CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter aims at
presenting the methodological steps taken in gathering the relevant data,
exploring them, analysing them and drawing meaningful conclusion in order to
achieve the objectives of the work. This is done under various subheadings
including; research design, population of the study, sample size determination,
instrumentation, sampling technique, data analysis technique, validity and
finally reliability of the research instrument.
3.2 Research design
Research design is the plan or blue
print on how to go about data collection and analysis, all aimed at providing
solutions to the problem under investigation. Broadly speaking, it entails the
specification of the procedures that would be deployed in the field work
(Chukwuemeka, 2002, in Onodugo, et al 2010:65). In order therefore to obtain
data to test the research questions, both primary and secondary data will be
used. The study will also adopt the
survey research design which is the design that is usually adopted when a
researcher is using questionnaires and oral interviews for a study. The
research will be carried out in seven selected manufacturing firms in the south
east Nigeria. The south east Nigeria is made up of five (5) states. The states
are Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. A purposeful technique was
employed in selecting companies for inclusion in this research work with each
state being represented. Secondly, the manufacturer association of Nigeria, MAN
is grouped into ten, (10) sectoral group with many subsectors. To
explore the situation, the researcher uses two types of datasets. In the first
place, it will use data collected from firms selected from seven different sectors.
Each sector is selected from a different statethus making sure that all the
states are represented. However,the two more remaining sectors were selected
each from Enugu and Anambrastate respectively. This is to make sure that at
least seven sectors are represented with Enugu and Anambra states having two
sectors.
The firms are;
·
Jacobs Wine Umuahia, Abia – Food, Bevereage and
Tobacco Sector
General Cotton Mill Onitsha, Anambra – Textile Wearing Apparels Sector.
·
Ofali Rural Industries Limited A bakiliki, Ebonyi –
Non Metallic Mineral Products Sector
·
Hardis and Dromedas Limited, Emene, Enugu – Chemicals
and Pharmaceauticals Sector
·
Pittason Industries Nigeria Limited, Imo – Domestic
and Industrial Product
·
Alo Aluminium Manufacturing Co Limited – Basic Metal,
Iron and Steel Sector
·
Ngo Bros and Company Nigeria Limited – Pulp, Paper,
and Paper Products
Data are also collected from
the two major sources known to be used in every research work. This is the
primary and secondary sources of collection. Primary data will be collected
through survey investigation method with the use of questionnaire and direct
interview while secondary data are collected through review of related
literature on the topic. This is done through the use of both electronic and
print sources such as;
The Internet and other electronic media
Text Books
Journals
Articles
Newspapers
Bulletins
Thesis
Conference Materials
Research Works, and any other
material on intellectual property as it relates to performance.
3.3
Sources of Data
Data are facts and figure
obtained in order to help determine the findings and conclusion of a
study. It is basically what
differentiates a research work from a work that is based on assumptions or ones
thoughts. For this work, the source of data is basically from the popular
source of obtaining data for any academic research. These are through primary
and secondary data
Primary data are data
collected through the use of structured questionnaires administered to
respondents and or through other primary sources like observations and oral
interviews. It is data that is personally assembled by the researcher for the
purpose of the topic under study.
Secondary data on the other
hand is data that are collected from materials containing the data base of
other researchers on related topics. It is data used for other studies but also
relevant to the current study. These
are, Text Books, Journals, bulletins, Published and Unpublished Research Works,
Articles in the Newspapers, Workshop and Training Papers, Annual Reviews of
organisations, Annual Reports of Organisations, Directories of Manufacturing
Organisations, Internet Sources, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus Library,
National Library, Enugu State Library, Management Department of the University
of Nigeria Enugu Library, Project works related to the topic, Manuals and
Policy Statements, Copy Right Commission Library Abuja, Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia states Directories
and Annual General Meetings Reports, and their policies and then the
Researchers’ Personal Library.
3.4 Population of the Study:
In Onodugo et al (2010:68), a
study population is all the people or things that constitute the focus of the
study. In this study, the management staff of each of the companies will be the
target population. This is because in any firm or organisation, issues and
policies concerning management, performance and control is done by the senior
staff level that belongs to the management cadre in the organisations. However
the total population of each firm,as was obtained from their personnel
department is as listed below,
Table
3.1: Selected Organisations and Total Number of Employees, (including both management staff and others)
|
S/N
|
NAME
|
POPULATION SIZE
|
RATIO
|
|
1
|
Jacobs Wine Ltd.
|
198
|
0.08768822
|
|
2
|
General Cotton Mill Ltd.
|
450
|
0.19929141
|
|
3
|
Ofali Rural Industry Ltd.
|
435
|
0.19264836
|
|
4
|
Hardis and Dromedas Ltd.
|
412
|
0.18246236
|
|
5
6
7
|
Pitason Industry Nigeria
Ltd.
Alo Aluminium Man Ltd
NgoBros and Coy. Ltd
|
330
270
163
|
0.14614703
0.11957484
0.07218778
|
|
|
Total
|
2258
|
1.0000000
|
Source, Manufacturing
Organisation under Study, 2014
3.5 Sample Size Determination:
Sample is a fraction or
segment of the total population whose characteristics is used to represent the
entire population (0nodugo, et al., 2010:69). In this study, the entire
population which is 2258 consists of all the staff in the firm both managerial
staff and others including but not limited to security men, secretaries, and
factory hands. Since the management cadre is the target population, and
consists of 644 employees, the complete enumeration method is therefore
adopted. Table 3.2 indicates it.
