3.1 Introduction
This research method outlines the approach and processes followed in completing the study, which explores the impact that employee training has on the performance of the organization using Sarova Hotel and Resorts as the case study. This section covers the site description, research design, unit of analysis and units of observation, target population, data collection methods, sampling techniques, and data analysis procedures.
- 2 Site Description
The study was conducted on the number of guests at Sarova Hotel and Resorts. Its main office is situated at Ngong Road, Kenyatta Avenue, and Valley Road in Nairobi. The headquarters of the Hotel is the head office. It accommodates the most crucial components of the total number of the hotels, including the chief executive officer, the human resources, the finance, operations, and information technology departments, as well as the security and procurement departments. There are nine branches of this Hotel across the country. However, the study was constrained by financial, time, and logistical factors, thus only focusing on the employees of the Hotel based on their place of work, which is the head office of the Hotel. In total, the number of employees at the company’s headquarters is estimated to be 1,500, while the number of employees within each department is approximately 125. Conducting a study on the employees at the headquarters captures the entire population of hotel employees because each branch of the Hotel is just a subunit that operates under the close guidance and control of the headquarters of the Hotel.
3.3 Research Design
Research design entails preparing a plan to accomplish a research study and solve the research problem. Thakur (2021) has pointed out that a research design is a way in which the research is likely to be done. The type of research design employed in this particular study is descriptive research.
Descriptive research embraces the effort to identify relationships between a given set of factors and certain occurrences, outcomes, conditions, or types of behavior, as per Thakur (2021).
According to Siedlecki (2020), it is crucial to note that while descriptive studies are less concerned with fact findings, such studies can often give rise to some of the significant, critical principles of knowledge as well as solutions to major problems. This is preferred because it enables the researcher to capture all the variables in the study of the case.
To this end, the study aimed at unveiling the impact of employee training on the performance of the organizations with specific reference to a chosen organization. In the selection of the design, care was taken in regard to the kind of data collected, as well as the type of analysis done
- 4 Particulars of Analysis and Items of Study
This research uses sampling as a tool of selection. It focuses on the employees of Sarova Hotel and Resorts as the population under consideration in this case forms the unit of observation. Current research explores leadership skills development training programs for employees and organizations in the context of various forms of employees’ and organizations’ performances. Employees shall be required to complete questionnaires and conduct interviews to assess the ministry-received training’s expected effectiveness, which in turn may influence the overall efficiency, services, and responsiveness of the employees and the entire organization. Measures that will be associated with organizational performance include The various indices of organizational performance, including the level of customer satisfaction, changes in revenue status, the quality of the services offered, and the retention status of employees. This approach is rather general and allows reflection on how the issue regarding the training of the employees is a benefit or a drawback in terms of Sarova Hotel and Resorts’ performance results.
- 5 Target Population
A target population covers all members, units, objects, items, or things to which a study is extended for data collection (Brown, 2011). In this study, the population comprises 1,500 employees of Sarova Hotels at their headquarters. Despite the fact that the Hotel has established nine networks of branches throughout the country, the researcher had restricted access to the numbers of the other branches due to time, financial, and physical barriers; hence, the accessible population was employees of the headquarters. The reasons are simple – this subset of the Hotel’s workforce is believed to include workers with similar characteristics and, therefore, can be considered representative of the entire sample. However, it was not possible to cover all the employed staff from the headquarters in the study. So, participants were selected carefully through both random and purposive sampling in order to reduce biases.
3.6 sample size and sampling procedure
3.6.1 Sample Size
In the same context, Faber & Fonseca ((2014)) were keen to note that the choice of adequate sample size is not a luxury but a necessity in the course of the research process. If properly chosen, a researcher might spend a whole tenure of research with the right tool or, at best, a tool that will require more time and other resources than is justified. Hence, a total of 150 students were targeted for this study, which is equal to 10% of the total targeted population. Based on the number of people in the individual departments, the total respondents to be sampled from the various departments of the company were then arrived at.
- 6. 2 Sampling Procedure
According to the collection and analysis processes, the study sample was selected by adopting the stratified random technique. Sample frames based on department-based division separated the target population. Each stratum generated 150 responders (10%) who were identified at random.
The respondents were selected purposively by using the list containing the names of all the respondents collected from the departments as well as by using numbered paper cards to replace the names of the respondents. The paper cards were then placed within a tray, and the researcher had to randomly pick out each card until the planned response rate was attained. Then, the names of the responders, as given within the list of the provided departments, were lined up one by one against the cards numbered accordingly. This was possible in a way that facilitated the attainment of the intended sample size on all the sample frames (departments).
This type of research would be most suitable for stratified random sampling because the sample population is diverse and categorized by departments.
- 7 Data Collection Method
The researcher used interviews and cross-sectional structured questionnaires to gather data. Most of the respondents were given consent forms on the survey before administering the questionnaires. The educational institution furnished the researcher’s letter of identity to introduce them to the participants. This activity was supposed to be conducted during business hours.
3.7.1 Collection of Quantitative Data
The method of data collection was the drop-and-pick method, with the questionnaire as the data collection instrument. Therefore, the respondents had many options to complete the questionnaire, and they managed to do so. This led the researcher to be able to obtain numeral or measurable data as a consequence. When responses had been overdue due to time constraints, the researcher joined the senior staff and filled out the questionnaires as the staff members provided their responses.
In addition to the above, a set of written questions was designed to complete the questionnaires and deliver them to the specific employees of the target organization’s head office. Questions that could be answered with just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ were known as closed-ended questions, while questions that elicited detailed responses were open-ended. They found that using this approach to collect data was affordable, given that a lot of information was collected from various sources at one time.
All ten respondents did a pre-test for the questionnaires to determine the relevancy, clarity, and accuracy of the questions.
- 7. 2 Data Collection – Qualitative Data
Key informants’ interviews were done by the researcher in order to get qualitative data, which were facilitated by the use of structured questionnaires. Some of the issues in research that are hard to tackle by questionnaires only were tackled by this in addition to the questionnaires. The respondents were again given scores on the Likert scale to expound more on their views, for instance, on training and whether they thought that it had an influence on organization advancement at the Hotel during face-to-face interviews by being asked. All 30 researchers employed qualitative research questions that are in the form of open-ended structured questions. The interviews and conversations mainly focused on staff qualifications, which are crucial to hospitality, familiarity with the Hotel, and the relationships and processes within the institute.
3.8 Data Analysis
It is essential to point out that both the questionnaire and interview schedules were reviewed, and dependability assessments were made after fieldwork but prior to analysis. In turn, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data on the given topic. To organize, code, and analyze the data, Descriptive statistics, which included percentages and table frequencies, were used.