Modelo econométrico de demanda de vivienda

The target population was 120 telecommunication companies (36 were licensed carriers and the remainder were non-licensed carriers) restricted to Victoria so as to minimise travel cost and time factor required to conduct the research survey and make follow-up calls, if needed. The companies all had linkage relationships with another customer or supplier.

The population was identified from a variety of sources: Yellow Pages, White Pages and on-line searches, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Communications Authority, The Business Who’s Who of Australia, Centre for Telecommunications Information Networking, Dow Jones Company industry search, Australian Business Index and also made enquiries to the Telecommunications Industry Association.

The surveyed companies were licensed (Appendix 9) or unlicensed telecommunications carriers. Licensed carriers were then registered with the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) then but now they have to be registered with the Australian

Vanaja Karagiannidis Page 82 Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) because of the merger of ACA and ABC in 2005. A carrier license are persons who own specific infrastructure facilities -

‘network units’ (such as line links connecting distant places in Australia where the line link meets certain minimum distance requirements; satellite-based facilities used to supply carriage services between two or more points in Australia; base stations used for mobile services or wireless local loop services; and certain fixed radio communications links) and comply with the telecommunications access regime. Non-registered carriers can be service providers who are not subject to licensing requirements but are required to comply with legislated service provider rules and other provisions of the Act, such as operator and directory assistance services, itemized billing and number database information.

Table 5.2 Sample of 120 Companies for Mail Survey

Sample of 120 companies for mail survey in this research study

Percentage of Licensed Carriers With Linkage Partners

Percentage of Non-Licensed Carriers With Linkage Partners

30% (36) companies surveyed 70% (84) companies surveyed

5.3.1 Selection of Sample

Out of the population of 120 licensed telecommunication carriers (listed in the Australian Communications Authority website) within Australia from July 2001- October 2003, this research study sampled 30% (that is covered 36 companies) of the licensed

telecommunication carriers mainly located in Victoria and the other 70% of licensed carriers listed by the Australian Communications Authority website

(http://www.aca.gov.au/aca_home/obliquelicensing/telcomm/app_forum/spo.htm) (Sixty percent of the listed licensed telecommunication carriers have Head Offices in Sydney,

Vanaja Karagiannidis Page 83 with 10% in Queensland, Western Australia, Central Australia and South Australian) Telecommunication carriers tend to be very volatile. Although Sydney has the majority of telecommunication carriers' Head Offices, this research is targeted towards

telecommunications carriers operating in Victoria.

The other 84 companies surveyed were non-licensed telecommunication carriers such as service providers of which 90% have been or were mainly located within Victoria and 10% from Sydney that responded to participate in this survey.

The companies were identified through phone calls and screening to find the ones that have alliances/linkages or relationship arrangements with customers/suppliers. The sample consists of 30% telecommunication licensed carriers and 70% of non-licensed telecommunication carriers. Results obtained represented 100% of the 36

telecommunication-licensed carriers and 32% of the 84 non-licensed carriers.

5.3.2 Procedure

A letter (Appendix 2) was sent to managing directors via secretaries requesting vendor, alliance or linkage managers to complete the questionnaires within three weeks and to mail back the questionnaire to the researcher in a self addressed and stamped

envelope.

The response rate was very low (only 9 respondents from licensed carriers and zero from non-licensed carriers), resulting in concern for sample error, bias and size for analysis (Sudman and Blair 1999; Zikmund 2000; Robson 2002).

The researcher then telephoned (Round 2) and reinforced the significance of this research and requested the non respondents (111 telecommunication businesses) to complete the survey, and then sent a follow-up letter this time using University’s letterhead, added colour to the questionnaire (Appendix 3) which was posted (with a self addressed envelope) and made follow-up reinforcement phone calls. This resulted

Vanaja Karagiannidis Page 84 in a better response rate of 54 respondents of which 27 were from licensed carriers and the other 27 were from non-licensed carriers.

A mail survey was used in the initial stage as an inexpensive way of gathering information but proved to generate insufficient responses. This substantiated

Simmonds (2000) who commented that mail questionnaires produce a lower response rate than personal interviews. Also mail questionnaires are much more difficult to control who fills out the questionnaire regardless of who the questionnaire was targeted towards (de Vaus 1991).

The follow-up calls were made using incentive effective techniques 'like follow-up letters, enclosing some small monetary incentives' as advised by Sekaran (1992:201). In this case mail drop-ins included minty lollies (Pattison & Robins 2002).

Since Round 1 and Round 2 sample testing was from the same subset, the researcher has taken the response rate as a combination of both rounds testing equivalent to 63 respondents (9+54) for this thesis. As a result a response rate 52.5% (9+54=63/120) of the 120 telecommunications carriers (licensed and non-licensed carriers) were collected through a mailing survey with network means. Excel and SPSS software were used to process the quantitative data analysis from questions 1-11 of the questionnaire.

5.3.2.1 Qualitative Interviews

Only three in-depth interviews (one-hour interviews) were conducted with willing respondents (1 major licensed telecommunication carrier and 2 non-licensed

telecommunication service companies) that participated in the in-depth, face-to-face interviews contributing to a case analysis for this thesis. Interview questions were designed with the aid of supervisor before analysing the survey responses.

Three interviews were conducted because respondents marked yes for question 17 of the questionnaire and were willing to participate in a one-hour interview process. The

Vanaja Karagiannidis Page 85 interview process was structured and interview transcripts were coded and analysed independently by the researcher and co-supervisor. Only one respondent was willing to have the interview recorded on tape and transcribed by the researcher. The other two respondents were not willing to have the interview recorded on tape due to sensitivity of the matter that they were customer/supplier or in alliances with one another. As a result names of companies could not be clearly disclosed in this report.