Organizational Research: Internal and External Consultants

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Introduction

Research has been widely used to generate knowledge and to solve problems. This paper will describe basic and applied research, internal and external research consultants and state the purpose of organizational research in using the PC software.

It will define research, state how to conduct research, state the research process and show how research is scientific. Definition of terms, explanation of their uses in research and the hypothesis testing procedure will be covered in this paper.

Basic and applied research

Basic or pure research is conducted for the sake of increasing knowledge. Moreover, basic research investigates the topics that are scientific in nature. For instance, research has been conducted to find out how the universe began to exist.

Basic research has no commercial basis and does not seek to invent for commercial purpose. In most cases, basic research is supported by the state because today’s invention may be useful a decade later. Researchers believe that basic research leads to the growth of a certain field.

On the other hand, applied research is done to solve problems and to improve the conditions of a situation. An example of applied research is research conducted to establish the cause of slow movement of goods in the market.

Applied research builds on basic research. It can be done for commercial objectives. In simple terms, applied research can only be done in a situation where there is a problem while basic research is done in a situation where knowledge is needed for the sake of increasing information and quenching curiosity.

Internal and external consultants

The internal and external research consultants are people capable of doing research and giving the best results. Internal researchers are agents within the organization while the external researchers work for the organization because of their experiences from previous consultations.

The internal research department of a company has the advantage of knowing the company’s internal system. It is conversant with the history of the organization and is aware of the details of the organization’s goals and objectives. On the other hand, external research consultants bring new ideas and are believed to be objective.

The external consultants are timed, and expensive. Besides knowing the systems, the internal consultants also understand the culture, symbols and the language of the organization

Some of the challenges that can be faced when using internal research consultants include the challenge of conducting research to the same people they interact with everyday and have formed a relationship already. This may cause them to have preconceptions about some of the employees in the organization.

Hiring internal consultants also has financial implications to the organization as the cost of keeping an internal research consultant is higher than that of hiring an external consultant. This is because they take a long period of time before the final success is realized.

Despite the cost implications on the side of the organizations, it is still advisable for organizations to consider hiring internal consultants instead of external ones. This is because they have the advantage of being available all the time and they also understand the organization’s objectives better.

Purposes for which organizational research can progress with the currently available PC software

An organization can conduct research using the currently available PC software for it to be able to deal with a problem within the organization. The available PC software can enable a person to analyze data that has been computed, obtain results and interpret them.

The computer, through a network, can enable the researcher to collect data by sending questionnaires to employees working in the company and receiving responses to the questions through email. This software allows progress in research because it makes collection of data easy and saves on the cost as well as time.

When the problems are discovered, the PC software can allow for another survey to monitor progress and changes that occur by obtaining information and analyzing it. Since the software remains the property of the organization, it can be used for doing research for all the departments within the organization.

For this reason, repeated research can help the organization make discoveries that can help expand the company and obtain more revenue. For instance, it can lead to a discovery on how to motivate the employees. The motivated employees in turn become creative and contribute ways of dealing with problems. Fewer problems lead to the organizational success.

Defining research, how to conduct research, research process and how research is scientific

Research is an organized way of conducting investigation with the aim of getting information or solving a problem. When conducting a research, the researcher chooses a topic and clearly outlines the scope. Then, the researcher reviews literature on the chosen topic to familiarize themselves with the latest publications on the topic and to ensure their research topic has not been covered.

The researcher then plans and executes the research and obtains findings. Thereafter, the findings are compared to existing knowledge so that they can come up with the conclusion. After the conclusion a report is written about the research and conclusion for different audiences, like the general public or the authorities or the other scholars. The researcher can then publicize the findings of the research.

A research process is a progression of steps that are taken by a researcher to conduct a comprehensive and accurate research. The major steps include: identifying and developing a topic, literature review, evaluation, analysis and reporting.

A research is considered scientific when it adheres to the steps and standards of scientific research. Scientific research is characterized by a set goal, interpretation of the results, replication, accumulation of knowledge and a conclusion. Scientific research is also verifiable and unbiased.

Explaining terms used in research

Null hypothesis

A null hypothesis is a type of hypothesis, usually in statistics, that indicate a possible rejection of the statistical significance. It can also be argued that a null hypothesis is a hypothesis that a researcher attempts to disapprove.

