Research Proposal
Tenants Participation Benefits: London Borough of Southwark
Introduction:
The dissertation is going to analyse the benefits that the tenant participants enjoy with their participation. The analysis of tenant participation in terms of its benefits will allow evaluating the management and design practices of tenant participation (Rhiannon, 2018). The analysis will use the case study of the housing sector of the London borough of Southwark for analysis of the specific benefits that tenant participation faces in the Estate of Pomeroy. The analysis will show the ways through which the tenant participation gives benefit to the tenants, and how their contribution helps the society. The analysis would provide insights which will aid in the encouragement of tenant participation and delivering of efficient and affordable housing services to the tenants (Berg, 2015). The results would identify the importance of the advantages that tenant participation yields for its tenants. The resultant findings of the dissertation will yield information regarding best practices for tenant participation. The research report published by Kaizen Partnership and Social Engine in 2017 is going to be instrumental in this research (Southwark Council, 2019). The Southwark Council commissioned both organisations to conduct this study to analyse the engagement of the residents in Southwark. The review used the feedback of over 1000 people in terms of their satisfaction level of Tenants and the homeowners Council (Southwark Council, 2017). This dissertation will use the report by Kaizen to analyse how the Tenants consider the Southwark Council as compared to other housing providers and if the current structure delivers value for their invested money in terms of the benefits. The report will analyse how the engagement of the tenants could be improved and what are the future prospects for the coming five years. This dissertation will make use of this secondary source and use it to analyse and compare with other similar sources for answering the research questions (London Borough of Southwark, 2016). The study is expected to highlight not only the benefits of tenant participation, however, also show the best practices which result in higher benefits for the tenants. Furthermore, it is also expected that the study will justify that higher participation and higher engagement of the tenants result in higher benefits for the tenants. The study will show how the best practices result in high tenant participation and high engagement of the tenants in the council of Southwark.
Significance of Topic:
It is important to analyse the benefits of the tenant associations and their participation in tenant associations to identify the best practices and encourage tenants to engage in tenant associations. Tenant participation aids in the involvement of the tenants in the setting of the future objectives of the services, the targets for future services, and performance indicators. It also aids in the undertaking of the basic service reviews. In terms of tenant participation, it is important to highlight that there are different views on what is really meant by tenant participation in terms of perception of the tenants. It has been revealed that tenant participation is perceived as information giving, tenant consultation, tenant control, and tenant participation. The study will show all four levels of tenant participation and how it is perceived by the tenants and its benefits to the tenants. The study will not only show how important tenant participation is, it will also highlight the importance of increasing tenant engagement in tenant associations. The study will provide the tenants with practical knowledge in terms of the best practices which lead to high engagement and participation of the tenants.
Hypothesis or Argument:
The hypothesis for this study is.
H1: The high engagement and participation of the tenants in the London Borough of Southwark result in greater benefits to the tenants.
This is built on the argument that higher tenant engagement and participation should benefit the tenants. The study is going to look at how tenant participation provides benefits to the tenants. For this purpose, the tenant Council of Southwark has been selected to be analysed. The benefits that the participation in the tenant Council of Southwark delivers is going to be highlighted in the study. Furthermore, the best practices which result in benefits for the tenant Council of Southwark would also be discussed.
Relationship with the Specialised Course:
The study’s aim is in coherence with our specialisation as the analysis of the tenant participation and its yielding benefits is aligned with the planning methodologies and strategies which have been studied in our course. The study of the best practices and the evaluation of the benefits would result in the improvement of the planning for the tenant Council of Southwark.
Research Questions:
- What are the benefits of tenant participation?
- What are the benefits of tenant participation to the London Borough of Southwark?
- What is the satisfaction level of the tenants in terms of the services and performance of Southwark Council?
Research Aim:
- The aim of the research is to analyse the benefits of tenant participation and engagement, and the best practices which result in advantages for the tenants. It will analyse the satisfaction level of the tenants with the performance of Southwark Council.
