Methodology and Research Designshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/33170/8/08_chapter 2.pdf · Methodology and Research Design Profile of the Area under Study Ghaziabad as

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Methodology and Research Design

Profile of the Area under Study

Ghaziabad as a separate district was carved out of Meerut in 1976. It is the highly

industrialised and urbanised district located in Western U.P. that joins boundaries with

Delhi in the West, Baghpat in the North, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Bulandshahr in the

South and Meerut in the North-East. Modinagar is the biggest town in Ghaziabad district.

It is a Municipal Board (M.B.) in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh state. ‘It is 45

kilometres North-East of New Delhi and 25 kilometres South-West of Meerut. It lies in

Lat. 280 50’ North and Long. 770 35’ East, and 25 kilometres North-East of Ghaziabad

on Delhi-Massoorie National Highway (NH-58). Parallel to this road runs the Delhi-

Saharanpur section of the Northern Railway with a railway station here.’1 A metalled

road, going to Hapur originates from the town as shown on page 21.

Total geographical area of Ghaziabad district is 186.30 sq. kms. out of which

Municipal Corporation (M.C.), Ghaziabad has an area of 74.64 sq. kms. Ghaziabad

district consists of a number of towns. As per Census 20012, total population of

Ghaziabad district is 32,89,540 out of which males constitute 17,68,215 and females

constitute 15,21,325. Sex ratio of Ghaziabad district is 860. Literacy rate of Ghaziabad

district is 70.89 per cent while male literacy rate is 81.04 per cent and of females is 59.12

per cent. A map of Ghaziabad district showing different towns with their respective

location in the district has been shown on page 22.

‘Modinagar is a town having an area of 573 acres out of which 571 acres of its

area is comprised of a village Begamabad which is a much older place and is said to have

been founded by Nawab Zafar Ali and to have been named Begamabad by a lady of the

royal family of Delhi when it passed into her hands. As mentioned in table 2.1 given

below Modinagar has total population of 1,13,218 out of which males constitute 60,468

(53 per cent) and females constitute the remaining 52,750 (47 per cent). Modinagar town

has an average literacy rate of 83.15 per cent.

Modinagar is best known as the ‘Home of Modi Mills’ because of its origin. It has

been founded by Late Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi in 1933. A well known colony of

Modinagar town ‘Govindpuri’ was established by Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant in 1948 for

the refugees who came from Pakistan. Later on a complex for small enterprises and

residential colonies was established by the State Government. A labour colony

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Suchetapuri and Double Storey had also been founded by the former Chief Minister

Sucheta Kriplani in Govindpuri.’3

Table 2.1 Modinagar Municipal Board (M.B.) at a Glance in 2001

Particulars Details

Geographical Area 14 sq. kms.

Total Population 1,13,218

Male Population 60,468

Female Population 52,750

Scheduled Castes (SCs)/ Scheduled Tribes (STs) 13,175

Literacy Rate 83.15

Montasery/ Nursery School (Registered by Education Department) 1

Primary Schools (Mixed) 54

Higher Primary Schools 22

Intermediate Schools (Boys) 6

Intermediate Schools (Girls) 4

Branches of Nationalised Bank 14

Branches of Co-operative Bank 1

Co-operative Societies 1

Branches of Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank 1

Agriculture Service Centre 1

Animal Service Centre 1

Community Health Centre 1

Ayurvedic Dispensary 1

Maternity and Child Welfare Centres 4

Rationing Shops 48

Telephones 15,179

Public Call Offices 676

Post Offices 9

Telegraph Office 1

Police Station 1

Source: Handbook of Statistics 2008, Eco and Statistical Department, Ghaziabad, Government of U.P., Lucknow

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Industrial Profile

The credit for giving a status of industrial area to this town goes to Late Rai

Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi who came to this town from Patiala and established the first

industrial unit ‘a Sugar Mill’ in 1933. Later on a large number of industries were

established by the Modi Group. Various industries established by the Modi Group with

their respective years of establishment are given below in table 2.2.