Replicability

Replicability is a term used in research to refer to the potential of a research study to be repeated in diverse conditions and with different subjects to establish the accuracy of the original research. The aim is to determine if the conclusion or findings can be generalized to be true in similar circumstances and to subjects with the same characteristics.

Moderator variable

A moderator variable has the capability of altering the other variables in the analysis of qualitative and quantitative research. It is independent on both the qualitative and quantitative variables. It affects the causal relationship between the two variables.

Cross-sectional study

A cross- sectional study is a type of research method where the entire population, or a section of the population, is observed at a specific time. The study gives the observation of the population rather than selected subjects with certain characteristics. This study can provide a lot of information about prevalence of a behavior or disease and give additional information about causes.

Comparing and contrasting terms

Primary and Secondary Data

Primary data is information collected by the researcher himself from the field. An example of primary data is observations from an experiment. Secondary data is information that has been collected by someone else other than the researcher. It includes: census, records from a business organization and books. Primary data is not recorded and translated unlike secondary data which has to be recorded.

Field study versus Comparative study

A field study is a method where subjects are studied in their natural setting. The researcher avoids relocating the subjects and makes observation when they are in their own setting. On the other hand, comparative study involves studying subjects by comparing observations obtained from different research studies. Comparative study allows comparison of characteristics while field study gives characteristics for a specific setting.

Bibliography and References

Both bibliography and references are recorded at the end of a research. They are also written in alphabetical order. Bibliography is a list that indicates materials used in writing an essay or writing a book. On the other hand, references are the sources of information that have been referred to in the essay, article or even a book. A bibliography does not have to be in the referenced text.

Criterion and Predictor Variable

Criterion and predictor variables are both used to establish relationship of regression in statistics. Criterion variable is the variable that is measured in a regression. On the other hand, predictor variable is simply a variable that can be used to determine the value of a specific variable.

Short notes of terms

Panel Studies

Panel studies are investigations done on the same subjects at different times. The study assists the researcher to note changes that occur after duration of time in a given population. It is important when a researcher wants to understand a cause and effect relationship between variables.

Open-ended vs. Closed questions

Open ended questions are questions that make the interviewee give more than one answer. The answer can be an explanation and the researcher does not limit the answers, hence it is called open ended. On the other hand closed questions are questions whose answers are finite. They can be yes, no, or no response depending on the structure of the questionnaire.

Participant Observation

Participant observation is a type of research where the researcher observes the subjects of research by being involved in their activities or by living with them. Besides direct observation, the researcher can interview, participate in discussion and analyze records of the subjects of study.

Social Desirability

Social desirability happens when respondents give a response that would be viewed as favorable by the interviewer. The respondents answer questions underestimating failures or bad actions and overestimating success or good activities in question. An example is when answering a question about the success of a company; employees will tend to talk of the positive side and overlook the negative side.

Operational Definition

Operational definition is used to give the exact measure of a term or variable in a research. It eradicates confusion by giving specific details of the term and its measure. It differentiates similar terms by stating what would make the observations be considered to belong to a certain term and not the other.

The hypothesis testing procedure

The procedure for testing a hypothesis involves first stating the hypothesis. This is done by stating the null hypothesis which should be mutually exclusive to the alternative hypothesis. For instance if 0 is obtained then X is true. Then, the next step is the analysis plan which involves selecting the significance level. They may be ranging from 0- 0.5.

The testing method is also indicated and the sampling distributions together with the test statistic are put to test. The researcher can use the mean to establish the probability. If the probability range does not fall within the level of significance, then the null hypothesis is not accepted.

The next step is to analyze the data obtained from the sample. The statistics are then tested using the standard deviation if the null hypothesis involves a mean. If there are categories, then the chi- square is used to test statistic. Interpreting the result is the final step.

The researcher uses the stated hypothesis to interpret the answer. For instance, if the results show no likelihood of the null hypothesis becoming true, then the null hypothesis is rejected. This implies that the values do not fall within the level of significance, hence reject the null hypothesis.

Conclusion

Research is scientific and can be used to obtain accurate information following scientific process. There are various methods that can be used to collect data like participant observation. After collecting the data the statistics can be tested by following the hypothesis testing procedure.

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