Customer Satisfaction Survey at Fly Emirates

The research conducted on the Emirates Airline aims at determining the link between the human resource management practices and customer satisfaction with the quality of the services offered by the Airline staff. As such, a research based on measure through the use of closed-ended questionnaire was appropriate to obtain information relating to the research study. The sample respondents’ populations were issued surveys, and the response meant only for academic purposes, and I would consider the respondents' feedback with utmost confidentiality. The response rating was on a scale of 1 to 5 where (1- strongly disagree, 2-Disagree, 3- neutral, 4-Agree, and 5- strongly agree). Qualitative research is a research method such as interpretive description that helps in information gathering during the investigation.The differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods depend on the goal of the research, the research questions, the necessary data a researcher seeks to obtain, the research design, data collection instruments, information selection, analysis, results and presentation (Wilson & Creswell, 1996).

Research goals

The research goals a researcher seeks to obtain will determine the research method whether qualitative or quantitative.

Qualitative research inquiry seeks to obtain an understanding of phenomenon such as human behavior, social or cultural organization. The research method focuses on the meaning such as how the fly emirates customers make sense of their experiences. The qualitative research method is descriptive such as describing Emirates’ customers’ perception of the company’s services.

Quantitative research, on the other hand, seeks to understand the causation or explanatory such as why the customers are not happy with the services they receive.

Research questions

Qualitative research is used to obtain answers to exploratory questions such as how do air hostesses cope with the flight challenges compared while working at Fly Emirates airlines. Quantitative research questions are conclusive, focusing on the entire research population and not just sample. Quantitative research question would include when do leaders and managers at the Fly Emirates communicate about the importance of raising quality standards. The response would rarely be, often or once in a while which is conclusive.

Data

Qualitative research data may include words, images or descriptions as the goal is obtaining data that increases the understanding of a phenomenon. Quantitative research method data is numerical hence is easy to manipulate such as from a scale of 1 to 5, a researcher seeks to obtain specific data to measure and analyze using statistical procedures such as how much do the Emirates customers feel welcome at the airline (greeted or thanked by an employee at Emirates Airline).

Research design

Qualitative research design is flexible and easily changeable during the research process as the researcher may only have a rough idea, but the knowledge increases during the research process hence the changes. The quantitative research design is specific and not changeable as a researcher determines the data they will measure and data collection procedure before they start the research (Wilson & Creswell, 1996).

Data collection tools

Qualitative research requires researchers to be the actual data collection tools. Quantitative research tools are varied, and a researcher may administer other means such as questionnaires or surveys for data collection. The research environment is often a controlled representation of the reality.

Research sample

Qualitative research uses a non-random sample based on convenience. Quantitative however seeks to obtain a sample representative of the whole population that the researcher randomly selects.

Analysis

Qualitative research is inductive as the researcher builds theories and hypothesis while quantitative research is deductive as researcher obtains precise measurement easy to test using the mathematical formula.

Results

Qualitative research results depend on context as researcher seeks an individual’s opinion, unlike quantitative research method whose goal is prediction and generalization.

My research method is quantitative as the research seeks to measure the relationship between variables which is the relationship between human resource management practices and Customer Satisfaction with Service Quality at Emirates Airline. Additionally, quantitative research is better than quantitative analysis from current study in the field use the quantitative research approach.

Sample and procedure

Survey administration procedure

The Fly Emirates Headquarter is in Dubai hence there was the need to visit the offices physically. The possibility of booking an appointment was necessary as the initial step in conducting the research. The Fly Emirates management team was quite supportive as I had explained to them the need of the study. To further obtain their approval, I had to inform them that the research outcome would be confidential, revealing only necessary information and that I would share with them the findings which would help them improve the quality service delivery.

After management’s approval, I chose a random sample population; males, females, young interns and older experienced employees to ensure a balanced demographic profile of the sample population respondents.

Though the research procedure of approaching the respondents personally to carry out the face-to-face interview was costly and time-consuming, it was necessary to ensure a rapid and high response rate and an opportunity to interview a wide range of the sample population.

The time at the Fly Emirates was limited as the company is busy and the few employees I met did not have much time for a face to face interview. The manager allowed me to administer twenty questionnaires out of which I collected six, representing a response rate of 30%.

The remaining respondents agreed to email their surveys as time would not allow them to complete filling the questionnaires. The respondents were a line manager, three field employees, and customer care employees, the Fly Emirates Chief Executive Officer, a pilot and some air hostesses. Out of the 20 respondents, nine were female and eleven males.

The female respondents were 45% and male 55%. Their average age was 26 years as the majority of employees that were the respondents were young men and women. The management was supportive, the induction and the brief history of the Fly Emirates I received were significant, the guide was welcoming, and employees’ response was overwhelming.

Table 1: Average Academic levels in % of the employees

Research instrument

The survey research was the method of data collection from the Fly Emirates target sample population through personal face to face interviews especially for clarifying a concern and filling of the paper questionnaires. Sensitive questions such as “We receive a huge number of complaints about our customer services” and “Quality is not a daily concern at Emirates” appeared at the end of each survey.

The format allows a researcher to establish and develop trust before asking questions that are personal and are likely to offend or embarrass the respondents. The routine issues such as age, gender, and marital status were not part of the research survey as they did not have any influence on the research and quality standards at Fly Emirates airline.

The research, being quantitative needed a face to face interview and filling of the extensive closed-ended questionnaires hence the research tool used was the survey instrument tool. The choice of using the survey as a research tool was due to the research was quantitative, and the research question needed sue of study to handle, and prior examinations in the field also used surveys as research instrument (Rea & Parker, 2005).

The most commonly applicable survey questions are either open-ended or closed-ended questions. In this research, however, the research sample populations responded to the closed-ended questionnaire which was the appropriate questionnaire research design. The study allowed the respondents to access a list of predetermined responses from which they chose their answers. The response list included a possible response and minimized the possibility of the meaning of the responses to overlap.

An example of such a closed-ended survey question included, “Variable compensation and rewards at Emirates take into consideration the quality of the work.” The respondents’ responses rate on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, where (1-strongly disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-neutral, 4-Agree, and 5-strongly agree).The closed-ended questionnaires during the research survey preference were due to the ease of counting the responses frequencies.

Through the survey research, each scale development was through personal measures. The developing of the individual standards through consultation with research professionals from the field of study which validated the research survey to ensure that emotionally loaded, biased phrases or Double-barreled questions that ask two questions in one did not appear in the research survey (Rea & Parker, 2005).

Results and findings summary

HRM and Customer Satisfaction with Service Quality at Emirates Airlines

Responses are rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, where (1= strongly disagree, 2=Disagree, 3= neutral, 4=Agree, and 5= strongly agree).

Section 1: Human Resource Management Practices at Emirates

Section 2: Perceived Emirates Customer Satisfaction: Results summary

You are kindly asked to rate the extent to which your customers perceive the quality of your services

Conclusion

In conclusion, the success of any company such as the Fly Emirates airlines depends on customer satisfaction which is only possible when employees deliver their services in a professional, ethical and high standard. The survey research is thus one of the crucial tools in determining the relationship between human resource management practices and Customer Satisfaction with Service Quality at Emirates Airline.

Though costly and time-consuming, the quantitative research method is essential in obtaining deductive and accurate data necessary for policies formulation and decision making to improve the Fly Emirate’s customer satisfaction through high standards service delivery.

References

Rea, L. A., & Parker, R. A. (2005). Designing and the Conducting Survey Research: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd Ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Wilson, R., & Creswell, J. (1996). Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Journal of Marketing Research, 33(2), 252