Mystery Shopping



Mystery Shopping

Introduction

The study is primary research based in which an evaluation is conducted through “mystery shopping” criteria. According to (Michelson, M, 1997, pp.3-4) “mystery shopping” is the evaluation technique used by various companies for the analysis of company's performance and performance of the employees. (Erstad, M, 1998, pp. 34-38) explained “mystery shopping” as a very important for human resource management. By this technique the evaluation of employee's performance can be done and also important for the benefits and compensation of employees. Furthermore, (Wilson, A.M, 2001, pp. 721-734) stated “mystery shopping” technique as a powerful tool for the decision making of company's performance in the industry. It is also useful to compare the company's performance with its existing competitors in the market which is very helpful for the employers in order to enhance or improve the company's performance in the market.

This study is based on “mystery shopping” of three big fast food restaurants selected for conducting the research that are McDonalds, KFC and Burger Kings. One individual went to all the three outlets of each restaurant. Data is collected through evaluation form based on questions regarding the performance of the three companies. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis techniques are used for the analysis of companies' performance. In addition to this the below discussion covers different methodologies used in primary and secondary research, advantages and disadvantages of primary research.

Discussion

Primary and Secondary Research Methodologies

Research is divided into two broad categories on the basis of type of data used in studies that are primary research and secondary research. Primary research methodologies are used when the data of study is collected through survey and interviews. The study made by (L Bruce, 2004, pp. 197-199) explained that the primary research mostly follows qualitative methodologies in the study and it is best use in the studies of social science.

Secondary research refers to the study based on collected data once by an individual and then use by second party. Primary research methodologies refers to qualitative research in which data is collected via questionnaires, face to face interviews etc (Driscoll, D. L, 2011, pp.153-74) while secondary research implies on quantitative methodologies in which different statistical tools and techniques are used for the analysis of data

Advantages of Primary Research

The main advantages of primary research are

1. The researcher possesses complete control on the process of research in order to focus the objectives of the study.

2. Interpretation of data can be examined by the researches according to the need of the study while in secondary research the interpretation relies on the previous results.

3. In primary research it is easy to relate the study with current scenario. Primary research mostly implies on the analysis of current situations as it best describes the current picture of the situation.

Disadvantages of Primary Research

With all advantages there are some disadvantage of primary research also like

1. The collection of primary data is a challengeable task and it is also a costly task. The researcher has to do survey which increases the total cost ...