BBRC4103

OUM BUSINESS SCHOOL

MAY 2018

BBRC4103

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
(ASSIGNMENT 2)

MATRICULATION NO : 930312085578002
IDENTITY CARD NO. : 930312085578
TELEPHONE NO. : 0103822852
E-MAIL : komaljit.kaur@tnb.com.my
LEARNING CENTRE : PERAK LEARNING CENTER
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Table of Content

1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Target Group and Sampling Design 4

2.1 Probability Sampling 4

a) Stratified Random Sampling 4
b) Systematic Random Sampling 5

2.2 Non - Probability Sampling 5

a) Convenience Sampling 6
b) Judgement Sampling 6

3.0 Instrument for Data Collection 7

3.1 Face-to-face Interviews 7

3.2 Telephone Interviews 8
3.3 Questionnaires 8

4.0 Survey Method 9

4.1 A Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) 9

4.2 Structured Interview 9
4.3 Triangulation 10

5.0 Data Analysis 10

5.1 Qualitative Data Analysis 11

5.2 Quantitative Data Analysis 12

6.0 Summary 13

7.0 References 14

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1.0 Introduction

Nowadays, in spite of the endeavours of medicinal experts and advancements in treatment

technologies, patients’ dissatisfactions and complaints regarding to the quality of services
provided by one of the private hospitals in Shah Alam have been incredibly increasing.
According to English Oxford Living Dictionary (n.d), a complaint is a statement that
something is unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Therefore, the availability of modern
information systems which is just at people’s fingertips and also a better public education,
results in an increase in patients and their families’ awareness of their own rights about
health, the choice of treatment available and the quality that a hospital should render to the
patients.

Complaints are regarded as a source of information for assessing adverse events and may be
considered as part of the quality and safety improvement programs (Romios, Newby &
Wohlers, 2003). Hospital, as an institute which provides professional services, not only
contributes to patients’ satisfaction, but also has a pivotal role in improving the physical and
mental health of the community (The World Health Report, 2000). Nevertheless,
organizational or cadre errors are inevitable and in spite of hospital's staff efforts, errors and
detrimental events may still occur and therefore, lead to patients’ dissatisfaction.

The problem statement discovered is accessibility, as lacking of access to nurses and

physicians, low communication skills such as inappropriate attitude towards patients and
explaining insufficient information, insufficient attention and consideration towards patients,
delay in providing care and lack of quality of welfare facilities and basic amenities.

Generally, the aim of this research is to examine the relationship among the service quality
model, that is, perceived service quality, patient satisfaction and behavioral compliance and
the impact of overall service quality practices on behavioral compliance of patients.
Specifically, this research attempts to achieve the following objectives:

1. To gauge the relationship between perceived service quality and behavioral compliance
2. To gauge the relationship between perceived service quality and patient satisfaction.
3. To gauge the relationship between patient satisfaction and behavioral compliance.

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2.0 Target Group and Sampling Design

According to Collins Dictionary (n.d), the target group is defined as the group people that a
policy or campaign is hoping to influence in some way. In this research paper, the target
group involves the population of patients attended the hospital, which is divided into three
groups, Malay, Chinese and Indian. A sampling design specifies for every possible sample its
probability of being drawn. In this paper, the most appropriate sampling methods used are
stratified sampling and systematic random sampling from probability sampling.

2.1 Probability Sampling

Humans have practiced various kinds of random selection since long ago, such as
picking a name out of a hat or choosing the short/long straw.

As below, are the basic terms that are defined in the probability methods:

N = the number of cases in the sampling frame

n = the number of cases in the sample
NCn = the subsets of n from N
f = n/N = the sampling fraction

Below are a few types of probability sampling, which included in this research:

a) Stratified Random Sampling

Stratified random sampling includes dividing the population into homogeneous

subgroups and then selecting a simple random sample in every subgroup.

First, the population of dissatisfied patients are divided into three groups, which are
Malay, Chinese and Indian. Assumed that both the Chinese and Indian are relatively
small minorities, 10% and 5% respectively. Only 10 and 5 persons from each of the two
smaller groups are expected to obtained from a random sample of n=100 with a
sampling fraction of 10%. Therefore, by stratifying, better results are obtained. A
sample of 100 dissatisfied patients are still chosen from the population of 1000 patients

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over the past year. 50 Malays, 25 Chinese and 25 Indians are sampled. 10% of the
population, or 100 clients, are Chinese. If randomly sample 25 of these, it will results in
stratum sampling fraction of 25/100 = 25%. Similarly, 5% or 50 patients are Indians.
So the stratum sampling fraction will be 25/50 = 50%. Finally, by subtraction, there are
850 Malays patients. Therefore, the stratum sampling fraction of them is 50/850 =
about 5.88%. The groups are more homogeneous within the group than across the
population as a whole, which may results in greater statistical.

b) Systematic Random Sampling

Systematic sampling is a probability sampling method, where each sample of members

from a larger population are selected according to a random starting point and a fixed,
periodic interval. This interval is known as the sampling interval, is calculated by
dividing the population size by the favoured sample size.

