Estudio de campo para obtener dimensiones antropométricas

This research proposes specific relationships between technical knowledge, customer knowledge, and the branding activities of PSFs on the capacity to cooperate with customers and facilitate service solution provision. Further, it is expected that a service solution, which is superior in terms of quality and innovativeness, maximises customer based brand equity and firm based brand equity. This research theorises and examines the relationships between constructs of interest (technical knowledge, customer knowledge, transformational leadership, employee brand building behaviours, CCSP, service solution, customer based brand equity and firm based brand equity). As such, the positivism paradigm was adopted to design the research, because positivism aims to predict events via testing predefined hypothesis (Neuman 2011; Cavana et al. 2001). Given the exploratory nature of the research questions and predefined hypotheses, this research adopted the positivism paradigm to design the research. In the positivism paradigm, the appropriate methods to test and analyse hypothesis are quantitative approaches (Cavana et al. 2001). In positivism, data are obtained by interviewing individuals through surveys and then statistical methods are used to analyse the data (Cavana et al. 2001). Sections 5.4.1.1 and 5.4.1.2 discuss the specific research approach and data collection method used in this research.

5.4.1.1. The research approach: Quantitative research

As discussed in Section 5.4.1, in this research, quantitative research was employed within the positivism paradigm. Quantitative research seeks to quantify the data and typically applies some form of statistical analysis to test the theory (Malhotra et al. 2006). Thus, the emphasis is on the precisely defining and measuring variables to test hypotheses. Quantitative research is an appropriate research methodology to test the predefined hypotheses, which are based on theory (Neuman 2012). While some believe there are two categories in quantitative research known as descriptive research and experimental research (Malhotra et al. 2006; Aaker et al. 2005), others believe there are three categories known as exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory (Neumann 2012). Descriptive research is designed to describe some aspects of the environment when the hypotheses are tentative and speculative in nature (Neumann 2012). Descriptive research aims to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, and how. Descriptive research does not manipulate objects to observe cause and effect. It describes the relationships between variables (Malhotra et al. 2006; Aaker et al. 2005). Experimental research is used when it is necessary to establish causal relationship between variables and show that one variable causes or determines the values of the other variable (Aaker

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et al. 2005). It involves manipulation of variables in a controlled environment (Malhotra et al. 2006). Neumann (2012) believes explanatory research is about well-recognised issues and it tends to explain why things are the way they are. In particular, an exploratory research is about examining a new topic in order to learn about it.

Given that the hypotheses developed to predict the relationships in relation to the constructs in the research model presented in Chapter Four aim to describe the relationships between the constructs outlined in the “B2B Professional service firms service solutions model”, a quantitative research methodology via descriptive research best describes this study.

5.4.1.2. Data collection method

Two methods of data collection are identified for descriptive research methods, survey- based and observation-based methods (Malhotra 2006). The most commonly used approach to collect data in marketing research is survey-based methods (Aaker et al. 2005). Survey-based data collection refers to obtaining information via asking structured questions from respondents (Malhotra 2006; Blaxter 2003). This research adopts structured surveys for several reasons. First, surveys can collect a great deal of data about an individual or phenomenon (Aaker et al. 2005; Cavana et al. 2001). Second, data collection via surveys is flexible as there are different approaches to collect data (e.g., electronically, drop and collect, mail and the like) (Malhotra 2006). Third, surveys are relatively simple to administer and simple to codify, analyse and interpret (Robson 2011).

The survey method can be administrated using a range of approaches, including personal interviews, telephone interviews, mail interviews, fax, online interview, and combinations of different types of administration (Aaker et al. 2005). The strengths and weaknesses of the different types of survey methods are shown in Table 5.1. Following Morhart et al. (2009), this research adopts an online survey as the method of administration, because it offers many benefits that support the efficient and effective data gathering (see also Ngo and O’Cass 2007). The online method of data collection has been used in marketing research because of its relative low cost and fast response rates (Ngo and O’Cass 2007; Ilieva et al. 2002; Cavana et al. 2001). It allows entry of data directly into an electronic storage format (database), which saves time and decreases errors that can occur in manual data entry. Further, it can decrease the missing data via defining a function for the system and not allowing the respondent to move to other questions or submit the survey until all questions are answered (Aaker et al. 2005). Moreover, as the target sample of this research was senior managers of

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professional service firms, who are busy, the web-based survey allows them to answer the questions in an appropriate time and when it suits them (see, Sweeney et al. 2011). More importantly, given the budget for the study, the online method was deemed the most appropriate, as well as cost effective compared to personal interview or telephone interview.

Table 5.1

Summary of survey methods

Methods Strength Weakness

Personal interviews- interviewer complete questionnaire

. Can use persuasion to enlist cooperation . Complex instructions and patterns possible

. No missing data

. Observation and use of visual aids possible

. Rapport and confidence building possible

. Maybe able to conduct longer interviews

. Costliest and the most time consuming method . Requires rained interviewers . Restriction on where interviews can

be conducted Personal interviews- respondent complete questionnaire

. Asking questions with long response categories is facilitated

. Respondent does not have to share answers with an interviewer

. Can use persuasion to enlist cooperation . Observation and use of visual aids

possible

. Rapport and confidence-building possible

. Interviewer can explain study

. Possibility of missing data . Trained staff required

. Careful questionnaire design and presentation are needed

. Respondents need good reading and writing skills

Telephone

interview . Lower cost compare to Personal interviews . Better access to certain populations than

personal interviewing

. Shorter time required for data collection . Advantages of interviewer completion

and ability to persuade

. Easier supervision of field staff when using a centralised location . Better response rates than mail

. Samples due to lack of phone, screening of calls and unlisted numbers

. Non-response higher than personal interview

. Visual aids and observation not possible

. Trained interviewers required . Less appropriate for personal

sensitive questions Mail survey . Comparatively inexpensive method

. Minimal staff and facilities needed . Can reach widely dispersed samples . Respondents have time to give

considered responses

. No interviewer presence to encourage participation

. Visual aids and observation not possible

. Requires a good mailing list . Longer time required to obtain data Online

survey email . Fast and comparatively inexpensive . Minimal staff and facilities required . Can reach widely dispersed samples . Respondents have time to give

considered responses

. Requires email list

. Formatting and presentation problem . No interviewer presence to encourage

participation Online

survey web-based

. Fast and comparatively inexpensive . Minimal staff and facilities required . Can reach widely dispersed samples

. Respondent must be directed to website either by email, mail, or some other method

Online survey web-based

. Respondents have time to give considered responses

. Minimises errors in data transcription as data is directly entered into storage

. Technical expertise required to develop questionnaire

. No interviewer presence to encourage participation

Fax survey . Relatively low cost

. Minimal staff and facilities required . Can reach widely dispersed samples . Respondents have time to give considered responses

. Fast

. Limited to populations with fax machines; that is, organisations . Loss of anonymity

. No interviewer presence to encourage participation

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Table 5.1, shows the different types of data collection method. Analysis of this table provides more support for the chosen data collection method. As illustrated in Table 5.1, all types of personal interviews (face to face and telephone interviews) are the most expensive, which makes them more difficult to adopt in a study such as being undertaken here. As shown in Table 5.1, fax survey is relatively cheap, but the privacy of respondents is not high in this method of data collection. Many respondents may wish to remain unknown, but this method of data collection does not consider the confidentiality of the respondents. Thus, this method of data collection was not deemed suitable to apply in this study.