This section provides general guidance related to the research typ.docx

This section provides general guidance related to the research
type and methodology. Please review this information carefully.
There are specific research types and methods associated with
the degree plan you are pursuing.
Research Study Type
– 990, the Research Study
–
890, the Research Study type can be either a Case Study Project
or a Consulting Project
With the dissertation or case study project approach, the student
begins by researching the literature to find a problem, develops
a research proposal to study the problem, and then finds an
organization within which to study the problem. With the
consulting project approach, the student begins with an
organization with a problem, researches the literature to better
understand the problem, and then develops a proposed solution
to the problem. In all three cases a problem statement based
upon the current literature must be developed.
Methodology
The methodology is how you will study the problem at a very
high level, all research will be conducted using one of the
following research approaches:
Design using
Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Fixed Designs are fully defined (fixed) as part of the research
proposal and following the proposal, the researcher executes the
research and analysis using quantitative tools as described.
Flexible designs on the other hand are defined in a general

sense as part of the research proposal and following the
proposal, the researcher is free to execute adjust (flexible) the
research as is necessary using qualitative tools as described.
Mixed Method Designs as the name implies, use a combination
of both. The choice of research approach is guided by the
research questions.
Within each research approach there are specific methods that
can be employed. The table below lists the most common
methods utilized in the three research approaches. Once
selected, the method becomes the methodology or specific
‘research design’ for the study.
-
-
Comparative
Flexible D
Common Methods for fixed, flexible and mixed research
designs.
An effective way to begin the discussion of methodology is to
start with the sentence: “This study will be conducted with a
XXXXX design using XXXXX method(s) specifically, a
XXXXX design will be used”
Examples:
This study will be conducted with a flexible design using
qualitative methods specifically, a single case study design will
be used.
- Or -

This study will be conducted with a fixed design using
quantitative methods specifically, a causalcomparative design
will be used.
For DBA students taking BUSI 987 – 990 (Dissertation) the
following designs can be used:
-Comparative
For DBA students taking BUSI 887 – 890 (Case Study or
Consulting Project) the following designs can be used:
– Single Case Study with Lean Six Sigma
Framework
– Single Case Study
Note: For the Consulting Project, the Lean Six Sigma
Framework provides qualitative and quantitative tools to be
used in the DMAIC process. For the Case Study Project,
quantitative tools can be used for triangulation.
When deciding on a methodology, pay attention to the words
used in the research questions. Qualitative research questions
are those that seek to understand or explain while quantitative
research questions seek to relate or measure. The goal here is to
ensure that there is alignment from the problem statement to the
research questions to the methodology.
Where to Study:
Selecting where to conduct your research study will be guided
by several factors:
Fixed Design Dissertations – in order to provide for statistically
significant results that can be generalized to the population, you

will need to use a sample size calculator (not gPower which is a
great post hoc test) to determine the right number. For large
populations (over 5000) this is around 380 for each group based
upon a CL of 95% and a CI of 5%. This means you will very
likely be studying the population of an industry or market sector
rather than an organization.
Flexible Design Dissertations – The goal here is to reach
saturation which is the point at which you are no longer gaining
new information form participants. This is generally around 25
to 30 interviews for a group.
Consulting Project or Case Study Project – Since the results are
not intended to generalize (relatedness) to the entire population,
a single organization can be used. The minimum number of
interviews must be 30.
Note for Consulting Project or Case Study Project: You may
contact an organization to gauge their interest in being part of
your proposed study once you have defined the problem and
research questions. See Task 2.
Assignment Instructions
Task 1: Problem Statement Outline
Using the White Paper titled Simple but Effective Problem
Statements and Research Questions as a guide, develop a bullet
point outline for the problem statement. Each bullet should be a
single sentence. Following the specific problem sentence
include a short sentence describing how this problem is related
to your cognate. Finally, add APA formatted references for the
supporting reference sentences. Following the outline, you will
provide an annotated bibliography for each reference provided.
You will post your submission in the assignment text window,
not as a word document. Your submission will include the
following:

o Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation o
Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation o
Support
Annotated Bibliography for each Reference
credible source (aut
existence of the general problem and the consequences of the
problem identified in the general problem sentence.
Submit this assignment on Sunday of Week 1 by 11:59pm
Eastern
Submit any necessary revisions based upon instructor feedback
on Sunday of Week 2 by 11:59pm Eastern.
Task 2: Research Questions
Using the White Paper titled Simple but Effective Problem
Statements and Research Questions and your approved Problem
Statement Bullet Outline from Task 1 as a guide, develop three
to four research questions. Where appropriate, develop sub-
questions that address facets of the overall research questions.
Following the list of research questions, you will discuss how
each research question (and sub questions) addresses aspects of
the specific problem sentence. Finally, you will discuss how
taken together, the research questions (and sub questions) fully
address the specific problem statement. Include an APA
formatted reference section.

following:
Problem Sentence
Question 1b (optional)
Sub Question 4b (optional)
Coverage
Reference Section
Eastern
Submit any necessary revisions based upon instructor feedback
on Sunday of Week 4 by 11:59pm Eastern.
Note for Consulting Project or Case Study Project: Once this
task is approved, you may contact an organization to gauge their
interest in being part of your proposed study. You may not
begin to
interview any participants or gather any data until you have
approval to do so in the ADRP courses. Use the Permission
Request Template found in Course Content.

Task 3: Methodology
following:
d
Discussion of Methodology:
Begin with a theme sentence: “This study will be conducted
with a XXXXX design using XXXXX method(s) specifically, a
XXXXX design will be used”. Then discuss why this is the
appropriate methodology for your study. Provide citations to
support factual assertions about the function of the design and
reference your problem statement and research questions in
demonstrating why this is the correct methodology.
Reference Section
Task 4: Research Framework Outline
following:
– The concepts (i.e. higher productivity is related to
higher job satisfaction) that are related to your research study.
– The theories
(i.e. Maslow’s Motivational Theory, Transformational
Leadership Theory, etc.) that are related to your research study.
– The people groups
(i.e. leaders, followers, accountants, etc.) or organizations that

– The variables
found in your research study (i.e. profit, leadership style,
st
Provide citations for each factual assertion in each category.
9
Task 5: Draft Research Concept
You will post your submission in the assignment text window
and as a word document. Title your word document:
Last Name_Draft Research Concept_DDMMMYY.docx
Use APA 6th Edition formatting for word document.
Your submission will include the following:
Table of Contents
Research Concept (Level 1 H
Introductory paragraph for the research concept
point outline into a single paragraph with less than 250 words.
Research
relate to the problem statement.
Methodology (Level 2 Heading)
assertions
Research Framework (Level 2 Heading)

relationship between all the elements included in the framework
and discuss the diagram.
factual assertions
Conclusion (Level 2 Heading)
References (Level 1 Heading)
Note for Consulting Project or Case Study Project: Submit the
signed and dated Permission Request Template from Task 2 as a
.pdf document.
Use the following title format:
Last Name_Organizational Permission_DDMMMYY.docx
Eastern
Task 6: Final Research Concept
Add two Level 2 Headings following Research Framework in
your approved Research Concept Narrative from Task 5; 1)
“Potential Research Location(s)” and 2) “Biblical Perspective
on Research”. Update your table of contents, introductory
paragraph, summary, and reference section as required.
You will post your submission in the assignment text window
and as a word document. Title your word document:
Last Name_Final Research Concept_DDMMMYY.docx
Potential Research Location(s)
tudents (BUSI 987-990) – Develop a
list of at least potential industries, markets, regions, or
organizations where your research could be conducted. Explain

how and why this is a good choice. Include appropriate citations
for all factual assertions. Note: Do not contact any
organizations to solicit their involvement in your proposed
–
890) - Develop a list of potential industries, markets, regions,
or organizations where your research could be conducted.
Explain how and why this is a good choice. Include appropriate
citations for all factual assertions. Note: Do not contact any
organizations to solicit their involvement in your proposed
–
890) - Identify a potential organization where your research
could be conducted. Explain how you might gain access to this
organization as well as how and why this is a good choice.
Include appropriate citations for all factual assertions.
Biblical Perspective on Research
– 300 word narrative
discussing the process of conducting business research from a
– 300 word narrative discussing
how your research in particular will fulfill this requirement
Summary paragraph
Use APA 6th Edition formatting for word document.
Submit this assignment on Friday of Week 8 by 11:59pm
Eastern
Simple but Effective Problem Statements & Research Questions
Page 2 of 12 11 June 2019
Overview
The purpose of this paper is to give the researcher an overview
of how to develop simple yet effective Problem Statements and
Research Questions that will get them moving quickly and in

