Introduction
In the course of conducting research, several factors have to be put into consideration to ensure that the study attains a desired outcome. These factors include the research questions, sample groups, and sample sizes, methods, procedures, data analysis and most importantly are the research variables (Cresswell, 1998). Research variables are important quantities in the course of a research study. Through their manipulation, a researcher can study and observe changes that will assist him in drawing up the conclusions about the phenomenon that was under investigation.
In practice, there are two types of research variables; dependent variables and independent variables. Independent variables are those quantities that are present at the beginning of the study while dependent variables are those quantities that are created through the manipulation of independent variables in the course of the study (Cresswell, 1998). An independent variable is therefore hypothesized by the researcher and as a result, it influences the dependent variable. The changes that occur in the dependent variables, as a result of the manipulation of independent variables are measured by the researcher and are used to determine the outcome of the study.
The main aim of this report, therefore, is to critically analyze the relationship between independent and dependant variables and the effects they have in the manipulation of research questions, hypothesis, and theory. To achieve this goal, two different constructs will be used; each as an independent variable in one study and a dependent variable in the other. The outcome that will be obtained will be used as evidence to show the relationship between these two variables and their impacts on research. For this particular paper, the following constructs will be used:
Job satisfaction
Brand name
Job Satisfaction as an Independent Variable
Job satisfaction is a term that is used to describe the content in which an individual is with his/her work (Feinstein, 2008). From the studies that have been conducted, it has been identified that the happier an individual is with his/her work, the more satisfied he/she is with his/her job. About this fact, several factors may affect the level of job satisfaction in an individual. On the other hand, job satisfaction can also affect several other variables within the working environment. As a result, job satisfaction can be either an independent variable in a research study or a dependent variable.
A study conducted by Andrew Feinstein in the year 2008 will be used to investigate the effects of job satisfaction as an independent variable. The study aimed at investigating the relationship between job satisfaction and the level of organizational commitment among the employees of two famous national chain restaurants in South Nevada, USA (Feinstein, 2008).). To gather relevant information for the study, questionnaires and surveys were conducted. ANOVA test was used to find the relationship between the two variables; job satisfaction and organization commitment. According to Feinstein (2008), the main research question for the study was:
Do restaurant employees’ levels of job satisfaction significantly affect their organizational commitment (p. 6)?
From the above question, it will be true to say that job satisfaction is the independent variable while the employees organizational commitment is the dependant variable. The survey and MSQ forms were designed to determine the intrinsic, extrinsic and general satisfaction of employees and the effects they had on the attitudes of employees. There were five different responses to the questions that ranged on the Likert scale from very dissatisfied (weight 1) to satisfied (weight 5) (Feinstein, 2008).
From the results of the study, it was evident that the demographic characteristics of an employee played a critical role in the determination of his/her commitment to a given organization. It was also evident that there are particular demographic dimensions of job satisfaction that increase the levels of employee commitment. Due to this fact, employers should have a workforce of employees with similar dimensions of job satisfaction as this will increase the level of employee commitment in the organization. Due to this fact, therefore, the level of production, effectiveness, and efficiency will increase and this will ensure the sustainability of an organization in the short run and the long run (Feinstein, 2008).
Job Satisfaction as Dependent Variable
The construct of job satisfaction can also be a dependent variable. The study that was conducted by GĂĽrbĂĽz Ahmet in 2007 aimed at identifying the relationship between the level of education of an individual and his/her level of satisfaction. The null hypothesis if the study stated that there is a relationship between the level of education and the level of job satisfaction (Ahmet, 2007). From the hypothesis of Ahmet (2007) study, the following research question was developed:
Is there a relationship between the education and the level of job satisfaction in employees working in the hotel and tourism industry (p. 4)?
To measure the level of job satisfaction among employees, questionnaires were administered to 600 respondents who worked in 4 and 5-star hotels. These respondents comprised of two different groups. The first group comprised of individuals whose maximum level of education was of either primary or secondary school. The second group of the respondents comprised of individuals who were holders of a university degree or college diploma. This division was essential since it ensures that the views and perception of job satisfaction among individuals of different levels of education will be obtained (Ahmet, 2007).
This study was conducted due to the prevalence of employee problems. It has been identified that the employees who are not happy with their work lack the morale and motivation to perform work as per the expected standards and requirements of the organization. On the other hand, it has been identified that those employees who are happy with their work have a positive attitude towards their jobs. As a result, they are highly motivated and perform their duties with a high degree of precision, effectiveness, and efficiency.
