Running Head:RESEARCH METHODS 1 RESEARCH METHODS 2 Research Methods RESEARCH METHODS 1. What is your research question? What is the influence of music on worker’s productivity? 2. What is your hypothesis or hypotheses? What is the null hypothesis? A hypothesis is a shrewd guess, an assumption, explanation, an informed judgment or inference that is professionally adopted to explain facts or conditions or to guide one on how to attack the problem. A hypothesis helps the study in suggesting prediction, explaining outcome and in guiding the investigation to provide a focus. There are two types of hypotheses commonly used in research namely Alternative hypothesis and Null hypothesis. An alternative hypothesis is stated in the positive form indicating the direction or kind of relationship expected. It is concept oriented. For this research the alternative hypothesis is: · Music improves productivity in the work environment. The null hypothesis is justified where prior knowledge or findings are lacking, and where there is no basis for predicting the probable direction or relationship. It is a negative form of the hypothesis that the phenomenon has occurred out of chance, hence non-directional. In this research the null hypothesis is: · Music does not improve productivity in the workplace. 3. How many participants would you like to use and why? What are the inclusion characteristics, i.e., what must they have in order to be included in your study (for example, gender, diagnosis, age, personality traits, etc.)? Are there any exclusion characteristics, i.e. are there certain characteristics that would exclude them from being in your study? Does the sample need to be diverse? Why or why not? For this research, the number of participants will be twenty. Ten men and ten women and they all must be at least 21 years and above. These individuals will be subjected to different working conditions and their performances observed in those different areas. There will be no need of any exclusion characteristics from the participants. 4. What sampling technique will be used to collect your sample? What population does your sample generalize to? A study may target a large area or a large group of items to be studied. The entire group or persons or set of objects and events to be studied is called population. The most important aspect is that the population must possess all the characteristics (variables) the researcher is interested in. Given that the researcher cannot be everywhere at once or take every possible viewpoint at the same time, the researcher needs to get to the general population through a sample. A sample is a group of people, or records or a number of observations from a larger population. The process of selecting the sample for the study is called sampling. For this resear.

1. Running Head:RESEARCH METHODS
1
RESEARCH METHODS
2
Research Methods
RESEARCH METHODS
1. What is your research question?
What is the influence of music on worker’s productivity?
2. What is your hypothesis or hypotheses? What is the null
hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a shrewd guess, an assumption, explanation, an
informed judgment or inference that is professionally adopted to
explain facts or conditions or to guide one on how to attack the
problem. A hypothesis helps the study in suggesting prediction,

2. explaining outcome and in guiding the investigation to provide
a focus. There are two types of hypotheses commonly used in
research namely Alternative hypothesis and Null hypothesis. An
alternative hypothesis is stated in the positive form indicating
the direction or kind of relationship expected. It is concept
oriented. For this research the alternative hypothesis is:
· Music improves productivity in the work environment.
The null hypothesis is justified where prior knowledge or
findings are lacking, and where there is no basis for predicting
the probable direction or relationship. It is a negative form of
the hypothesis that the phenomenon has occurred out of chance,
hence non-directional. In this research the null hypothesis is:
· Music does not improve productivity in the workplace.
3. How many participants would you like to use and why? What
are the inclusion characteristics, i.e., what must they have in
order to be included in your study (for example, gender,
diagnosis, age, personality traits, etc.)? Are there any exclusion
characteristics, i.e. are there certain characteristics that would
exclude them from being in your study? Does the sample need
to be diverse? Why or why not?
For this research, the number of participants will be twenty. Ten
men and ten women and they all must be at least 21 years and
above. These individuals will be subjected to different working
conditions and their performances observed in those different
areas. There will be no need of any exclusion characteristics
from the participants.
4. What sampling technique will be used to collect your sample?
What population does your sample generalize to?
A study may target a large area or a large group of items to be
studied. The entire group or persons or set of objects and events
to be studied is called population. The most important aspect is
that the population must possess all the characteristics
(variables) the researcher is interested in. Given that the
researcher cannot be everywhere at once or take every possible
viewpoint at the same time, the researcher needs to get to the
general population through a sample. A sample is a group of

3. people, or records or a number of observations from a larger
population. The process of selecting the sample for the study is
called sampling. For this research, I am going to use random
sampling. This procedure ensures that each unit of the sample is
chosen on the basis of a chance to avoid sampling bias. A
sampling bias occurs where researcher has not carefully
selected the samples that are expected to represent the general
target population, resulting in negative impact on the study
findings.
5. What are the variables in your study?
Variables are quality, properties or characteristics of persons,
things or situation that change or vary such as age, sex
(male/female), education (university, secondary, primary), size,
weight, height, etc. In research variables are classified into two
types namely:
Independent Variables: A variable that influences other
variables, i.e. the intervention performed to see change/outcome
in the variables proposed as being dependent on it. It is the
presumed effect. Provide operational definitions for each
variable. The independent variable will be music in this
research.
Dependent Variables: A variable predicted/explained. It reflects
the effects or response to the independent variable (appears,
disappears, diminishes or increases). The dependent variable in
this research will be workers’ productivity (Scandura, &
Williams, 2000).
6. How will you measure each variable? Discuss the reliability
and validity of these measures in general terms.
The variables will be measured by counting the achievement the
workers make on their works as they work in different areas
with music and without music.
7. What technique will be used for data collection (e.g.,
observation, survey, interview, archival, etc.)?
Archival and observational techniques will be used in the
research. To confirm the results, interviews and questionnaires
will also be needed.