the right direction. The Problem Statement can be thought of as
the cornerstone of the research proposal. It is responsible for
establishing broadly what area will be studied with the general
problem and narrowly focusing on a section of that broad area
with the specific problem. The Problem Statement also provides
clear and direct support from the current literature that
demonstrates that the problem does exist. Research Questions
on the other hand provide the basis of inquiry for your study.
They are broad questions that will be used to guide the research
in addressing the Problem Statement. The simple rule for
developing Research Questions is to make sure to ask questions
that address all the factual assertions made in the Problem
Statement, but none that ask questions that are outside of the
Problem Statement. Research Questions also guide in the choice
of methodology for the study as will be seen below.
The Problem Statement
All good business research begins with a clearly articulated and
focused Problem Statement!
In order to build a strong and focused problem statement that is
related to the field of study for the research project just follow
the method discussed below. This method is based upon a
simple three part presentation; the beginning - the general
problem, the middle - supporting statements, the end - the
specific problem. The Problem Statement example below is
based upon a business research study in the field of Leadership.
None of the citations provided are real and are only intended to
illustrate the process.
The First sentence
The general problem to be addressed is ______________
resulting in _____________. The general problem sentence must
be an overarching problem clearly related to the field of study
that can be proven to exist based upon current (last five years)
literature. It is also important to note what a general problem
sentence is not:
A general problem sentence is not a question - The general
problem to be addressed is why leaders are ineffective resulting

in ...
A general problem sentence is not a simple declarative - The
general problem to be addressed is leaders are ineffective
resulting in ... A good general problem sentence addresses a
specific issue in a way that is clear, descriptive, and self-
explanatory. Another way to think about a problem statement is
that it generally describes a situation we don’t want to happen
that is, a situation that is not happening that we do want, or a
situation that that is happening but not to the desired level. As
can be seen from both of the examples below, there is no
confusion about what the broad focus of the study is intended to
be: The general problem to be addressed is the failure of
leaders to gain employee support for new initiatives resulting in
...
The general problem to be addressed is the lack of formal
leadership training in for new managers resulting in ... The
consequences (resulting in ...) should provide a broad but clear
statement regarding the negative outcomes that result from the
existence of the general problem:
... resulting in the inability of organizations to make critical
changes.
... resulting in the reduction of organizational performance.
Putting all of that together we could get: The general problem to
be addressed is the failure of leaders to gain employee support
for new initiatives resulting in the inability of organizations to
make critical changes. Next three or four sentences In this
middle section the researcher will need to provide current
literature support for the assertions made in the general problem
sentence. In the example above, the assertion was that leaders
are failing to gain employee support for new initiatives. Current
literature sources would be scholarly articles or monographs
published in the last five years. If the source is older than that
the problem might not be prevalent or it might have been
solved. So, develop active voice declarative statements from
current literature that support the assertions made in the first
sentence like the fictitious ones below:

Smith (2017) stated that many high level leaders struggle with
effectively projecting an engaging vision for a new initiative
which makes it difficult to gain employee buy-in.
In a recent study, Jones (2015) found that employee buy-in
was the most critical determining factor in projecting future
success of organizational change.
Herbert (2016) supported these views by explaining that the
ability of an organization to make critical strategic changes is
directly related to the leader's ability to foster organization-
wide support of the initiative. Last sentence
The specific problem to be addressed is ______________
within the _____________ resulting in ____________. The
specific problem must be a narrowly focused subset of the
general problem that is practical to study within the constraints
of the program. In the example we are using, the researcher is
not trying to study the entire world of organizations and
leaders, just a subset that will give insight into the entire world.
In the examples below, the specific problem starts with the
same words as the general problem like the first one or a subset
of the problem like the last two:
The specific problem to be addressed is the failure of leaders to
gain employee support for new initiatives...
The specific problem to be addressed is the failure of leaders
to gain executive level support for new initiatives...
gain executive level support for new product development
initiatives... The focus (within the...) could be based upon an
industry, a region, an industry within a region, etc. The
determining factor is making it narrow enough to study but
broad enough provide enough data for the study:
... within the high-tech electronics industry resulting in...
... within the south-western United States resulting in...
... within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern United
States resulting in... The last part of the specific problem should
restate the results from the general problem or a subset of the
results from the general problem:

... resulting in the inability of organizations to make critical
changes.
... resulting in the inability of the organization to make critical
product line changes. Putting all of the pieces above together
into a single sentence:
gain executive level support for new product development
initiatives within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern
United States resulting in the inability of organizations to carry
out critical product line changes. Rephrasing it to make it flow
better: The specific problem to be addressed is the failure of
leaders within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern
United States to gain executive level support for new product
development initiatives resulting in the inability of
organizations to carry out critical product line changes.
Consider a Bridge A nice additional touch would be a bridge
sentence that takes the reader from the general problem and it’s
supporting sentences to the specific problem. With the specific
problem sentence developed, this would be the time to consider
a bridge like the fictitious source below. Find a current
literature source that supports the existence of the problem in
the area focused on Simple with the specific problem if one is
available. This sentence will come in the middle section of the
Problem Statement after the supporting sentences for the
general problem sentences and before the specific problem
sentence. While this part of a problem statement is not
essential, it can make the flow better:
Adams (2017) found that the inability to gain employee support
for new initiatives was a particular challenge in the retail
clothing industry. Assembling the Final Product What has been
developed is a strong and focused problem statement that is
supported by the current literature and is 250 words or less.
This provides a solid foundation for the study and clearly
defines the subject and focus of the study. Example Problem
Statement The general problem to be addressed is the failure of
leaders to gain employee support for new initiatives resulting in

the inability of organizations to make critical changes. Smith
(2017) stated that many high level leaders struggle with
effectively projecting an engaging vision for a new initiative
which makes it difficult to gain employee buy-in. In a recent
study, Jones (2015) found that employee buy-in was the most
critical determining factor in projecting future success of
organizational change. Herbert (2016) supported these views by
explaining that the ability of an organization to make critical
strategic changes is directly related to the leader's ability to
foster organization-wide support of the initiative. Adams (2017)
found that the inability to gain employee support for new
initiatives was a particular challenge in the retail clothing
industry. The specific problem to be addressed is the failure of
leaders within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern
United States to gain executive level support for new product
development initiatives resulting in the inability of
organizations to carry out critical product line changes.
The Research Questions
All good business research is guided by a comprehensive and
clear set of Research Questions! As previously stated, Research
Questions for the basis of inquiry for the study and are broad
questions that will be used to guide the researcher in addressing
the Problem Statement. Research Questions also guide in the
choice of methodology for the study. Qualitative Research
Questions are those that seek to understand or explain while
Quantitative Research Questions seek to relate or measure.
Research Questions are the questions the researcher seeks to
answer and should not be confused with Interview Questions or
Survey Questions which are directed towards participants as a
part of data collection during the field study. Here are some
examples:
Qualitative Research Question: What is the role of leadership
in employee retention in the manufacturing industry?
Quantitative Research Question: What is the relationship
between transformational leadership style and employee
retention within the manufacturing industry?