Assuming the population of patients that attended the hospital is N=100, and therefore,
a sample of n=20 is chosen. To use systematic sampling, the population must be listed
in a random order. The sampling fraction would be f = 20/100 = 20%. Here, the size, k,
is equal to, N/n = 100/20, = 5. A random integer of 4 is chosen. Now, to select the
sample, start with the 4th unit in the list and take every k-th unit as every 5th, because k
is 5. Therefore, the sampling units represents the patients are 4, 9, 14, 19, and so on to
100. One of the advantage of using the systematic random sampling is, it is fairly easy
to carry out.

2.2 Non - Probability Sampling

Non-probability sampling is a method used where the odds of any member being
selected for a sample that cannot be calculated and does not entails random selection as
it depends on the subjective judgement of the researcher.

There are two non-probability sampling chosen for this research paper, includes
convenience sampling and judgement sampling which are described as below.

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a) Convenience Sampling

Convenience sampling depends on data collection from population members who are
conveniently available to participate in study. For instance, Facebook polls or questions
is a prominent example for convenience sampling.

It is a type of sampling where the first available primary data source is used for the
research without additional requirements. Particularly, this sampling method involves
obtaining participants from wherever that is convenient. In its basic form, it can be
applied by stopping patients in the hospital surrounding and asking questionnaire
questions. For instance, questions regarding the quality of service provided by the
hospital.

Among the advantages using this method is, the simplicity of sampling and data
collection that can be facilitated in short duration of time. Next, it is the cheapest to
implement compared to other alternative sampling methods. Unfortunately, it is
extraordinarily vulnerable to selection bias and influences beyond the control of the
researcher and high level of sampling error.

b) Judgement Sampling

The judgement sampling is a technique whereby the choice of sample items depends
completely on the researcher’s knowledge. In other words, the researcher chooses only
those sample items which is the best representative of the population with regard to the
characteristics research. The judgement sampling is no longer a scientific technique as
the sample items are chosen on a judgement groundwork and subsequently the
outcomes ought to be affected by the personal prejudice or bias of the researcher.

For instance, in this research, the increasing number of complaints from the patient is
because the quality of hospital care services, whether there’s a lacking or defect in
medical supplies equipment. Therefore, the research is focused entirely on the patients
who complaints that there’s defect in medical supplies equipment. By targeting a
sample comprised only of patients, who complained regarding the quality of hospital
care services by using their professional judgment, researchers have a higher likelihood

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of achieving their research goal of learning the real problem, whether is there a lacking
or defect in medical supplies equipment.

Since the reliability of sample outcomes depends on the practical knowledge or the
expertise of an individual and if it is appropriate and skillfully applied, then the
judgment sampling will yield valuable results. Thus, the success of this method relies
upon on the excellence in judgment. If the researcher is knowledgeable about the
population and has an appropriate judgment ability, then the sample chosen will be
typical of the population with regard to the attributes or characteristics.

3.0 Instrument for Data Collection

It is significant to know that a survey is a type of research design. In contrast, an interview or

a postal questionnaire is a method of data collection. There is a broad range of methods
available in order to collect data involving individuals participants, but three main methods
of collecting survey data which are selected are discussed as below.

3.1 Face-to-face Interviews

Face-to-face or it is known as personal interviews are very intensive, however can be

one of the best way of obtaining satisfactory data. They are also preferable, especially
when the topic is very sensitive. It is also favoured if the questions to be coded are very
complicated or if the interview is possibly to be lengthy.

It can be each qualitative and quantitative approaches, however surveys have a

tendency to take a quantitative approach. Interviewers that practice face-to-face
interviews for a quantitative study will have a structured interview schedule. For
instance, the authority of the hospital planned an interview session to interview around
100 patients regarding the dissatisfaction on the quality of service provided by the
hospital.

Furthermore, face-to-face interviews are described as quite costly compared to other

methods, but a more complex information can be acquired and it is also beneficial when
the matter is not of personal interest to the respondent who would be unlikely to

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complete a postal questionnaire. Besides, it is also suitable if there’s a need to present

diagrams or where there are certain disabilities.

