CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.3. Sampling Design
Sampling is refers to a selection process whereby a suitable sample is chosen from big population (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009). It is not necessary and possible to collect data from everyone in the population to get a valid result. Thus, a subset from the population is selected to undergo the analysis of the research study. Sampling design is a program designed with the purpose to obtain accurate information for analysis through statistical methods. Researchers gathered information from the right group of people at the right location and right time in order to collect data that can provide insights for the research study. Sampling design consists of five processes which are determining target population, selecting an appropriate sampling frame and sampling location, resolving sampling elements, deciding sampling technique and sampling size.
3.3.1. Target Population
Target population is defined as a specific group of the population that can provide useful data and information for the research project (Saunders et al, 2009). Based on discussion, foreign tourists in Malaysia who are checking in, staying in, or have checked out in any hotel in Klang Valley area are the target population for this research topic. Researchers also refrain foreigners that follow tour or come here for business visitation to participate in the research due to they did not participated in the decision making of booking hotel. The reason
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why foreigners were targeted by the researchers was because they are from other country and can only make their booking through online platform and hence they will fulfil the 4 variables that researchers wish to study on. Since they have to book the hotel through online platform, they only can rely of personal eword-of-mouth, commercial eword-of-mouth, liking towards website, and perceived informativeness of online advertisements to assist them in decision making. These variables will them affect their attitudes towards hotel brand image and also behavioural intention.
3.3.2. Sampling Frame and Sampling Location
Babbie (2013) defined sampling frame as a list of elements that a probability sample is selected from the elements. The data reported from this research study were collected from a probability sample of foreigners that checking-in, staying- in or checked-out to any hotels in Klang Valley. This sample matrix consists of a total of 450 respondents, 150 respondents from budget hotels, 150 respondents from 3-star hotels and 150 from luxury hotels. For each category such as luxury hotel, the total of 150 respondents will be breaking down to 50 respondents that are checking in, 50 respondents that are currently staying in and 50 respondents that have checked out.
The questionnaire was conducted at KL Sentral which serve as a transit for foreigners to go to and fro from airport, and to tour around the city. A total of 450 copied of printed questionnaire were distributed to the respondents. After discussions and surveying, researchers only focused on KL Sentral as it is one spot that able to gather large amount foreigners and tourist. The airport was not a suitable sampling location it mainly consisted of respondent who were to check-in or have checked-out. Those tourist that are currently staying in a hotel will not come to airport for leisure but they will use train as their transportation to tour around the city as it is cheaper, faster and also detailed locations are being listed at the train station.
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3.3.3. Sampling Elements
The sampling element for this research study were constraints to foreigners or tourist that currently checking in, staying in or checked out to any hotel in Klang Valley. The foreigners or tourist must have participated in the decision making of booking the hotel. The reason of choosing this group of respondents are mainly due to they have participate in the decision making of booking hotel and researchers wish to know what are the variables that cause an influence to the respondents attitude towards hotel brand image. They are then able to provide reliable opinions on the factors that influence the brand image of their hotel because they will recall back the process when booking the hotel. Thus, researchers could gather valuable information and insights from the respondents for the purpose of this research study. However, foreigners that did not participate in the process of decision making for hotel such as tourists that come with tours or for business vacations. This is because the decision making in tours are normally made by travelling agencies and business vacations normally were decided by the staff of their respective companies.
3.3.4. Sampling Technique
According to Saunders et al (2009), sampling technique is defined as a method adopted to collect sample from the population. Researchers had selected non- probability sampling technique under this research study. Based on Castillo (2009), non-probability sampling is a sampling technique that all the individuals in the population do not stand an equal chance to be selected as the respondents.
There are four types of sampling technique under non-probability sampling which are reliance on available subject, purposive sampling, quota sampling and snowball sampling (Babbie, 2013).
Under this research study, researchers had selected purposive sampling and quota sampling techniques. Samples are selected based on the prerequisite criteria set by researchers such as foreigners or tourist, then there are also questions that separate the respondents into 3 different hotel groups which are
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budget hotel, 3-star hotels and luxury hotels. Then under each hotel categories there are also sub groups which are guests that checking-in, staying-in or checked-out. This method is the most successful technique when data analysis and data review are carried out along with data collection. Furthermore, quota sampling is referred to the technique that the researchers set the number of people to be included as respondents. This cost-effective sampling technique allows researchers to focus on respondents who have insights on the online factors that affects hotel brand image and behavioural intention.
3.3.5. Sampling Size
Sampling size is chosen to represent an entire population. According to Sekaran and Bougie (2013), sample is more reliable than the entire population because of lesser error and fatigue. When conducted this research, we have distributed 450 sets of questionnaire to the respondents which are foreigners or tourist that checking in, staying in or checked out to budget hotels, 3-star hotels and luxury hotels. The 450 of sampling size is decided to use as the entire population is more than 200 which believe that the results can conducts efficiency in order to achieve the aim of this research (Alreck and Settle, 1985). This is supported by Manning and Munro (2007) who asserted a rule of thumb regarding sample size, whereby the size exceeding 300 is considered ―good‖, 200 is considered as ―fair‖, and 100 is considered as ―poor. Moreover, Saunders et al. (2012) reported that a sample size of 450 is considered reasonable to represent a large population.