Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research 1

Running head: Research and Report: Part 2

Research and Report: Part 2

Week 3: Learning Team Project Part 2
RES/320
Date
Instructor

Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research 2

Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research
Many researchers believe that qualitative research compensates for the weaknesses of
quantitative research and vice versa, viewing these methodologies as complementing each other
rather than rivaling each other (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). Quantitative research is used to
obtain the frequency of some behavior, knowledge, opinion, or attitude, whereas qualitative
research is used to obtain a better understanding or derive meaning from certain attitudes and
behaviors. Learning Team A plans to use a combination method of research where quantitative
and qualitative data is collected. Gathering appropriate information to identify the core issue
driving employee dissatisfaction is our primary objective in our research method. We plan to
achieve this by asking employees in-depth questions about their individual behaviors, attitudes,
and feelings. We will create questions that use a rating scale, ask open-ended questions, and
allow participants to recount in detail their experiences and/or observations. Some of the benefits
of conducting qualitative research include: an in-depth examination of the managerial dilemma,
insight into the language respondents use to talk about a topic which can help with the
communication of solutions, and detailed data on employee satisfaction levels. Qualitative data
allows us to gather information which can help in our quest to find innovative solutions to
resolve the low level of employee satisfaction at Wal-Mart stores across the nation.
Based on information from secondary data options reviewed by Learning Team A, it
seems appropriate that primary data will be best utilized for this study. The secondary data
studied supports that the most beneficial data can only come from the employees themselves
when measuring employee satisfaction. When exploring the options of types of primary data that
can be collected, a census must be considered. A census would utilize all Wal-Mart employees in
the data collection, thereby providing more complete information. However, there are thousands

Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research 3

of employees across the country, and collecting data from each one would be costly and time
consuming. There are various types of sampling plans available that would lower the cost of the
study, and reduce the amount of time spent in data collection and processing. The forms of
probability sampling include simple random, complex random, systematic, cluster, stratified, and
double. The nonprobability options are convenience, purposive, judgment, quota, and snowball.
Nonprobability sampling is arbitrary and subjective, whereas probability is based on
randomness. To use a probability based method, a researcher must be able to have confidence in
the selections he or she makes. With non-probability methods, the randomness eliminates the
need for such confidence.
According to team discussions and readings, Learning Team A plans to conduct a survey
to measure employee satisfaction within Wal-Mart. The purpose is to identify opportunities to
improve employee satisfaction and morale, thereby improving upon the unsatisfactory perception
of customers. The research type selected would be qualitative research plus an integrated element
of quantitative research, survey or questionnaire. The integration would be designed as follow:
qualitative research to explore the topic and determine the questions that should be asked,
quantitative research to gather data through a survey conducted to employees of selected stores,
and qualitative research to further understand the actual results. Using an exploration phase in
our survey design has two main benefits. First, we will discover underlying factors that might be
missed. This avoids the common mistake many researchers make of relying on their own
intuition to create survey questions. Second, we will build shorter and more focused surveys,
because we will have eliminated dead ends from our research even before we begin (Vanek,
2013).

Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research 4

In conclusion, Learning Team A plans to utilize a qualitative research method to include
initial employee discussions to identify the appropriate areas of focus for our survey, a
quantitative method of sampling survey to gather feedback from multiple participants across the
country on the main areas of focus, completed with specific actionable items to be addressed by
employee focus groups. We will use a varying array of different research methods to achieve our
primary objective with this proposal.

Wal-Mart: Employee Satisfaction Research 5

References

Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed). Boston: McGrawHill Irwin.
Gogoi, P. (2007, October). Wal-Mart: A Snap Inspection. Bloomberg Businessweek.
Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-10-02/wal-mart-a-snapinspectionbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
Marshall, J. (n.d.). The High Price of Low Cost.
Retrieved from http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/files/2011/10/The-High-Price-of-LowCost.pdf
Vanek, C. (2013). Using Qualitative Exploration to Create Quantitative Surveys. Retrieved on
7/7/2013 from http://www.surveygizmo.com/survey-blog/using-qualitative-explorationto-create-quantitative-surveys