BIMS Case Study Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc. (BIMS) provides food and hospitality services on a contractual basis to patients and staff of corporations and institutions nationwide. Over the past several months, Barbara Tucker, the general manager at BIMS, has noticed an increase in the turnover rate of employees, but no new reasons are being given during exit interviews to justify that increase. In order to find the cause, Barbara gives all employees a survey to complete and return.
Instrument used for Data Collected In this data set, Debbie used a number scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being very negative and 5 being very positive. This will help to gain a census of the problems involving the employee's. Provides the reason for the changes of the turnover rate or loss of employees and morale or happy workers. In this data set it will show the positive and negative effects of the workplace environment and hours worked, efficiency of training, degree of pay, equality of treatment, inner office communication and job protection. This study will also show the area the employee worked in and how long they have worked in that position. It also will show the status of their gender (male or female) and determined if a manager or supervisor took the survey. Types of Data Used and Collection Questions 1 thru 10 are quantitative because the variable studied indicates how many or how much. Thus, this study shows how many workers felt negatively or positively about each question they were asked. Questions A thru D are qualitative because the characteristic analyzed in this studied are categorical and non-numerical. This part just focused on the division they worked in and the length of time they have held their place. It also shows their gender status (male or female) and qualifies or verifies if a manager or supervisor participated in the study. This section can also be quantitative when it comes time to see how many males and females took this survey.
Level of Measurement Question 1-10 of the questionnaire represents ordinal level data, with the exception of question 4 which is a ratio measurement. Ordinal data is “statistical data type consisting of numerical scores that exist on a specific scale” ("The Institute of Statistics Education", 2004-2013). For example in the given questionnaire, five is better than four, four is better than three, three is better than two, and two is better than one. Questions A, C, and D represent nominal level data. This data can be represented in any order. There is no natural order for these. For instance, for the gender question one can either report males first or the females. Question B is quantitative in nature and can be classed as ratio level data. In this level, of data the zero point is meaningful because the time spent employed at BIMS cannot be a negative number. A person could have worked for a year but not negative one year.
Coded Data and Input Errors A spreadsheet made of the results allows for easier analysis. Numerical format is recorded for numerical and word data for further ease of data entry and analysis. For example, the length of time an employee has worked at BIMS is shown in months. To allow for easier deciphering, a legend is included with the results Attention to detail is important when entering data. Coding errors included turning fives into sixes, and zeroes inputted to reflect no answer given for that question. This may mean data shown as a zero may not truly represent the question; therefore, leaving it blank is more accurate.
Data Conclusions
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To make an informed decision one needs to determine whether the information gathered is sufficient or if additional information is needed. This survey was sent to all 449 employees, but only 78 responded. Acquiring the appropriate information from these surveys helps BIMS understand what is affecting their employees and what decisions they need to improve their organization. The questions are relevant because they revealed negativity toward management is at a high throughout the departments. Maintenance department may be a concern because only 9 employees participated. Management can however, review the results and implement changes to raise morale and satisfy the employees.
Summary of Statistics The results reflect that 3 divisions working at BIMS are unhappy with many negative and very negative responses. The Food Service employees are the most unhappy, followed by maintenance as a close second. Housekeeping is third. The majority of employees, regardless of gender, feel negatively toward the quality of training, fair treatment, internal company communications, and level of compensation. For compensation, it seems whenever morale is down, negativity spreads and employees tend to feel they are not paid enough to have to deal with everyday work issues.
Conclusions Drawn The research data on the morale of the employees has been collected and analyzed. The changes that need to be made in order to appease BIMS employees are to the human resources department. More adequate training, skill teaching, career growth opportunities need to be addressed and implemented. Once these areas are improved, it may be necessary to administer another survey, likely with higher responses, for a more detailed look at the internal issues with employee satisfaction.

Reference

The Institute of Statistics Education. (2004-2013). Retrieved from http://www.statistics.com/