4. 8. What type of research design is being used?
I intend to use both qualitative and quantitative research
designs. Qualitative research is a systematic, subjective
approach used to describe life experiences and give them
meaning. Quantitative research is defined as a “formal,
objective, rigorous, systematic process for generating
information about the world” (Neuman, 2005).
9. Briefly, discuss the procedure that would be followed when
conducting the research.
· The research will be conducted as per the phases outlined
below:
· Problem identification
· Formulation of research objectives/questions
· Formulation of research hypothesis and/or assumptions
· Literature review/what has been done on the topic
· Research design: scope and methods (where, when and how)
· Data collection: instruments, measurements, sampling frame.
· Data analysis: description of results
· Data interpretation: discussions and inferences
· Conclusions: implications of research findings, conclusions,
and recommendations
10. What are some POTENTIAL ethical issues? How might they
be addressed?
Sometime when better results are needed, the participants must
not be aware that they are being used in a research, and this is
sometime unethical and may result in litigation (Creswell,
2002).
References
Neuman, W. L. (2005). Social research methods: Quantitative
and qualitative approaches (Vol. 13, pp. 26-28). Boston, MA:
Allyn and bacon.
Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M. A., & Chatterjee,

5. S. (2007). A design science research methodology for
information systems research.Journal of management
information systems, 24(3), 45-77.
Scandura, T. A., & Williams, E. A. (2000). Research
methodology in management: Current practices, trends, and
implications for future research.Academy of Management
journal, 43(6), 1248-1264.
Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning,
conducting, and evaluating quantitative. New Jersey: Upper
Saddle River.
Running head: Music Productivity in the Work Environment.
1
Music Productivity in the Work Environment. 9
Music Productivity in the Work Environment
Music Productivity in the Work Environment.
Robertson E., Korczynski M. & Pickering M. (2007).
Harmonious relations? Music at Work in the Rowntree and
Cadbury factories. Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/detail/detai
l?sid=cdc43a35-c680-4c66-b381-
16113b64c57b%40sessionmgr112&vid=0&hid=101&bdata=JnN
pdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=24232933&db=bth
The harmonious article relations explains the benefits of music
in the Rowntree and Cadbury factories, and it specifically
pertains to the research regarding the explanation of breaking
the monotony in the repetitive tasks that workers in a specific
work environment have to go through.
Korczynski M. (2003). Music at Work: Towards a Historical
Overview. Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from

6. http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1356585
?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral
The article mostly focuses on the application of music in Britain
in the pre-industrialization, industrialized capitalism, and the
post-industrial capitalism. This relates to the topic in that it
highlights the increased productivity of the work output through
the introduction of music to boost the worker’s morale.
The influence of distracting familiar vocal
music on cognitive performance of introverts
and extroverts.(2012). Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://pom.sagepub.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/search?author1=Fur
nham&fulltext=The%20Influence%20of%20Distracting%20Fam
iliar%20Vocal%20Music%20on%20Cognitive%20Performance%
20of%20Introverts%20and%20Extraverts&pubdate_year=2012&
volume=40&firstpage=&submit=yes
The article highlights the potential distractive tendencies that
music has on the introverts and the extroverts while showing
that in both arenas, the lyrics in the music interfered with the
work output by interfering with the cognitive processes of the
brain. This research relates to the research on the influence of
music in the work environment by pointing out the potential
risks that could come as a result of applying music in the work
environment.
Magnini V. P. (2009). The Psychological Effects of Music:
Implications for Hotel Firms. Retrieved on 26th February 2016,
from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1957945
17?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral
The psychological effects of music and the implications of
music in hotel firms provides an enlightening sector where the
music can be used to increase the guests’ comfortability as well
as the guest services by the hotel patrons and employees. This
particular article highlights the positive effects of music being
introduced in the work environment and how it could potentially
increase the hotel guest relationship.
Speer S. (2011). The effect of background music, speech and

7. silence on office workers' selective attention. Retrieved on 26th
February 2016, from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1010409
451?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft
Research into the effects of background music, speech and
silence on office workers on account of their selective attention
indicates that the state office workers delivered more results
when working with background music. This pertains to the
research in that it shows the positive effects of music in the
working environment as to the productivity of the workers.
Project Outline.
a. Influence of music on worker productivity in the work
environment
i. What is the effect of music in the work environment regarding
the productivity?
ii. Understanding the role of music in worker productivity by
helping us analyze if it would be advisable to introduce music
in specific work environments and the reasons why it would be
or not be prudent to introduce it in the work environment in the
first place.
iii. Music is potentially beneficial to better work productivity in
the work environment.
b. A literature review of Music in the Work Environment.
i. The relation of music to the work environment has continued
to be a crude question in the work arena especially regarding
the ethics and professionalism associated with the introduction
of such practices in the work environment. Research conducted
on the effects of music in the work environment proves that
work productivity can have different outcomes with music
playing in the background depending on the specific task that
the job description requires. (Magnini V. P. (2009). The
Psychological Effects of Music: Implications for Hotel Firms,
Speer S. (2011). The effect of background music, speech and
silence on office workers' selective attention)
ii. Background into the input of music in several work forums in
the past and their implications on the overall work output.

8. (Korczynski M. (2003). Music at Work: Towards a Historical
Overview, Robertson E., Korczynski M. & Pickering M. (2007).
Harmonious relations? Music at Work in the Rowntree and
Cadbury factories).
iii. Implications of the research for the effects of music in the
work environment. (The influence of distracting familiar vocal
music on cognitive performance of introverts and extroverts)
A sampling procedure in the research.
The sampling technique that was most suitable for the study was
the random sampling method which will cover most articles in
regards to the project and their responses to the effects of music
on the work productivity of its introduction. Randomly
sampling several areas ensured the collective perspective from
different fields hence giving an overall view and decisive
conclusions as to the applicability of the project in the long run.
The random sampling technique was also most suitable as it
provided a diverse information collection perspective without
bias while offering a wider view of the project study thus
incorporating many theories into the study based on the
different applicability principles that were gathered from the
data. This sampling technique gave an overall general
perspective on the issue of the effects of music in the work
environment representing different thoughts of various sources.
As to the inclusion criteria, despite using a random sampling
technique, the study was keen to observe the particular effects
to the workers involved in the work environment rather than the
reciprocating customers or clients as the research mostly
focused on the productivity of the workers as a whole and not
the varied input that the clients would offer towards increasing
or affecting this productivity.
The ethical implications of the collection of this information
was in regards to the authenticity of the research that was pre-
conducted on the workers and whether there was an actual
relation between the effects of music on work productivity or if
any other factors might have influenced the target groups
pertaining the study to act or respond in the mannerism in which

9. they did.
References.
Altom T. (2011). Are iPods in the workplace music to an
employer's ears? Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
`http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer
/pdfviewer?sid=f527dcc3-c7ca-4504-9699-
99bd10f5a0f4%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4109
Fiore J. M. (2004). The effectiveness of a music-based
relaxation intervention and a mindfulness-based intervention
delivered online to decrease hospice workers stress and improve
professional quality of life. Retrieved on 26th February 2016,
from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1711143
849?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft
Jones K. (2010). Music in factories: a twentieth-century
technique for control of the productive self. Retrieved on 26th
February 2016, from
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/detail/detai
l?sid=5c3889df-93ef-43d5-ab2b-
90d68d8682ea%40sessionmgr4005&vid=0&hid=4109&bdata=Jn
NpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=18622116&db=a9h
Korczynski M. (2003). Music at Work: Towards a Historical
Overview. Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1356585
?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral
Magnini V. P. (2009). The Psychological Effects of Music:
Implications for Hotel Firms. Retrieved on 26th February 2016,
from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1957945
17?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral
Prichard C., Korczynski M & Elmes M..(2005). Music at Work:
An Introduction. Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/2033752
57?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral

10. Robertson E., Korczynski M. & Pickering M. (2007).
Harmonious relations? Music at Work in the Rowntree and
Cadbury factories. Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/detail/detai
l?sid=cdc43a35-c680-4c66-b381-
16113b64c57b%40sessionmgr112&vid=0&hid=101&bdata=JnN
pdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=24232933&db=bth
Smith M. (2008). The Effects of a Single Music Relaxation
Session on State Anxiety Levels of Adults in
a Workplace Environment. Retrieved on 26th February 2016,
from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/2086723
33?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral
Speer S. (2011). The effect of background music, speech and
silence on office workers' selective attention. Retrieved on 26th
February 2016, from
http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1010409
451?pq-origsite=summon&http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft
The influence of distracting familiar vocal
music on cognitive performance of introverts
and extroverts.(2012). Retrieved on 26th February 2016, from
http://pom.sagepub.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/search?author1=Fur
nham&fulltext=The%20Influence%20of%20Distracting%20Fam
iliar%20Vocal%20Music%20on%20Cognitive%20Performance%
20of%20Introverts%20and%20Extraverts&pubdate_year=2012&
volume=40&firstpage=&submit=yes