is melbourne the most livEable city?
[Melbourne Transportation]
PART A – RESEARCH REPORT 4
INTRODUCTION 4
Research Aim 4
Research Question 4
This research survey questionnaire aims to obtain answers to the following questions: 4
Significance of the Study 5
METHODOLOGY 6
The Primary Research 6
Secondary Research Data 6
Research Design 7
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS 8
Result 8
How long have you been in Melbourne? 8
Overall, how satisfied are you with Melbourne’s public transportation? 8
Melbourne 9
Please indicate your degree of agreement with the following statements 10
Outcomes 10
Recommendations 11
CONCLUSION 12
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH 13
REFERENCES 14
SELF-EVALUATION 15
Individual Skills 15
Research Skills and Procedure 15
SELF-EVALUATION EXPO PERFORMANCE 16
PART A – RESEARCH REPORT
INTRODUCTION
Research Aim
The aim of this research is toinvestigate if the city of Melbourne, Australia, is the mostliveable city in the world. The researchwill centre mainly on Melbourne’s public transportation and whether the city’s public transportation is safe and convenient for people, asa good transportation system means the area is in astate of sustainable development. The research will evaluate and create a written report on whether the public transportation system in Melbourne constitutes sustainable development, thereby making Melbourne the most liveable city in the world.
Research Question
This research survey questionnaire aims to obtain answers to the following questions:
How long have you been in Melbourne?
Overall, how satisfied are you with Melbourne’s public transportation when compared to your city’s transportation?
Please indicate your degree of agreement with the following statements:
The public transportation in Melbourne is convenient.
Public transportation in Melbourne is safe.
Public transportation in Melbourne is reasonably priced.
I often use public transportation to go to work or school.
Is Melborne’s transpprtation worth relying on?
Significance of the Study
The significance of the research is that it will analyse and investigate if Melbourne is indeed the most liveable city in the world. Furthermore, the present study will explore the public transportation of Melbourne and whetherthe city has a good transportation system. This research will be significant to individuals who are planning to live in the city of Melbourne, as well as to those researchers who wish to undertake a similar study.
METHODOLOGY
The research involved 16 hours of gathering data, 20 hours of secondary research, and sevenweeks of research, including conducting a three-minute vox pops.
The Primary Research
The primary research method used was a survey, which was conducted via an online program from Qualtrics.com. The sample size of the Qualtrics survey was45 respondents,and the vox pops survey featured five respondent students. The demographics for the Qualtrics survey was51 percent male, 47 percent female, and 2 percent other. Seven percent of therespondents were aged 15 to 17 years old;82 percent werebetween 18and 22 years old;7 percent were between 23 and 30 years old; and 4 percent were between 30 and 40 years old. The countries of the respondents were also considered in the demographics of the study. Most of the respondents camefrom China, and a few werefrom Kuwait, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Canada.
The tasks involved in gathering the primary data were distributed to each researcher. The group members were divided and assignedto different public transportation stations in Melbourne. The researchers distributed surveys to those individuals who weretaking public transportation and were willing to cooperate and answer the survey questionnaire. The resources that were used in gathering and tallying the survey results werelaptops, online programs, survey questionnaires, and mobile phones.
Secondary Research Data
Melbourne is recognized around the world as the most liveable city in the world, as stated bythe annual survey conductedby the Economic Intelligence Unit. One of the well-known characteristics of Melbourne is itsexcellenttransportation system. Melbourne’s public transportation performs about seven percent of all trips within the urban area. Individuals who are looking for a place to live and to conduct business view Melbourne as a beautiful city dueto the quality public spaces and urban areas. In addition, Melbourne’s strategy for developing its transportation system places significance on aesthetic beauty, creating pedestrian-oriented centres that appeal to business-minded people and to successful companies. The government of Victoria emphasizes sustainable development as a leading principle for Melbourne’s future development (Scheurer et al. 2005).
