Unit 4 Research Project - Easy Jet Assignment

Programme	Diploma in Travel and Tourism
Unit Number and Title	Unit 4 Research Project
QFC Level	Level 5
Unit Code	K/601/0941

Task 1

1.1 Formulate and record possible research project outline specifications.

Introduction

The research report is about the influential factors of customer satisfaction at Easy Jet which is one of the best airline companies in UK and other countries. The airlines run between 130 airports and serve around 70 million customers. The company has won many awards for its services and it provides the services at lower costs. The company provides low priced services by cutting costs on not providing snacks in the airlines, increasing the turnaround times, by charging extra for the services like extra baggage, food, etc.  It provides different facilities like online booking which is to provide convenience to the customers.

This research is conducted to understand the topic which is about customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the key objective and motive of any business and it is also very significant for the long term profitability of the business. The data will be collected through various sources so that it can be analysed and the conclusions can be made.  The problem statement is that to maintain low prices, these low cost airline cut down the quality of services which hampers the customer satisfaction. From the analysis of survey, it will be known that what affects the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet

Aim of the Research: The main aim of the research is to identify the factors which influence the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet.

Objectives of the Research

The objectives of the research are:

• To Find out the factors which influence the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet
• To provide recommendations as to how the customer satisfaction can be enhanced Easy Jet.

Literature Review: As per (White, 2013), customer satisfaction is the response of customer after using the product or service. It depends on many factors like the customer perception, service quality,etc. A customer may feel satisfied or dissatisfied after using the services or products but to know and value the response of customers in very important for the businesses for meeting the competition in the industry and for the long term growth and profitability of the business. It is seen that there are many factors which influence the customer satisfaction of customers of airline companies (Sorescu & Sorescu, 2016).

When the expectations and needs of the customers are fulfilled, they are satisfied and when they do not get sufficient services, they feel dissatisfied. Customer satisfaction brings loyalty from the customers (An & Noh, 2009). Some of the satisfaction drivers in airlines are service quality, safety, inflight services, convenience in taking flights, comfort, behaviour of staff, etc.  It also depends on the perceived value by the customer (Adebiyi & Adeola, 2014).

 

It is also evident that the main factors which influence the satisfaction levels of the customers is price and quality of the products and services offered by the business but there are some other factors too which makes a difference (Bernard, et. al., 2011). In the hospitality provision industry, services matters the most to the customers but the other factors which are also important are like response of the service provider, promptness in the response, after sales services, behaviour of staff, etc. (Zivkovic, et. al., 2014).

In the case of airlines, the services at ground level and inflight, both matters. The staffs has to be extra attentive to what a customer need and how to assist them in the best possible manner because gaining customer satisfaction and loyalty can bring competitive edge to the brand in the highly competitive industry. Easy Jet being the leading airline service provider have to take care of these factors to satisfy its customers better than the competitors can do (Lee, et. al., 2016).

1.2 Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection.

The factors which contributed in the process of the research project selection are my own interest in the field of customer satisfaction and the subject is wide which has a lot to discuss. It will also benefit the company to promote its services and provide more satisfaction to the customers.

1.3 Undertake a critical review of key references about ‘customer satisfaction’ and ‘influential factors on customer satisfaction’.

Customer satisfaction is how much a product or a service is fulfillingtheexpectations of the customers. The measure of customer satisfaction helps the business to improve its business and services and achieve long term growth and profitability (Steven, et. al., 2012).

This research is based on customer satisfaction of Easy Jet and what factors influence the level of customer satisfaction. For this, different sources are used to collect the data like survey questionnaire, websites, journals, articles, etc. (Kotler, et. al., 2014).These sources helps to know that how the business of Easy Jet is fulfilling the customer’s demands and how it is surviving in the competitive market because offering lower priced services is not the only reason behind the customer satisfaction (Finkelstein, 2012). Easy Jet may have to focus more on its services and their quality to manage the satisfaction level of its customers.

1.4 Produce a research project specification.

Research Proposal

Research Title: Research Project on factors influencing Customer Satisfaction of Easy Jet

Background to the study

The research report is about the influential factors of customer satisfaction at Easy Jet which is one of the best airline companies in UK and other countries. The company provides low priced services by cutting costs and provides different facilities like online booking which is to provide convenience to the customers. Customer satisfaction is the key objective and motive of any business and it is also very significant for the long term profitability of the business. The data will be collected through various sources so that it can be analysed and the conclusions can be made (Kaura, et. al., 2015).

Aim of the Research: The main aim of the research is to identify the factors which influence the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet.

Objectives of the Research

The objectives of the research are:

• To Find out the factors which influence the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet
• To provide recommendations as to how the customer satisfaction can be enhanced Easy Jet.

Literature Review: As per (White, 2013), customer satisfaction is the response of customer after using the product or service. It depends on many factors like the customer perception, service quality,etc. A customer may feel satisfied or dissatisfied after using the services or products but to know and value the response of customers in very important for the businesses for meeting the competition in the industry and for the long term growth and profitability of the business. It is seen that there are many factors which influence the customer satisfaction of customers of airline companies (Sorescu & Sorescu, 2016).

Research methodology

Introduction: This section of the report is the significant one because it shows the methods which are followed for holding on the research. In this section, various methods are discussed which are used for completing this research successfully.

Research approach: The approach of research is mixed in which both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. These methods collect the data for the research and then these are analysed to take out conclusions. Qualitative information is extracted from the secondary sources like online websites, journals, articles, etc. and quantitative information is taken out from primary sources like survey questionnaire.

Data collection sources: Data for the research is collected from the primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are those which provide the information for the first time whereas the secondary sources are those which provide the information which has been already used before. The primary source used over here is survey questionnaire and the secondary sources are websites, articles, etc. (Lu, et. al., 2015).

Sample size and technique: Sample size is 20 and these are been taken randomly from the students of UKCBC.So, random sampling technique is used.

Analysis of data: The data collected from the questionnaire will be analysed through percentage calculations and will be interpreted in tables and charts.

1.5 Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification.

The research plan and process is as follows:

Series	Stages of project	Duration  in days (Year 2016)	Review dates	Description
A	Making plans for the research program	6 (20 October - 25  October )	25 October	This is the initial stage, at which the planning is done for the research and the groundwork is done so that the research can be completed successfully till the end.
B	Data collection	14 (25 October - 08 November)	08 November	This is the next stage in which the data is collected through Primary and secondary sources in the form of quantitative and qualitative data.
C	Data analysis	12 (07 November - 19 November)	19 November	This next step consists of analysis of data in which the data collected is analysed through percentage calculations and presented through graphs and tables.
D	Recommendations of the research	7 (19 November - 25 November)	25 November	This is the last step in which the conclusions are made on eh basis of findings of the research and then the recommendations are given.

                           Gantt chart of research process (Quinlan, et. al., 2015)

Task 2

2.1 Match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis.

For the research, mixed research method is used in which both qualitative and quantitative information or data is used. Appropriate tools are selected to collect the data. Primary and secondary sources are used. Qualitative information is extracted from the secondary sources but quantitative information is taken out from the survey results conducted in UKCBC. Both of these sources of information are used to answer the following research questions:

• Which factors influence the customer satisfaction of Easy Jet?
• What recommendations can be given to enhance the customer satisfaction of the customers of Easy Jet?

Reliability and validity of research: The data collected and used in the research is reliable as it is taken after taking the proper permission from the related authorities. All the data is referenced properly to show its reliability. It is valid and reliable as the data is protected with the passwords so that no unauthorised party can alter the data used for the research.

2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures.

For the research, the resources which are used are Secondary and Primary Resources. Primary resources are theones which are used for the first time and it gives first-hand information which has not been used before. This data is collected with the help of Survey questionnaire from 20 students in UKCBC so that their responses can be known on customer satisfaction in Easy Jet (Mamtora, 2015). The secondary sources used in this research are online websites, journals, literature, etc. This information has been already used by someone else and now it is referred in this research to support primary data collected through survey (Questionnaire is provided in appendices)

2.3. Record and collate required data. Record the collected data from participants in the form of a table that shows responses briefly.

• Easy Jet provides best value services among all the airline service providers.

Options	Responses in %
Highly agree	20%
Agree	25%
Neutral	35%
Disagree	15%
Highly disagree	5%

• Rate the quality of services by Easy Jet

Options	Responses in %
Superior	15%
Good	20%
Average	30%
Bad	20%
Poor	15%

• Rate the ease and convenience in accessing services of Easy Jet

Options	Responses in %
Superior	10%
Good	20%
Average	35%
Bad	25%
Poor	10%

• Rate the behaviour of staff of Easy Jet

Options	Responses in %
Superior	15%
Good	25%
Average	30%
Bad	10%
Poor	20%

• Rate the promptness in services and responses

Options	Responses in %
Superior	5%
Good	15%
Average	30%
Bad	15%
Poor	35%

• How much satisfied you are with overall services of Easy Jet?

Options	Responses in %
Highly satisfied	25%
Satisfied	20%
Neutral	30%
Not satisfied	15%
Dissatisfied	10%

• Which is the best feature of Easy Jet?

Options	Responses in %
Low Priced services	15%
Quality of services	25%
Staff assistance and behaviour	30%
Comfort and safety	10%
Quality of services	20%

• According to you, what improvement should be made in Easy Jet airline business to improve customer satisfaction?

Options	Responses in %
Increase in safety of passengers	45%
Enhance quality of services	35%
Provide reasonable priced services	0%
Staff behaviour and attitude	20%

• You want to use the services of Easy Jet again?

Options	Responses in %
Yes	45%
No	40%
Don’t know	15%

• You want to recommend Easy Jet services to anyone?

Options	Responses in %
Yes	40%
No	35%
Don’t know	25%

Task 3

3.1. Use appropriate ‘research evaluation techniques’. Which types of evaluation (formative or summative) is more appropriate for your research? Why?

In the research project, data has been collected through survey questionnaire and the data collected is been stated in the tables. After this, there is a need to evaluate this data so that the conclusions of the research can be gained and recommendations can be made on the same.

 There are some techniques which are used to evaluate the research data and these are called research evaluation techniques. There are two types of research evaluation techniques which are used to evaluate this research. These are:

• Formative evaluation technique: In formative evaluation the appropriateness of the activities and process of research is been judged and evaluated. This technique is used during the research process to check and verify whether the research program is effectively carried or not. So, this technique is used while the research is going on.
• Summative evaluation technique: This, on the other side, is the technique which is used after the research is conducted and completed. It pays attention on the outcomes of the research. It is used to check the outcomes and what results are arrived at the completion of the research.

It is recommended to use both the techniques together so that the research process is also evaluated and the outcomes too. It helps in arriving at best conclusions because the research is evaluated from the beginning to the end.

3.2. Interpret and analyse the results in terms of the original research specification by using ‘Frequency’ and/or ‘Percentage’ calculations.

In this part of the research, the data which has been collected from the questionnaire will be analysed to know the actual results and to know that what factors are influencing the customer satisfaction in Easy Jet.

• Easy Jet provides best value services among all the airline service providers.

Analysis: It can be analysed that most of the respondents (35%) are neutral on the statement that Easy Jet provides best value services among all the airline service providers and 25% agree on the same while only 15% disagree. This clearly shows that people travelling in Easy Jet believes that the services provided by Easy Jet are valuable because they are provided in lower prices and the quality is also satisfactory according to the process. The competitors are charging much more than Easy Jet like British Airways.

• Rate the quality of services by Easy Jet

Analysis: It is analysed that most of the respondents (30%) are having average views on the quality of the services of Easy Jet. It may be because it provides low cost services and for cutting the costs, it compromises with the quality.

• How much satisfied you are with overall services of Easy Jet?

Analysis: It is analysed that most of the respondents (30%) are satisfied with the services of Easy Jet and 25% are highly satisfied. This shows that easy Jet is successful in providing the satisfying services to its customers. It is also seen that 15% of the respondents are not satisfied at all and 10% customers are dissatisfied from the same. Easy Jet has to make some improvements to bring high level of satisfaction in all of its customers to expand its operations and for long term profits and growth.

• According to you, what improvement should be made in Easy Jet airline business to improve customer satisfaction?

Analysis: It can be analysed that when the customers are asked that what improvement should be made by easy Jet, most of the respondents said that they should focus and improve on the safety and convenience of the passengers because they compromise with it to cut the costs of the services. 35% of the respondents said that they should improve the service. No respondent said that they should provide lower down the prices and 20% said that the behaviour of staff should be improved.

• You want to use the services of Easy Jet again?

Analysis: It is analysed that most (45%) of the respondents sad yes, when they asked that would they like to use the services of Easy Jet again and 40% said no, they do not want to use it again, This shows the mixed reviews about the services and satisfaction level of the customers who travelled through Easy Jet.

3.3. Make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration customer satisfaction in Easy Jet or Ryanair.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the research program that Easy Jet being the low cost airline service provider, provides valuable services to the customers.  The research is conducted by collecting the data from the survey among the UKCBC students. The data analysed and it can be concluded that people are happy with the valuable services but they need more safety and convenience in accessing the services. They need to have more facilities and the staff should be more friendly and assisting.

It is recommended that easy Jet should focus more on quality because nowadays people are ready to pay prices but they can’t compromise with their safety. It can classify its aircrafts for different segments of customers, the premium one and the standard one. The company should promote its brand through various online platforms and social media which can increase and boost its sales. It can also tie up with different tour and travelling businesses so that they can work on better terms in future. Easy jet or Ryanair Airlines should focus on customer and its satisfaction level which should be the prime objective of the company. It can bring high profits and long term growth for the brand.

There are some areas for further consideration on customer satisfaction of Easy jet like:

• How Easy jet can promote brand loyalty among its customers?
• The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
• Research on the low cost airlines and their position in the industry

References

White, J. 2013, "Customer satisfaction", Optometry Today, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 8.
Sorescu, A. & Sorescu, S.M. 2016, "Customer Satisfaction and Long-Term Stock Returns", Journal of Marketing, vol. 80, no. 5, pp. 110.
An, M. & Noh, Y. 2009, "Airline customer satisfaction and loyalty: impact of in-flight service quality", Service Business, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 293-307.
Adebiyi, S.O. & Adeola, M.M. 2014, "Service Quality, Perceived Value and Customer Satisfaction as determinant of Airline choice in Nigeria", International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, vol. 20, no. 20, pp. 66-80.
Steven, A.B., Dong, Y. & Dresner, M. 2012, "Linkages between customer service, customer satisfaction and performance in the airline industry: Investigation of non-linearities and moderating effects", Transportation Research Part E, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 743-754.
Finkelstein, B. 2012, "Servicing 'Customer Satisfaction' Rises", National Mortgage News,vol. 36, no. 42, pp. 3.
Kaura, V., Durga Prasad, C.S. & Sharma, S. 2015, "Service quality, service convenience, price and fairness, customer loyalty, and the mediating role of customer satisfaction", International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 404-422.
Lee, Y., Wang, Y., Lu, S., Hsieh, Y., Chien, C., Tsai, S. & Dong, W. 2016, "An empirical research on customer satisfaction study: a consideration of different levels of performance", SpringerPlus, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
Zivkovic, R., Stankovic, J., Ilic, M. & Gajic, J. 2014, "Research on customer satisfaction with the quality of services provided by public utilities of the city of Belgrade", Marketing, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 179-186.
Lu, C., Berchoux, C., Marek, M.W. & Chen, B. 2015, "Service quality and customer satisfaction: qualitative research implications for luxury hotels", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 168-182.
Mamtora, J. 2015, Research Methods Guide.
Quinlan, C., Babin, B.J. & Carr, J.C. 2015, Business research methods, First edn, Cengage Learning EMEA, Andover, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Bernard, H.R., eBook Library (EBL) & Ebooks Corporation 2011, Research methods in anthropology: qualitative and quantitative approaches, 5th;5; edn, AltaMira, Lanham, MD.