Research Methods: Analyzing Public Service Complaints in the UK

This report addresses the increasing public complaints received by Watchingham County Council UK regarding their public services. It applies both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including questionnaires and interviews, to identify the root causes of dissatisfaction and low staff morale. The research aims to understand the reasons behind the 20% increase in complaints, assess staff morale's impact on service delivery, and determine public satisfaction levels with various services. The report outlines a detailed data analysis plan using inferential statistics and proposes an action plan with a timeline for implementing recommendations to improve service delivery and boost employee morale, while also addressing ethical considerations in the research process. This assignment solution is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools and resources for students.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following an increased number of complaints from the public, Watchingham County Council
UK has decided to hire the services of a researcher to get to the root of the problem and a
possible solution. The report contains an introduction which is followed by a detailed report
answering some stated questions. This is then followed by a conclusive result and references
from where the information was sourced.

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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK ONE......................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Applying principles and practices of quantitative and qualitative research on a practical
level in the given case scenario....................................................................................................4
1.2 Develop and outline research aims, objectives and development questions and prioritize
them in relation to contemporary managerial and business needs of the case organization........4
Aims of the research.................................................................................................................4
Objectives of the research........................................................................................................5
Questions to be asked via the research tools............................................................................5
TASK TWO.....................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Produce critical literature reviews based upon research methodology..................................6
2.2Use methodology, instrumentation and research design appropriate to the specific nature of
fieldwork......................................................................................................................................6
1. Questionnaires...................................................................................................................6
2. Face to face interviews......................................................................................................7
2.3 Critically evaluate statistical methods available for data analysis and outline a data analysis
plan for the proposed study..........................................................................................................7
TASK THREE.................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Develop an action plan and timeline for delivering the management research projects using
research methodologies................................................................................................................8
3.2 Develop written research reports that include a discussion of the data visualization tools
likely to be used in the final report............................................................................................10
3.3 Develop a plan for managing ethical issues in the proposed research.................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

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INTRODUCTION
The national government of the United Kingdom has delegated the duties of public service
provision to the Watchingham County Council UK. The duties delegated include: maintenance
of libraries and education, leisure centers, cemeteries and parks, provision of social care, fire and
transport services, public safety and waste management. Over the past six months, Watchingham
County Council UK has recorded a 20% increase in complaints from the public with regards to
their services. The increase in the number of complaints will prompt scrutiny from the national
government they provide partial funding to Watchingham County Council UK. For this reason,
they are seeking to outsource an external researcher to look into the problem.

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TASK ONE
1.1 Applying principles and practices of quantitative and qualitative research on a
practical level in the given case scenario
As a researcher to the problem, I will use both qualitative and quantitative analysis to get to the
root of the given case scenario. Quantitative analysis involves the use of sampling techniques
such as surveys while on the other hand qualitative analysis is an explanatory research aimed at
trying to understand opinions reasons and motivation. Brannen, (2017). I will use various survey
tools for to conduct this research and they include; questionnaires and interviews and they will
be geared towards the employees and the public who will be picked at random for problem
statement and proposed recommendations. Textual analysis from books and other scholarly
articles and journals will also be used. Mai, (2016).
Questionnaires and interviews will be very useful since they will be used to gather firsthand
information. For employee anonymity so as to avoid victimization by the management and
fellow employees and also for transparency, the research will be conducted online but for the
public it will be done face to face. Since it would take a long time to contact all employees and
the members of public, a small sample size will be picked randomly to represent the total
population. Bryman, (2016).
1.2 Develop and outline research aims, objectives and development questions and
prioritize them in relation to contemporary managerial and business needs of the case
organization
Aims of the research
The aims of the research are as follows:
1. What is the cause of the sharp increase to 20% of the public complaints about services
offered by Watchingham County Council UK.
2. To establish reasons for low staff morale and if the employees’ morale is a major
impediment to service delivery and the extent to which it affects service delivery.

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3. Find out why the public is launching many complaints and their reasons for
dissatisfaction with the public services offered. In connection to that I will seek to know
the level of satisfaction for various services offered.
Objectives of the research
After establishing the aims of the research, the objectives are as follows:
1. After collecting and analyzing data from employees about staff morale, I will come up
with recommendations to boost their morale and thus improve their productivity.
2. Rectify with the aim of improving the services that have a low rating from the public and
building on the strengths of those that are highly rated so as to reduce customer
complaints.
3. To come up with ways of implementing the recommendations smoothly.
Questions to be asked via the research tools
In order to understand the problem well and come up with the appropriate recommendation
strategies, the research tools will have to ask the right questions. Barker, Thompson and Kane
(2016). The questions to be covered by the research tools are as follows:
For the employees
1. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate the promotion of employees done on a rolling
basis and is it given according to merit or do you think it is done unfairly?
2. How strongly do you feel on the interval in which remuneration are reviewed for
increment and do you think the salary is equivalent to work done?
3. How strongly would you agree racial or gender discrimination in the work place if any?
4. What do you think should be done to improve the work force morale and improve their
output and service delivery?
5. As an employee what recommendations do you propose?
For the public
1. What are the reasons for your complaints?
2. There are various services offered by Watchingham County Council UK, how do you rate
the service delivery of each?

