Sample strategy Assumption of quantitative sampling: 1. We want to generalize to the population 2. Random events are predictable 3. We can compare random events to our results 4. Therefore, probability sampling is the best approach Probability sampling: 1. Simple Random: 1. Generate random numbers 2. Select one person per random number 2. Systematic Random: Selecting every kth subject from a list of the members of the population 3. Stratified (divided into): The population is divided into two or more groups called strata, according to some criterion, such as geographic location, grade level, age, or income and subsample are randomly selected from each strata. 4. Multi-stage Cluster: The process of randomly selecting intact groups, not individuals, within the defined population sharing similar characteristics. Cluster are locations within which an intact group of members of the population can be found: neighbourhoods, school districts, schools and classrooms. Assumption of qualitative sampling: 1. Social actors are not predictable like objects. 2. Randomized events are irrelevant to social life 3. Probability sampling is expensive and inefficient. 4. Therefore, non-probability sampling is the best approach. Non- probability sampling: 1. Convenience The process of including whoever happens to be available at the time, so it also called the “accidental” or “haphazard” sampling 2. Snowball Find a few people that are relevant to your topic Ask them to refer you to more of them 3. Quota The process whereby a researcher gathers data from individuals possessing identified characteristics and quotas 4. Purposive The process whereby the researcher selects a sample based on experience or knowledge of the group to be sampled · Qualitative researchers seek “saturation饱和” “how many” isn’t the issue. Do you understand the phenomenon? Have you learned enough? Mere numbers are irrelevant. you want deep understanding. · Quantitative researchers seek statistical validity Can your safety generalize to the population? Have you systematically excluded anyone? SOWK 718 Case Analysis Example 1 Conflict on the Human Services Coordination Team Compiled by Melissa Reitmeier and Carl Maas Summary This case takes place in a meeting between employees of the Human Services Coordination Team (HSCT). Jerry Feldman, Director of Field Services, manages the regional offices. Arthur Harris, is director of the northeast regional office, a position he was recently promoted to. Frances Carpenter, a caseworker at the northeast regional office, has been with the unit for 1 ½ years, coming on board the same time as Author. She recently missed two staff meetings, and “blew up” at Arthur when he confronted her about her absences. Arthur has documented that Frances resists direction and fails to carry out assignments. At Author’s request, Jerry is facilitating this meeting to address concerns about Frances. Problem Statement The manage.

1. Sample strategy
Assumption of quantitative sampling:
1. We want to generalize to the population
2. Random events are predictable
3. We can compare random events to our results
4. Therefore, probability sampling is the best approach
Probability sampling:
1. Simple Random:
1. Generate random numbers 2. Select one person per random
number
2. Systematic Random:
Selecting every kth subject from a list of the members of the
population
3. Stratified (divided into):
The population is divided into two or more groups called strata,
according to some criterion, such as geographic location, grade
level, age, or income and subsample are randomly selected from
each strata.
4. Multi-stage Cluster:
The process of randomly selecting intact groups, not
individuals, within the defined population sharing similar
characteristics.
Cluster are locations within which an intact group of members
of the population can be found: neighbourhoods, school
districts, schools and classrooms.
Assumption of qualitative sampling:
1. Social actors are not predictable like objects.
2. Randomized events are irrelevant to social life
3. Probability sampling is expensive and inefficient.

2. 4. Therefore, non-probability sampling is the best approach.
Non- probability sampling:
1. Convenience
The process of including whoever happens to be available at the
time, so it also called the “accidental” or “haphazard” sampling
2. Snowball
Find a few people that are relevant to your topic
Ask them to refer you to more of them
3. Quota
The process whereby a researcher gathers data from individuals
possessing identified characteristics and quotas
4. Purposive
The process whereby the researcher selects a sample based on
experience or knowledge of the group to be sampled
· Qualitative researchers seek “saturation饱和”
“how many” isn’t the issue. Do you understand the
phenomenon? Have you learned enough? Mere numbers are
irrelevant. you want deep understanding.
· Quantitative researchers seek statistical validity
Can your safety generalize to the population? Have you
systematically excluded anyone?
SOWK 718 Case Analysis Example
1

