Discovering Statistics Using SPSS - Assignment Example

 SPSS SURVEY DESIGN 1. Evaluation of Questionnaire Design The research is associated with three objectives as far as the evaluation of the sports quality is concerned. The first objective is to evaluate the perception of learners on the quality of the sports services provided at the university sports center. The second aim of the research is to assess the areas that are important among the learners as far as the sports services and the sports center are concerned. Finally, the objective of the research is to provide a number of recommendations on areas that should be improved as far as the quality of the physical facilities and services are concerned. The data for this report was collected using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire contained three sets of questions. The first set comprised 21 separate questions concerning five dimensions of service quality. Sub-questions 1 through 6 focused on tangible elements of the service. Sub Questions 20 and 21 measured the empathy dimension, whilst 16 through 19 measured the assurance dimension. Questions 7, 10,11,12 focused on reliability with 8, 9, 13,14,15 measuring responsiveness. These questions followed a similar format to previous research in this field, such that measurement validity was maintained; a 5 point scale was used to allow respondents to rate the service performance. The second set of questions attempted to get the respondents to weight the importance they attached to each of the five dimensions of service quality. The third set of questions were ‘key independent variables’ which measured respondent characteristics. These allowed us to ascertain the demographics of the sample and facilitate analysis of variance later. The questionnaire was pre‐tested for face validity with potential users of the sports centre. There were no problems with face validity and the questionnaire was deemed to be reliable. The sampling method took the form of a probability sample of students at the University in question. The sampling frame was composed of the email addresses of all students. Using simple random sampling a sample size of 200 was deemed appropriate ‐ with the potential sampling error of 9%. The research used a structured questionnaire which is characterized by a diverse scales; the questionnaire was divided in three categories. The first questionnaire was determined to assess the service quality of the sports center; the results obtained on a five point linkert scale. The second part of the questionnaire attempted to evaluate the most important sports’ services and facilities according to the views of the students; the importance was measured on a scale of one-hundred percent. The last part of the designed questionnaire was determined to assess the demographic characteristics of the respondents. The questionnaire ensured that the SERVQUAL dimensions were taken into consideration; the five dimensions include reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. A number of improvements are required with respect to the questionnaire. For instance, the first part of the questionnaire is likely to be complicated among the respondents given that an individual needs to fill one data on a range of 1 to 5 depending on the perceived level of quality of a service or facility. Giddens (2013, pp.184-185) believes that it is difficult to measure the views and perception regarding a given aspect on a scale that is associated with a large number of points. As opposed to establishing five points on the scale of the first part of the questionnaire, three points should be used. The first point should signify high level of dissatisfaction, second point denoting a moderate satisfaction and the third point indicating a considerable level of satisfaction. 2. Analysis of survey data 2 a) Sample Composition This is one the most important questions that researchers ask and it's a great question! In order to be confident in your results, it is important to make sure that your respondents are representative of the population you choose to survey. In our study, the sample population comprised of 126male and 75 female participants. The figure denotes that female participants were 37 percent while male were 62 percent. Figure 1 Figure 1 indicates that the University has more males than female students. This is due to the fact that the sample selected via random sampling is normally a reflection of the actual population. However, it is also arguable that a large number of students who use the sports centre are male; as a result, male students may have developed more interest in participating in the study relative to female students. Table 1: How Often Do You Use The Centre   Frequency Percent never 46 22.8% once a week or less 39 19.3% twice a week 47 23.3% 3 times a week 34 16.8% 4 times a week or more 25 12.4% 5 11 5.4% Total 202 100% Table 1 indicates that the largest number of respondents include the students who used the sports centre twice a week (23.3%). On the other hand, 22.8% of the respondents did not participate in the sports services offered by the University Sports Center. The respondents who used the sports centre more than five times for every comprised the smallest percentage of the selected sample (5.4%). Table 2: What Year At University Are You Currently In?   