From the study that was conducted, a positive relationship between education and job satisfaction was identified. From the results, it was evident that the employees who had higher levels of training were more satisfied with their jobs as compared to those who had lower levels of training. This might be as a result of increased professionalism, exploration, direction, passion and skills that accrue in an individual in the course of learning and training (Ahmet, 2007). As a result, these individuals develop passion and responsibility for their careers hence they are motivated to work even harder to achieve their personal goals and objectives as well as the goals and objectives of the organization that they are working with. Due to this fact, therefore, managers need to come up with means of improving the level of education of their employees and at the same time link the context of their duties and operations to be in line with their academic qualifications. This will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization.
Brand Name as an Independent Variable
Consumer behavior and psychology, brand loyalty and brand name add to the value of a business making it to be successful in the long run. This is because the businesses tend to retain their old customers and manage to earn new customers through the high-quality services they provide (Laforet, 2011). A lot of studies have been conducted to determine the effect of these factors on the brand name success of five-star hotels. According to Paul and Milewicz (1997) for a consumer to become loyal to a certain brand, the brand/product has to have a good reputation and credibility (p. 25). For a brand to have a good reputation, it has to be consistent in its quality and maintain high standards over the years. This can only be achieved by the service/product being offered in the same manner by the entity (Laforet, 2011).
A study conducted by Sylvie Laforet aimed at identifying the impacts of brand name and packaging on purchase preference (Laforet, 2011). To investigate the relationship, customers were to rate 16 different brands on a 7-point scale on a random survey that was conducted. These products were of two categories; cereals and chocolate. Also, they had either a corporate brand name or a dual-brand name. The results of the study were obtained after a regression analysis was conducted. It was found that corporate brands and dual brand names did not play a critical role in the determination of purchase preference. However, the category in which a product belonged to had a lot of influence on purchase preference. This was because the products that were arranged in different categories got high ratings as compared to those that had corporate or dual brand names.
Brand Name as a Dependent Variable
A study conducted by Inès Ayadi in 2009 used the brand name as a dependent variable. The main aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of reference pricing on brand name prices (Ayadi, 2009). This study was conducted in Tunisia as a result of an increase in the cost of medical care. This came about due to the increase in the cost of pharmaceutical products. Drugs that were accepted by the pharmaceutical organization of Tunisia were sold at high process. However, once the copyright agreement for selling these drugs expired, drugs that had a similar chemical composition and name found their way into the market. These were known as generic drugs. Due to their similarity in name and composition, generic drugs increased the market competition, affecting the pricing mechanism. To ease the competition and stabilize the selling price, a reference pricing system was established. As a result of this, the main research question for the study conducted by Ayadi (2009) was:
Does the reference pricing system have an impact on the brand name prices (p. 4)?
The sales data for pharmaceutical products from 2002 to 2008 were used in the study. Also, a reference pricing system was established. It was identified that reference pricing played an important role in the determination of brand prices by reducing it. However, the prices of generic products were not affected. This, therefore, ensured that the prices of pharmaceutical products will remain to be affordable to the majority of the population.
Conclusion
From the four articles that have been discussed in this report, it is evident that the influence of a construct as a dependent variable is different as compared to when the same construct is an independent variable. Also, a relationship always exists between an independent variable of a study and a dependent variable. It is therefore through this manipulation that these variables affect the research hypothesis, research questions, the research theory and finally the overall outcome of the study.
References
Ahmet, G. (2007). An assesment on the effect of education level on the job satisfaction from the tourism Sector point of view. DoÄźuĹź Ăśniversitesi Dergisi, 8 (1) 2007, 36-46.
Ayadi, I. (2009). The impact of reference pricing system on brand name’s prices: the case of Tunisia. Journal of Economics& Management strategy, 1 (8), 40-49.
Cresswell, J. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Feinstein, A. (2008). A Study of Relationships between Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Restaurant Employees. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63 (1), 1-18.
Laforet, S. (2011). Brand names on packaging and their impact on purchase preference. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 10 (1), 18-30.
Paul, H. and Milewicz, J. (1997) The relationship of reputation and credibility to brand success. Pricing Strategy and Practice, 5 (1), 25-29.