Table 2.2 Industrial Units Established by the Modi Group in Modinagar

Industrial Units Year Modi Sugar Mill 1933 Modi Vanaspati 1938 Modi Soap 1940 Modi Paints 1947 Spinning and Weaving Mills 1949 Modi Gas and Modi Lantern 1950 Modi Rayons and Silk Mill 1956 Modi Yarn Mill 1957 Modi Distillery 1959 Modi Electrode 1962 Modi Steels 1963 Modipone Ltd. 1965 Modi Tyre Factory 1990 Source: Smarika 2003, Municipal Board, Modinagar

Thus, through the expansion of industrial area in Modinagar, Modi Group

provided large employment opportunities to a vast majority of workers and helped them

to earn their livelihood. But now only a few are running because of lockouts in majority

of the factories due to family feuds of Modi Group. Those which are running at present

are Modi Sugar Mill, Modi Distillary, Modi Electrode, Modi Gas and Modi Paints. Not

only Modi Group but also many private players have entered into Modinagar and

established a number of private industries which have given employment to the people

living in Modinagar. Private players through providing employment have generated extra

purchasing power in hands of the masses and also added element of competition among

the market players. Due to increased degree of competition over here, quality of goods

and services has improved. Due to rapid growth of urbanisation, new private players like

Vishal Mega Mart, Bata, Lakhani and Koutons etc. have also recorded their presence in

the field of business.

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Educational Profile

Presently Modinagar has emerged as an educational hub for imparting

professional knowledge. It has got a remarkable recognition not only in Western U.P. but

also at national level. Late Dr. Kedar Nath Modi (son of Late Multani Mal Modi) candled

the light of higher education in Modinagar to provide professional and technical

education with the establishment of Dr. K.N. Modi Foundation. This Foundation was

established with a mission to be a nucleus of excellence in varied fields of education with

positive attitude, high values, commitment and dedication. It has a track record of

excellence in education for more than six decades. At present, this Foundation is

nurturing the future of students, enrolled with the colleges and institutes under the

supervision of Dr. D.K. Modi who is Chairman-cum-President of this Foundation. A list

of schools, colleges, management and technical institutes running under the umbrella of

Dr. K.N. Modi Foundation has been given below in table 2.3.

Table 2.3 Schools, Colleges and Professional Institutes Running under Dr. K.N.

Modi Foundation in Modinagar

Category Name of School/ College/ Management/ Technical/ Research Institutes

Year of Establishment

Schools

Dr. K.N. Modi Science and Commerce College 1942 Rukmani Modi Mahila Inter College 1950 Gayatri Devi Modi Junior High School 1969 Pramila Modi Junior High School 1981 Ginni Devi Sanskrit Vidyapeeth 1990 Dr. K.N. Modi Global School 2008

Colleges Multanimal Modi (P.G.) College 1957 Ginni Devi Modi Mahila (P.G.) College 1983

Management/ Tachnical/ Research Institutes

Ginni Modi Community Ophthalmic Research Centre

1976

Centre for Mangement Development (C.M.D.) 1983 Dr. K.N. Modi Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research

1990

Dr. K.N. Modi Institute of Engineering and Technology

1995

K.N.G.D. Modi Engineering College 2005 Ginni Devi Modi Institute of Education 2006 K.N.G.D. Institute of Fine Arts 2008

Source: www.kngd.org

Because Modinagar is well known for its technical, management and research

institutes, many students pass out from these institutes annually and get opportunities to

make their future bright into different areas of agriculture, industry and service sectors. In

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spite of these institutes, some other proposed institutes of Dr. K.N. Modi Foundation are

given in the following table.

Table 2.4 Proposed Institutes of Dr. K.N. Modi Foundation

Dr. K.N. Modi University - Rajasthan

C.M.D. Global

C.M.D. International

C.M.D. Institute of Retail Management

Centre for Hotel Management and Catering Technology

K.N.G.D. Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research

C.M.D. Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication

C.M.D. Institute of Law Education

K.N.G.D. Institute of Nursing

Dr. K.N. Modi Girls Engineering College

Source: www.kngd.org

Religious Outlook

Modinagar is also known for its famous Laxmi Narayan Temple (also known as

Modi Mandir) located on NH-58 founded by Late Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi which is

a centre of attraction for people of Modinagar as well as for surrounding area. In 19th

century, Rani Balabai Sindhiya founded a temple here which is now popular by the name

of ‘Chhatri Wala Mandir’.4 These temples have contributed a lot in the development of

spiritual and cultural values among the people. Nearby Modinagar, there is a village

known as ‘Sikri Khurd’. This village is very popular for its ‘Mahamaya Temple’. Every

year during Navratras, a fair is organised over here in which people come in lacs from

remote areas.