Frequency Percent s1st year 68 33.7% 2nd year 84 41.6% 3rd year 44 21.8% 4th year 4 2% Masters 1 0.5% Other 1 0.5% Total 202 100% Table 2 indicates that 2dn-year students comprised of the largest respondents of the selected sample; 2nd-year students comprised of 41.6% of the total students who participated in the study. Masters and other students comprised of the smallest percentage among the participants; each comprised 0.5%. The number of 1st years was also significantly high; the percentage of 1st years stood at 33.7%. On the other hand, the percentage of 4th-year students was considerably low- 2%. Table 3: Are You A Member Or Do You Pay Each Time    Frequency Percent member 98 48.5 pay each time 92 45.5 Total 190 94.1 N/A 12 5.9  Total 202 100 Table 3 shows that the percentage of the respondents who pay the sports management every time they use the sports centre is 45.5%. The percentage of the students who are valid members of the sports centre did not differ significantly from that of those who pay for the sports services at a regularly basis; the percentage of the valid members is established at 48.5%. However, a 5.9% of the respondents did not provide information regarding whether they are valid members or pay each time they use the sports centre. Table 4: Subject Area   Frequency Percent Sports 68 33.7 Business 41 20.3 Media 24 11.9 Other 69 34.2 Total 202 100 Table 4 shows that students who study the other subjects comprised of 34.2 of the total participants in the study. Individually, students studying Sports comprised of the largestpercentage of the respondents; their percentage was established at 33.7%. Students pursuing Media comprised of the smallest percentage of the total respondents- 11.9%. 2 b) Analysis of Satisfaction Levels Reported In Question 1 of the Questionnaire The Ranking of the Satisfaction Level Table 5: Descriptive Analysis   N Mean Std. Deviation well-mannered and informative staff 202 3.76 0.848 How satisfactory modern sports/gym equipment 201 3.71 0.78 providing a reliable service that is promised 200 3.7 0.821 willingness to help facility users 199 3.69 0.842 visually appealing facilities 200 3.67 0.827 modern changing facilities 200 3.67 0.778 service carried out as promised first time 198 3.66 0.891 informing customer of new and changing schedule / timetables 200 3.64 0.82 service performed at promised time 200 3.63 0.881 prompt service to facility users 201 3.62 0.87 staff with good customer service 199 3.6 0.875 secure transactions e.g. membership payments and booking facilities 201 3.6 0.939 smart , professionally appearing staff 202 3.57 0.815 readiness to respond to user request 198 3.56 0.851 convenient hours of operation 202 3.54 0.947 knowledgeable and reliable staff 198 3.53 0.865 attending to the needs of every customer e.g. on a personal one to one basis 197 3.48 0.843 highly motivated staff for example encouraging gym staff 199 3.48 0.858 informative, relevant and appealing documentation such as gym and class timetables and opening times 200 3.44 0.928 dealing with customer complaints 191 3.31 0.743 prompt actions based on customer feedback 191 3.29 0.766 Valid N (listwise) 177     Table 5 indicates that the students are fairly satisfied with the quality of the sports centre services and facilities. The reasonable level of satisfaction among the students is attributable to the fact that the mean level of satisfaction is established between 3 and 4 for various dimensions. According to Table 5, it is notable that students are highly satisfied by well mannered and informative staff; the mean level of satisfaction is established at 3.76. The students are also significantly satisfied with the modern sports and gym equipment due to a mean level of satisfaction of 3.71. On the other hand, students are fairly dissatisfied with how the management deals with the complaints of customers since it is assigned a mean of 3.31. Additionally, the students are increasingly dissatisfied with the prompt actions based on the customers’ feedback; this aspect has the lowest mean among the twenty-one questions- 3.29%. The low level of satisfaction with respect to dealing with complaints denotes that the management should device methods which would ensure the sports centre respond on a timely manner to all the customers’ complaints. This should include the development of a specific department which deals with the customers’ complaints and other queries. Cross Tabulations The cross tabulations helped to find whether there is a relationship between membership of the sports center and level of satisfaction with respect to the level of quality. Apart from the visually appealing facilities and secure transactions, other variables (dependable variables) did not indicate a notable relationship with the membership of the sports centre. The cross tabulations shows that non-members are more