3. Conflict on the Human Services Coordination Team
Compiled by Melissa Reitmeier and Carl Maas
Summary
This case takes place in a meeting between employees of the
Human Services
Coordination Team (HSCT). Jerry Feldman, Director of Field
Services, manages the regional
offices. Arthur Harris, is director of the northeast regional
office, a position he was recently
promoted to. Frances Carpenter, a caseworker at the northeast
regional office, has been with the
unit for 1 ½ years, coming on board the same time as Author.
She recently missed two staff
meetings, and “blew up” at Arthur when he confronted her
about her absences. Arthur has
documented that Frances resists direction and fails to carry out
assignments. At Author’s request,
Jerry is facilitating this meeting to address concerns about
Frances.
Problem Statement
The management and direct practice workers view the same
issues and the best way to
provide services differently. Francis and Arthur view the issues
from separate cultural
perspectives. There are issues regarding staff training,
discrimination (e.g. racial and gender),
and an unclear mission.

4. Contextual Analysis
Internal issues connected to the case include matters relative to
both Arthur and Frances.
To begin with, Arthur is seven years younger than Frances, yet
he was promoted to a supervisory
level. The promotion raises issues regarding the “glass ceiling”
effect in management (Gibelman,
2003).
Another internal issue is education and experience. Arthur has a
BA and one year of
graduate work in sociology; however, he has no previous
supervisory experience. It is unknown
whether or not he has taken any management classes. His
inexperience has contributed to the
difficulties with Frances. Rather than individually confronting
her he attempted to use peer
pressure to address her performance. Direct one-to-one verbal
reprimands are associated with
more effective communication regarding job expectations and
performance (Weinbach, 2003).
Frances does appear to have interpersonal difficulties with
everyone in the office. She
frequently gets into arguments and does not follow Arthur’s
supervision. Social construction
theory suggests that differences in perception of events by
Arthur and Frances may be a root
cause of the current tension (Hutchison, 1999). Arthur and
Frances have different definitions of
their jobs, as well as experiences regarding community, racism,

5. and sexism.
External issues relevant to the case are organizational, cultural,
ethical, and legal. The
organization operates under bureaucratic management
(Weinbach, 2003), with an emphasis on
vertical hierarchy, resulting in a strict division of labor. Frances
and Arthur have conflicting
ideas about Frances’ job description which creates tension.
Frances appears to see her job as
assisting individuals to access needed and existing services.
Arthur sees her job as developing
and coordinating programs that proactively reach greater
numbers of people. While Frances is
SOWK 718 Case Analysis Example
2
ensuring immediate access to services, she may be
disempowering young mothers by not
providing them with important information and preventative
services. In addition, Arthur
perceives that the unit’s performance is a reflection of him.
Hence, he attempts to micro-manage
his staff, which Frances resents. Frances may also not fully
understand Arthur’s job description.
Regardless, Frances is skirting insubordination by skipping
weekly staff meetings, verbally
lashing out at Arthur, and failing to report to work.

6. Cultural issues also play a role in this case. Frances is tied
closely to the African
American community. It affects this case because of her
unwillingness to work outside of her
comfort zone with members of other ethnicities. She also
believes she knows the community
better than Arthur. Arthur’s culture also plays a key role. Arthur
is a white male in a white male
dominated society who doesn’t have to contend with racism.
Whites are often oblivious to their
social and economic privileges that result from their racial
position (McIntosh, 1988). Research
indicates that differences among people and their unique
qualities can improve work
environments and organization effectiveness (Weinbach, 2003).
One ethical issue in the case is Jerry’s duty to provide his staff
with appropriate
supervision, continuing education, and staff development.
(NASW Code of Ethics, 1996). Jerry
has not provided Arthur with sufficient training or supervision.
While Arthur is not a social
worker, it is Jerry’s responsibility to ensure that Arthur is
competent in his area of practice,
especially since they work in a human services setting.
There are two important legal issues the case. First, Jerry has to
ensure that the team
provides equal employment opportunities (P.L. 88-352, the
Civil Rights Act of 1964). It is illegal

