Subject area and objectives of your study (30 – 40 words) Please be as precise as possible.
This research is aimed at showing the correlation between Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction in a Customer Service department where there is a direct interaction between the employee and a Customer.
What is the rationale for your study? (300 – 350 words). Include in your rationale how the research will impact on the organisation. You can refer to supporting academic tools and techniques, references and ideas for surveying your organisation etc.
The rationale for this study is to show that in order for an organization to prosper and grow its customer base and hence its overall business, it is imperative that Employee Satisfaction is taken into consideration and all possible measures are in place to increase employee satisfaction before considering any strategic plans to enhance customer satisfaction. The research will attempt to show that in a service oriented organization particularly, employee satisfaction or dissatisfaction has a direct impact on the financials of a business.
There is a great deal of literature available on the subject of Customer Satisfaction and references can be obtained to several previous researches on similar subject. However, this research will be conducted in a Telecommunication company that operates in a conservative market, where employee satisfaction is not given the due importance. Therefore, the research will be conducted using the two common research methodologies i.e. Qualitative and Quantitative. With this approach it will be easier to support findings of one methodology with the other. Questionnaires will be used with predefined format using a larger pool of employees from the Call Center of a Telecommunication company. Then a randomly selected individuals will be interviewed to obtain the qualitative results of the survey.
This research will help the organization in understanding the importance of Employee Satisfaction and its direct impact on the financials of the business. It will also help the organization in bridging the gap between the employee at the customer touch point level and senior management who are usually unaware of the issues related to their employees. Recommendations can be made for tools such as “Balanced Scorecards” to be used by the organization in order to assess the problem and emphasize the importance of employee satisfaction, and take appropriate measures to increase it or at least manage it to the extent that it does not create negative impact on business.
Proposal Structure
The Research Proposal should be concise and about no more than 1500 words plus your development schedule/timetable. Significant deviation (e.g. a change of topic) from the accepted Research Proposal should only be made after approval from your supervisor and the Independent Study Tutor.It is important to stress that the Research Proposal is an important statement of intention thatwill be considered by the examiners to assess your success in implementing it. It alsorepresents an agreement between the supervisor and yourself as to the viability of theUniversity of Derby Online Learning proposed project and the criteria by which it will be judged. It is suggested that you adopt thefollowing format in presenting your dissertation.
Title or topic area of proposed study:
Your working title should reflect the content of your proposal. The title should be focused andsummative.
What is the aim and objectives of your study?
This section should contain your reasons for the particular focus of the study and thebackground literature to which the project relates. Note: key references should be highlighted.This is the important part of the proposal. It should tell the reader why you feel the researchthat you are planning is worth the effort. This may be expressed in the form of a problem thatneeds solving or something that you find exciting and has aroused your curiosity. The readerwill be looking for evidence here that there is sufficient interest from you to sustain you overthe long months ahead. This is also the section where you will demonstrate your knowledgeof the relevant literature. Moreover, it will clarify where your proposal fits into the debate in theliterature. You will be expected to show a clear link between the previous work that has beendone in your field of research interest and the content of your proposal. (Saunders, Lewis andThornhill, 2003, p.30)
Aims and objectives need to be focused, manageable, observable. You are encouraged to consider only oneaim. Discuss with your supervisor if you are not clear about the number of aims and objectives.
Literature Review
Brief review of relevant literature and rationale for study (attach on a separate sheet referencesof approximately 6 key publications, it is not necessary to attach copies of the publications):
Outline of study design and methods (Research Strategy and Methodology)
It will detail precisely how you intend to go about achieving your research objectives. It willalso justify your choice of method in the light of those objectives. These two aims may be metby dividing your method section into two parts: research design and data collection. In the parton research design you will explain where you intend to carry out the research. You will alsoneed to explain the identity of your research population. This section should also include anexplanation of the general way in which you intend to carry out the research. Will it be basedon a survey, interviews, examination of secondary data or a combination of methods? Hereagain it is essential to explain why you have chosen your approach. Your explanation shouldbe based on the most effective way of meeting your research objectives. The research designsection gives an overall view of the method chosen and the reason for that choice. (Saunders,Lewis and Thornhill, 2003, p.30)
Timetable:
You need to include a detailed timescale of your research. You may insert a Gantt chart, a table or embed an Excel file where you state the different stages of your research. This will serve as a contract between you and your supervisor, and you must ensure you follow this schedule wholeheartedly. You are advised to prepare a timetable which you should agree withyour supervisor. This will assist you in allocating your time to the specific activities involved incarrying out research. There are some obvious tips you should follow when drafting yourtimetable:Work the timetable backwards from the date the dissertation has to be submitted.Identify each activity required for your dissertation and allocate a time factor for each task.Build in slack to cope with those unexpected delays that are bound to happen.Agree the timetable with your supervisor.