The Significance of Sample Size in Research

This report discusses the significance of sample size in research, highlighting how it can affect the accuracy and representativeness of collected data. It explores the importance of sample size in primary research, using a large sample size to get an exact data from participants, and the use of secondary data to evaluate the effectiveness of research methods. The report also touches on the concept of simple random sampling and its benefits in selecting participants for research.

Research And StatisticalResearch And Statistical
Methods For BusinessMethods For Business

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Q1. Sample Size...............................................................................................................................1
Q2. Sampling Method......................................................................................................................2
Q3. Research Design........................................................................................................................3
Q4. Procedure of data collection......................................................................................................4
Q5. Secondary Data.........................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
A systematic process of investigation on a particular topic to conclude new facts and
results can be stated as a research. This report is based on the parts of a research which plays a
significant role to get objectives. Around 69000 employees are working in the Belgium banks
and a research has been made on the job satisfaction on bankers. This report will focus on parts
of research which has been conducted on them. It will discuss on pros and cons of sample size
and factors which has to be consider before taking a decision on it by a researcher. Sampling
methods will be discuss in this project which has been taken by the researcher to identify job
satisfaction. After this, research design will be discussed in this and it's advantages and
disadvantages will be discuss which are used in the research. Many problems faced by the
researching teams which will be define in the report and solution will be given on it.
Q1. Sample Size
As Katholieke Universiteit Leuven has been selected to conduct a research to find out
that employees which are working in the banking sector ion the Belgium are satisfied with their
job or not (Harhay & et. al., 2014). Around 69,000 employees are currently working in this
sector so it was a crucial thing for them to take a decision to determine the sample size of the
research which can help to them to get the best results on their research topic. As they have
selected 15,000 employees for this research which is 21% of the bankers working Belgium
banks. This sample size has brought some advantages and disadvantages for them which are;
Advantages
Average Findings against objectives: It helps to the researcher organisation to find out an
average results on their objectives, each employees has an issue related to his which makes him
dissatisfied with his job so by this large sample size they has been taken a review of 21% of
people working in the banking sector which can help to them to reach on average views of
employees on research topic.
Segmentation: Large sample size helped them to make a proper segmentation in between
the different people like Dutch and French which helped them to identify the causes which
making them satisfied or dissatisfied with their job.
Disadvantages
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Data collection: This is another thing which occur in research on big sample size because
researcher has to sent questionnaire to all of these people and after it they have to get back also
which is a big disadvantage. Because it increase cost and also puts a pressure on the researcher.
Analysis: Bigger sample size has created problems for the research organisation to make
a proper analysis of the data which they had collected. Also it needs a huge accuracy either
values can be get worst as per collected data.
It is essential for the researcher to take an appropriate number of candidates in the
research, some of the factors are here which has to be consider when determining the sample
size:
Number of people: As in Belgium banking industry, around 69,000 people are working in
this sector so they have to use around 20% which can help to get an exact result.
Significance of informations: If research topic has a huge importance so researcher can
conduct on large people, as in this research has based on banking sector so it is essential for them
to identify what are the issue are generating dissatisfaction regarding to their job.
Q2. Sampling Method
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven has used random sampling methods in which they have
select all banks which are participate in this survey and they have used Simple Random
Sampling Method. It is a simplest method of sampling in which not any criteria and quota has
used by researcher to take participants in this research (Riordan, 2014). Simple Random
Sampling Methods are having some advantages and disadvantages which are here;
Advantages
 This is the method which needs a minimum information of group of people on which
research will be conducted. In this research they have used most of the bankers which are
not generally working in the bank.
 It helps to brings out to common sized data and information from the sample size which
are used by this sampling method. It does not have a need to get data on gender, occupation, other relevant informations of
the sample size to make a classification to distribute questionnaire in between them.
Disadvantage
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 Errors are the main issue which is found in this type of research because most of the
people does not take interest in these types of surveys which is having a general
information.
 This methods ignored to informations and knowledge which is available in to the sample
size.
 Direct communication is not possible in this because researcher is not having much
information about the persons which are involved in to this type of research survey.
This research can be improve if researcher will use Stratified Sampling in which they can make
partition in their samples which can help to them to make a better research on the different age
group of people. As by this research researcher wants to know that how many employees are
dissatisfied with their job and what are the cause which are making them dissatisfied.
Q3. Research Design
Cross Sectional Design is used in this research, this is a research design tool which helps
in to gather information from targeted people with in a specific time period. This is a research
design in which researcher has start gathering information from all type of sections of
participants. It focuses to gather information in a particular time period which can help to get an
exact feeling or review on that time frame (Palinkas & et. al., 2015). As in the research which
has conducted on the bankers to analyse their satisfaction with their job, they are having different
sections in their participants which are classified in to age, gender and education. Advantages
and disadvantages of this research design are here;
Advantages
 It helps in to proving or disproving an assumption which are taken by the rexsearcher for
their research.
 It is time saving design which can help to researcher to save time and as well as it is very
cost effective process. It supports to get all data and information in a particular time frame which can help to
them to get an reviews of different participants in a particular time frame.
Disadvantages
 It has a main issue that it is not useful to get cause by whuich bankers are not satisfied
with their job.
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 Also this research design is ineffective to analyse what effects this can make on the
banking industry.
 As all research is conducted in to a particular time frame so time factors leads on it and
which can affect on the results and findings.
Q4. Procedure of data collection
As the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven has to make a research on the large number of
people which are working in the banking sector so they have used questionnaire survey by which
they have get data from their participates employees. Some of the major problems are here which
are faced by the researcher organisation in this research;
Language: This is the biggest issue which they have faced in this data collection process.
Employees which are working in the banking sector of the Belgium are mainly used two
different languages which are French and Dutch. So this is a major issue that they have to
provide a right questionnaire to each of their candidates by which they can answer of these
questions to get an exact informations.
Logistics: This is another issue which they have faced in this research the they have to
provide all sample to each of the employees working in the Belgium. So they have to provide all
questionnaire papers to at same time as per their research design which has created a huge
problem in their work.
Some of the possible solutions are here which can be used in future research by the
researcher;
Use of information technology: They have to use IT which can help to them to deliver all survey
forms through the mails to each of the participants. By this they can resolve the issue of logistical
and it can also helps to them to decrease the cost of the survey (Palinkas & et. al., 2015). Most of
the organisation are conducting surveys through mails which can help to them to get a personal
information and by this they can resolve queries of the participants also. It can help to the
researcher to decrease errors in their research methods which can help to them to make a better
change in their future research which cost effective, time saving and accurate.
Q5. Secondary Data
As the research organisation wants to explore that employees working in the banking
sector are satisfied with their job or not. So they have conduct a research on large sample size.
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They have used primary research on this topic to get an exact data from their sample size which
are the representative of all bankers working in the Belgium. Total 69,000 employees are
working in the Belgium banking sector and the researcher has used 15,000 emplo0yees as a
representative of these employees. They have used simple random sampling which helps them to
select participants in the research. Many researches are conducted previously on this topic which
can be used by the researcher to evaluate their research effectiveness. Secondary data set can be
used by the organisation which can help to them to evaluate collected data from the secondary
data which can help to them to analyse relevance and representativeness of data from main
population size.
Secondary data can be used by the researcher in which they can take secondary data and
evaluate it with current data. By this they can get relevance of data collected from sample size
which is effective or not with secondary data. Participants are different in both researches so this
can help to the researcher to identify that secondary researches data is having a similarity or not
with data primary data. So this can help to them to make an evaluation that all participants has
give an exact information on the research topic which can help to them to identify that research
is is having a relevancy with research topic.
CONCLUSION
The above presented report has been concluded about the significance of sample size in
the research, sample size has to equivalent which can help to the researcher to get an exact data
which represent the whole population.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Harhay, M. O & et. al., (2014). Outcomes and statistical power in adult critical care randomized
trials. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 189(12). 1469-1478.
Palinkas, L. A & et. al., (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis
in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health
and Mental Health Services Research. 42(5). 533-544.
Riordan, J. P. (2014). Techniques, tactics and strategies for conceptual change in school science
(Doctoral dissertation, Canterbury Christ Church University).
Online
Research Methods in the Social Sciences. 2017. [Online]. Available Through: <http://lynn-
library.libguides.com/c.php?g=549455&p=3771802>. [Accessed on 22 August 2017].
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