7. to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of race, ethnicity,
religion, or sex, and failure to
comply can result in legal action. The agency must also comply
with Public Law 102-166, Title
II of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, also known as the “Glass
Ceiling Act”. This act addresses
discrimination in promoting women and minorities in public
agencies (Gibelman, 2003).
Three Alternative Strategies
One: Jerry could train his staff, specifically supervisory training
for Arthur and cultural
diversity/sensitivity training for all employees. By providing
the staff with needed information
and skills they could better accomplish the agency’s mission.
Disadvantages are the training
costs, including a trainer and lost staff time.
Two: Jerry could transfer either Arthur or Frances to another
region. A transfer would
immediately stop the conflict between the two co-workers. The
disadvantages are that the
transfer doesn’t address the job descriptions and mission, and is
unfair to the transferred staff.
Third: Jerry could meet with Arthur and Frances to review and
explain their job
descriptions and his expectations of them. In subsequent
meetings, the team would continue
resolve conflicts by clarifying the unit’s mission. The strategy’s

8. advantage is that it aids in
resolving the immediate conflict and also allows Jerry to work
at clarifying their job expectations
and the unit’s mission. A disadvantage of this is that it is a long
term solution requiring more
time and energy than a transfer or training.
SOWK 718 Case Analysis Example
3
Recommendation and Evaluation Plan
Jerry should employ problem solving and a strengths
perspective approach to diffuse staff
conflict and improve staff/unit performance (McMillen, Morris,
Sherraden, 2004). Jerry must
work with Arthur and Frances to define their job descriptions
(Gambrill, 1997). They have
constructed different perspectives of the work and how it should
be evaluated. Once their jobs
are defined, Jerry must work with the unit team to clarify the
mission. As senior management,
Jerry should lead this action. He is should set expectations of
the unit and its staff (Allison &
Kaye, 2005).
Using the strengths perspective, Jerry should train Arthur on
using staff’s strengths, as

9. well as Author’s own strengths to become a better supervisor.
Using a combination of problem
solving and strengths based approaches, Jerry can resolve the
current conflict and build the unit’s
and staff’s capacity.
By addressing the conflict using the problem-solving and
strengths based perspective,
Jerry can teach the staff conflict resolution skills and increase
their work capacity. The approach
addresses confusion about the unit’s mission and goals. In the
longer term, further training may
be necessary for Arthur to enhance supervisory skills and for
the entire staff to embrace and
respect cultural diversity.
References
Allison, M., & Kaye, J. (2005). Strategic planning for nonprofit
organizations: A practical guide
and workbook (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley Press.
Gambrill, E. (1997). A problem-focused model based on critical
inquiry. In Social work
practice: A critical thinker’s guide (pp. 96-124). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Gibelman, M. (2003). Navigating human service organizations:
Essential information for
thriving and surviving in agencies. Chicago: Lyceum Books,

10. Inc.
Hutchison, E. D. (1999). Dimensions of human behavior: Person
and environment. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
McIntosh, P. (1995). White privilege and male privilege: A
personal account of coming to see
correspondences through work in women studies. In M.
Anderson & P. H. Collins (Eds.),
Race, class and gender: An anthology (2nd ed.) (pp. 76-87).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
McMillen, J. C., Morris, L., & Sherraden, M. (2004). Ending
social work’s grudge match:
Problems versus strengths. Families in Society: The Journal of
Contemporary Social
Services, 85, 317-325.
National Association of Social Workers. (1996). Code of ethics.
Washington, DC: Author.
Weinbach, R. W. (2003). The social worker as manager: A
practical guide to success. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.
Sample Case Analysis for SOWK 718
1
CONFLICT ON THE HUMAN SERVICES COORDINATION

