3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.6 Data-collection instruments
4.6.4 Data-collection technique
A data-collection technique is said to be the ideal tool, such as the survey method, that assists with collecting data and helps create statistical data (Whitehead and Whitehead 2016; Sekaran and Bougie 2016). In this case, this involves a survey or questionnaire to record respondents’ opinions and to help accomplish the research objectives.
4.6.4.1 Questionnaire
One method for doing research and gathering data from respondents is the use of questionnaires (Whitehead & Whitehead, 2016). It typically contains a list of questions, which can be posed in various ways, with the aim of extracting information, after which the data are analysed. The survey therefore records the respondents’ opinions and should include all of the information that is essential to address the study’s primary objectives, as determined by the researcher.
A questionnaire is a research instrument or data-collection method that expedites the collecting of data through a survey. Moreover, it is one of the techniques most frequently used by researchers to gather information from a certain population that is pertinent to their research (Saunders et al. 2019). In surveys, every respondent is asked the same set of predefined questions in the same sequence. However, there are also other methods for gathering data using this tool, such as telephone surveys, postal surveys and in-person interviews (Johnson and Christensen, 2020).
The researcher in this study used a survey in Google Forms to expedite data collection and receive information from the respondents who were most readily accessible. A five-point Likert scale was used in the questionnaire to ensure that the questions were precisely targeted and elicited an accurate amount of agreement or disagreement felt by each respondent.
Questions on a five-point Likert scale have a predefined response: Strongly disagree (1); Disagree (2); Neutral (3); Agree (4); and Strongly agree (5). This was used to determine the different preferences of the respondents (Myagkov, 2000). A Likert scale is used to gauge how strongly respondents feel about the study’s focus areas.
A survey must be simple to use and interesting to the respondents in order for it to completely achieve its potential for gathering data (Brace, 2018). The aims and objectives of the study should be taken into consideration when creating the questionnaire’s questions. Johnson et al. (2020) assert that the questions should be succinct, rational and understandable by the respondents. The researcher should evaluate the pertinent literature, which was covered in Chapter 2 of this dissertation, before developing the questionnaire. The existing literature, which provided the foundation for this study, was heavily consulted in the development and construction of the questionnaire (Pare and Kitsiou, 2016).
4.6.4.2 Design and layout of questionnaires
The researcher must give significant thought to the questionnaire’s design. This can take a lot of time and requires some skill. The questionnaire’s structure should include straightforward language and questions that are organised and simple to understand (Jenn, 2006; Johnson and Karlay, 2018; Kazi and Khalid, 2012). In addition, a questionnaire should be organised logically, moving from general to specific topics in a clear and logical sequence (Buchanan, 2016; Jenn, 2006). The questionnaire for this study had 43 items that were divided into three sections (see Appendix C).
The survey was structured as follows:
• Section A: Demographic information
• Section B: Production management tools
• Section C: Internal and external Factors that affect productivity and sustainability.
Section A concentrated on the respondents’ demographic data, including their age, education, number of years in the business, type of business and influence over decision-making. To determine whether the respondent is an SMME owner, manager or other decision maker, the type of business as well as the respondent’s level of experience were included in this part of the survey.
Section B focused on the respondent’s knowledge of production management tools used by manufacturing SMMEs, primarily to ascertain whether the production management tools employed by these businesses aided their productivity. These were questions 7 through 19, and their purpose was to learn more about the production considerations, technology, infrastructure, products and innovation used by manufacturing SMMEs in Ekurhuleni Municipality. The respondent was required to explain how COVID-19 lockdown restrictions affected their business operations. This was measured with questions using the aforementioned five-point Likert scale.
Section C focused on identifying the internal and external influences on productivity challenges experienced by manufacturing SMMEs during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The first discussion focused on internal variables, which were covered by questions 20 through 31 on the questionnaire. A five-point Likert scale ranking was once more employed to gauge the strength of the opinions expressed.
The main topics in this area included education, experience and training, as well as the size, age and organisational structure of the manufacturing SMMEs. Questions 32 through 43 addressed external factors or influences, which were broken down into four broad themes: the environment; the national government and related organisations;
technological advancements; and customers, competition and market innovation.
4.6.4.3 Pilot study
According to Pearson et al. (2020), a pilot study is a pre-testing method used to determine whether the study is feasible on a small scale. Finding out if participants possess knowledge of the questions that make up the research instruments is the aim of the pilot study. The equipment's reliability can be assessed by the researcher through a pilot study (Patel, Godden, Royster,Timmerman, Crooker & McDonald, 2017).
To make sure that participants have no trouble answering the questions, it is imperative that the researcher undertake a pilot study prior to distributing a self- completed questionnaire (Tanyaradzwa, 2018). Pilot research is intended to determine whether the questionnaire was designed correctly. Even with meticulous attention to detail, errors could still occur in the absence of pilot testing. In order to
guarantee that the final data capture tool contains the fewest errors possible, a pilot study is conducted.
All of the responses to the questionnaire need to be comprehensible and fulfil the researcher's needs (Jenn, 2006; Saunders et al. 2019). A pilot test was administered to twenty participants who were chosen at random from the study population. Since these responses were regarded as test responses, they were excluded from the research analysis and findings.
Participants had the chance to mark any comments or inquiries in the questionnaire that they felt were unclear or ambiguous throughout the pilot trial. Additionally, they were given the opportunity to assess whether or not the questions were simple to understand and answer. This pilot study's main goal was to identify any gaps or unclear areas in the questions that would have presented difficulties for the respondents. While certain questions were reasonably understood and well-received by those who participated, feedback from the pilot study showed that other questions were unclear or did not fully capture the necessary information. The researcher was able to improve and modify those questions to better suit the study aims thanks to this insightful feedback, which was really helpful. The researcher was able to complete a thorough and error-free version of the questionnaire after making the required adjustments in light of the findings of the pilot study (Smith & Johnson, 2018).
4.6.4.4 Administration of questionnaire
Each participant received an equal opportunity to respond to the questionnaire, and no specific racial or social group was targeted. The survey that was presented to the desired selected number of respondents remained standardised from the population.
The purpose of the survey was to assist the researcher with the following:
• The survey aids the researcher to identify the production management tools that manufacturing SMMEs in Ekurhuleni Municipality have implemented. The participant group was deemed an appropriate one by the researcher since they
had a high level of familiarity with the topic under investigation (Askari et al.
2016).
• The survey serves as a tool for the researcher to systematically analyse the collected data, discern emerging patterns, and make informed comparisons.
This process aids in drawing meaningful conclusions and insights related to the productivity challenges faced by manufacturing SMMEs in Ekurhuleni Municipality during the lockdown. Such conclusions are pivotal in addressing the research objectives and providing actionable recommendations for stakeholders involved (Quinlan et al. 2015). The conclusions sought were intended to help in identifying significant productivity challenges experienced by manufacturing SMMEs in Ekurhuleni Municipality during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, with the purpose of preparing for unexpected circumstances in future.
• The survey provides access to a sufficient number of respondents for the research. For quantitative research to be permitted and the outcomes of the sample to be applied to the entire population, the respondent group needs to contain a sizable number of participants (Garg, 2016).