Data Analysis - Newcastle Ltd - Case Study Example

Data Analysis Report Executive summary Human capital is a vital part of any organization. It is therefore important for the management to ensure that the employees are well motivated while at work. Satisfied employees are characterized by productive work. In order to increase the level of satisfaction in Newcastle Ltd, Debra undertook a study help her build and maintain a high level of employee satisfaction, as she views this as an important way to maximize productivity. She uses 400 employees from 5 different divisions in the company to undertake the study. The study utilize mainly structured questionnaire to collected data with simple random sampling preferred. According to the study, salary, incomes, social context, the type of work are all positive determinants of the employees’ satisfaction. Introduction Human capital is a very important part of any organization. In most cases, employees have become enlightened and concerned about the business environment they undertake their duties. Most firms in the contemporary business environment appreciate the need for employee satisfaction. A firm with a well-established business environment will ensure good working environment for their employees hence increased productivity. Every employee has a right to be satisfied in the company. Unhappy employee will not deliver hence jeopardizing the operations and production of the company. Researchers have proved that variables such as gender can be used to predict overall job performance together with various harmful behaviors like immorality, sexual harassments and absenteeism among others. In addition, several studies argue that there is a positive relationship between higher employee satisfaction and high productivity in a firm. This explains the reason as to why most big firms experience higher profits and productivity. However, the bottom line is that each and every employee must feel motivated. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the management to ensure that every employee feel appreciated and important in the place of work. Research design An exploratory research design was used in conducting study. The nature of research necessitates the use of quantitative and qualitative research techniques (Albright, Winston & Zappe, 2011). This is because the study focuses on objective assessment of the current employee satisfaction within the business and the strategy or strategies that would be most effective to increase employee satisfaction. Explanatory designs have been documented and advanced as best method for social scientists whose interest is collecting original data for the purpose of describing a population, which is too large to observe directly (Albright, Winston & Zappe, 2011).. The sample frame of the study is 500 respondents. The main participants are employees of Newcastle Ltd and simple random sampling was the preferred technique for collecting the data. To collect this data, a random sample of 100 employees was selected from each of the five divisions within Newcastle Ltd: accounting, administration, marketing, human resource management and production. A structured questionnaire was the main method used to collect the data, and of the 500 employees that were sent surveys, 400 responded. Questionnaire was preferred because it is easy to monitor. The main data analysis tool used in this study is Ms Excel. For the quantitative analysis; frequency distributions, Percentages, and Descriptive Analysis were used in assessing the current employee satisfaction within the business and the strategy or strategies that would be most effective to increase employee satisfaction. Each datum will be examined and analyzed on its own merit and grouped into the various aspects of information requirement for the purposes of this project work. However, the ANOVA test will be applied to find the significance difference among the opinions of different categories of the respondents through testing the hypothesis (Clifford, 2006). Ethical considerations The study observed ethics in research. This includes ensuring the confidentiality of the respondents. Before obtaining the information, the researcher asked for permission from the respondents and explains to them how the information gathered would be important in fostering developments in the employee satisfaction. The collected data will be managed through the following methods; Ms. Excel. Analysis There are several determinants that influence the level of employee satisfaction in Newcastle Ltd. In order to improve the level of employee satisfaction to a greater level, Debra has to take into consideration many factors. The regression, t-tests and the Anova analysis show mixed results in regards to employees’ satisfaction. To start with, it is vital to mention that the current level of satisfaction does not significantly differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10. This is according to the t-test results. This means that, whatever measures Debra is taking to improve employees’ satisfaction in Newcastle Ltd; it will not bring much change to the already existing level of satisfaction. In terms of gender, the results show that there is a difference between overall satisfaction of male and female within the business. Hence, gender should be taken into consideration when undertaking employee satisfaction strategies. The departments at which the employees