11. TEAM
Terry A. Wolfer
Introduction
As Director of Field Services for the Human Services
Coordination Team (HSCT) of the
State Services Department (SSD), Jerry Feldman supervises
Arthur Harris, who he recently
promoted to Northeast Regional Director. In turn, Harris
supervises Frances Carpenter, a former
peer and a specialist with the African American community.
Feldman, the protagonist, is
meeting with Carpenter and Harris to discuss their conflict on
the job.
Problem Statement
Shifting organizational priorities have resulted in some
confusion, uncertainty, and
disagreement among HSCT staff. Feldman apparently selected
Harris as a new regional director
to implement the new priorities, and this internal promotion and
interpersonal differences
between staff members contributed to tensions resulting from
the changes.
Contextual Analysis
The rather amorphous mission of HSCT is to promote citizen

12. involvement with and
coordinate services provided by a variety of private and public
agencies, including SSD itself.
The mission requires that staff use creativity and initiative in
solving problems.
In the past, HSCT worked toward this mission by providing case
management services
for individuals, intervening to improve coordination between
agencies, and helping agencies
develop their own capacity for coordinating services. Based on
Harris’ comments, it appears that
Feldman wants the team to focus more on organizational-level
coordination and capacity
development. Nevertheless, their mission will no doubt continue
to require a diverse set of
strategies, selected on a case-by-case basis. The case does not
identify what efforts Feldman
made to educate and prepare the staff for the shift in strategy,
and his response to Harris on this
point is vague. Indeed, it is not clear whether HSCT has job
descriptions spelling out the new
staff roles, responsibilities, and intervention methods, and
providing a written basis for
evaluation.
The expressed disagreement between Harris and Carpenter
suggests that they are not
clear about the shifting priorities and associated strategies. To
some extent, the changes seem a
better fit for Harris’ preference for organization-level
interventions than Carpenter’s preference
for case-level interventions. But both have demonstrated
previous skill in resolving problems
across systems levels. And it is not clear the Feldman is
insisting on a complete change of

13. strategy; there will likely be continued opportunity and need for
multiple approaches.
However, the underlying confusion and disagreement between
staff members has been
worsened by differences in their cultural backgrounds. As
suggested by a diversity perspective,
differences in how one manages stress, interpersonal
interactions and methods of communication
in the workplace can create workplace conflict (Thomas & Eli,
2001). Harris is a youthful white
man with military experience and graduate education. In
contrast, Carpenter is an African
American woman with children, college education, more work
experience than Harris, and seven
Sample Case Analysis for SOWK 718
2
years older than Harris. Furthermore, under the stress of
organizational change, these cultural
differences probably undermined their trust for each other.
Because they started at HSCT as peers only 1.5 years ago, the
internal promotion likely
caused additional tension in their relationship. Not only was
Harris a new and inexperienced
supervisor, he was younger and less experienced and asking
Carpenter to adopt strategies with
which she was less comfortable and familiar. Her negative
reactions provided severe challenge to
his nascent authority and shook his confidence.

14. In the midst of this transition, it will be important for Feldman
to affirm Harris’
supervisory leadership but without encouraging rigidity and
control on his part. If he does not,
this will undermine Harris’ ability to guide the northeast region
team, in general, and Carpenter,
in particular. How Feldman handles the conflict between the
two staff members will likely
influence their ability to accept and implement the
organization’s new strategic priorities and
their future working relationship. He may unintentionally
undermine a new supervisor’s
authority or alienate a competent, specialist employee.
Alternative Strategies
Upon returning to the meeting, Feldman has several immediate
options for resolving the
underlying confusion and conflict.
1. Feldman could meet with Harris alone to review the preferred
goals and strategies for
HSCT and to provide guidance for dealing constructively with
Carpenter. Then, Feldman
could allow Harris to meet with Carpenter for supervision and
then provide further
guidance as needed. This coaching approach could encourage
Harris to assert appropriate
supervisory authority and, more importantly, help Harris to
increase his supervisory
skills. However, it may delay resolution of the conflict and risks
further alienating
Carpenter, especially because she is at the present meeting.

15. 2. With both Harris and Carpenter, Feldman could explain the
shifting organizational
priorities and strategies in an effort to clarify his changing
expectations for their work.
This educational strategy could spell out what Feldman thinks
needs to be done and how.
On the assumption this has not been sufficiently explicit before,
doing so may produce
new understanding of their work (especially for Carpenter) and
defuse the interpersonal
conflict. However, this joint approach may undermine Harris’
supervisory authority.
3. Feldman could invite Harris and Carpenter to articulate their
individual understandings of
the agency’s mission and preferred strategies, and lead them in
a mutual effort to resolve
their misunderstandings of the new approach and of each other.
This more collaborative
problem solving approach would both model what Feldman
wants them to do with other
agencies and may elicit both substantive contributions and buy-
in from the two staff
members. As a result, they may reach a new and different
agreement about the agency’s
goals and strategies for working with multiple constituencies.
But this approach may take
longer (i.e., multiple sessions) and may end up in a different
place than Feldman
intended.
Recommendation and Evaluation

16. I recommend the third alternative because it represents the most
powerful effort to coach
both Harris and Carpenter in collaborative problem-solving and
reflects a genuine openness to
Sample Case Analysis for SOWK 718
3
both their contributions. Specifically, it maintains openness to
the possibility that Feldman’s
proposed approach for HSCT may not work well with the
African American community and it
allows Carpenter to educate Harris and Feldman about that.
Further, it affirms Harris’ leadership
without actually taking a side in the conflict.
This strategy would be considered successful if it restored
working relationships within
the HSCT itself, helped Harris and Carpenter to grow
professionally, and helped them to see past
their personal differences.
Rationale
My recommendation is based on experience with organizational
change processes and the
conflict that often results.

17. Reference
Thomas, D. A., & Eli, R. J. (2001). Cultural diversity at work:
The effects of diversity
perspectives on work group processes and outcomes.
Administrative Science Quarterly.
Retrieved January 16, 2010, from
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Your research proposal should be structured using the following
template:
Research Proposal Template:
1. Title:
You will need to write a statement which reflects the content of
the proposal. (You can choose a company, social phenomenon,
CRM to research as you like), topic should be interesting.
2. Research Questions:
Relate to course content: your topic must relate to your degree
course. Research is about questions – you need to present 2
closely related questions that help you investigate an academic
problem worthy of research.
3. Literature Review (aim for around 1000 words):
Good research questions evolve as you read. Many scholars

18. will have published studies in areas related to your chosen topic
area. As you read and review the literature on your topic, think
about where your proposed research study will fit into the
research literature.
Can you add something new to what has been done already?
1. E.g. you may have critically reviewed a particular area of
literature relating to your chosen topic and discovered that
something (e.g. a relationship, effect or cause) is unclear or not
very well understood.
2. You may find contradictory results in different studies.
3. There may be a lot of research in one industry or country –
but not in others.
4. Maybe you want to test a theory in a new context?
What will your proposed research study do to help the world
understand more about your topic?
Ensure you make it as clear as possible to the reader how your
reading (your review of literature) helped you design your
research questions. During seminars your tutor may ask you
how you arrived at your research questions – your analysis of
the literature should provide reasons for wanting to ask a
research question.
The literature review should help you decide what you want to
research, and why. Ensure you:
1. Provide a literature review that is relevant to your research
idea
2. Identify the main theoretical concepts (in your chosen topic
area)
3. Cover a range of academic sources (including recently
published studies)
4. Use the review to present an argument for your own research
Please note: Citing just 3 sources from the Internet is not a

19. literature review – you need to read and reference academic
texts and journals. As a guide, aim to include around 10 -15
different academic sources. Also, it is important that you review
the literature, rather than simply report what you have read.
Reviewing literature requires you to synthesise sources, identify
themes and think critically.
4. Methodology / Methods / Sample (aim for around 600
words):
You will need to include three sections in this part of the
proposal:
4.1. Methodology
4.2. Research methods
4.3. Sampling strategy
Please note: in all sections you need to justify your decisions
and reference research methods texts.
4.1 Methodology:
hodology should outline your overall approach and
the philosophical stance you will adopt (i.e. positivist or
interpretivist?) and say why you have taken this approach.
propose. Read about the differences between intrepretvist and
positivist approaches to research, and comment on whether you
feel your proposed research is more intrepretvist or positivist. Is
your research more inductive or deductive?
4.2 Research methods:
pose to do your research, and why? You
should describe the method(s) by which you are going to gather
the data, and any potential problems (e.g. reliability?) with your

20. selected method(s).
use the method(s) in relation to your research questions.
collection.
4.3 Sampling strategy:
to consider questions such as: who you are going to research,
how have they been chosen (e.g. probability / non-probability)
and how many people and/or organisations do you intend to
(i.e. explain why).
istic: it is unlikely that you could obtain
data from a Premier League Football Club, or the Chief
Executive of a major multinational company.
5. Ethical issues
ethical issues facing researchers – as a minimum you should
indicate that you have read (you will need to reference) at least
one ethical code of conduct. You should also cover issues of
confidentially and anonymity.
involving children or vulnerable groups. Research on the
National Health Service is also problematic, as you need to
comply with NHS guidelines for researchers.
6.Referencing
You need to fully reference throughout the work; both in-text
and bibliographic references need to be in the Harvard APA
style (5th or 6th Edition). Work lacking academic sources will
be penalised (see the University grade criteria). This could
mean (in extreme cases) that poor referencing results in a fail.

21. If in doubt, ask your seminar tutor for further clarification on
referencing.
EXAMPLE BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT BRP
1. Title
Online and offline customer loyalty, and its presence amongst
apparel retailers.
2. Research Questions
To what extent does customer loyalty among apparel retailers
using both online and offline channels differ from those using
only one of the channels?
To what extent does the brand image of an offline apparel
retailer effect their online customer loyalty?
3.1 Customer loyalty
Customer loyalty is viewed by Dick and Basu (1994) as the
strength of the relationship between an individual's attitude and
repeat custom. Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001), cited in Hung
(2008) suggest that higher customer loyalty implies a higher
market share; which results in the ability to demand higher
prices than those of competitors in the same industry. In
addition, Dick and Basu (1994) suggest that loyal customers
encourage the development of positive wordof‐mouth
promotion; and the importance placed on their loyalty is
supported by Zeithaml et al (1996), who proposed that loyalty
factors are the most reliable indicator of success within an
organisation. However, factors influencing customer loyalty,
which Hung (2008) describes as value, service quality,
relationship marketing, corporate image, satisfaction and trust,
may differ depending on the channel the customer is viewing
from – online or in a physical store. For example, Srinivasan,
Anderson and Ponnavolu (2002) proposed a different set of
factors that were suggested to impact e-loyalty: customization,
contact interactivity, cultivation, care, community, choice,

22. convenience, and character; antecedents that they believe e-
retailers need to have an understanding of in order to reap the
benefits of a loyal customer base.
3.2 Brand Image
Brand image is defined as a 'cluster of attributes and
associations that consumers connect to the name' (Biel 1993).
Hung (2008) suggested that brand image as an ‘attitude’ has an
influence on customer loyalty; an idea supported by Keller
(1993), who proposed that loyalty is present when said
favourable ‘attitudes’ are expressed in the repeat buying
behaviour of the customer. Other scholars believe that the more
favourable the image of the brand, the higher the perceived
quality, value, satisfaction and customer loyalty (Johnson et al.,
2001; Andreassen and Lindestand, 1998). Attitudinal and
behavioural responses from consumers can also be provoked by
brand image; these include responses such as customer loyalty,
which in turn may create a willingness to pay a price premium,
or lead to a strong affiliation with the brand (Dube et al., 1995;
Merilees and Miller, 2001). This evidence highlights that there
is a likely strong correlation between positive brand image and
customer loyalty; however a gap in the literature is evident
when looking specifically into apparel retail.
Kim (2000) notes that well-known, well-regarded brands can act
as a ‘halo’ to the product that carries the brand name – a
suggestion supported by Kwon and Lennon (2009), who believe
that a prior offline brand image of a retailer using both channels
exerts the said ‘halo’ effect, biasing customers perceptions of
the retailers online channel. However, research has remained
scant in the investigation linking the possible effect offline
brand image has on the retailer’s online customer loyalty –
specifically in the apparel industry.
3.3 Online and Offline/Physical Stores
Alba et al (Cited in Degeratu, Rangaswamy & Wu, 2000)
highlight that a key difference between online and offline