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3. What recommendations would propose Watchingham County Council UK should adopt.
TASK TWO
2.1 Produce critical literature reviews based upon research methodology
Research methodology refers to the scientific and systematic procedures of collecting data,
analyzing it and then interpreting it so as to come up with an appropriate solution to the stated
problem. Flick, (2015). The research methodology will seek to explain how sampling will be
done, the instrumentation to be used in data collection, research design, information on the target
population, validity of the instruments used in data collection and how the research will be
administered. For collection of raw data, surveys will be used and both qualitative and
quantitative methods will be used. Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault, (2015). Research methodology
will be quite helpful and informative to all the concerned parties in terms of aiding them to
understand the whole process of the research and how the conclusions were drawn. The
respondents will not be obliged to participate as it will be voluntary thus making the data more
credible.
2.2Use methodology, instrumentation and research design appropriate to the specific
nature of fieldwork
Different case scenarios require different research tools. For this particular case study, I will use
surveys which will include questionnaires and interviews. Surveys can be defined as tools
whereby a researcher administers a particular set of questions to a selected and randomized
sample of a population to represent the whole population. For this case scenario, sampling to
select the participants will be done by random stratification and thereby ensuring that there is an
equal and fair representation of all variables in the study. Etikan, Musa and Alkassim, (2016). In
this case study, I will use online questionnaires to gather information from employees and
interviews for the general public.
1. Questionnaires
These are a set of questions with are either written or printed and normally include answers
driven towards a survey or a statistical study. For example a in this case scenario, the following
question may be posed using a likert scale format: Böckenholt, (2017).
1. How strongly would you agree racial or gender discrimination in the work place if any?
a. Strongly agree

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b. Mildly agree
c. Neutral
d. Mildly disagree
e. Strongly disagree
The main reason influencing using of questionnaires and thus justifying them is as follow:
a. They can be conducted online thus maintaining the anonymity of the respondents thus
observing the ethical code and promoting transparency.
b. They are cheap as there is no administration costs involved.
c. They are quick to analyze as results are viewed in real time and can be administered to
large number of respondents at the same time and thus can be acted on quickly for
example by drawing graphs for further analysis.
2. Face to face interviews
This is a method for collecting data from respondents whereby the interviewer is in direct
communication with them. The main advantage of conducting face to face interviews is that it
tends to gather more and deeper information. This will thereby enable the interviewer gain more
knowledge on the reasons for dissatisfaction of services leading to the increased complaints.
Duncan and Fiske (2015).
2.3 Critically evaluate statistical methods available for data analysis and outline a data
analysis plan for the proposed study
There are two major statistical methods for data analysis, namely; descriptive and inferential
statistics. Descriptive statistics involves data summarization from the sample using indexes such
as standard deviation or mean while inferential statistics involves coming up with conclusions
about a population from a random sample of data taken from a sample. In this case scenario, the
statistical method to be applied to analyze data is inferential statistics due to the large sample
taken thus making it more effective. Mertler, and Reinhart, (2016).
The data analysis plan is the procedure road map of how you are going to organize your
collected data so as to interpret it and draw meaningful conclusions. The process of the data
analysis plan is outlined as follows:

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1. Step I: Formulating of the research problem – this involves clearly understanding and
clearly stating the problem that triggered the research.
2. Step II: conceptualizing a research design – it is the strategy that involves the
organization of the components of the research study in a meaningful and coherent
manner in order to address research problem appropriately and make it easy to
understand. Meyers, Gamst and Guarino, (2016).
3. Step III: Constructing an instrument for data collection – this involves determining the
most appropriate tool to be used for data collection. There are various tools which include
use of questionnaires, survey, interviews among others. Data may be collected from
primary or secondary sources. One then decides on what questions to include in the
instrument to be used in data collection so as to come up with the most appropriate and
comprehensive means to collect the required information. Lewis, (2015).
4. Step IV: Selecting a sample – this involves the process of selecting a sample population
that will represent the whole population especially in large population where it is not
possible to collect data from everyone.
5. Step V: Writing a research proposal – this involves drafting the aims and objectives of
the research. Brown, (2016).
6. Step VI: Collection of data – after establishing a suitable tool for collecting data and
outlining the proposed aims and objectives, it is then used for collection of raw data in a
way that is not biased. Cleary, Horsfall and Hayter (2014).
7. Step VII: Writing a research report – this is the final part where the researcher will give a
conclusive report of his findings and recommendations.
TASK THREE
3.1 Develop an action plan and timeline for delivering the management research projects
using research methodologies
An action plan is the steps to be followed in implementing the set goals within a given timeline.
In this case, it will entail how Watchingham County council UK will facilitate better service
delivery to the public with regards to the research conducted thereby improving customer and
employee satisfaction and reducing the number of complaints. The action plan entails a summary
of the following:

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1. Where Watchingham County Council UK currently stands in terms of service delivery
and their employee welfare, where they are headed and where they would want to be in
the near future.
2. How Watchingham County Council UK is willing to get there.
3. What and who will be involved
4. The exact timeline to get where they want.
5. A means to monitor and evaluate their success.
The action plan steps are as follows:
1. Assessment of the organization – this will involve clearly looking into Watchingham
County Council UK and painting a clear picture of what is happening currently so as to
create a baseline in term of performance. By doing this, I will look into the company’s
SWOT analysis (strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Bull, et al, (2016).
2. Describe the best future state of affairs that is, where the company wants to be in the near
future and what you want to achieve by identifying and describing the objectives
concisely.
3. Implementation and evaluation – this involves coming up with a list of action to be taken
towards achieving the set objectives. It also involves an elaboration of the resources and
personnel required to do the research and also the possible challenges expected. This step
also involves the indicator of success, that is; how tell if the research has met its targeted
goals. It is also here that the expected timeline will be indicated. Vedung, (2017).
4. Monitoring – since an action is a work in progress, it requires constant monitoring for any
changes, revision or updating. Bryman, and Bell, (2015).
5. Report writing – write a detailed report on progress for the management and also produce
a public version in summery from of the same.
The timeline for the delivery of the management research project around eight months since it
involves a lot of formalities which need consultation and consensus from the board of directors
before anything is implemented and the next AGM (annual general meeting) will be held in the
next four months.

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3.2 Develop written research reports that include a discussion of the data visualization tools
likely to be used in the final report.
1. A research report contains actionable recommendations drawn from the findings of the
research. The research report will contain all the data collected from participants, how
this data was analyzed and the recommendation based on the results of the analysis. The
research report will be presented to the concerned parties via data visualization. Data
visualization tools is a means used to aid individuals understand more clearly and
efficiently what data signifies by placing it in a visual context for example by using
charts or graphs .Ward, Grinstein and Keim, (2015). Bar charts will be used so as to
clearly show the correlation and frequency of data. The bar charts will ensure that the
concert parties to whom the report will be presented to will understand it with simply
regardless of their level of education or profession. Heiberger and Robbins, (2014).
3.3 Develop a plan for managing ethical issues in the proposed research
Ethical issues can be explained as what the management deems as wrong or right within their
company or establishment. This ethics aid the management to make the most appropriate
decision when conflicts of value arise within their establishment. Having questioned the general
public and employees on matters pertaining to ethics, the report contains bad moral ethics
bringing a bad attitude to employees which eventually leads to poor service delivery. The plan
will include incorporating all the issues learnt about employee attitude, and thereby coming up
with rules and regulation and a code of conduct within the work place to govern the employees
and contractors while they are dispensing their services to the public. The employees and
contractors will be made aware of punishments to be administered for various unethical issues
they may commit. Carroll, and Buchholtz, (2014).

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CONCLUSION
After carefully researching on the problems especially the increase in complaints faced by
Watchingham County Council UK from the general public, a clear conclusion will be made.
From this conclusion, the researcher will come up with possible recommendations to provide a
solution for the problems. The management will review the report and decide on the course of
action.

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REFERENCES
Barker, J., Thompson, A. and Kane, R., 2016. The Nature of Knowledge, Evidence and How to
Ask the Right Questions. Evidence-based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals,
p.15.
Böckenholt, U., 2017. Measuring response styles in Likert items. Psychological methods, 22(1),
p.69.
Brannen, J., 2017. Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge.
Brown, D., 2016. Writing a Dissertation: Writing the Research Report.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.
Bryman, A., 2016. Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Bull, J.W., Jobstvogt, N., Böhnke-Henrichs, A., Mascarenhas, A., Sitas, N., Baulcomb, C.,
Lambini, C.K., Rawlins, M., Baral, H., Zähringer, J. and Carter-Silk, E., 2016. Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats: A SWOT analysis of the ecosystem services
framework. Ecosystem Services, 17, pp.99-111.
Carroll, A. and Buchholtz, A., 2014. Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder
management. Nelson Education
Cleary, M., Horsfall, J. and Hayter, M., 2014. Data collection and sampling in qualitative
research: does size matter?. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(3), pp.473-475
Duncan, S. and Fiske, D.W., 2015. Face-to-face interaction: Research, methods, and theory.
Routledge.
Etikan, I., Musa, S.A. and Alkassim, R.S., 2016. Comparison of convenience sampling and
purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), pp.1-4

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Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage
Heiberger, R.M. and Robbins, N.B., 2014. Design of diverging stacked bar charts for Likert
scales and other applications. Journal of Statistical Software, 57(5), pp.1-32.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), pp.473-475.
Mai, J.E., 2016. Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs,
and behavior. Emerald Group Publishing.
Mertler, C.A. and Reinhart, R.V., 2016. Advanced and multivariate statistical methods:
Practical application and interpretation. Routledge
Meyers, L.S., Gamst, G. and Guarino, A.J., 2016. Applied multivariate research: Design and
interpretation. Sage publications
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Vedung, E., 2017. Public policy and program evaluation. Routledge.
Ward, M.O., Grinstein, G. and Keim, D., 2015. Interactive data visualization: foundations,
techniques, and applications. AK Peters/CRC Press

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