Research Design
The research study used a quantitative research method and utilized descriptive research. We included the quantitative descriptive research method because we used survey questionnaires, and acquiring demographics is a method found in quantitative research. The research used the descriptive method because it aims to examine and describe whyMelbourne is the most liveable city in the world based on itspublic transportation system. Quantitative research is a type of research method that is performed through inquiry strategies, such as gathering statistical data andconducting surveys. The quantitative research method entails data collection in order for the information to be quantified, and it must undergo the process of statistical treatment in order to disprove or support any asserted claims. The quantitative research method used sampling data from the survey participants, who are considered to be representative of the population needed for the study.Surveys used in gathering data can featureeither open-ended questions or close-ended questions (Williams 2007). The type of quantitative research method used is a descriptive method,which provides a correct description of the phenomena that is observed by the researchers. The aim of the descriptive research method is to accurately describe the presented population and the primary information at a certain point in time (Harvard University n.d.).
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
Result
How long have you been in Melbourne?
The majority of participants who weretaking public transportation had been in Melbourne between six months andone year, followed by those who had been in the city two to three years. The minimum value is 2,and the maximum value is 5. The mean is 2.31, while the variance is 0.41, and the standard deviation is 0.63.The total number of responses is45.
Overall, how satisfied are you with Melbourne’s public transportation?
The majority of the respondents are ‘very dissatisfied’ with the public transportation in the city of Melbourne, which is followed by ‘dissatisfied’. The minimum value is 1, and the maximum value is 5. The mean is 3.56, while the variance is 0.88, and the standard deviation is 0.94. The total number of responses is39.
The means of the buses, trains, trams, and airplanes are 1.63, 1.92, 2.65, and 1.23, respectively. The minimums of the four public transportations are all 1, while their maximums are all 3. The variances of the four public transportations are 0.34, 0.79, 0.54, and 0.23, respectively; and the standard deviations are 0.59, 0.89, 0.74, and 0.48, respectively. The total number of responses is 40.
Melbourne
The means of the buses, trains, trams, and airplanes are 1.38, 1.18, 1.13, and 1.08, respectively. The minimum value for all four public transportations in Melbourne is 1, while the maximum level forall of them is 2. The variances of the buses, trains, trams, and airplanes are 0.24, 0.15, 0.11, and 0.07, respectively; and the standard deviations are 0.49, 0.38, 0.33, and 0.27, respectively. The total number of responses is40.
Please indicate your degree of agreement with the following statements
The minimum value of ‘public transportation in Melbourne is convenient’ is 2, and the rest are 1, while the maximum values are all 5. The means of the ‘public transportation in Melbourne is convenient’, ‘public transportation in Melbourne is safe’, ‘public transportation in Melbourne is reasonably priced’, and ‘I often use public transportation to go to work or school’ are 3.78, 3.78, 2.78, and 3.55, respectively. The variances are 0.95, 0.90, 1.36, and 2.41, respectively; and the standard deviationsare0.97, 0.95, 1.17, and 1.55, respectively. The total number of responses is 40.
Outcomes
Recommendations
It is recommended that the relevant Melbourne authoritiesaim to improve the public transportation system, and the city of Melbourne should budget for enhancing thecity’s public transportation. In particular, the authorities should improve the bus terminals since most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the buses in the city of Melbourne.
CONCLUSION
The aim of our group research was to evaluate Melbourne’spublic transportation system based on the responses of the participants whoare taking public transportation as a means of getting to their destinations. The research examined whether the city of Melbourne has a good public transportation system and whether Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world. From the research, it is clear that the respondents are dissatisfied with the public transportation in the city of Melbourne, particularly the public buses. Our research indicated that most of the respondents strongly agree that the public transportation system in Melbourne isconvenient and safe, although they are undecided if the public transportation isreasonably priced. It is understood that the majority of the participants are still undecided regarding price becausemost of them have been in the city less thanone year.
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
The research is limited tothe individuals taking public transportation in the city of Melbourne, and the participants should be living in the city of Melbourne. The participants of the research are individuals with different nationalities who have been living in the city of Melbourne and taking public transportation. We do not include other public transportation in different parts of Australia, limitingthe study to only the city of Melbourne.
