This chapter will begin with a brief explanation about research philosophy. In the next section, three types of research will be introduced and type of sampling methods will be discussed. After that, it will indicate the collection data methods that was used in this research. This chapter will focus on questionnaire design, following by ethical consideration.
3.2. Research Questions
The objectives of the research are investigating, analyzing effect of CRM in Military Bank in Vietnam on customer knowledge and customer satisfaction therefore, main research questions are:
Question 1: What is the effect of CRM applications on customer knowledge?
Question 2: Why do CRM applications affect customer satisfaction?
3.3. Research philosophy
A research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a phenomenon should be gathered, analysed and used. Two major research philosophies are positivism and interpretivism.
Positivism
Positivism emphasizes the importance of an objective scientific method. These researchers see their role as collecting facts and then studying the relationship of one set of facts to another. They analyze quantitative data using statistically valid techniques and produce quantifiable and generalisable conclusions. Positivism stresses the importance of studying social and organizational realities in a scientific way that mirrors the research processes used in the natural sciences.
Interpretivism
Interpretivism is concerned to understand human's perceptions of the world. Interpretivists see facts as the product of human interactions - they are the product of shared understandings and meanings and are not always predictable. The less quantifiable and the subjective interpretations, reasoning, and feelings of humans are seen as a more relevant line of enquiry in order to understand and explain the phenomena. Therefore, the focus of interpretivism is not numbers but on words.
The main objective of this research is to analyze and measure the effect of CRM application on customer knowledge and customer satisfaction in Military bank in Vietnam. Furthermore, in this research, the researcher uses likert scale to measure the customer knowledge and customer satisfaction. Therefore, using positivism concept to investigate the research problem is suitable for this research. Using positivism concept allows researcher study in the big sampling so that the results gathered more accurate. If using interpretivism concept, the researcher cannot do that. The sampling size is smaller. A very small sample can sometimes be very unreliable because it is only a very small portion of population. Moreover, using positivism allows comparing and analyses the collect data easier than interpretivism and greater opportunity for researcher to retain control of research process.
3.4. Research Design
Research design is one key component of any research methodology and it determines the detailed plan which will be used to guide a research study in order to get the most valid and reliable findings. It also includes the approaches and decides the methods used for collecting the types of data need for the research study. Specifically, in this research will discuss three research designs, namely experimental research, cross-sectional research and longitudinal research.
Experimental research
Experimental research the method where researchers randomly assign participants to groups and control all conditions other than the one or more independent variables which are then manipulated to determine their effect on some behaviour measured--the dependent variable in the experiment.
Cross-sectional research
A cross-sectional research involves observations of a sample, or cross section, of a population or phenomenon that are made at one point in time. The benefit of a cross-sectional research design is that it allows researchers to compare many different variables at the same time. However, cross-sectional research may not provide definite information about cause-and-effect relationships.
Longitudinal study
In contrast to cross-sectional, a longitudinal is designed to permit observations of the same phenomenon over an extended period. The benefit of a longitudinal research is that researchers are able to detect developments or changes in the characteristics of the target population at both the group and the individual level. However, researchers must be engaged in the study over a period of years and risk losing some of their research subjects.
Basing on advantage and disadvantage of three types of research, and more importantly, on personal conditions, such as limit time and financial to collect primary collection data, cross-sectional research is an optimal method to collect research information.
3.5. Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting a subgroup or part of a population to represent the entire population.
Sampling methods are classified as either probability sampling or non-probability sampling.
Probability sampling is a sampling technique in which all sampling units are selected by chance. The unbiased nature of probability sampling enables the results to lead to conclusions of wide general use. The statistical requirements imposed on probability sampling are generally "more stringent" than non-probability. Probability methods include random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified random sampling and cluster sampling.
For this research, random sampling method was chosen. Radom sampling is a probability sampling methods whereby each unit or element of the population has an equal chance of being selected as the sampling. By using random sampling, the sample can be easily assembled. Because every member is given equal opportunities of being selected so that there is no bias, Moreover, the data obtained is more representative. In this research, the respondents are customers who use services of Military Bank such as loan customers, saving customers, current account customers. The sample will selected random based on the customer database of bank. The researcher is a customer relationship manager in bank so that researcher can use customer database of bank to serve for the research. The questionnaire will be sent direct to customers through email and then customers will sent the answer to the researcher. To ensure the results is accuracy, a sample size of the research is 150 and 15% response rate can be achieved so that 1,000 questionnaire will be sent to 1,000 customers are selected.
3.6. Data collection methods
Data can be obtained from primary or secondary sources. Primary data refer to information obtained firsthand by the researcher on the variables of interest for the purpose of the study. Secondary data refer to information gathered from sources already existing. In order to collect data, there are several data collection methods. Collecting primary data methods include interviews - face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, computer-assisted interviews, and interviews through the electronic media; questionnaire; observation of individual and events with or without videotaping or audio recording.