work are significant for the overall of satisfaction. According to the results, different employees from different business divisions are satisfied experience significance difference in the overall level of satisfaction. Employees who are employed on a different basis (casual, part-time, full-time) have different perceptions about how they are valued within the organization; while salary exhibited a positive correlation the level of satisfaction. However, it is interesting to note that the number of years that an employee has worked in Newcastle Ltd is negatively related to the overall level of satisfaction. This negative relationship can be attributed to the increased age and boredom that an individual experiences after working in the same place for a long time. There is significant difference between the importance that employees place on work social events and the number of hours that they work. In addition, employees who are employed on a different basis (casual, part-time, full-time) have different perceptions about how they are valued within the organization. Recommendations The regression, t-tests and the Anova analysis show mixed results in regards to employees’ satisfaction. In order to improve the current level of satisfaction, Debra should at least continue with the current strategies that the company is using to motivate the employees. This is because, the Anova results show that there is no significant difference between the current level of satisfaction to Debra’s goal of 7/10. However, improving employees’ salaries, increasing the social activities, reducing the number of working hours, improving the working conditions are some of the strategies that Debra should focuses on if she is to effectively improve the level of employees satisfaction in Newcastle Ltd. References Albright, S. C., Winston, W. L., & Zappe, C. J. (2011). Data analysis and decision making. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Bartlett, R. (2013). A practitioners guide to business analytics: Using data analysis tools to improve your organizations decision making and strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Bivand, R. S., Gómez-Rubio, V., & Pebesma, E. J. (2008). Applied Spatial Data Analysis with R. New York, NY: Springer New York. Clifford, G. D. (2006). Advanced methods and tools for ECG data analysis. Boston, Mass. [u.a.: Artech House. Cornell, P. (2006). Beginning Excel what-if data analysis tools: Getting started with Goal Seek, data tables, scenarios and Solver. Berkeley, CA: Apress. Janert, P. K. (2011). Data analysis with open source tools. Sebastopol, CA: OReilly. Kirkup, L. (2002). Data analysis with Excel: An introduction for physical scientists. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press. Appendices Appendix 1 Hypothesis testing Hypothesis 1 1. Does the current level of overall employee satisfaction differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10? Ho: the current level employee satisfaction differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10 H1: The current level of employee satisfaction does not differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10. The mean level of employee satisfaction is 5.575. This is below Debra’s goal of 7. With a standard deviation of 2.235368, the mode and median stands at 5 and 6 respectively as shown in table 2 below. From the Anova results, the P value 0.00 while the significance level α=0.05. The P value 0.00< α=0.05 hence we do not accept the null hypothesis that the current level employee satisfaction differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10. It is therefore safe to argue that the current level of satisfaction does not differ from Debra’s goal of 7/10. Table 1 ANOVA Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit Between Groups 1993.75 399 4.996867 65535 0 #NUM! Within Groups 0 0 65535 Total 1993.75 399         Table 2 descriptive statistics Mean 5.575 Standard Error 0.111768367 Median 6 Mode 5 Standard Deviation 2.235367345 Sample Variance 4.996867168 Kurtosis -0.779699464 Skewness 0.064209899 Range 9 Minimum 1 Maximum 10 Sum 2230 Count 400 Confidence Level(95.0%) 0.219728484 Word count excluding tables 137 Appendix 2 Hypothesis 2 Is there a difference between the overall employee satisfaction of male and female employees within the business? H0: There is no difference between the overall employee satisfaction of male and female employees within the business H1: There is a difference between the overall employee satisfaction of male and female employees within the business. In this case, one tailed statistical analysis was preferred. From the t-Test result, the P value 0.000000000262 while the significance level α=0.05. The P value 0.000000000262 < α=0.05 hence we reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the overall employee satisfaction of male and female employees within the business. That is, the results show that there is a difference between overall satisfaction of male and female within the business. This means gender should be taken into consideration when undertaking employee satisfaction strategies. Table 3 t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means   Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 4.743842 6.241379 Variance 4.835049 4.817685 Observations 203 203 Pearson Correlation 0.123652 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 202 t Stat -7.33605 P(T Read More