3.2 Telephone Interviews

Telephone interviews can be a very adequate and cost saving of collecting quantitative
data, if the individuals in the sampling frame can be contacted via a telephone and if the
questionnaire is short. Telephone interviews are specifically useful when respondents to
be interviewed are extensively geographically distributed. However, the complexity of
the interview is constrained without the use of visual aids. Besides, the length of a
telephone interview is also limited, although this vary with subject area. Telephone
interviews are sometimes recorded with a tape-recorder or the answers can be typed
directly into a computer as the interview is being conducted for the purpose of data
collection. For example, calling up patients who got treated in the hospital and
recording their conversation and statements.

3.3 Questionnaires

Questionnaires are considered as a useful alternative when conducting a postal survey.

They can be a more cost-effective than personal interviewing and quicker if the sample
is large and broadly scattered. For instance, telephone interviewing, a postal survey is
useful if the respondents are widely distributed. However, the design and layout of the
questionnaire is significant due to the lack of personal contact between the respondent
and the researcher. Besides, all mailed questionnaires should be accompanied by a
covering letter with stamped, addressed envelope to obtain a better result of response
rates from respondents.

It is also possible to hand the questionnaire out directly to the respondents in the chosen
sampling frame as an alternative to mailing. For instance, the hospital may decide that
questionnaires can be handed out directly to parents with young patients. Another
example, the health officer from the hospital visiting mothers six weeks after birth and
asking them to complete a questionnaire.

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The main drawback of this approach is that the target audience may be biased. For
example, if the survey is carried out of patients satisfaction, which is restricted only to
those patients attending the hospital, then the results will be biased towards the views of
those patients with most complaints.

4.0 Survey Method

As opined by Jackson (2011), The essence of survey method can be explained as

“questioning individuals on a topic or topics and then describing their responses.

4.1 A Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ)

A self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) is a set of a questionnaire, designed

specifically to be executed by a respondent without intervention of the researchers
amassing the data. It can also be used in conjunction with other data collection
modalities directed by a skilled interviewer eventhough it is generally a stand-alone
questionnaire. Generally, the SAQ is distributed by mail or from individuals to large
groups, but now it is used extensively for Web surveys. For example, patients may
submit their complaints by filling up the questionnaire posted in the hospital’s website.

The general problem with self administered methods of surveys is the lack of control
over response, as once the questionnaire has been dismissed to the respondent, it is
restricted to ensure its return.

4.2 Structured Interview

A structured interview also known as a standardized interview, for example like a job
interview. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure that each interview is presented with
exactly the identical questions in an equal order in order to ensure that answers can be
reliably aggregated between sample subgroups or between different survey periods.

Structured interviews are capable of accumulating data for a statistical survey. For
example, the data is collected by an interviewer, the hospital’s representative and they
read the questions exactly as they appear on the survey questionnaire for the patients.

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The choice of answers to the questions is often close-ended in advance, though open-
ended questions can also be included within a structured interview.

They also standardises the order in which questions are enquiry, so the questions are
always answered within the same context. This is vital for minimising the affect of
context effects, where the answers given to a survey query may rely on the nature of
preceding questions. It is time saving to conduct it as well. Unfortunately, structure
interviews are not flexible. This means new questions cannot be asked spontaneously
during the interview, as the interview schedule must be followed.

4.3 Triangulation

Triangulation is often used to indicate that two or more methods are used in a study in
order to check the results of one and the same subject ‘the complaints of patients
regarding the quality service rendered by the hospital’. The concept of triangulation is
borrowed from navigational and land surveying techniques that determine a single point
in space with the convergence of measurements taken from two other distinct points
(Rothbauer & Paulette, 2008). The idea is that one can assured with a result if different
methods lead to the identical result.

Triangulation is a powerful technique that facilitates validation of data through cross

verification from two or more sources. In particular, it refers to the application and
combination of several research methods in the study of the same phenomenon
(Bogdan & Biklen, 2006).

5.0 Data Analysis

LeCompte and Schensul (1999), defined analysis as the process of researcher uses to reduce
story and its interpretation. Data analysis is the process of reducing large amounts of
collected data to make sense of them.

There are two primary differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Qualitative research is particularly used for answering the ‘why’, ‘what’ or ‘how’ questions,
such as, what caused patients to complain over the hospital service? why there is a delay in

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providing care to the patients? Each of these questions could be addressed using quantitative
techniques such as structured questionnaires. All of these can be readily analyzed statistically.