Table
3.2: Managerial Cadre of the Firms under Study
|
SN
|
Name
of Organisation
|
Category
of Personnel
Managerial
Staff
|
|
1
|
Jacobs wine ltd
|
75
|
|
2
|
General Cotton Mill ltd
|
109
|
|
3
|
Ofali Rural Industry ltd
|
115
|
|
4
|
Hardis and Dromedas ltd
|
128
|
|
5
|
Pittason Industry ltd
|
107
|
|
6
|
Alo Aluminium Man Ltd
|
62
|
|
7
|
NgoBros and Coy. Ltd
|
48
|
|
Total
|
|
644
|
Source: Manufacturing
Organisation under Study 2014
The managerial cadre consists
of 644 employees for the seven organisations under study. By the nature of the
study, purposive non probability sampling technique is also applied here. The
method is a situation where the researcher zeros down on the part of the
population that possesses the required information as respondents, Onudugo, et al.
(2010:72). The researcher will therefore examine only the managerial cadre
since from the background knowledge; it is the relevant sample frame that will
have the information required. Again, all the personnel in the managerial cadre
will be studied in order to meet the sample size adequacy which is an important
consideration in making sure that it represents the population well in order
for it to be used to judge the whole.
Secondly, the idea of sample
size emanates from the fact that most times, it is difficult to study the
entire population especially when it is large. However, in this case, considering
the relative small size of the population of the managerial cadre, the
exhaustive sampling method will be used. This is a case where, due to the size
of the population, the entire population is investigated in order to achieve
the sample size necessary for the purpose of drawing conclusion (www.webster-online-dictionary.org)
3.6 Research Instrument
The main instruments that will
be used for data collection for the study are the questionnaire and the oral
interviews. The questionnaire contains forty questions all in likerts scale
form. It is made up of two sections, the personal data section and the section
on management of intellectual property and its effect on firm performance.
These questions are designed according to the study objective.
3.7 Sampling Technique:
The purposive sampling of non-probability
sampling technique is adopted where the copies of questionnaire is allocated to
the population of each stratum. This is a technique where the researcher
deliberately ensures that all element of the population do not share equal
opportunity to be included in the study. Certain persons with certain qualities
are selected and in this case, the managerial cadre of each of the organization
are selected.
3.8 Data Analysis Technique
Hypotheses 1 will be tested with linear
regression which is usually adopted when comparing variables.
Hypotheses 3 and 5 will be
tested with Friedman Chi square. This tool is commonly used to compare observed
data and expected data. Hypothesis 2 and 4 will be tested with the z-test. The
z-test tool compares sample and population means to determine if there is a
significant difference between the variables. All these will be based on the
likert scale using the population of respondents. Secondly, all the test tools
would be applied using Statistical Package for Social Science Research, (SPSS)
Windows Software Analysis. Other tools to be used are; tables, percentages, and
related frequencies.
3.9
Validity of the Research Instrument
The validity of a research
work reveals to the researcher and the readers the extent to which the
instrument used in the work has gone in actually measuring the investigation.
Adefila, N. (2008:37) defines it as the ability of a test instrument to measure
what the researcher primarily sets out to measure. Enikanselu,Ojodu, and Oyende
(2009:50), observe that validity of a test reflects what a test measures and
how well it measures it. Validity is concerned with how a measuring instrument
is actually measuring the concept under study in terms of its contents and
accuracy. The questionnaires contain not just relevant questions on the concept
but also in an adequate capacity thereby addressing face and content validity
respectively.
Consequently, validity can be
said to be dealing with effectiveness and efficiency of the research instrument
especially as it pertains to accuracy and appropriability. In order to certify
this, the researcher strictly observes the following in designing the
instrument;
·
Ensuring that all the questions in the questionnaires
are clear, simple and to the point thereby enabling the respondents to supply
answers with ease.
·
Ensuring that the items in the objectives are fully
covered and exhausted.
·
Ensuring that the questions asked are not just
relevant, but alsostructured in such a way that it will address the core issues
at stake, thus addressing the research questions appropriately.
·
Generally making sure that both content and face value
validity are portrayed in the work.
3.10
Reliability of the Research Instrument
Reliability of the research
instrument refers to the degree of consistency of the instrument used in such a
way that if same research is carried out by another person using the same
respondents and in the same period of time, then a similar result is likely to
be obtained. Ezigbo,(2010: 505), comments that reliability helps to establish
confidence in the conclusions and inferences about the findings of the study.
There are three methods that are mostly used to determine reliability of an instrument;
test-retest, parallel form and split halves methods. The researcher used the
test-retest technique in this work. A group of respondents were tested and
retested by administering the same version of the instrument to same people at
different time. The two results obtained are compared to ascertain the degree
of similarities and/or differences. Person Moment Product Correlation
Coefficient was used to do this which shows that r=0.94 indicating that there
is consistency in the survey items. The result obtained and the computation is
shown in appendix ix and xi.
REFERENCES
Adefila J.J.
(2008), Research Methodology in
Behavioural Science, Kaduna, Apani Publishers
Enikanselu, S.A.,
Ojodu, H.O., and Oyende, A.I. (2009), Management
and Business Research Seminar, Lagos, Enikon Consult
Ezigbo, C.A. (2011),
Advanced Management Theory and
Applications: Third Edition; Enugu, Immaculate Publications Limited
“Manufacturing Association of
Nigeria Directory”, (MAN) 2013 and 2014; an
Annual Publication of the Manufactures
Association of Nigeria by the State Chapter
Onodugo, et al
(2010), Social Science Research:
Principles, methods and Applications; Enugu, EL DEMAK Publishers
Polit, D. F., and
Hungler, B. P. (1978), Research
Principles and Methods Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott company publishers
www.webster-online-dictionary.org)
EFFECT OF
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE ON SELECTED MANUFACTURING
COMPANIES IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA