A research company conducts a customer satisfaction survey for the retail sector. In 2019, the average customer satisfaction for the food sector remains well above the UK average (retail sector). There has been a sharp rise in the number of customers experiencing a problem with an organisation, the figure increasing by 1.4 percentage points to 12.7%, the highest ever level in the food and retail sector. Supermarkets whose customer satisfaction was at least one point higher than the sector average earned average sales growth of 6.9%, compared to 1.5% for those with lower than average satisfaction. The sector remains highly competitive. Iceland maintained its position at the top of the sector with a score of 83.2, while the Co-op was the most improved organisation, scoring 81.7; 3.8 points higher than the previous year. In contrast, Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury’s have each seen a fall of at least two points since this time last year.

a) What additional information do you need to know before you can accept the results of this survey?

b) There are potential errors in this survey. Identify the various types of survey errors and use examples to support your answer.

c) Briefly explain how you would re-organise this research. Use the points below to structure your discussion.

- sampling frame

- sampling method and sample size

- questionnaire design

- data collection

- hypotheses and data analysis