Interview Questions: Please describe your experience with your
organizational leadership. What role has organizational
leadership played in your decision-making process to continue
with or leave the organization?
Survey Question: Transformational leaders inspire employees
leading to better employee retention (Answer 1 - 5). Scale 1 -
Highly Disagree, 2 - Disagree, 3 - Neutral, 4 - Agree, 5 -
Strongly Agree The first question is open-ended and allows for
the discovery (understanding) of reasons (factors behind) why
employees might leave the industry. This is exploratory rather
than measureable, and therefore no statistical test can be
employed and no testable hypothesis can be developed. Taken
together, that is what makes it a solid qualitative research
question. The second question seeks to quantify (measure) the
relationship between two variables; transformational leadership
and employee retention. Unlike the first question where the
factors were not known, here the factors (variables) are known.
That means that this relationship can be statistically evaluated
based upon a testable hypothesis. In this case: H0 There is no
statistically significant relationship between transformational
leadership style and employee retention. The ability to develop
testable hypotheses is what makes for a good quantitative
research question. The third question seeks to extract rich
information from a research participant and might be used in a
study based upon the Qualitative Research Question above. This
is not a research question! The fourth question seeks to quantify
a participant’s feelings about a specific topic to provide
measureable data. This would be a great survey question to
support a study based upon the Quantitative Research Question
above. This is not a research question! Developing a solid set of
Research Questions As stated above, the research questions
should inform the problem statement. The researcher should
start with the specific problem and take it apart to find out what
areas need to be explored. Using the Problem Statement
example above, the following need to be addressed:
The failure of leaders to gain executive level support for new

product development initiatives.
The failure of product line changes
The retail clothing industry That’s it.
The southeast United States is a boundary for the study to
narrow the focus although you could ask about this region of the
country if there are relevant differences. With this list
established, the researcher can develop the Research Questions.
For qualitative studies this will typically be between three and
four broad questions and sub-questions (as appropriate) that dig
into the things you need to know about.
For quantitative studies this will typically be up to three
questions that dig into relationships or measurements.
Qualitative Research Question Examples
1. Why do leaders fail to gain executive level support for new
product development initiatives?
1.a. What leadership actions or behaviors contribute to failure
to gain support?
1 b. What leadership actions or behaviors contribute to success
in gaining support?
2. In what way are new product development initiatives
different than other change initiatives?
2.a. How do those differences manifest themselves in the ability
of the leader to gain support?
What cultural elements are present in the retail clothing
industry that positions organizations for success in
implementing change initiatives?
You will note that the first research question looks at both the
reasons for failure and for success. It is important to always
come at a topic from both perspectives. Questions two and three
are open and will gain information related to successes and
failures by asking how. It should also be noted that the open
ended nature of the inquiry has the ability to generate rich data
that is not bounded by preconceived notions regarding the topic.
Quantitative Research Question Examples
1. What is the relationship between leadership style and the
leader’s ability to gain executive level support?

2. What is the relationship between leadership style and the
organization’s ability to successfully engage in change
initiatives?
It should be noted that these questions are focused on the
relationship between known factors (variables). In the first
question the variables are leadership style and ability to gain
support and in the second on the variables are leadership style
and the ability of the organization to change. Each of these
could be used to develop testable null hypotheses. As an
example, the second Research Question could be used to
develop these null hypotheses:
There is no statistically significant relationship between
passive avoidant leadership style and the organization’s success
in completing change initiatives. Simple but Effective Problem
Statements & Research Questions
transactional leadership style and the organization’s success in
completing change initiatives.
transformational leadership style and the organization’s success
in completing change initiatives.
Summary
As stated earlier, all good business research begins with a
clearly articulated and focused Problem Statement and is guided
by a comprehensive and clear set of Research Questions. Keep
in mind that the goal here is not to develop a literary
masterpiece; instead the goal is to establish clearly stated
foundation upon which the rest of the research project can be
built. It is only with the Problem Statement and Research
Questions in place, that it is possible to develop the conceptual
/ theoretical framework, methodology, and topical outline for
the literature review. The critical nature of these first two steps
in the research journey cannot be overstated. It is essential that
the researcher take the necessary time here to get this right or
the research project will flounder or not develop at all.