satisfied with the quality services of the sports centre relative to the members. Table 6 indicates that 15.4% of the non-members are very satisfied compared to 11.3% of the valid members. Table 6: cross tabulation       Are you a member or do you pay each time   Total       member pay each time   visually appealing facilities         very dissatisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 0.00% 1.10% 0.50% dissatisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 9.30% 7.70% 8.50% Neutral % within are you a member or do you pay each time 30.90% 23.10% 27.10% satisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 48.50% 52.70% 50.50% very satisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 11.30% 15.40% 13.30% Total   % within are you a member or do you pay each time 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Table 7: Cross tabulation       Are you a member or do you pay each time         member pay each time Total secure transactions e.g. membership payments and booking facilities         very dissatisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 3.10% 2.20% 2.60% Dissatisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 10.30% 8.70% 9.50% neutral % within are you a member or do you pay each time 20.60% 34.80% 27.50% satisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 46.40% 45.70% 46.00% very satisfactory % within are you a member or do you pay each time 19.60% 8.70% 14.30% Total   % within are you a member or do you pay each time 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Members were more satisfied with the secure transaction with respect to the payment of membership fee compared to the non-members. For instance, Table 7 shows that 19.6% of members are very satisfied with the secure transaction relative to 8.7% of non-members. The Chi-Squared found out that six variables were associated with statistically significant results since their p-values are low. In this regard, the null hypothesis is rejected while the alternative hypothesis is accepted. The low level of the p-value denotes that there is a less chance of finding a result that is significantly different from one found in the study. As a result, it is arguable that there is a significant relationship the six variables and membership. Table 8: Chi-square test Variable Pearson Chi-Square P-Value Satisfaction service carried out as promised first time 11.461 0.022 Non-member more than member informing customer of new and changing schedule / timetables 6.314 0.177 Member more than non-member prompt service to facility users 6.282 0.179 Non-member more than member willingness to help facility users 6.547 0.162 Non-member more than member secure transactions e.g. membership payments and booking facilities 7.649 0.105 Member more than non-member knowledgeable and reliable staff 6.063 0.195 Non-member more than member The use of Chi-Squared denotes that the aforementioned variables are highly associated with membership of the University Sports Centre. As a result, the management should pay attention to the six variables while assessing the impact of membership on the quality of sports services. The above information implies that, to some extent, the membership of the sports centre affects the level of the service quality. According to the results, non-members are inclined to associate the services of the sports centre with a high quality compared to the valid members. 2 c) Analyzing the Importance Given To Different Dimensions of Service Quality Response on Importance of 5 Performance Dimensions of Service Quality Table 9: Descriptive Statistics   Mean Std. Deviation The appearance of the sports centre, physical facilities such as staff, gym equipment, the sports hall, and changing rooms. 25.34 11.399 The attention to detail given when dealing with a customer on a one to one basis, though being caring and sympathetic to any problems that may have arisen. 20.95 10.101 The sports centre's willingness to help users and provide a prompt and friendly service. 18.29 8.075 The ability of the sports centre and its staff to implement the service promised reliably and accurately. 18.25 7.425 The knowledge and manners of the sports centre's staff, and their ability to supply and maintain confidence and trust within its customer. 17.26 7.133 Table 9 indicates that the appearance of the sports centre and physical facilities, such as staff, gym equipment, the sports hall and changing rooms, is associated with a high level of importance; the level of importance is established at a mean of 25.34%. On the other hand, the knowledge and manners of the sports centre's staff, as well as their ability to supply and maintain confidence and trust within its customer, is associated with the lowest level of importance; the average of importance is established at 7.133%. There is a need for the management to improve the level of the sports centre and associated physical facilities’ appearance since it is perceived to be of significance value among the customers. (a) Table 10: Descriptive Statistics   Mean Std. Deviation Equipment Rating Weighted 