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Research Methodology
Survey Instrument
The ‘general’ approach taken with this research effort was to obtain data from a broad and representative sample of
the population. The research methodology incorporated a self-administered survey to obtain input from a large
sampling of contractors using a Lickert scale for response options. Use of close-ended responses permitted an
evaluation by each of the respondents on the selected topics of customer feedback and organizational response.
The survey instrument was designed to collect nominal data on the company and
interval data on the contractor’s
approach to customer satisfaction surveys. The questionnaire was structured to obtain input on the following
primary topics:
Company Data: General company information, including type of organization, annual construction volume,
area of operation, amount of negotiated and bid work, and the percentage of public and private work.
Customer (Client) Satisfaction Surveys: Practices used to establish client expectations, develop survey
criteria, solicit feedback, and respond to customer feedback on performance.
Firm Performance: Financial performance of the contracting firm over the past five years as measured by
percentage pretax profit based upon revenue, revenue growth, and return on investment.
The survey instrument was pilot tested and needed refinements were incorporated. When completed, the survey
instrument contained a total of forty-nine (49) questions
including those for the company’s subcontractor feedba
ck
process. Due to paper length limitations, findings regarding subcontractor feedback will be presented in a future
paper.
Sample Selection
The population for the study consisted of general contractors located in the southeastern United States. The sampling
frame used for this study was the Dun & Bradstreet database of commercial and industrial contractors located in
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida with a minimum annual volume of $10 million. The actual
sample included 496 firms.
Survey Distribution and Response
A personalized cover letter along with a hard copy of the survey instrument was mailed to all 496 members of the
sample. Each was asked to respond using an enclosed self-addressed, postage paid envelope. As of the cutoff date
eighty-one (81) useable questionnaires were returned and thirty-one (31) of the four hundred ninety-six surveys were
returned undeliverable. Combining both factors, the actual response rate was 17% (81/465).
Findings and Analysis
Organization and Statistical Analysis
Survey respondents were asked to provide input in three primary areas: 1) general company data, 2) practices used
to establish expectations, survey development, solicitation and utilization of feedback, and 3) financial performance
data. The statistical analysis of the data included the calculation of descriptive statistics, means testing, and the
testing of paired samples. All statistical testing of the data was performed to a level of significance of .05 unless
noted otherwise in this report.