UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

OVERVIEW COMPANY RESEARCH MBA5925

1. Welcome and Introductin 2. Module Overview 3. Assessments 4. Prescribed Books 5. Assignments

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 1

UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

1.

Welcome and Introduction

Welcome to the second module in Management Research i.e. Company Research. I hope you are not only benefiting academically and career wise from this course, but also that you also enjoying the journey. Let me introduce myself although I am sure most of you know me by now: I am the Course Team Leader (CTL) for the Management Research module: Company Research. I am also an independent Management Business Consultant with an active private practice. I am thus able to combine Academic and Practical Business experience and I find this combination a great advantage in teaching this module. I hope I will be able to share some of this experience with you and thus make this course more than just an academic experience. Please feel free to make use of this as it will add to your growth in business experience. My contact number is 084 428 3485 or sidneys@webmail.co.za A Management Research module will form a component of every year of your MBA and we will progressively advance your knowledge of research from Year 1 (Introduction to Research) to Year 2 which is all about understanding the basics of Company research and developing the opening chapters of your Company research project. Year 3 will be the actual doing of the research project where you will apply the principles you have learnt in Year 1 and 2. I know I raised this point in year 1 but it is so important I will repeat it here. Research is a lot about being inquisitive, asking questions and having a passion for understanding the underlying complexity of the issues you are dealing with. This implies a passion for asking questions, not accepting the easy answers, and always being critical, analytical and reflective. Management Research provides you with that wonderful opportunity to think and reflect on the decisions we make as managers, to ponder on the substance underlying our decision-making processes. Think back to the last time you made an important business decision, or the last time a strategic decision was made in your company. Ask yourself how was that decision made? Was it based on the best information available; was the diversity of experience available used in making such a decision? Once the decision was made was there a reflective review of the decision? In most cases the answer is that managers do not analyze or reflect on the decisions they have made and it is this reflection that we introduce to you in this Research course. Many of you may however, think of research as something theoretical, not directly applicable to business practice. We hope that this course will change that perception and give each one of you a powerful tool to apply in considered business decision-making. Be assured that while I insist on maintaining high academic standards, I also have your success at heart. A high academic standard ensures that all of you who write MBA behind you name can do it with pride and that you will be sought after in the business world. That is our objective. Best wishes for a successful year, Dr Sidney Shipham (Doc) Course Team Leader: Company Research Mobile: 084 428 3485 Email: sidneys@webmail.co.za

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 2

UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

2.

Module Overview

Overall objectives: In your first year you were introduced to a number of research tools such as Brainstorming and Mind mapping (Please review these notes in your OU Booklets). In your assignments you were also introduced to Research design principles. One objective of this module is to get practice in applying these tools in order to unravel the contextual complexity of research problems in your company i.e. Company research. A second objective is to initiate a thinking pattern of critical reflective analysis that will make you not only a good researcher but more importantly a better business person. The outcomes required from this module are: Choosing an appropriate research problem Developing an understanding of the underlying complexity related to the research problem Building an argument around the research problem Applying the concept of critical reflective analysis Applying appropriate research tools Professional presentation Understanding the role and application of the Literature review Documentation of a Research Proposal (Provisional chapters 1-4 of your final report) Please note: The emphasis here is on Business or Management Research i.e. the focus is to assist you to achieve a better understanding of business exploiting research processes.

3.

Assessment

Candidates are assessed on the basis of 3 assignments.

4.
4.1

Prescribed Books
The prescribed book is the same as for year 1 i.e.

Coldwell, D. and Herbst, F. Business Research, Cape Town: Juta.

5.