23. shopping is the capability of online customers to obtain more
information about price and other attributes – a difference
which may result in their own perception of the brand being
formulated quicker than it may offline. When considering the
relationship between brand image and online and offline retail
operations, the synergy between the two channels is seen to
enrich the customer’s experience with the retailer, strengthening
the brand image and nurturing customer loyalty in both channels
(Bailer, 2006, Gefen, 2000 & Harvin, 2000). It has been
proposed that consumers faced with a lack of product
availability in one channel (e.g. a physical store) tend to seek
out an alternative through an affiliated channel (e.g. online),
rather than a competing firm; if such an option is perceived to
be easily accessible (Bendoly et al., 2005). This research
suggests that there may be a link between customer loyalty and
retailers who use both online and offline channels, however
there is insufficient research investigating how strongly these
two variables correlate – if at all in apparel retail. The more
traditional, in store operations need to constantly adapt to the
competitive rules put in place by online sales (Bendoly et al.,
2005). However, in comparison to the smaller number of
competition among these physical stores, e-retailers compete
with millions of websites, not necessarily in the apparel
industry, for the recognition of the customer; having only a
tenuous hold at best on the customer’s attention (Srinivasan,
Anderson & Ponnavolu, 2002). Thus, the more traditional, in
store operations need to constantly adapt to competitive rules
put in place by online sales (Bendoly et al., 2005); suggesting
that retailers using only offline channels may struggle to keep
pace – which in turn may affect the loyalty of the customer.
3.4 Customer Loyalty and Apparel Retailers
Previous research into relevant literature has shown that within
a multi-channel retail environment, online and offline brand
images of the retailer seem to affect consumer loyalty (Kwon
and Lennon, 2009); however, knowledge on the processes, and

24. to what extent these effects occur remains limited; and is
extremely scant within the apparel industry. Macintosh and
Lockshin (1997) noted that research into relationships within
retail is not extensive, despite many retail stores introducing
schemes to enhance store loyalty (Zimmerrnan, 1992). This
highlights the scarcity of research on the linkage between
customer loyalty and apparel retailers.
Therefore it is necessary to propose a new idea, looking into
online and offline customer loyalty, and its presence amongst
apparel retailers by investigating the following two questions;
to what extent does customer loyalty among apparel retailers
using both online and offline channels differ from those using
only one of the channels? And to what extent does the brand
image of an offline apparel retailer effect their online customer
loyalty?
4.1 Methodology
Research philosophy is described as the overall term that relates
to the development of knowledge and the nature of that
knowledge in relation to research (Lewis & Saunders, 2012),
and encompasses certain philosophical strands such as
interpretivism and positivism, mentioned in the “philosophies”
layer of the research onion (Lewis, Saunders & Thornhill,
2008). It seems appropriate to consider taking an interpretivist
approach to this research; a method based on the idealism that
the world exists, but people can construe it in different ways –
where researchers search for constants in human behaviour,
looking to interpret phenomenon’s through the eyes of others
(Walliman, 2011). This relates to the nature of the research as
customer loyalty and brand image are very much focused around
the aspect of customer attitude (Dick & Basu, 1994; Hung,
2008); concentrating on the thoughts and opinions of the
customers as opposed to the quantitative data they may provide.
A positivist approach would not be appropriate in this
circumstance as no hypothesis or predictions are being made,
and quantitative methods are not being used for data collection

