Caroline njambi united states international university africa

3.3.2.3 Sample Size 
This refers to the number of elements selected from a given population. „„How large a sample 
should be is a function of the variation in the population parameters under study and the 
estimating precision needed by the researcher. Some of the principles which influence sample 
size comprise: the greater the dispersion or variance within the population, the larger the 
sample must be to provide estimation precision, the greater the desired precision of the 
estimate, the larger the sample must be, the narrower the interval range, the larger the sample 
must be, the higher the confidence level in the estimate, the larger the sample must be, the 
greater the number of subgroups of interest within a sample, the greater the sample size must 
be, as each sub group must meet minimum sample size requirements, and if the calculated 
sample size exceeds five percent of the population, sample size may be reduced without 
sacrificing precision‟‟ (Cooper and Schindler, 2001, p. 172). According to Saunders, Lewis 
and Thornhill (2009) sample size can be calculated by the following formula;
n= p% * q% * (2 / e %) 2
Considering a worst case scenario where p is 50% at a 95% level of confidence, and within an 
error of ± 10. 

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26 
n= 50 * 50 *(1.96 / 10)^
2
= 96 employees. 
However, they further suggest that if the population is less than 1000, then the sample size 
can be adjusted without affecting accuracy using this formula; 
n= n / (1) + (n / N) 
The adjusted minimum sample size was therefore 96 respondents. This is the total sample that 
was considered while collecting the data. Table 3.2 is indicative of the sample size 
distribution.
Table 3.2: Sample Size Distribution 
No 
Department 
Population 
Characteristics 
Total 
Population 
Percentage 
of Entire 
Population 
Sample 
population 
1 
Human Resources 
Managers 
1 
0.2 
0 
Non-Managers 
2 
0.5 
0 
2 
Programmes 
Managers 
6 
1.5 
1 
Non-Managers 
347 
83 
83 
3 
Administration 
and procurement 
Managers 
1 
0.2 
0 
Non-Managers 
29 
7.0 
7 
4 
Finance 
Managers 
1 
0.2 
0 
Non-Managers 
22 
2.9 
5 
5 
Communications 
Managers 
1 
0.2 
0 
Non-Managers 
2 
0.5 
0