A questionnaire is a term used to describe the techniques or methods of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order with minimum assistance.
A summary of the various questionnaire types can be illustrated in the figure below:
Questionnaire
Self-Administered
Delivery and collection questionnaire
Online questionnaire
Interviewer-administered
Telephone questionnaire
Postal questionnaire
Structured interview
Figure 3.6.1: Types of questionnaire
Based on research questions and the area of research, the researcher uses both primary data and the secondary data. In this research, secondary data concerning general information about bank's operations and organisational structure were gathered through press articles, the bank 's leaflets, newsletters and monthly reports, annual report and the bank ' s Web page. Primary data was collected through email survey. Email surveys offer a higher rate of popularity, as compared to other survey methods such as telephone survey, posted and delivered by hand. Moreover, using email survey saves time and money more than mail survey and delivery by hand. Furthermore, some e-mail software allows for precise tracking of e-mailed surveys. At a minimum, the researcher can know the number of undeliverable e-mails as well as what time the e-mail survey was opened, replied to and deleted. This can improve sampling procedures. E-mail can also provide heightened response quality. People tend to provide longer open-ended responses to e-mail than to other types of surveys, and responses to e-mail surveys tend to be more candid than responses to mail or phone surveys.
3.7. Questionnaire design
3.7.1. Reliability and validity
Reliability pertains to a measure whereby similar results are generated overtime and situations. It is a degree to which measures are free from errors by giving up consistent results. It is necessary condition for validity. There are three different kinds of reliability (a) Interrate reliability (b) Test-retest reliability and (c) Internal consistent reliability.
In order to make the reliability of this research, researcher has developed a questionnaire that replicates the research questions. Moreover, when conducting the data collection, a test email will be sent to the respondent in order to gather natural information and data. Email also will be sent to the people who are experts in customer relationship management to refer their opinions. The data of this research was mail collected from customers of banks who are not the same level so that the questions were designed easily to understand. The data collection will more reliability.
Validity is an ability of a scale or a measure instrument used to measure, what will be proposed to be measure? Validity concentrates on the measurement of a problem. When discuss the validity of questionnaire, the researchers refer to content validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity. In this research, the questions were designed to provide adequate coverage of the investigative questions and predict the effect of CRM on customer knowledge and customer satisfaction. The questionnaire includes two parts. Part one relates personal information and part two relates the investigative questions.
3.7.2. Measurement scales
A scales is a tool or mechanism by which individual are distinguished as to how they differ from another on the variables of interest to our study.
There are two main categories of attitudinal scales: the rating scale and the ranking scale.
- Rating scales have several response categories and are used to elicit response with regard to the object, event, or person. The rating scales are often used in organization research include: dichotomous scale, category scale, likert scale, numerical scales, semantic differential scale, itemized rating scale, itemized rating scale, fixed or constant sum rating scale, staple scale, graphic rating scale, consensus scale.
- Ranking scales make comparisons between or among subjects, events, or persons and elicit the preferred choices and ranking among them. The raking scales are often used in organization research include: paired comparison, forced choice, and comparative scale.
In this research, the researcher chooses likert scale to measure the effect of CRM implementation on customer knowledge and customer satisfaction in Military Bank. Likert scaling is a bipolar scaling method, measuring either positive or negative response to a statement. The liker scale is the most widely used method of scaling in the social sciences today. Perhaps this is because they are much easier to construct and because they tend to be more reliable than other scales with the same number of items. Moreover, each item of equal value so that respondents are scored rather than items. Additionally, using likert scale helps respondents easy to read and complete.
3.8. Ethical considerations
Several ethical issues should be addressed while collecting data; they are ethical treatment of respondents and researcher.
Ethical treatment of respondents
The respondent has an obligation to be truthful and honest in the responses. Moreover, the personal information of respondents and the information that they provided will be secured and served only for the research.
Ethical treatment of researcher
One of the primary responsibilities of the researcher is treating the information given by the respondents. Furthermore, the ethical obligation to the research community is carefully considered. The researcher must make sure that the results of the research are no misrepresentation or distortion because bank and other researchers will able to use these results to make decision or to use them as a reference.
3.9. Conclusion
In this chapter, the researcher provides the research methodologies which was used to collect as well as analyse collection data. In order to investigating the collection data, the researcher uses positivism methods and uses cross-sectional studies to design the research. Random sampling also was chosen to get the sampling. The researcher uses both primary data and secondary data for the study and the primary data were collected through email survey. The reliability and validity were when design the questionnaire and the likert scale was used to design questionnaire. Ethical also was discussed in this chapter.