25. (Walliman, 2011). With this in mind, data will be collected in a
qualitative manner, where the aim is to understand views rather
than predicting an outcome (Lewis & Saunders, 2012); a
necessity for gaging an insight into the reasons for customer
loyalty and consumers own views of brand image, information
which may be difficult to analyse from quantitative data. An
inductive approach will be used, which involves development of
a theory as a result of analysing data already collected (Lewis &
Saunders, 2012); the proposed research involves looking at
previous literature related to customer loyalty, brand image and
online/offline channels, and developing a new theory in line
with these and their links with apparel retailers.
4.2 Method
An exploratory study, aiming to gain new insights and asses a
topic in a new light (Lewis & Saunders, 2012) will be used in
the form of focus groups, which are used for generating
information on consumer views, and the meanings behind them
(Chadwick, Gill, Stewart & Treasure, 2008). For this particular
research, the key data to be collected will be the opinions of
customers – and focus groups will enable the researcher to
access group norms and gain an insight into the formation of
said opinions (Lewin & Somekh, 2005); an important factor
which will help to determine which elements consumers
consider influencing customer loyalty in different contexts.
Focus groups also concentrate in depth on a particular theme
with an element of interaction - made up of people who have
particular knowledge on the subject (Walliman, 2011). Using
knowledgeable participants means the data collected is likely to
be more relevant to the research, and the group atmosphere
means participants both query and explain themselves to each
other (Morgan, 1996); thus, creating more valuable data. The
optimum size for a focus group, and the number which will be
used within this research is six to eight; as smaller groups risk

26. limited discussion, and larger groups can become chaotic
(Chadwick et al., 2008). The study will aim to run 14 focus
groups; totalling between 84-112 participants. This figure is
appropriate in order to gain a general insight into the thoughts
of customers. In addition, stranger groups will be chosen to
participate as Chadwick et al (2008) suggests they speak more
freely as there is likely to be little fear of repercussion, and
challenges to other participants may be more inquisitive –
leading to richer data.
Potential issues may arise when an individual’s view is different
to that of the group; they may choose to conceal their opinions
or exaggerate their opposing view (Barbour & Schostak, 2004).
To overcome this, the observing researcher could choose to
hand out notes on the topics of discussion prior to the event, in
order to put participants at ease, and encourage honest,
thoughtful answers.
4.3 Sampling Strategy
Field (2005) describes sampling as a “smaller (but hopefully
representative) collection of units from a population used to
determine truths about that population”. The sample of this
study will be those in the age range to be considered a
Millennial; born in or after 1980, up to the year 2000 (15-35
years old), who use both online and offline apparel retailers
(Burke, 2014). This sample was chosen via purposive sampling,
the most common form of non-probability sampling, where the
researcher chooses their sample based on who will best be able
to answer the research questions (Lewis & Saunders, 2012).
This particular age range was chosen on the basis of the finding
that 45% of Millennials spend at least an hour a day browsing
retail-orientated websites, with 47% shopping for clothing more
than two times a month (Burke, 2015). The younger generation
are also known for their online activity, and those at the lower
end of the spectrum are likely to have additional free time –

27. increasing the likelihood of their participation in a focus group
discussion. A potential problem of the use of purposive
sampling may be the chance of inaccuracy in the researcher’s
criteria and resulting sample selections; better data may have
been collected from a different or smaller age range.
5. Ethics
Ethical considerations must be taken into account before
conducting any primary research. Participants must be informed
fully about the purpose, method and intended uses of the
research, what their participation involves and made aware of
any risks (Research Ethics, 2015). An important aspect as to
whether participants take part is the quality of information they
receive, which enables them to make a fair assessment on giving
informed consent (Walliman, 2011). It will be made clear to
participants that their contribution is voluntary, within consent
forms delivered to participants prior to their involvement.
Where appropriate, methods for preserving anonymity should be
used, which includes the removal of identifiers (Statement of
Ethical Practice, 2002). Participants will be assigned numbers
as opposed to names in order to retain privacy. Threats to
confidentially should be anticipated (Statement of Ethical
Practice, 2002), and any data collected will be stored in a
password protected computer file.
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