Week 78 (12.10.08)

Learn



Writing and presenting your project report (Chapter 14, pp518-546)

1. Getting started with writing

• Create time for your writing
• Write when your mind is fresh
• Find a regular writing place
• Set goals and achieve them
• Use word processing
• Generate a plan
• Finish the writing session on a high point
• Get friends to read your work

2. Structuring your project report

• Abstract/Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Method
• Results
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendices

3. Developing an appropriate writing style

• Clarity and simplicity - write simple sentences, avoid jargon, beware of using large numbers of quotations from the literature
• Check your spelling and grammar - avoid common grammatical errors
• Person, tense and gender - pass tense, passive voice, preserving anonymity
• Need for continual revision - to polish work with successive drafts, or give it to your colleague or friend to read

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

Learn some new tips in mantaining creativity and freshness during writing the report. For BAP, follow the guide given by Mr Chan in structuring the business research report. Upon completion of writing the report, may get assistance from my colleague whom has taken before MBA to read and comment or provide feedback on my first draft. This revision will help to polish my thoughts and work before submission.

Week 77 (5.10.08)

Learn

Analysing Qualitative Data (Chapter 13, pp 470-508)

• Qualitative data are non-numerical data that have not been quantified. They result from the collection of non-standardised data that require classification and are analysed through the use of conceptualisation.
• The process of qualitative analysis generally involves the development of data categories, allocating units of your original data to appropriate categories, recognising relationships within and between categories of data, and developing and testing hypotheses or propositions to produce well-grounded conclusions.
• The process of data analysis and data collection is necessarily an interactive one.
• There are a number of aids: interview, observation, document and interim summaries, self-memos and maintaining a researcher's diary.
• Different qualitative analytical strategies can be identified, related to using either a deductively based or an inductively based approach to research.
• Quantifying some categories of qualitative data may help to analyse it.
• The use of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis softward (CAQDAS) can help during qualitative analysis with regard to project management and data organisation.

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

NIL. BAP did not undertake using qualitative data.

Week 76 (28.9.08)

Learn

Collecting primary data using semi-structured, in-depth and group interviews (Chapter 10, pp 310-344)

• The use of non-standardised (qualitative) research interviews should allow you to collect a rich and detailed set of data, although you will need to develop a sufficient level of competence to conduct these and to be able to gain access to the type of data associated with their use.
• Interviews can be differentiated according to the level of structure and standardisation adopted. Different types of interviews are useful for different research purposes.
• Non-standardised (qualitative) research interviews include two broad types that are generally referred to as in-depth or unstructured interviews and semi-structured interviews. You can use non-standardised interviews to explore topics and explain other findings.
• Your research design may incorporate more than one type of interview.
• In-depth and semi-structured interviews can be used in quantitative as well as qualitative research.
• Data quality issues, your level of competence and logistical and resource matters will all need to be considered when you use in-depth and semi-structured interviews.
• Apart from one-to one interviews conducted on a face-to-face basis, you may consider conducting such as interview by telephone or electronically in particular circumstances. In addition, you may consider using group interviews such as focus groups. There may be particular advantages associated with group interviews, but these are considerably more difficult to manage than one-to-one interviews.

Unlearn

Before undertaking this course on Research Methods for Business Students, i thought research can only be done via quantitative approach. New learning on qualitative research interviews.

Relearn

In BAP, my research question only involves quantitative approach as time is a constraint for me in completing the project in 18 weeks. Recommendation for future research in BAP is to conduct the research in combine methods of quantitative and qualitative.

In order to reveal the type of leadership that is successful in a particular organizational context, in-depth interviews (qualitative data analysis) with effective leaders at various levels of the organization help to determine when, where, and how they operate effectively within Pfizer. These leaders then become key change agents, helping to raise Pfizer’s overall leadership capability.

Week 75 (21.9.08)

Learn


Collecting primary data through observation (Chapter 9, pp 282-302)

• Participant observation is a method in which the researcher participates in the lives and activities of those whom they are studying. It is used to attempt to get to the root of "what is going on" in a wide range of social settings.
• Participant observation means that you adopt a number of potential roles differentiated by the degree to which your identity is concealed from the subjects of the research and the degree to which you participate in the events you are studying.
• Participant observation must avoid the trap of mere storytelling. The purpose is to develop theory.
• A prevalent form of data analysis used in participant observation is analytic induction. This may lead to an initial hypothesis being redeveloped more than once.
• Structured observation is concerned with the frequency of events. It is characterised by a high level of predetermined structure and quantitative analysis.
• The main threats to reliability and validity inherent in structured observation are subject error, time erroe and observer effects.

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

NIL. In BAP, i did not pursue to use primary data under observation. Therefore, no skills applied.

Week 74 (14.9.08)

Learn

Using secondary data (Chapter 8, pp 246-272)

• Data that have already been collected for some other purpose, perhaps processed and subsequently stored, are termed secondary data. There are 3 main types of secondary data:

1. documentary
2. survey
3. from multiple sources

• Most research projects require some combination of secondary and primary data to answer your research question(s) and to meet your objectives. You can use secondary data in a variety of ways. These include:

1. to provide your main data set
2. to provide longitudinal data
3. to provide area-based data
4. to compare with, or set in context, your own research findings.

• Any secondary data you use will have been collected for a specific purpose. This purpose may not match that of your research. In addition, the secondary data are likely to be less current than any data you collect yourself.
• You must evaluate the precise suitablility of the secondary data. Your evaluation should include both reliability and any likely measurement bias. You can then make a judgement on the basis of the costs and benefits of using the data in comparison with alternative sources.

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

In BAP, my secondary data was on "leadership" and "leadership effectiveness". These secondary data were used to support my research question on leadership perception of sales employees' upon Pfizer's Sales Leaders'. The leadership effectiveness definitions by Leadership Gurus were used to compare with my own research findings.

Week 73 (7.9.08)

Learn

Negotiating access and research ethics ( Chapter 6, pp 162-196)

• Access and ethics are critical aspects for the conduct of research.
• Different types and levels of access have been identified that help us to understand the problems of gaining entry; physical access to an organisation; access to intended participants; continuing access in order to carry out further parts of your research or to be able to repeat the collection of data in another part of the organisation; cognitive access in order to get sufficiently close to find out valid and reliable data.
• Feasibility has been recognised to be an important determinant of what you choose to research and how you undertake the research.
• Qualitative research is likely to lead to a greater range of ethical concerns in comparison with quantitative research, although all research methods have specific ethical issues associated with them.
• Ethical concerns are also associated with the "power relationship" between the researcher and those who grant access, and the researcher's role (as external researcher, internal researcher or internal consultant).

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

In BAP, I seek permission from Sales Department Head to allow me gain access to undertake my research from our sales employees. As a return, i will share the research findings to add value to our department with the objective to improve our leadership capabilities.

Week 72 (31.8.08)

Learn

The credibility of research design (Chapter 5, Pg 151, Research Methods for Business Students)

Generalisability

• This sometimes referred to as external validity.
• Whether your findings may be equally applicable to other research settings, such as other organisations
• Your task will be simply to try to explain what is going on in your particular research setting.
• It may be that you want to test the robustness of your conclusions by exposing them to other research settings in a follow-up study.
• In short, as long as you do not cliam that your results, conclusions or theory can be generalised, there is no problem.

Unlearn

NIL

Relearn

Understand this concept. In my own BAP topic about leadership in Pfizer, the results and conclusion will solely meant for Pfizer at this point of time after transformation, the findings cannot be generalised to other pharma companies.

However, in my opinion, the findings can be shared with the management for recommendation of improvement and further action plans.