are particularly important since they help in explaining more on how why a participant answered certain questions in a particular manner. Section B of both questionnaires contains questions that are simply designed to answer the research questions and confirm or refute the hypotheses that had been listed previously. 3.10 Pilot survey The researcher distributed the sample questionnaire to three waiters and a manager of a local cafeteria to see how they would answer the questionnaires and test the ability of the questionnaire to collect data that can be easily compared. The problems encountered during the pilot survey is that the waiter and the manager were unable to spare a few minutes to fill out the questionnaires while they were on duty but this problem was overcome by giving the participants two days to fill out the questionnaire. Similar approach was utilized during the actual data collection process since the researcher gave the staffs at the office of Accenture a week to fill out the questionnaires. Considering the problem that I encountered during the pilot survey I ensured research participants had adequate time to answer the research questions and therefore, it is correct to say that I did not encounter any problem during the actual data collection process. 3.11 Limitations While carrying out of the research project several challenges were encountered which included: Some employees after agreeing to fill out the questionnaire left without even answering a single question on the form. Some questionnaires were not properly answered while others remained blank forcing the research to eliminate such questionnaires. There also existed the tedious and long procedures to be followed in order to obtain access to the Accenture offices and even the participants. References Dick, B. (2005). Grounded Theory: A Thumbnail Sketch, Research Papers in Action Research, Available at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/grounded.html Accessed on [12. 08. 2013] Khan, M. (2011). Research Methodology.New Delhi, India:APH Publishing Kothari, C. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi, India: New Age International Noor, K. (2008). A strategic Research Methodology. Science Publications,’ American Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol. 5, Issue 11, pp. 1602-1604, Available at http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/ajas/ajas5111602-1604.pdf. Accessed on [3rd August, 2012] O'Leary, Z. ( 2009).The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. SAGE Publications Ltd Robson, C. (2011).Real World Research. New Jersey: Wiley Publishers Royse, D. M. (2010).Research Methods in Social Work.(6th edition). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning Publications. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for Business Students, (4th edition). London: Prentice Hall. Turabian, K. Booth, W. Colomb, G. and Williams, J. (2007).A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Seventh Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing). Chicago: University Of Chicago Press White, T., &McBurney, D. (2012).Research Methods. (9th edition). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning Publications. Read More