Medical and Health Facilities

Modinagar is rich in medical and health facilities in the form of a large number of

hospitals and clinics such as Jeevan Hospital, Govil Nursing Home, Priya Darshini

Nursing Home, Lok Priya Hospital, Sarvodaya Hospital, Arya Hospital and Research

Centre, Ginni Devi Modi Research Centre and Hospital (also known as Eye Hospital) etc.

which are providing medical and maternity services for the welfare of masses. There are a

number of dentists, gynecologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, orthopedics, eye

specialists etc. providing private services.

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Market Structure

Initially, Modinagar market was divided into two broad categories namely upper

bazaar and lower bazaar but with the development of Modinagar town and immigration of

people from other areas into it, the market has now been extended to several directions

and new market centres have emerged as Rukmini Market, New Modi Market, Phaphrana

Road, Bhagwan Ganj Mandi, Zila Parishad Market, Gurudwara Road, Tiwra Road, Kasba

Road (also known as Tarang Road), Gandhi Market, Raj Chopla, Niwari Road,

Govindpuri Chhoti Market, Govindpuri Main Market and Sharma Market etc. If all

markets are taken together, it is estimated that there are approximately 4000 shops (as per

the record of Electricity Distribution Division, Sikri Road, Modinagar) dealing in

different types of goods (durables, semi-durables and non-durables) and services.

Shopkeepers deal with building materials, stationeries, tea stalls, vegetables and fruits,

medical stores, readymade garments, shoe stores, general stores, drapers and dry cleaners,

bakery products (confectioneries), furniture, electrical and electronic items etc.

Municipal Board (M.B.)

Modinagar town is run by Municipal Board. Presently Pandit Sudesh Sharma is

the Chairman of Municipal Board but its evolution as a town is slow and steady. On

November 21, 1945, Modinagar Town Area Committee was announced by the

administrative authority. At that time, population of Modinagar was only 4,565. Late Rai

Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi was elected as the Chairman of Modinagar Town Area

Committee and Mr. Ram Sharan and Mr. Haridatt Vaidya were elected as the members of

the Committee.

After independence, first time elections for Town Area were announced in which

Late Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi was elected as the Chairman for Town Area

Committee with eight other members unanimously. At that time, population of

Modinagar was 5,265. Further in 1957, Late Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi was elected as

the Chairman of Town Area Committee with ten other members through voting system

for the first time.

On August 7, 1963, Modinagar Town Area Committee was announced as Notified

Area. Mr. K.N. Modi was elected as Vice Chairman of the Notified Area. At that time,

Modinagar was divided into three wards and two members were elected from each ward.

There was an Administrative Officer, the Vice Chairman Mr. K.N. Modi and twelve other

members.

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In 1976, after coming into existence Ghaziabad as a district, Modinagar was

announced as Municipal Board of second category on August 1, 1977. First time in

November 1988, Chairman and members of Municipal Board of Modinagar had been

elected. In the same year, first time the Government announced elections for Municipal

Board in which Mr. Ram Asre Sharma was elected as the first Chairman of Municipal

Board.’5 Mr. Ram Asre Sharma had been the Chairman of Municipal Board for fifteen

years.

Now, Municipal Board of Modinagar has passed a long period of about twenty

years. During this period, Municipal Board has played a significant role by way of

various development programmes such as building up Gandhi Stadium, Commercial

Centres, Shopping Complex in Govindpuri, shops and hotels, dharmshaalas, provision of

drainage facility, parks, railing and dividers, Leprosy Centre, provision of drinking water

supply through hand pumps and tube wells etc.

At present, Modinagar has been divided into 26 wards which have been shown

clearly in map of Modinagar Municipal Board.

Objectives of the Study

The objective of the present study is to make an honest attempt to know the socio-

economic conditions of the retail workers employed in Modinagar town. The studies

made by national commissions as well as by individual researchers do reveal that the

wages, the working conditions, the sex-wise discrimination, the long working hours, the

denial of weekly off and asking unorganised workers to work even on public holidays, are

several exploitative practices prevalent in all those areas where unorganised workers earn

their livelihood. Therefore, this is a field on which further investigation is required to

assess the living and working conditions of this class of society. The present study is an

effort to collect primary data and to findout the realities. The objectives, therefore, set

forth for the present study, are as under:

1. To highlight the plight of the majority of workers in the Indian economy who are

classified as unorganised workers.

2. To examine social and economic conditions of workers, in general, engaged in

retail trade. (secondary data based analysis)

3. To analyse gender discrimination in retail trade employment. (secondary data

based)

4. To estimate the size, composition and distribution of workers engaged in retail

trade in Modinagar town. (primary data based)

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5. To make a comprehensive study of their socio-economic conditions.

6. To understand the recruitment system in retail sector in Modinagar town.

7. To throw light on wage system, wage determination and wage practices prevailing

in Modinagar town in retail sector.

8. To make survey of ‘other facilities being given to employees’ and to investigate if

there is social security of any form provided by the employer.

9. To study various legal provisions available and their implementation level.

10. To draw attention of non governmental organisations (NGOs) and self help groups

(SHGs) for making suitable models for the upliftment of unorganised workers.

11. To suggest measures to improve socio-economic conditions of the workers

employed in retail sector.

The recognition of the need to ensure socially acceptable conditions of work is

based on the basic principles of human dignity and human rights, which have also been

adopted as international covenants by bodies such as the International Labour

Organisation (ILO) and others concerned with human rights and development.

In India, the basic principles governing state policy as enshrined in the

Constitution, directly or implicitly, ask for ensuring socially acceptable conditions for all

workers. They have also been put in practice by passing several legislations prescribing

the principles and procedures to be followed by the enterprises into the employment of

workers. The principle that the standards should be applied to all workers is accepted but

their application by law has been confined to only the larger enterprises, or what has

come to be known as the ‘organised or formal sector’, presumably because of non-

affordability of the compliance cost by small or unorganised sector enterprises and

difficulties in implementation. In view of the fact that the conditions of work prevailing in

the unorganised sector are bound to violate some of the basic tenets of human dignity,

these assumptions need to be seriously examined for their validity and for explaining

ways of ensuring the minimum standards at workplace for all. The most important issues

which have to be focused upon are:

1. The Minimum Wages Act and impact of minimum wages on the earnings of

workers and hence on poverty.

2. Working conditions of unorganised labour including issues such as the number of

hours of work, payment of overtime, holidays, safety conditions etc.

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3. Plight of women unorganised workers to focus public attention on the continuing

and widespread discrimination across sectors and occupations in terms of nature of job,

lower remuneration and lower work participation rate.

4. Reduction of the gap between informal and formal sectors.

5. Promotion of livelihoods of the unorganised sector workers.

6. Provision of job and social security to the workers.

7. Protection of child rights and education to children.

Thus, in the light of above facts it is important to study the life profile of

unorganised workers so that those who have been neglected by policy makers may not be

neglected by the centres of learning. This empirical study may help the social scientists to

make surveys in different parts of the country and compare the results. It may attract

NGOs as well as SHGs to make suitable models for their upliftment.

Problems to be Addressed under the Study

The present study has been conducted to find out different kind of problems faced

by the unorganised workers engaged in retail trade. So, the problems addressed by the

study are as under:

What kind of working conditions is being faced by the unorganised workers in the

area under study?

What kind of socio-economic conditions are prevailing for retail trade workers?

The nature of employer-employee relationship in Modinagar market.

Rural-urban inhabitance of the unorganised workers.

The security of job of such workers.

Examining the gender bias in unorganised sector.

To measure the extent of incidence of child labour in unorganised retail trade in

Modinagar town.

Focusing on wage differentials among male and female workers.

Factors affecting job preferences of the unorganised workers.

The other benefits being provided by the employers to the employees.

The recruitment system being followed by the employers in unorganised retail

trade sector of Modinagar town.

The chances of migration of unorganised or informal workers from unorganised

retail trade to organised retail trade.

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To examine if the organised retail trade affects the conditions of unorganised

workers.

To evaluate if the knowledge, aptitude and implementation of legal provisions

matter for employers.

The safety nets provided by the Government to unprotected and vulnerable

sections of the society.

The effectiveness of safety nets for unorganised sector workers has been

introduced successfully.

To prescribe a scheme for the social and economical upliftment of unorganised

workers engaged in retail trade of Modinagar town.

Hypotheses to be Tested for the Study

The following hypotheses have been taken for the present study. The hypotheses

have been tested on the basis of primary data collected by an especially constructed tool

for sample survey.

1. The prevailing wage rates do not honour Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

2. The employers are habitual of violating the different legal provisions protecting

the retail trade workers.

3. Job security is the prime concern of unorganised workers.

4. Working conditions of unorganised retail trade workers are deplorable.

5. There is gender bias in unorganised retail trade employment as well as in wage

rates.

6. The incidence of child labour in unorganised retail trade sector is quite high.

7. Unorganised retail trade female workers are not pulled by the town rather they are

pushed out from their home.

Sources of Data Collection

The present study has two parts. Part one is theoretical analysis and part two is

empirical analysis. Quite often, a research work makes use of both sources: primary as

well as secondary. However, much depends upon the purpose and scope of investigation.

For any kind of research work a researcher has to decide whether he/ she will use primary

data or secondary data. The choice between the two depends mainly on nature and scope

of the study, availability of financial resources and time, and degree of accuracy desired.

It also depends upon the agency that conducts the research work whether an individual,

an institution or a government body. It has been pointed out that most researches rest

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upon secondary data. Primary data are generally used in cases where the secondary data

do not provide an adequate basis for analysis. Sometimes the researcher has an academic

commitment and thirst for knowing the truth and wants to reach to the grass root level so

that the bare facts come to light. But in present study, both primary as well as secondary

data have been used to reach to the conclusions about socio-economic conditions of

unorganised workers engaged in retail trade of Modinagar town.

Primary Sources

For empirical purpose, primary data have been collected through especially

designed ‘Schedule’ in which responses of unorganised workers engaged in retail trade of

Modinagar town have been recorded.

Secondary Sources

For theoretical analysis, secondary data have been collected from secondary

sources. Some important journals and reports which have been very helpful in the present

study need a special mention. They are Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), The

Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Southern Economist, International Labour Review,

Nagarlok, Journal of Marketing, Social Welfare, The Indian Journal of Social Work,

Women’s Link, International Journal of Development Issues, Quaterly Journal of

Economics, Journal of Social and Political Thought, Labour File, Production and

Operations Management, Survey, Synthesis and Seminar. In addition to the journals some

articles published in leading magazines have also been reviewed. Important among them

are India Today, Business Line and Fortune. The reports of various committees and

commissions and various acts passed by the government have also been helpful in

preparing the theoretical analysis. Important among them are the First National

Commission on Labour (FNCL), the Second National Commission on Labour (SNCL)

and the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS). While

collecting secondary data, in addition to the websites such as www.nceus.gov.in,

www.labour.nic.in, www.upgov.nic.in, www.uplabour.org, www.modinagar.net,

www.ghaziabad.nic.in, www.nppmodinagar.org etc., the literature has been collected

from National Council for Applied Economic Research (N.C.A.E.R.), New Delhi, Indian

Institute of Public Administration (I.I.P.A.), New Delhi, V.V. Giri National Labour

Institute, Noida, Raja Mahendra Pratap Library, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut,

D.N. (P.G.) College Library, Meerut, Centre for Management Development, Modinagar,

Mewar Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, Dewan Institute of Management Studies,

Meerut and B.L.S. Institute of Management, Ghaziabad. There are some pieces of

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information which have been procured from the offices like Electricity Distribution

Division of Power Corporation, Modinagar, Municipal Board, Modinagar and from

Collectorate Office, Ghaziabad.

Method of Data Collection for Primary Study

For the collection of primary data, sample method has been followed in which

only a part of the population (Modinagar market) has been surveyed and conclusions

about the entire population have been drawn.

Size and Composition of the Sample

As per the monthly report of Electricity Distribution Division6 (2009) of

Modinagar town, it has been noted that in Modinagar town total number of domestic

consumers is 63,817 and total commercial consumers are 6,475. As per the statement of

Executive Engineer [C] Mr. Ram Singh of Electricity Distribution Division of Modinagar

town, total number of shops is 3,887 out of total commercial connections (6,475). On the

basis of this secondary data, approximately 4000 shops have been taken as population

size for the research work of which 10 per cent shops constitute the sample size i.e. 400

shops.

Size of Population - Approximately 4000 shops

Sample Size - 10 per cent of population size i.e. 400 shops

To make the study purposeful, all the shops of Modinagar market have been

divided into four categories namely – durables, semi-durables, non-durables and services

which represent four strata of equal size and have been defined as given below:

Durables

Durable goods are tangible goods that can normally be used for many years e.g.,

television, refrigerators, washing machines and vacuum cleaners.7 In other words,

durables are repeatedly used which live for a fairly long time. These are of two kinds –

consumer durables and producer durables, e.g. car, washing machine and furniture are

consumer durables whereas machines and tools used for production purposes are

producer durables.

Semi-durables

Semi-durables are repeatedly used goods and live for a year or so. Semi-durables

may be shoes, garments, plastic goods etc. OECD8 (2007) defines a semi-durable good as

a good that differs from a non-durable good in that it can be used repeatedly or

continuously over a period longer than a year. According to Martin9 (2007), semi-durable

consumer goods are the goods used more than once with a lifetime of about a year or so

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e.g. shoes, clothing and household linens etc. Margaret et. al.10 (2004) highlighted that in

the National Accounts, semi-durables differ from durable goods in that their expected

lifetime of use, though more than one year, is significantly shorter and their purchase

price is typically less than for durable goods.

Non-durables

Non-durable goods are tangible goods which are used only once i.e. they can not

be repeatedly used.11 Non-durables include both consumer non-durables and producer

non-durables. Cosmetics, eatables etc. are consumer non-durables whereas petrol, diesel,

fertiliser etc. are producer non-durables. Non-durable producer goods are also called

intermediate goods whereas consumer non-durables are final goods. According to

Martin12 (2007), non-durable goods are typically consumables and used only once e.g.

food, beverages and gasoline etc. According to Margaret et. al.13 (2004), in the National

Accounts, non-durable goods are defined as goods that can be used only once, while

durable goods are goods that can be used repeatedly or continuously over a period of

considerably more than one year.

Services

The term ‘service’ has very wide application and with economic development its

coverage is growing fast. It may include retail distribution, business, consultancy

services, medical and educational services, maintenance and repairs (of plants, machinery

and equipments), restaurants and hotels, beauty parlours, health clubs, dry cleaning etc.

Services are intangible, inseparable, variable and most perishable in nature e.g. airline and

banking services.14 Various researchers have defined ‘service’ in different ways.

According to American Marketing Association, services are the activities, benefits or

satisfactions which are offered for sale or provided in connection with the sale of goods.15

Philip Kotler et. al.16 (2002) defined services as any activity or benefit that one party can

offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of

anything. According to Christian Gronross17 (2007), a service is an activity or series of

activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, not necessarily, take place in

interactions between the customer and service employees and/ or systems of the service

provider, which are provided as solution to customer problems.

In this study each category has been further divided into five sub-categories

(strata) and each sub-category consists of 20 shops as mentioned in table 2.5. Thus, there

are 20 sub-categories having 20 shops each thereby forming total sample size i.e. 400

shops.

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Table 2.5 Composition of the Sample

Category Number of Shops As Percentage of Total Shops

Durables 100 25 Per cent

Inverter and Batteries 20 5 Per cent

Furniture 20 5 Per cent

Electrical Items 20 5 Per cent

Jewellers 20 5 Per cent

Kitchenware 20 5 Per cent

Semi-durables 100 25 Per cent

Book Sellers/ Stationers 20 5 Per cent

Shoe Stores 20 5 Per cent

Cloth Houses 20 5 Per cent

Readymade Garments 20 5 Per cent

General Stores 20 5 Per cent

Non-durables 100 25 Per cent

Confectioners 20 5 Per cent

Kirana Stores 20 5 Per cent

Sweet Makers/ Halwai 20 5 Per cent

Medical Stores 20 5 Per cent

Provision Stores 20 5 Per cent

Services 100 25 Per cent

Beauty Parlours 20 5 Per cent

Photostate and Lemination 20 5 Per cent

Tailors 20 5 Per cent

Mobile Galleries 20 5 Per cent

Watch Emporiums 20 5 Per cent

Total Shops (Sample Size) 400 100 Per cent

The Schedule and the Field Survey

For collecting primary data a ‘Schedule’ has been designed in Hindi which has

been administered to 400 respondents personally by the investigator herself. Illiteracy of

the majority of the respondents was the main reason for making the ‘Schedule’ in Hindi,

in which the questions were easily understandable to them. The ‘Schedule’ not the

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‘Questionnaire’ was taken as a tool for survey as the respondents were unable to follow

the questions. The format of the Schedule has been given in Appendix II.

The ‘Schedule’ contains 17 questions. First five questions are related to the

introduction of the respondents containing the name of the employee, the distance of the

workplace from his usual place of residence, father’s details, the details of the employer,

the mode of transport he/ she takes for going to the place of work, the type of shop, the

place of birth, rural-urban inhabitance and the occupation. In these first five questions,

question number 3 deals with the occupation of father and grand father. Occupations have

been classified into six as agriculture, landless labour, family business, employed in

unorganised sector, employed in organised sector and the small family trade. In order to

know the inter-generation shift in occupation father’s and grand father’s occupations have

been noted. Question number 5 is a detailed table that provides information about each of

the family member. The purpose of this table is to understand the socio-economic profile

of the family as a whole. It throws light on the sex composition, the age composition and

the occupational composition of the family. It also provides data regarding the number of

dependents and their educational pattern. This table contains the monthly income of each

earner of the family as well as his/ her monthly job expenditure. The last column contains

monthly saving of each of the family member.

Question number 6 is aimed at professional or technical knowledge of the

employee and the seventh question deals with the wages. Since the wages are usually paid

either as time wage or piece wage, therefore, question number 7 specifically asks the

respondents whether the employee is paid in time wage or in piece wage. Question

number 8 deals with hours of work and the facilities provided to them by the employer.

Question number 9 has been intentionally made to know whether the wages are paid in

time. Question number 10 deals with the monthly expenditure of the employee. Question

number 11 is constructed to compile data for incentives provided by the employer.

Question number 12 throws light on the nature of recruitment. Question number 13 and

14 deal with working conditions. Fifteenth question ascertains the level of satisfaction

and question number 16 deals with the possibility of alternative income i.e. the transfer

earning. Seventeenth question that is the last one is a probing enquiry regarding the merits

of a good employment. It tries to ascertain the perception of the employee regarding job

security, hours of work, promotional opportunities, weekly off, adequate wages and other

facilities. The investigator has to make a rating of these merits in 1-6 scale.

36

Thus, the ‘Schedule’ is simple and elaborate. The effort is to peep into the socio-

economic conditions of the workers in unorganised retail trade in Modinagar town. But

self employed workers and street vendors have not been included under the study.

The unorganised workers that include both males and females working in 400

shops were interviewed. The markets surveyed were Rukmini Market, New Modi Market,

Gandhi Market, Tiwra Road, Gurudwara Road, Lower Bazaar, Upper Bazaar, Railway

Road, Phaphrana Road, Kasba Road (also known as Tarang Road), Zila Parishad Market,

Bhagwan Ganj Mandi, Modi Complex, Subhash Bazaar, Krishna Market, Sharma Market,

Hapur Road, Niwari Road, Raj Chopla, Govindpuri Main Market and Govindpuri Chhoti

Market.

The field work for the study was undertaken between 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This

time was most suited for data collection because most of the shopkeepers and their

employees could give their precious time to make the field survey completed

successfully. At the time of recording responses of the employees, most of the

shopkeepers supported a lot but many of them also tried to influence their employees so

that they could not reveal the secrets of the employers or in other words, the employees

were apprehensive so that they could not present true picture of their socio-economic

conditions as well as of working conditions at the workplace. The field work was

accomplished within a period of approximately six months from March 21, 2008 to

September 12, 2008.

The Test Applied for Data Analysis

For the purpose of analysis of the observations recorded through the sample

survey of Modinagar town, a non-parametric test i.e. Chi-Square Test has been applied to

test aforementioned hypotheses, which are independent of any assumption about the

distribution of population from which a sample has been drawn, that is why called non-

parametric test. So called tests are increasingly being used on account of their distribution

free nature, easy understanding and computation, and their usage with types of

measurements that prohibit the use of parametric tests.

The Chi-Square Test (Non-Parametric Test)

The Chi-Square test is the simplest and most widely used non-parametric test. A

Greek letter ‘χ’ called ‘Chi’ represents it. The Chi-Square test statistic describes the

magnitude of discrepancy between theory and observation. The value of Chi-Square is

given by -

37

χ2 = (O-E)2/E

Where -

O = an observed frequency in a particular category

E = an expected frequency in a particular category

The calculated value of χ2 is compared with its critical (table) value at a particular

level of significance and degrees of freedom. If χ2cal > χ2

critical, then the null hypothesis is

rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis, and it is concluded that the difference

between two sets of frequencies is significant.

Contingency Table Analysis: Chi-Square Test of Independence

The Chi-Square test of independence is used to analyse the frequencies of two

quantitative variables or attributes with multiple categories to determine whether the two

variables are independent. When observations are classified according to two qualitative

variables or attributes and arranged in a table, the display is called a ‘contingency table’,

which displays the frequencies of all possible groups of two variables. A contingency

table has been shown below. The test of independence uses contingency table format and

is also referred to as a ‘Contingency Table Analysis or Test’.

Contingency Table

Variable B Variable A Total

A1 A2 - - - Ac

B1

B2

-

-

-

Br

O11 O12 - - - O1c

O21 O22 - - - O2c

-

-

-

Or1 Or2 - - - Orc

R1

R2

-

-

-

Rr

Total C1 C2 - - - Cc N

Where -

Variables A and B = Mutually exclusive categories

Oij = Observed frequency for the cell in row i and column j

Eij = Expected frequency corresponding to an observed frequency Oij in row i and column

j

R1, R2, - - - Rr = Row totals

38

C1, C2, - - - Cc = Column totals

Grand total of rows = Grand total of columns = the sample size = N

Row Totals (The Sums of Frequencies)

R1 = O11 + O12 + - - - + O1c

R2 = O21 + O22 + - - - + O2c

-

-

-

Rr = Or1 + Or2 + - - - + Orc

Column Totals (The Sums of Frequencies)

C1 = O11 + O21 + - - - + Or1

C2 = O12 + O22 + - - - + Or2

-

-

-

Cc = O1c + O2c + - - - + Orc

Calculation of Expected Frequency (Eij)

Row i Total × Column j Total Eij = ----------------------------------------

Sample Size

Ri × Cj = ---------------

N The general steps to conduct a test of independence to test the association between

two independent variables are summarised as follows:

State null (Ho) and alternative (H1) hypotheses:

Ho : No relationship or association exists between two variables, i.e., they are

independent.

H1 : A relationship exists, i.e., they are related.

Select a random sample and record the observed frequencies (O - values) in each

cell of the contingency table and calculate the row, column and grand totals.

Calculate the expected frequencies (E - values) for each cell.

Compute the value of χ2.

Calculate the degrees of freedom by the following formula:

39

d.f. = (Number of Rows - 1) (Number of Columns - 1) = (r - 1) (c - 1)

Using a level of significance (α) and d.f., find the critical (or table) value of χ2α.

This value of χ2α corresponds to an area in the right tail of the distribution.

Compare the calculated and table values of χ2. Decide whether the variables are

independent or not, using the decision rule:

Accept Ho if χ2cal < table value χ2

α, (r – 1) (c - 1).

Otherwise reject Ho and accept H1.

In addition to the Chi-Square test, averages, percentages, bar diagrams, pie

diagrams and graphical representation have been taken as the tools for drawing correct

conclusions. Sometimes, the varification has been made on the basis of simple frequency

tables. However, every effort has been made to minimise the element of error in

conducting survey as well as in statistical analysis so that the conclusions drawn are

closer to realities and useful for policy formulation. Yet, the respondents being private

employees, poor in education and directly under the influence of the employer so they are

highly vulnerable so far as data collection is concerned. Therefore, the probability of

some degree of unbiased error is not ruled out.

40

References

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Municipal Board, Modinagar, p 27 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid., p 29-31 6. Electricity Distribution Division, (2009), ‘Category-wise Position of Number of

Consumers, Connected Load, Units Sold, Assessment, Realisation and Arrears As

Per CS-3/ CS-4 Statement’, Modinagar, April 7. Kotler, Philip, (2004), ‘Marketing Management’, Pearson Education Pte. Ltd.,

Delhi, p 410-412 8. OECD, (2007), ‘Methodological Manual on Purchasing Power Parities’,

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