Assignments

Critical analysis is the language of business research and a reflective, critical approach is therefore essential in every assignment and the final Research Proposal that you submit. To develop a reflective and analytical management approach you need to continually ask yourself the following questions: Am I making vague generalizations? Can I see beyond the obvious? Can I substantiate what I am saying? What are the pros and cons of what I am saying?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 3

UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

Use these questions to guide you through your assignments and you will be well on the way to becoming a reflective business manager and thus well on your way to passing this course. Once you have a start of an idea for your research project make use of business tools to develop this embryonic idea into a full scale research question and Proposal. 5.1 Assignment 1: Identifying a topic, Provisional Problem in Context Problem review, Research statement, Research objectives

Consider various issues that have arisen in the workplace. List them. From this list reflect and consider which of these issues you have the most interest in converting to a research project. Select one option from the above work related issues and get 4 or more of your colleagues together and brainstorm the problem. List the ideas emanating from the brainstorming Document a logical story (1 page) around the brainstorming. The story must be unbiased with no leading or categorical statements. This is your provisional Problem in context. Using tools such as mind mapping and critical reflective analysis, identify 2-3 constructs or themes emanating from the short logical story. Reflect critically on the constructs that you have created. Discuss how a greater understanding of these constructs in turn unravels some of the underlying complexity of your research problem and reflect on how this increases your understanding of the underlying issues. Look also for linkages between the underlying issues. This is your Problem review. State the Research problem in 2-3 lines only. List 3-4 Objectives you consider appropriate to this research problem Format of assignment 1: Brainstorming list (in appendix) Problem in context (1-2 pages) List of potential themes or constructs (Mindmap in appendix) Problem review: Reflective analysis of the 3-4 themes (1-2 pages only) Research / Problem statement Research objectives (3-4) 5.2 10 Marks 40 Marks 10 Marks 30 Marks 5 Marks 5 Marks

Assignment 2: Review of assignment 1 plus Provisional Problem analysis and Literature review

Review your assignment 1 in the light of the feedback comments you have received. Comment in the assignment how you have made changes in response to the feedback received i.e. respond appropriately to the feedback given. Consider 2 of the constructs or themes you have identified in Problem review. For each construct consider 2 business management models that might assist you to understand the underlying complexity of your research problem or constructs. Use these models to further interrogate the complexity of your research problem. This is your provisional Problem analysis (Only 1-2 pages required)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 4

UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

Document a short Literature review around the research problem (1-2 pages with at least 6-8 different authors) Format of assignment 2: Review of Assignment 1 20 Marks Problem analysis: 2 page critical reflective discussion using the models to interrogate the constructs or themes. 40 Marks Literature review (1-2 pages) 40 Marks 5.3 Assignment 3 (Exam assignment) : Research proposal: Putting it all together

Note: This assignment prepares you for your final year research report. The focus here is on integrating what you have learnt from year 1 and 2 and the end product is a Research proposal. Developing a research proposal is one of the first steps in initiating your final research report in year 3 so this exercise will stand you in great stead. A further objective of this assignment is to move from the theory to the practical application. Thus you will use your own organisation and a provisional research problem within your organisation as a basis for this assignment. See Chapter 4 of Coldwell and Herbst and Toolkit 2 p 47 for ideas on this report. Research proposal Reconsider the research problem you documented in assignment 1. If you are happy with the potential of this problem for year 3 then proceed with it. If not you are welcome to start from scratch and use a new research problem. The process of converting an idea for a research project into a concise, well-defined proposal is frequently the most difficult task of the entire project. The proposal represents a plan for the research project and it is crucial in achieving the objective of timely completion. A suggested outline for the proposal: Topic Problem in context (1-2 pages) Problem review (1 page) A problem statement (Thesis format) Research objectives Importance/benefits of the study i.e. Business case (1/2 a page) Limitations and Delimitations Problem analysis / Theoretical considerations (2-3 pages) Literature review (2-3 pages) Research design concepts including Population and Sample, Data collection methods and validity and reliability issues. What is required here is 10-15 lines of research theory followed by 10-15 lines of what you will do in your research specific to the theory you have just documented. 3-4 pages). Schedule / timeline References Appendices

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 5

UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership 2010/592-5 /MBA2

Checklist for reviewing the proposal Use the following checklist for reviewing the proposal: Does the proposal have imagination? Is the problem stated clearly? Are the Objectives clear, unambiguous, and testable? Is the problem too large in scope? Is the methodology feasible? Can data be collected? How will data be analysed? Is the population to be sampled receptive to investigation? Can major research activities be listed? Can a time estimate be attached to each major activity? Is the dissertation/thesis trying to do too much? If yes, what can be dropped or reduced to make the project of manageable dimensions?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Sidney Shipham June 2010 6