Concreció del context social

Sampling refers to the process of selecting a portion or unit from a population or universe as representative of that population or universe (Kerlinger & Lee, 2000).

The main criteria of sample selection according to Brewerton and Millward (2001, p. 114) are:  Ensuring a sample provides a faithful representation of the total population from

which it is selected.

 Knowing as precisely as possible the probability that a sample is reliable in this way.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, this research project was conducted in a soft drink or beverage manufacturing, sales and distribution organisation with the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry employing approximately 4 000 staff. The main characteristics of FMCGs are high volume, low margin, extensive distribution networks and high stock turnover (Bala et al., 2010; Herbst & Forrest, 2008).

The unit of analysis used for this research was employees within this organisation and more specifically, the sales representatives within four regions of the business spread over three provinces within South Africa (Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal). Sales

representatives are employees within this organisation whose primary goal it is to market and sell the products while maintaining good customer relationships. They are the direct link with the customer, giving out product information, making recommendations for orders, collecting expired and faulty stock and communicating company promotions and are therefore primarily responsible for driving volume and sales.

The organisation encourages employees to be accountable, hardworking and loyal and expects employees to set and reach higher targets each year. Despite the fact that the levels of complexity and decision-making experienced by the sales representatives are not that high, they are a very important population to study due to the fact their daily tasks have a significant influence on their personal life. Sales representatives in this particular organisation work long hours and are subjected to many deadlines and sales goals they have to achieve. The interaction of work and home are also a reality in their lives as they often use personal time to complete work tasks and handle work-related issues.

Recent organisational changes have refocused on the productivity and performance of the sales representatives, specifically with regard to their time spent between the office and the customer. These changes consequently brought about a re-evaluation of the QWL these employees experience as well as the trust they can place within the organisation for support.

The sampling technique used in this study was probability sampling. A probability sampling method is any method of sampling that utilises some form of random selection (Kerlinger & Lee, 2000). According to Brewerton and Millward (2001) a probability or random sample describes a sample selected in such a way that all members in the population have an equal chance of selection.

The type of probability sampling followed was simple random sampling (SRS) as all sales representatives across the organisation were invited to participate in the research. Following a SRS minimises bias and simplifies analysis of the results as all participants have an equal probability of selection (Salkind, 2008).

As mentioned before, an Internet-based survey was used to collect the data. In a recent research study in South Africa regarding the equivalence of paper-based and web-based surveys, Martins (2010) found these two types of surveys can be considered equivalent. There were various reasons for using a web-based survey as opposed to a paper-based survey:

 With the assurance of the respondent‟s anonymity it was hoped they would feel more willing to participate and give honest, unbiased responses. Using an external survey company‟s website reassured anonymity and ensured independence from the company itself.

 All sales representatives have access to the Internet and email via their mobile phones, which the author hoped would increase participation as according to Martins (2010) online surveys have the flexibility that as long as respondents have Internet access, they can answer questions at any time and in any place.

 With regard to the geographical distribution of the respondents (three provinces) making use of an online-survey made more economical sense and provided easy follow-up.

 The response rate could be tracked on a regular basis and reminder emails could be sent out to attract participation.

All respondents completed the web-based survey voluntarily and no restrictions were placed on participation or any variables of gender, race, educational qualifications, tenure and levels of experience.

The following procedure describes the approach followed in collecting the data:

 Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the organisation by means of a presentation to management regarding the research procedure and possible outcomes.

 The questionnaire was posted on an external survey company‟s website and consisted of five sections i.e.:

 Section 1: Biographical questions (6 questions)

 Section 2 – 4: Organisational Trust questions (92 questions)  Section 5: Quality of Work Life questions (59 questions)

 Participants were informed of the research via internal organisation communication (email) explaining the objectives and importance of the study, what is being measured and what will happen to the results. Pre-empted questions participants might have had were also included in the electronic communication as well as an invitation to pose any enquiries or questions to the author. Participants were also informed and assured of the confidentiality of their responses (See Annexure A).  The participants were able to complete the questionnaire in their own time and submit

their answers when done.

 Data was consequently collected from respondents following the hyperlink to the measuring instrument. As this was a web-based application, the data was

anonymously stored on the survey company‟s server as soon as the respondents had completed the questionnaire.

The invitation to partake in the research study was sent out to 282 sales representatives across the business sector in three provinces: Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. In total, 203 participants completed the online questionnaire.