REFERENCES
Harvard University (n.d.),Research Methods [PDF Document], viewed 21 December 2015,<http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic851950.files/Research%20Methods_Some%20Notes.pdf>.
Lucas, C 2015, “Melbourne named world's most liveable city, for fifth year running”, The Age, 18 August, viewed 29 October 2015, <http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-named-worlds-most-liveable-city-for-fifth-year-running-20150818-gj1he8.html>.
Melbourne, Australia (n.d.), digital image, Lonely Planet, viewed 21 December 2015,
<http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/melbourne>.
Melbourne Visitor Shuttle (n.d.), digital image, City of Melbourne, viewed 21December 2015,
<http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/visitors/transport/shuttle/Pages/VisitorShuttle.aspx>.
Scheurer, J, Kenworthy, J and Newman, P 2005, “Most liveable and best connected? The economic benefits of investing in public transport in Melbourne: A policy document for the Metropolitan Transport Forum”, viewed 27 November 2015,<http://www.janetrice.com.au/files/report.pdf>.
Williams, C 2007, “Research Methods”, Journal of Business & Economic Research,vol. 5, no. 3, doi:10.19030/jber.v5i3.2532.
PART B – PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION
SELF-EVALUATION
Individual Skills
The issue we encountered wasthe process of distributing survey questionnaires to participants. The results of the survey were based on the responses of those individuals who werewilling to cooperate. The challenge in distributing the survey wasthat some potential respondents did not accept our survey. However, we successfully managed to gather enough primary data for our research. We did not expect the research finding that most of the respondents are dissatisfied with Melbourne’spublic transportation. I was assigned tothe public transportation system of the city of Melbourne, while the other researchers were assigned tothe infrastructure, education, and safety. The results of the survey were done through the online program called Qualtrics, as well as the vox pops survey offive students. The surveys were organized and put into folders for safe keeping.
Research Skills and Procedure
We came up with the topic for our research, ‘Is Melbourne the most liveable city?’,becauseMelbourne wasrecognized as the most liveable cityin the world according to the annual survey carried out by the Economic Intelligence Unit. We generated research questions that were aligned with our research objectives. The primary research data was derived from the results of our research questionnaire, and the secondary data was derived from journals, articles, and books. The respondents of the research were informedabout the research, particularly the research objectives and its significance. The respondents were not forced to cooperate with our research; the respondents who participated volunteered and were willing to cooperate with us. Furthermore, our professor helped us in conducting our research and guided us in collecting our primary research data. We also experienced difficulty in meeting researchdeadlines. In order to finish our research, we decided to divide the research into parts so we wouldbe able to submit it on time. We also organized the reference list for our research in the Harvard format since the researchers had conducted previous research using this format.
SELF-EVALUATION EXPO PERFORMANCE
We used aPower Point presentation in explaining and discussing our research objectives and the research findings. We used Power Point to show the results of the survey through charts and graphs, including some pictures of the city of Melbourne as well as Melbourne’s public transportation. Our group decided to use Power Point because we wanted to show the class our research aims and the outcome of our research in a more comprehensible manner. Furthermore, Power Point is highly accessible due to its visual aids. The entire research information was reduced tobullet pointsso that the audience wouldbe able to understand the subject matter. We used a projector that enabled the researchers to illustrate and to explain the research,helpingthe audience follow the specific parts of the research. Before the actual expo performance, the researchers cooperated and distributed each part of the research to each group member. We also made sure that group members had knowledge regardingthe entire research and not only their individual parts. We discussed the education, safety, infrastructure, and transportation partswithall the group members not only to give them an idea about the entirety of the research but also to make sure that each part aligned with our research topic, which waswhether the city of Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world. Thedata fromeach part (education, safety, infrastructure, and transportation) wasconsidered to be significant for our research,and no one partwasmore important than the others. Each part wascritical because one mustconsider several factors in order to examine the claim that Melbourne is indeed the most liveable city in the world.