Methodology:
Data Needed for Answering the Questions
In answering the first research question, the prior studies on tenant participation and their engagement will be utilised. The secondary sources of journal articles, research reports, studies conducted by companies, NGOs, tenant associations and academics are going to be used for finding out the general benefits which arise from the participation of tenants in tenant associations and councils.
For the second research question, the data needed for answering the question would require finding and analyse the reports published by or on the tenant Council of Southwark or the London Borough of Southwark. The tenants and their participation in the London Borough of Southwark are going to be analysed for the answer of this question. Furthermore, the resultant benefits will be evaluated as well.
For the third research question, the satisfaction level of the tenants of London Borough of Southwark in terms of the performance of the London Borough of Southwark is going to be analysed. For this purpose, data on the performance and services provided by the London Borough of Southwark council is going to be needed. Furthermore, data on the satisfaction level and perceived value of these services provided by the London Borough of Southwark council is going to be needed as well.
Data Sources:
The dissertation will be based on employing the secondary research method for its research. The secondary research or desk research method is the research method which uses the already published data and information. The already existing data are compared, summarised and analysed to improve the overall effectiveness of the research. Secondary research makes use of the already published literature which usually consists of research documents, journal articles, web articles, reports or all related data published in the online and physical sources in the form of surveys, or reports. There are government and non-government sources as well, which can be used for the purpose of extracting data on the related topic. Usually, this option is used as it is more cost-effective and less time-consuming. Unlike the primary research method, which uses new data that is first collected and then analysed, this method uses the already published research who have used primary sources in their research studies. For the purpose of this dissertation research, the secondary sources that can be utilised include the data available online, Government agencies and nongovernment agencies’ databases, public libraries, online libraries, commercial information sources and educational institutions. This study will use online libraries and published online data mostly for its research. However, some other material from other sources can also be utilised.
Analysis of Data:
The data is going to be analysed using qualitative analytical tools. Data, when analysed, is evaluated in terms of finding connections, patterns, and relationships. The data is analysed to interpret it and give it more meaning. Similarly, the data collection in research study leads to its analysis for yielding insights from it. The analysis of the data leads the researchers to narrow down from data mass to some insightful findings. The qualitative analysis of the data is led by the first step of data validation. This is the step which shows that the data has been collected as per the standards of the study. The data needs to be genuine and not result in some false interviews and surveys. The data chosen for the analysis needed to be true and representation of actual facts. Thirdly, the data needs to be evaluated in terms of the method through which it is analysed. Lastly, it also needs to be complete. After this step, the data is evaluated, coded (if needed) and organised as per sections. This leads to the compilation of the insights that are used as finding of the study.
Reference Materials:
The following sources of data are going to be used primarily for this dissertation. Other sources of data will also be utilized. However, most of the research will be based on the analysis of the following research reports.
Berg, M.L. (2015) Resident involvement in the London Borough of Southwark, [Online], Available: https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/PR-2015-Resident_Involvement_Southwark.pdf [25 September 2019].
London Borough of Southwark (2016) Housing Asset Management Strategy, [Online], Available: https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/housing-community-services-department-community-engagement-team/asset-management-consultation/supporting_documents/Asset%20Management%20Strategy.pdf [25 September 2019].
Rhiannon (2018) Southwark Council Resident and Homeowner Engagement Review, 15 August, [Online], Available: https://www.sgto.
rg.uk/wp_sgto/southwark-council-resident-and-homeowner-engagement-review/ [25 September 2019].
Southwark Council (2017) Improving tenant and homeowner engagement in Southwark – a review Carried out by Kaizen and Social Engine, [Online], Available: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/9924/Kaizen-Review-of-Resident-Involvement-Report.pdf [25 September 2019].
Southwark Council (2019) Southwark Council, [Online], Available: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/ [25 September 2019].