5.1 Qualitative Data Analysis

Qualitative data are forms of facts gathered in a non-numeric form. Common examples
of such data are interview, field notes and documents such as reports and emails. Such
data normally involve people and their activities, signs, symbols, artifacts and different
objects they inculcate with meaning. The most common forms of qualitative data are
what individual have stated.

Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) is the range of techniques and procedures where we
obtained from the qualitative data collected from some form of explanation,
understanding or interpretation of the patients and situations and it is typically based on
an interpretative philosophy. The concept is to examine the significant and symbolic
content of qualitative data. There are two processes of QDA, which includes writing
and the identification of themes.

a) Writing

Writing includes writing regarding the data of the patients complaints. It may be
analytic ideas. In other cases it may be some form of abstract or summary of the data,
though this usually contains some analytic ideas.

b) Coding into Themes

Coding involves looking for themes. This is the identification of passages of text or
other essential phenomena, such as parts of images and applying labels to them that
indicate they are examples of some thematic idea. At its simplest, this labelling or
coding method permits researchers quickly to retrieve and collect all the data that they
have associated with some thematic concept in order to examined them together and
different kind of cases can be compared in that respect.

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c) Interpreting

It is easy to start the QDA, to write and code in approaches that are nothing more than
descriptive summaries of what the patients have said or done. Inevitably, the
description includes some stage of interpretation, descriptions and interpretations that
people would use in the milieu, community or settings that are been investigated are
categorise and therefore, the patients begins to explain precisely regarding the reasons
of complaints.

d) Organising

The information sets used in QDA tend to be huge. Though samples may be quite small
in contrast with those used in quantitative strategies such as surveys, the kind of
significant data collected, for example field notes and interviews have a tendency to be
prolonged and requires intensive examination, understanding and analysing that only
humans can do. In order to preserve a clear mind and not become overwhelmed by the
sheer amount of data and analytic writings, the analyst needs to be organised.

5.2 Quantitative Data Analysis

In quantitative data analysis, it is expected to turn the raw numbers into meaningful
data through the application of rational and critical thinking. It may include the
calculation of frequencies of variables and variations between variables. A quantitative
approach is usually associated with discovering evidence to either support or reject
hypotheses that have been formulated. The same figure within the information set can
be interpreted in many different ways. Therefore, it is vital to apply a fair judgement.
For example, questionnaire findings of this research titled “the reasons of complaints
regarding the quality of services rendered by the hospital” may indicate that the
majority 50% of respondents complained of inappropriate attention and consideration
of healthcare staff towards patients.

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6.0 Summary

The study emphasizes the hospital to implement proper policies to enhance their procedures
in responding to complaints and to systematically determine the causes of the patient’s
complaints. Improving personnel skills in imparting better quality healthcare, improving their
communication skills and providing proper information to patients will aid in reducing the
complaints. Moreover, designating further welfare facilities to patients, improving conditions
of hospitals rooms, increasing staff numbers and sufficiently equipping the hospital, are
among the most significant items which may help in reducing the complaints. Lastly, in order
to have better handling of customers complains, effective communication approach,
promoting a culture of reporting and accountability, tracking the progress of the investigation
and resolving the complain ought to be included as well, so that the hospital can provide
better services to the patients.

(3000 words)

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7.0 References

Bogdan, R. C. & Biklen, S. K. (2006). Qualitative research in education: An introduction to

theory and methods. Allyn & Bacon. Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_(social_science)

Collins Dictionary (n.d). Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/target-group

English Oxford Dictionar (n.d). Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/complaint

Jackson, S.L. (2011) “Research Methods and Statistics: A Critical Approach”. 4th edition of
Cengage Learning (pp.17). Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from
https://research-methodology.net/research-methods/survey-method/

LeCompte, M. D., & Schensul, J.J (1999). Analyzing and interpreting ethnographic data.
Qalnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from
file:///C:/Users/v3/Downloads/DataAnalysisTechniquesinQualitativeResearch-
Kawulich.pdf

Romios, P., Newby, L., & Wohlers, M. (2003). Turning wrong into rights: learning from
consumer reported incidents; An annotated literature review. Department of Health
and Ageing, Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved: August 08, 2018 from
http://www.healthissuescentre.org.au/documents/items/2008/04/204843-upload-
00001.pdf

Rothbauer, Paulette (2008) "Triangulation." In Given, Lisa (Ed.), "The SAGE Encyclopedia
of Qualitative Research Methods." Sage Publications, (pp. 892-894). Retrieved:
August 01, 2018 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_(social_science)

The World Health Report. (2000). Health Systems: Improving Performance. Geneva: World
Health Organization. Retrieved: August 01, 2018 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3937906/#R05

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