Learning Activity 6.2

For this activity, I chose to focus on Carter and Baghurst’s (2014) article The Influence of Servant Leadership on Restaurant Employee Engagement.

1. What sampling strategy is used and is it appropriate and justified?
   Rating: 3/3
   Purposeful sampling was used for this study (Carter & Baghurst, 2014). The researchers specifically choose employees from a restaurant where servant leadership was recognized (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455). More specifically, homogeneous sampling was used when the researchers chose participants based on a specific criteria (eg. needed to have a minimum of 5 years experience with the restaurant) (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455).
2. Is the sample size appropriate?
   Rating: 2/3
   The sample size for this quite small with only 11 participants (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455). However, given that the participants needed to fulfill specific criteria (minimum of 5 years experience working in a restaurant recognized for it’s servant leadership), the low sample size is understandable (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455).
3. Is the data collected appropriate?
   Rating: 3/3
   Yes, the researcher discussed in detail how they aimed to collect the data as accurately as possible (Carter & Baghurst, 2014). To ensure familiarity and comfort for the participants, the interviews were held at the participants’ workplace (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455). The interviews were held in two focus groups; one group of 5 and one group of 6 (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455). A total of five questions were asked and each participant was given a chance to give their input (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455).
4. Are the data gathered ethically and thoughtfully?
   Rating: 3/3
   Yes, the authors assured participants that their responses would be kept confidential and a facilitator who was not connected to the restaurant was used for all interviews (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455). Restaurant management gave permission for the data to be collected and participants were paid for their time during the interviews as part of their work day (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p. 455).

References

Carter, D., & Baghurst, T. (2014). The Influence of Servant Leadership on Restaurant Employee Engagement. Journal Of Business Ethics, 124(3), 453-464. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1882-0

Original assignment post found here.