Running Head: PROBLEM STATEMENT OUTLINE 1
PROBLEM STATEMENT OUTLINE 2
THIS IS THE APPROVED TASK 1 (Problem Statement outline)
General Problem Sentence
The General Problem to be addressed is whistle blowers are not
given adequate incentives and protection resulting in the
difficulty of reporting wrongdoing, misconduct and unethical
behaviors.
· According to Andon, et al., (2018), Lack of whistle blower
incentives and protection makes it difficult for whistle blowers
to report wrongdoing, as they feel insecure.
· Ballan, (2017) stated that the current whistle blowing system
is not effective and therefore does not provide the basis for
investigation of corruption cases and any misconduct within a
company.
· Keith, Todd & Oliver, (2016) supported these views by
explaining that managers are not empowered to sanction
employees involved in unethical behaviors because of lack of
whistle blower incentives.
Specific Problem sentence
The specific problem to be addressed is the failure of finance
department to provide adequate whistleblowers incentives and
protection within the investment -banking sector in the United
States.
· In a recent study, Keith, Todd & Oliver, (2016) stated that the
finance department in any organization is a very critical area
that can determine the overall performance of an organization.
Failure to provide whistleblower incentives and protection to
finance staff makes it difficult them to report unethical
behaviors.

Annotated Bibliography
“Andon, P., Free, C., Jidin, R., Monroe, G. S., & Turner, M. J.
(2018). The impact of financial incentives and perceptions of
seriousness on whistle blowing intention. Journal of Business
Ethics, 151(1), 165-178.”
· This article was published within the last five years and the
authors involved have extensive experience in research in the
field of finance whistle blowing. The article was also published
in the journal of business ethics which is a credible source for
research.
· The authors of this article conducted an experiment to
determine whether financial incentives to whistleblowers
encourage them to report illegal practices and unethical
behaviors to the relevant authorities. The paper also examined
the impacts of perceive significance of the illegal practice on
the intention of accountants to whistle blow. The results of the
experiment show that financial incentives encourage
whistleblowers to report unethical behaviors. The authors also
found out that the intention of whistle blowing is higher when
the perceived significance of the illegal practice is also higher.
· This article appreciates that there are various barriers to
whistle blowing by providing a strategy in which the challenges
can be overcome. The paper provides significant insights on
how the perception of the significance of a wrongdoing affects
the reporting of illegal practices.
“Ballan, E. J. (2017). Protecting Whistleblowing (and Not Just
Whistleblowers). Mich. L. Rev., 116, 475.”
· Ballan is an experienced researcher in the field of whistle
blowing and has written numerous articles related to this topic.
The article was also published within the last five years and
therefore is credible.
· This paper aims to explore various frameworks that have been
developed to combat fraud. One of the frameworks discussed in
this paper is the federal false claim Act. The paper also

discusses provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act. According to the
article, the SEC program provides an opportunity for employees
to whistle blow and prevents their employers from taking any
disciplinary actions against them. The paper recommends that
congress should look at the CES rule to determine cause of
action for organizations that take disciplinary measures for
employees who report fraud cases.
· This paper provides ways in which whist blowers and whistle
blowing can be protected. This is very important in finance as
many people engage in illegal practices in such a critical
department. People who report such cases should be well
protected.
“Keith, N., Todd, S., & Oliver, C. (2016). An international
perspective on whistleblowing. Crim. Just., 31, 14.”
· The authors of this article are extensively experience
researchers in the field of whistle blowing. The article was also
published in the last five years hence is credible.
· This article explores various factors that affect whistle
blowing. It also reviews various court cases on whistle blowing.
The paper acknowledges that there are many employees who
have had the intention of whistle blowing but have remained
silent because of poor whistleblower protection I their
organization. People fear being punished for whistle blowing.
The paper recommends that better whistle blowing act should be
developed to protect people who intent to whistle blow.
· By recommending that better policies should be developed to
protect whistleblowers, this paper shows that there exists a
problem of whistle blowing within organization especially in
finance.

References
“Andon, P., Free, C., Jidin, R., Monroe, G. S., & Turner, M. J.
(2018). The impact of financial incentives and perceptions of
seriousness on whistleblowing intention. Journal of Business
Ethics, 151(1), 165-178.”
“Ballan, E. J. (2017). Protecting Whistleblowing (and Not Just
Whistleblowers). Mich. L. Rev., 116, 475.”
“Keith, N., Todd, S., & Oliver, C. (2016). An international
perspective on whistleblowing. Crim. Just., 31, 14.”

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