USE QUANTITIVE DATA TO SOLVE A PROBLEM

Use Quantitive Data to solve a problem

Use Quantitive Data to solve a problem

Sample

Questionnaires were mailed out to 300 AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals) members in the Midwest of the USA. The sample was chosen because members of AITP represent a wide variety of managerial positions and o0072ganizational settings and has been widely used in research situations. Self-addressed return envelopes for each questionnaire were enclosed. All the respondents were assured that their responses would be kept confidential. A total of 85 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 28%, which appears to be consistent with other mail surveys. Five questionnaires were eliminated due to missing data. As a results, 81 questionnaires were used in the data analysis. A summary of the demographic characteristics of the sample are presented in Table 1.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire was developed from a survey instrument by Byer . The validation of the attitude measures toward downsizing can be found in that source. Intervention, downsizing methods, and employee career management strategies are quantified and based on best recollection of the subjects. The questionnaires were critically reviewed by two management researchers for further content validity. Ambiguities in the instructions were corrected. Instructions requested subjects to indicate how strongly they agree with the attitude statements and how often they use the career management strategies in a downsizing workplace.

The attitude instrument contained 10 items. The attitudes are survivor perception of downsizing as an organizational practice. As can be seen by the items in Table 2, viewpoints on downsizing (e.g. a strategy for continuous improvement) are sought rather than attitudes toward the organization. The intent is to examine attitudes toward downsizing and not job satisfaction measures.

Table 2.

The scale required further reduction and verification before the research questions could be tested. First, principle components analysis ...