95.4378 51.10232 Appearance Weighted 94.485 52.34568 Changing Facilities Weighted 93.8 51.14547 Smart staff weighted 91.9554 53.12112 Convenience weighted 89.2624 48.7801 information weighted 87.625 50.058 Staff with good customer care weighted 73.0251 36.84111 Reliable Service weighted 67.465 31.25288 readiness to respond to user requests weighted 67.2915 33.01401 Informing Customers of changes weighted 66.75 32.74736 willingness to help users weighted 66.7214 33.83285 Service carried out 1st time weighted 66.3485 31.58109 Service provided as promised weighted 66.11 32.25196 dealing with customer complaints weighted 65.7551 35.55195 prompt service to users weighted 60.7199 32.42134 prompt actions on customer feedback weighted 60.5471 31.46946 (b) The table below shows the combination of the perception regarding quality and importance of various features that are associated with the sports centre. With respect to the weight variables, the modern sports and gym equipment are associated with a high level of importance and satisfaction as far as the perception and expectation of customers are concerned (mean=95.4378). The visually appealing facilities are ranked second with respect to the level of satisfaction and importance with a mean of 94.4850 while modern facilities are ranked second with a mean of 93.8000. The three sports centre amenities and services replaces the previous the “well-mannered and informative staff”, “modern sports and gym equipment” and “providing a reliable service that is promised”; the later services and amenities were associated with the level of satisfaction while the former aspects relate to both the level of satisfaction and importance. While the level of contentment may imply the level of quality, the importance of services and amenities is important with respect to meeting the high demand of the customer’s needs and desires. In this regard, satisfaction and importance indicate areas that need an improvement as a result of their high level of demand of meeting the main need of the users of the sports centre. Basing on the level of satisfaction in an assessment may fail to reveal the areas of importance with respect to the provision of the sports services. 3. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations The results of the study indicate that a large number of the students were satisfied with the sports services provided by the University Sports Center. However, the well manners and informative staff were associated with a high level of quality service. On the other hand, the dealing with complaints with was associated with the lowest level of the quality service; additionally, the feedback on the customers was also ranked among the poor quality services as far as satisfaction is concerned. With respect to membership, it was found out non-members were more likely to be satisfied with the services of the sports centre compared to members. Six variables were associated a statistically significant results. With respect to the five dimensions of the sports service, appearance of the sports centre and physical facilities were associated with a high level of importance. Given that the importance of the amenities and services was majorly on the sports centre and equipment, it is arguable that the service of quality also extends to the physical facilities. The above scenario indicates that the physical facilities play an important role as far as the quality of a service is concerned. In this respect, the management should ensure the quality of the physical facilities is improved in order to enhance of the service performance. According to the findings, there is a need for the management to improve the areas that are associated with a high level of dissatisfaction in order to experience management of its services. For instance, due to low level satisfaction among customers with respect to manner in which complaints are handled, there is a need to establish a new procedure of handling such cases. For instance, a department that addresses the customer’s complaints on a timely manner should be established. Additionally, the management should pay attention to aspects which are associated with a high level of importance. For instance, the management should improve the physical appearance of the sports centre; additionally, the management should ensure the sports centre has adequate advanced-sports-equipments. References: Beiske, B., 2007. Research Methods: Uses and Limitations of Questionnaires, Interviews and Case Studies. München: GRIN Verlag. Deloitte, 2014. Deloitte: Sports Business Group. Deloitte, [Online] Available at [Accessed 28 August 2014]. Field A., 2009. Discovering Statistics Using SPSS.London:SAGE Giddens, D., 2013. Research Methods in Information. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 44(3), pp.184-185. Sichtmann, C., Selasinsky, M. V. and Diamantopoulos, A., 2011. Service Quality and Export Performance of Business-to-Business Service Providers: The Role of Service Employee– and Customer-Oriented Quality Control Initiatives. Journal of International Marketing, 19(1), pp.1-22. Read More