Data to be collected doesn’t necessarily make sense…You only repea.docx

Data to be collected doesn’t necessarily make sense…You only
repeated your research questions. You may consider saying
something like:
In this mixed methods study, quantitate and qualitative data
were collected to answer the following research questions:
List your questions…
Ratinale why mixed methods study was the most appropriate
option for this study.
Describe why this data was necessary/needed to answer the
research questions.
Describe your population, explain your data collection method
in details ( as you did) and convince the readers why this data
collection method was the most appropriate. How did you
choose your participants? How did you access them… Provide
rationale
Your limitations don’t make sense… The responders will be
subjective but you should be the one convincing the reader that
you did everything in your power not to be subjective. Instead,
say something like this study is limited to a certain area, such
as you had limited access to gain access to the appropriate type
or geographic scope of participants and that’s why your survey
participants may not truly be a random sample and/or you
should have drafted your interview questions from a wider
perspective etc.
Also, spell check your paper please…

M2-28 ANALYTICS " TEAMS • ORGANIZATIONS ,
SKILLS
Strategic Design at Oynacorp
"We Yc too slonÿ, too um,e.ÿjÿousivc to the market, and
too uÿtdiscipliued abot, tt costs. Aÿtd the ntaiÿz reaÿvn
is how lye"re owaÿizcd--it just isÿr't toothing any
more. Wc"vc outgrowJ.z the old desÿflÿ M so many
ways, bttt weS'e still to,itÿg to mtrÿ¢ÿ¢ with the same
strltctztre n,e had whet1 wc st tÿrtcd the cotÿqÿaÿ),. ÿ'
--Dyÿacorp prodÿtct maÿlager
aThcre's a lot of' tMk ÿJow about chtrngiÿq our
o&alJizatio7l desigÿl, BI,tt m," should bc carcfitl that
we're trot throwiÿlg the bÿb), out with the bath-
watt1: We're fixatMg o3z what's wrol,ÿj with the
orqaÿdzatioTt itÿstetrd of" thinking aboÿtt how to
make it work bcttcÿ:"
--Dyÿacorp rÿ(qiÿzeeriÿzg ÿJÿaÿzageÿ,
The Dyna Corporation, known in the industry as
Dynacorp, is a major global information systems
and communications company. Originating in an
of'rice equipment company that moved into high-
technolo%, applications in the 1960s and 1970s,
Dynacorp had, by the 1980s, established a position
as an industry leader, known tbr its technological
innovation. Dynacorp was first to the market with
innovative and high-quality products that were sig-
nificant advances on anyflaing its competitors were
offering. Customers would gladly wait months, and

even a year or so, to take delivery of'products bear-
ing the Dynacorp logo. The customers were typi-
cally sophisticated users who were willing to do
some of flaeir own applications work and to ligure
out how to integrate Dynacorp's new products with
the rest of'their operations. During this period, the
company grew at a very fhst rate, and expanded its
market to Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
The 1990s were a much more difficult period
for the company. It continued to grow, but at a
slower rate, and experienced pcriods of significantly
reduced earnings. Critics both inside and outside
the company attributed Dynacorp's difficulties to a
loss of'leadership in getting new products to mar-
ket, costs that were tOO high, and changes in the
marketplace that Dynacorp was slow to recognize.
Competitors were closing the technology gap, and
were often tÿster getting products to market. In a
gro,ing number of product areas, Dynacorp had
been surprised by competitors who, although they
had started working on a new product much later
than Dynacorp, were t:aster at getting the product
to the custorner at an attractive price, in addition, a
growing number or" infi)rmation technology and
communications (ITC) consulting firms were cap-
turing the relationship with the large customer by
offering "value-added services and solutions." The
consulting firms acted as intermediaries, supervis-
ing the purchase of ITC hardware and sot:tware,
providing integration services, and capturing much
of the high-margin business.
A growing number or" executives in Dynacorp
were coming to believe that the problems could not

be addressed ettÿ'cti.ely with Dynacorp's current
organizational structure. Like most companies,
Dynacorp had been established ,ith a fimctional
organization. As the company' expanded its actMties
across five continents and greatly increased its prod-
uct range, top management began to ask whether
Dynacorp needed a major redesign.
,ÿ a first step, the CEO appointed a small internal
task three to make preliminary recommendations on
organization design to the top management team.
The CEO personally launched the task [brcc with a
company-wide communication listing the challenges
Dynacorp was tÿcing: high costs, being too slow to
get new products to the market, and a need to
increase the value created fbr customers. The CEO
emphasized that the current task tbrce's mandate
was driven by Dynacorp's commitment to maintain-
ing its leadership position in its industry, and asked
all Dynacorp employees to cooperate fifily and
frankly with the task [brcc's inquiries,
A number of" the task three members traveled
around the company conducting interviews with
managers at multiple levels across the three major
divisions of the company, while others embarked on
an "external benchmarking" exercise to look at how
other companies in the industry were organized.
As they consolidated their findings, they [bund
themselves in agreement that Dynacorp's current
organization had serious' shortcomings, but they
disagreed vehemently on what the best design solu-
tion might be. The CEO had made it clear, how-
ever, that he did not want a simple listing of
alternatives; he wanted the task Ii?rce, at the very
least, to provide a ranking of the alternative choices.

Dynacorp's Design: The Functional
Organization
Since its earliest days or" operation, Dyuacorp had
been organized ['unctionally. The three line di'i-
-.ÿoH "Smalqo.td XLis all{) )l.iO,ÿ m aldoad a.u)ddns
it'ÿ!titlÿal sÿ! Lla!,',`` >I.lO,', oÿ. Xddt;q a.ia,','., ptn' slml
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mut Iio.`` plat' +.It+O,< /ÿl.lt'O Sa! LII "aLLI!a ,IDAO
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"aU!l aDnpo.ld auo <{Lit'..iOj gaSOa uop.-}npo.id .maid
M2-30 ANALYTICS • TEAMS ÿ ORGANIZATIONS "
SKILLS
ever, nitre and illO1"e companies were taking system
purchasing out of tile hands o[" their technical
enthusiasts, and Dynacorp's marketing people
increasingly fbund themseh:es selling to business
unit purchasing groups--of'ten backed up by, or
e'en represented by, consulting firms with special
practices in ITC. This shift meant a high demand
fbr technical support, lower customer tolerance of"
early stage problems with new product lines, the
need to integrate Dynacorp products with other
systems to provide solutions, and more polished
marketing pitches. It also meant that it became
more difficult to cultivate the close personal reD-
tiÿmships with buyers that had been a long-stand-
ing element ol: D vnacorp's marketing strategy.
Dynacorp's top management was justifiably
proud of" what their f'unctional organization had
accomplished. Its engineering division had an
excellent technical reputation and was able to
attract top technical talent and to develop the close

working relationships with leading scientists and
engineers at major research universities that
enabled it to stay on the cutting edge of new tech-
nology. Its manufacturing division had built
strong capabilities in quality manufacturing at a
time when U.S. industry overall was widely criti-
cized for [hlling behind in production systems. It
could also boast of a dedicated and knowledgeable
marketing ['unction whose people had built close
working relationships with 'customers who were
fiercely loyal to Dynacorp products.
Top managelnent recognized that the comped-
tire environment was changing, and that Dyna-
corp's high costs, slow pace of getting new
products to market, and the need to generate
value-added services for customers made the con>
pany ,ulnerable. Dynacorp was not facing an
immediate crisis--it was still profitable, growing,
and highly respected in its industry. But the indus-
try was changing, and Dynacorp's top manage-
ment believed that rlÿe), had a window of a year or
two to address the problems before the current
trends I,,}d to really serious problems.
Internal Investigation: Diagnosing
the Organizational Problems
The task force ['ound widespread agreement on the
importance of the problems that Dynacorp was
facing, but considerable variation of opinion on
what was causing them or on how to fix them. The
engineering division's managers were convinced
that the primary responsibility ÿbr high costs and
delays in getting prod ucts to market lay with man-
tffhcturing. One senior engineering manager said

that even though his people tried to hand the
manul'acturing site a detailed and complete set of
specifications, the manuf:acturing manager kept
coming back with questions or objections; he
wanted to substitute standard parts that would
mean reconfiguring the design or lowering the
product functionality, or to change elements of'the
design to make it easier to. produce, or to clarify
things simply because his.people didn't understand
something about the design. Each iteration took
time, because the engineers on the project had by
that time gone on to other activities and had to be
hauled back "kicking and screaming" to work on
something they thought they'd finished.
Manufhcturing managers recognized the prob-
lem, but the}, believed it was due to the fact that
engineering cared more about the design than the
product. They complained that engineering liked
to design "from the ground up," instead of using
standard components that could considerably
lower the product cost. One complained that "ira
few engineers get really good at designing widgets,
then they want to design a better, cooler widget
f'or every product they work on, instead of accept-
ing that some other engineer's widget would do
the job just fine." But one manufhcturing manager
put the problem in the context of" Dynacorp's
growth:
When I first joined the compan3; we were all still
basically in the same town, aÿ'ÿd we got to ktÿow
each othm< So if I had a problem with the design,
I'd just walk over to eÿfineeritag and grab o,le of

the guys to give me a hand. Of col#'se hHd grl,,mble
aboat l.ÿs maÿ,ÿlfactuHÿJg gÿo,s beitÿ a &ÿl,ÿch ÿf
idiots, but he'd either sit down with us or fiÿ,ÿd oT,ÿe
ofl thc elÿtiÿteering team who would help ot,tt--a1"l.d
half the time thcÿ,'d realize that ÿve had a poitat,
and we'd work things out. Now I'm iÿ'ÿ a plant
that's in a different state and I do**'t real!,y know
any of the bench engineers the same way. They
hand tÿs a spcc [specificatio,ts] file that's handrcds
of pages loÿ{q, and they think their job'vfinished.
By the time wdve identified a problem, they're all
qff oÿl new projects, aÿl.d fiudiÿg the ones respond-
ble for that part of the design, getting their atteJ'>
tiotb convincitÿfl them that we aren't nÿimbskulls
a,ÿd that there really is a problem--ÿ,ell, that all
takes a lot oflti.me. And changing the specs is a big
deal, becaase everyo,ÿe has signed off on them, so
eve,ÿ a mi,ÿor change becomes a major time sink.
The only thing on which engineering imd man-
ufacturing people unanimously agreed was that
one reason for Falling profits was marketing's
eagerness to cut prices to make a sale. The view
that "those [marketing] guys are measured on
sales volume, and to make their targets they'll let
the customer squeeze the margins" was wide-
spread. Several engineers also expressed the view
that marketing also bore some of the responsibility
cts coming late to market, because they
to add features or functions during tile
iOpment process, even ill the late stages, when
es were increasingly difficult and costly.

rding to one engineer, "They come in when
nearly at tile last gate to say, 'He),, we've
d:about tl)is product to one of our best cus-
rs and they think it would be cool if we had a
that would yodel the Star-Spangled Banner
he Fourth of July' or some other crazy idea.
usually talk them out of it, but it can sure
down while we sort them out. The
em is that those marketing guys have no idea
..... much engineering is needed to change the
1 pore 111 ell t.even by a small " "
17To meet the challenge of linldng the fimctions
product developnlent, Dynacorp relied heavily
two linldng nleclaanisms: cro.ÿ:ÿ':f),tnctional prod-
oment teams, with representatives fi'om
mu[:acturing and marketing as well as engineer-
ing, and the position of product ,naÿtager, who had
le formal responsibility of overseeing the entire
process from initial conception to product launch.
In their interviews inside the company, the
design task three members heard widespread com-
plaints about the cross-fimctional teams, especially
fi'om nÿamffacturing and marketing. One manu-
t:acturing manager put his misgMngs this way:

As one product manager (who was widely
regarded as very successfiH) pointed out, the job
itself was a very difficult one.
>
Another manager pointed out that rile conl-
pany did not have an easy time identiÿ,ing and
developing good product managers:
Ideall); a product tnanwcr woald have some expe-
rience in each function. Btÿt herr at Dynacorp we
all move ÿqÿ within a J)ÿnction, aÿd veo, few peo-
ple move acroa:r the f!ÿnetio,ta/ bontÿdaries in their
careers. So the prodact manÿcrs come to tÿe job
with a fMrly narrow c.vpcrie,ÿce base. Theÿ,"vc all
beeÿ on eross-fuÿtctional tcama; bÿt iÿt a .f)¢nc-
tional }'ole. They have to learn on the job--fiÿst.
The fi'w rcally good prodnct massagers that n,e
have arc itÿ high demaÿM, a,ÿd are too b,Lry ,na,ÿ-
gi,ÿg product teams to traiÿ aÿo,bo,g, else. 1,1&
burn otct a lot of good ÿanetional peWlc who get
promoted to be product ;na,tÿget's aÿd theft find
they areÿt"t up to the job.
The internal investigation also collected a num-
ber of more general criticisms of Dynacorp's
organization design. Younger members of the
organization complained that tile organization
had too many layers of managers, and even some
of the older managers who had benefited by the
proliferation of steps in tile career ladder looked
back nostalgically on the fiat, speed), organization
of their earl), ),ears in the company. Information
seemed to take a long time to travel up and down

tile company. Several managers complained of a
growing tendency to push problems up the hierar-
chy for resolution, instead of tackling problems
when and where the), arose. One relatively junior
marketing manager said that he had grown dis-
couraged by the amount of time it took to get a
response to his suggestions for ways of improving
the customer database:
I went to my ÿanager with a prWosal, and she sent
it on to he; manageÿ; and I don"t l'ÿow where it
went fi'om there. !deas and s,qÿestions go t.t,o, aÿd
othiÿ ever seems to come down, or {{" anything
comes down it's" a rcquest.[br f!ÿrther stÿdy. Iÿ,e
gfi,en ntÿ tÿTing to clsaÿge aÿo,thing aroÿ¢nd herc.
On the other hand, many of the employees
expressed some apprehension about the mandate
of the task fi)rce, fearing that a major redesign of
Dynacorp would damage rather than improve the
company. As one engineer said,
1'14" all con.ÿplaiÿt aboÿ,ÿt the otÿla,ÿizat}oÿ, Bÿ,t I
have 3q'icÿMs who llÿork iÿ other high-tech coÿnpa-
M2-32 ANALYTICS • TEAMS • ORGANIZATIONS •
SKILLS
nits, grad their problems arc el,en worse than ours.
One fi'iend's compmO, has a product div#ion
structm'c, and thO, can't secm to tran.fer ezÿqi-
ricers or mannfiÿcturiJqT capaciU across prodzÿct
lines without hJoc fights about who"s goiÿl to pay

for it and how much, If we're mmniug late on one
product deÿJelopment project, )be cxample, senior
¢zÿineeritÿg maÿltÿgell,ÿeÿlt ctrÿz .¢/Jlttÿt in good ¢tÿ#i-
neet:r f!,'om other less importam projects at a
moment's notice. Or if one product is in unexpect-
edly high demand, a plant manÿTer can switch
lines quickly to get the product voh.tmes out the
dool: I woMdn't wtÿnt to scc us lose that.
A marketing executive who had been hired
fi'om the outside made a similar point:
My old company was olflanized by product divi-
siom; and me were stepping all over each other sdl-
iug di3ÿycrent product liras to the same customers.
Sometimes ÿvc were ore' omn ficrccst competitor: the
small .9,stems customer representatives were push-
ing one solution, the lmÿqc .9,stems people a di3f!'r-
ent one. That was one reason I left, and I don't
ll'aÿt tO see Dyuacorp get into the same dih'mma.
External Investigation: Identifying
Alternative Designs
Some members of the task force focused on the
search for alternative organization designs. They
surveyed the leading companies in information
technology and communications (ITC) industry,
talked with executives in some of those companies,
and interviewed a set of consultants who specialized
in organization design (and who were eager to sell
Dynacorp their services). They also talked with
some of Dynacorp's own managers who had been
hired out of other companies in the industry to get
their views on the strengths and weaknesses of the
organization design at their previous emplwer

compared to Dynacorp's. From these investiga-
tions, task three lnembers identified five models that
they tÿ:lt were viable alternatives tbr the company.
• Pmdt,tct dil,isiou structure: This design would
divldc Dyn£ÿcorp's functional divisions into
product-based mtÿlrifunctional product divi-
sions based on the product technology, with a
general manager in charge of the entire value
chain (from technology development through
after-sales service) tbr each major product line.
Related product divisions would be grouped
into business divisions (e.g., large systems)
headed by an executive vice president. Shared
corporate services would include not only the
current set of activities but also advanced tech-
nology developlnent, which would be in effect
a corporate R&D center providing cutting-
edge technology for future product lines.
. Customer dil,ision structure: Dynacorp's ['tlnc-
tional divisions would bc divided into multi-
functional divisions, but the criteria for
creating the divisions would be primarily the
customer segment they served (c.g., small
business division), rather than the technology
of the product.
• Fmictional/prodÿ/ct matrix." This structure
would man'ix the existing fimctional structure
with a product division structure, so that indi-
viduals would report both to a fimctional man-
ager and a product manager. Only one company
in the industry was using this structure success-
fifily, and several companies that had adopted
this structure had abandoned it after a [ÿw ),ears.

However, rather than regarding it as a tSilure,
two or three had employed it as a transitional
structure to develop the people and the systems
to move more easily li'om a functional to a prod-
uct-based organization design.
• Front/back:This newest structure, adopted by. a
very small ntunber of companies, was strongly
advocated by several of the consultants as the
"cutting edge" of organization design in the
ITC field. The structure would keep the mar-
keting division as a separate front-end strtlc-
rare, responsible fbr selling the entire range of
Dynacorp products and systems. However, it
would enhance its technical support capabilities
to enable it to deliver systems and solutions
rnore effectively to customers. Engineering and
manuthcmring would be divided into product-
based business traits that would be responsible
fbr design and production.
• Functional stm.tcture with stronger linki*ÿT
mechauisms: This most conservative alterna-
tive would keep Dynacorp's fi|nctiolml struc-
ture, but would set up a much stronger array
of cross-functional linking mechanisms and
alignment systems to support cross-fimctional
linkage.
None of the designs seemed to have been suc-
cessful in every company that tried it; eacln had
success and fhilurc cases within the industry. The
fi'ont/back structure was so new that no obvious
"failure" cases had yet a,'isen, but even some of its
strongest advocates in the industry admitted that it
had proved more challenging to implement than

the), had initially expected.
After the task force had digested both the infof
mation on the problems of" Dyna&)rp's current
structure and the mapping of the five design alter-
natives, the task f'orce began the discussion with a
quick show of hands on each member's first and
second choice for a new design. The result showed
a wide distribution across the fivÿ alternatives, and
it was clear that no quick consensus would point to
the best way forward for the company.
M2-8 ANALYTICS * TEAMS o ORGANIZATIONS
* SI(ILLS
introduction
In order to solve an organizational problem or
take advantage of an organizational opportunity, it
is help[fl to have a rich understanding of tile
organization and the issues. A good picture of an
organization is usefill for probing more thor-
oughly into the possible nature and sources of the
issues and the range of approaches. It is easy to
sldp this analysis in favor of f5miliar approaches.
People o{'ren summarize an organizational prob-
lem in a way that suggests a singular source, such
as, "The main problem we have here is a delay in
mamtFacturing." They leap into that line of
inquiry: "OK, let's see what we can do to speed tip
the manuthcturing process." In lVact, if they had a
richer picture of the organization, they might learn
that the p,'oblem is elsewhere, perhaps to do with

the design-manufacturing intern:ace, or the rela-
tionship with suppliers, or the way that overtime
compensation is handled. It is helpfill to under-
stalld that one can look at an organization in many
ways and many illuminating features that can be
observed. Different individuals will tend to focus
on one set of problems or issues over others.
An often-told parable about three blind men
and an elephant reminds us of the importance of
an individual's viewpoint:
a distinctive view of the organization. Bet'orc read-
ing about how these three perspectives have devel-
oped, it is helpful to think about how each of us
brings our own personal views to organizations,
Our Personal "Schemas"
Each of us has certain ways of looking at the world.
We have what social psychologists call schenza,ÿ;
which ,e use every day to navigate through con>
plex situations. "A schema is a cognitive structure
that represents organized knowledge about a given
concept or type of stimuhÿs. A schema contains
both the attributes of the concept and the relation-
ship among the attributes" (Fiske and Taylor,
1984, p. 140). Social psychologists developed this
idea upon observing that individuals construct
their own maps of the social world.
Our informal diagnoses oÿ" organizations, based
on bits and pieces of our experiences, are often
partly right but somewhat incomplete and mis-
guided, This mod, ule presents some more formal
and complete models tbr looking at organizations

that have been developed in the social sciences, Of
course, none of these models is a complete theory
of the world either. Rather, the challenge is for you
to understand whether you tend to adopt certain
approaches to organizations more naturally,
whether you tend to overlook certain potentially
usefifl approaches, and whether these two tenden-
cies can be balanced and integrated to provide a
more complete analysis.
This module introduces three classic perspec-
tives on organizations. These three perspectives
can be thought of as lenses, each of which presents
Three blhzd mcJÿ were mkÿd to describe what a,a
elepham i'ÿ" like. One Mind ma,/ f!'lt the elephant's
tail amt obserÿ,cd, "Aÿl elqham is very much like
a piece ÿ¢'ropc." The second bli**d ma,afelt the ele-
phant's side mid observed, "AJl eleplmm is vel7
ml.lch like a wall." The third blind man felt the
e/epham's trunk mÿd obsem,ed, "A11 elephant is
veÿ7 mm'h like a pipe." Each was right° AÿJd each
vm" iÿcomplete mtd partly mi,ÿ,tuided.
What Is Helpful About Schemas?
Schemas help people function in cognitively effi-
cient ways. As certain kinds of situations or data
become [:amiliar, it is easier to rely on a tried and
true model of how to react than to rethink the sit-
uation anew, For example, someone who drives a
crowded fi'eeway to work every morniilg may
ahvays jump into the leftmost lane on approaching
the toll plaza; it is her schema fbr dealing with traf
tic. She hardly has to think about it--she just does
it. When she started driving that route, she may

have taken diff':rent approaches and arrived at this
one aÿYer trial and error. Even if it isn't the fastest
lane each morning, overall it may reduce stress to
have this taken-R)r-granted strateg),, leaving her
mind a little fi'eer to }bcus on the radio news.
Schemas gÿve us an approach to repeated situations
and fi'ee up our minds for other more complex and
highly varying activities.
It is particularly helpfifl to develop schemas
about organizations in which we work. It is the
essence of becoming an "old hand." The value of
employees with seniority is that they have worked
out a number of their own unwritten schemas fbr
. how to get things done. (In more formal terms,
they have developed specialized human capital or
tacit knowledge that makes the. nl particularly valu-
able and difficult to replace.) Without schemas,
every task would be a monumental new project.
Most o,ÿJlmlizadom provide comph:v mad ÿloisÿ,
il,gbrmatio**al cmdromncm.v i*t IJ,hid, olÿjanizÿ-
tional ptrrtic&ams gather iJJfiÿrmatioÿ abo,ÿt
other individuals at*d releva**t Ivork tasks, which
Module E , 77.wcc l,¢nscs on O&anizational Analysis
and/lotion M2-9
tho' must then in.tcqratc with thdr own thoujfl:n:b
.f?cliTÿqs, tÿnd work bchtzviors. To n.uÿmÿgT¢ thesc
nHtltiph' inJbrrmÿtion-processin]l dcmtÿnds,, people
ttccomplish mtÿ10, ccLsnixivc activities mithout con-
sciotts tÿwarcncs6 attentiouÿ or srHÿCh forethotqÿht.

bt other mords peopk" rely on hiÿqhO, structnred,
prc-r;v#tit& I'nomlcdgle .Wtems to interpret their
mÿlÿnizntiom.ÿl ii,orht and ]lore'rate nppropritttc
bchal,imw. Such a knolvlcdglc O,stÿ'm . . . # q'tcn
ctÿlled tÿ schema. (Lord tÿnd Foti, 1986, pp. 20-21)
This cognitive processing is helpt'ul because it
helps indMduals find recurring patterns in com-
plex everyday data. But schelnas are not meant to
be hard and f'ast rules. Without some conscious
examination of them, wc nlight be led astray.
How Do Our Schemas Lead Us Astray?
People may especially need to change their
sdaemas in times of'organizational change, but may
be reluctant to do so. Resistance to organizational
change usually does not come [i'onl a thilure to
come up with the right blueprint IBr fimn'e prac-
tices. It more of'ten comes fi'Oln people's reluctance
to give up their comtbrtable old approaches. A
fhmiliar refi'ain in organizaticms is "But we''e
almtoJs done it that way." People may not simply' be,
saying that the old way was wonderful. They may
be saying that they had come up with ways of cop-
ing with the old system---some schemas fbr getting
around the bugs, the red tape, and the obstacles .....
so that they could fimction in the old system with-
out ha'ilÿg to reinvent c'erything every day and get
a headache fi'om the stress. A new system requires
building new schemas; it takes a lot of energy and
thoughd:uhmss to update old schemas.
Schemas Become Outdated Although our per-
sonal schemas may initially seem efficient, they can
become outdated. People can be stubbornly at-

tached to their schemas. Schemas need updating.
Our schelnas derive from our experiences, but
over time they can also come to shape our experi-
ences in self-fulfilling ways.
For example, in the past, textbooks included
mostly examples of men in prol;essional roles. On
the one hand, these pictures were a fhirly accurate
representation, statistically, of who was most likely
to occupy protÿ:ssional roles s0mc years ago. A per-
son with a schema that "you should ask tbr Mister
so-and-so if phoning the manager" may have had
an accurate, tilne-saving schema. On the other
hand, schemas do not just reflect organizational
life, they help to shape it. It has been difficult fbr
women to move into traditionally male professional
roles precisely because most people's schemas have
not included a picture ofwolrmn in those roles.
The entrance of "WOlllel] into prol?ssional roles
may help some people change these particular
schemas. At the salne timcÿ changing schemas may
make it easier for women to enter professional
roles. People who do not update their schemas
may find themselves in embarrassing situations,
such as the students who asked the woman stand-
ing in the department office fbr some help with
photocopying, thinking she must be the secretary,
only to discover they had just asked the chair of the
department to photocopy their assignlnents.
Schemas Are Resistant to Change It is both a
beauty and a weakness of schemas that they become
Familiar and difficult to change, Even if we know
our old schemas are not perfÿct--dae leffmost lane
is not ahvays the |hstest moving in 'the morning

commute--sometimes it is easier to stay 'ith them
than to experiment;' it may be enough to have a
schema that works out pretty well on average.
Schemas Become Universal Rules Schemas
encourage us to react tO types of situations or types
of people in certain ways. Because it is difficult to
collect additional, thorough data as each situation
or person comes along, the Ulfi,ersal rules embod-
ied in our schemas save time. They arc helpfifl to
overworked people. However, much of organiza-
tional (it;e is not universal ("always do X to make a
business travel reservation"), but instead is contin-
gent ("do X to make domestic travel arrangements
and Tto make international travel arrangements").
What you do depends on some more specific, dis-
tinguislaing intbrmation about the situation.
Consider a busy manager who was stressed
about writing perl-brlnance evaluations [br his
employees and documenting aspects of their per
tbrmancc. He came up with a simplilÿ,ing schenla
to determine who his strongest employees were, a
rule of thumb that he thought had been lhirly
accurate: "The people who ate here the latest at
night arc the best workers." He began to wÿ)rry,
however, that his pertbrmance cvahmtions were
demoralizing some excellent workers and praising
some less productive workers, His schema was
leading him astray. Employees who worl<ed very
efficiently and creatively but had families were
rarely in the office until late at night. People who
chatted and took long lunches during the day or
people vim had trouble grasping the more com-
plex proiects were often still there until late at
night. When he saw somcolle either leave early or

stay late, he needed to understand the contingen-
cies that affected their 'ork hours and not to make
universal judgments.
Schemas Are Incomplete We develop schemas in
line with our ongoing experiences, but wc may
miss some important features. Consider the new
engineer who obscv'cd that the other engineers
always spol<e loudly and slowly wlacn phoning
M2-10 ANALYTICS • TEAMS o ORGANIZATIONS "
SKILLS
down to the production floor. It became his
schema too--always speak loudly and slowly to
prlÿduction. He inferred that the reason was
because the people in production were not too
bright. "l'his assumption got him into trouble
when be bumped into production people in the
hallways and spoke to them loudly and slowly. The
infbrmation that he was missing was that the engi-
neers spoke loudly and slowly on the phone
because the machinery running in the background
was noisy.
As is or'ten the case with schemas, his schema
included some implicit causal reasoning about why
something was done. Lacking complete informa-
tion, his schema had £mlty causal reasoning and
encoded a stereotypical bias that was misguided
and left him embarrassed, Schemas can be helpÿifl
to us, but it is useful also to be aware of our
assmnptions and to seek additional richer informa-
tion about organizational life. Understanding

multiple perspectives on organizations helps us
become better organizational melnbers, decision
nmkers, and change agents.
into different types. The approaches in economics,
psycholog}q anthropolog)q sociology and political
science are each distinctive.
This module focuses on three classic perspec-
tives-strategic design, political, cultural--that
weave together colorÿifl strands fi'om different
social science disciplines. Each perspective embod-
ies certain assumptions about human nature,
about the meaning of organizing, about the rela-
tire power of different actors, and about how to
collect and analyze data. Each perspective devel-
oped fi'om its own array of studies and models, like
the preceding simple example of a study of market
innovation. This research history makes the per-
spective a distinctive whole.
Three Classic Lenses on
Organizations
Building More Complete Models
Despite their shortcomings, our personal schemas
are pretty good as inÿ'ormal starting points for
understanding and coping with how the world
works. However, sometimes we would like to look
at more t'ormal models and data about how the
world works, in order to check our own under-
standings. Social scientists look for patterns and
insights about the social world, drawing on previ-
ous research, adding their own hypotheses, and

collecting data that challenge, test, or expand their
ideas in a systematic way. This wealth of social sci-
entific data can expand our infbrmal schemas.
For example, a marketing manager's schema may
be to check and see what her major competitor is
doing in the market as a convenient way of assessing
her options, However, a more ÿbrmal model built
by a researcher with a large database could be used
,, to assess there innovation in the market comes
ti'om. Perhaps the data show that it col>es fi'om
small immvators on the margin, not fi'Oln central
competitors. The findings fi'om a more formal
model might help this manager to update her
schema. She may read about networks to under-
stand her company's environment better and how
ideas travel among researchers of this environment.
Of course, social scientists have their own
fÿ,orite personal schemas for how to study the
social world and how to construct a research proj-
ect. Theretbre, the insights and tindings that we
gain fi'om social scientitlc research can be clustered
Three Class Notes follow that describe the three
classic perspectives. Think of each perspective as a
different lens through which you can view the
organization. These approaches re[lect years of
studies, interviews, observations, and participation
in organizations. The Class Notes highlight the
important features of each lens, the history of the
development of that lens, and the kinds of ques-
tions about organizational processes that each lens
might guide you to ask in order to get a richer pic-
ture of an organization or to conduct an organiza-

tional analysis. The three lenses are:
• The Strategic Design Lens
• ' The Political Lens
• The Cultural Lens
The Strategic Design Lens
People who take this perspective look at how the
flow of tasks and information is designed, how
people are sorted into roles, how these roles are
related, and how the organization can be rationally
optimized to achieve its goals. What if you consid-
ered the problem mentioned in the opening para-
graph of this introduction, about delays in
manufacturing, fi'om this perspective? Just one
possibility is that you might decide that looking at
the designqnanuFacturing interface is a good place
to start to chart the flow of information and detect
any disconnections between roles.
The Political Lens
People who take this perspective look at how
power and influence are distributed and wielded,
how multiple stakeholders express their different
pret?rences and get involved in (or excluded fi'om)
decisions, and how conflicts can be resolved, What
if you considered delays in manufacturing fi'om
Module 2 * Three Lenses on Owauizationa/ A Jtalysis aJÿd
Action M2-11
:dais perspective? Just one possibility is that you
might decide that suppliers are critical stakelaolders
who must be considered, and you might explore

wllether they are influencing the delays to display
their control over a crucial resource and gain influ-
ence in pricing.
are taldng place--or being thwarted--in organiza-
tions today.
Analyzing Organizations
F5
What Lens Do You Favor?
As you read about these lenses, try to surtaace your
own implicit views of organizations. You might see
whether you instinctively align with one of these
three lenses. Compare and contrast what they say
about organizational processes with what you have
come to believe about organizational processes
based on your own experiences.
The Three Lenses in Action
Think about how you might use the three lenses
differently to understand some of" the changes that
The Cultural Lens
People who take this perspective look at how his-
tory has shaped the assumptions and meanings of
different people, how certain practices take on spe-
cial meaningfulness and even become rituals, and
how stories and other artitCacts shape the fi:el of an
organization. What if you considered delays in
manufacturing fi'om this perspective? Just one pos-
sibility is that you might decide that overtime pay

has a symbolic meaning to workers, that norlns
about who gets how much overtime have devel-
oped over the ),ears, and that what look like delays
might be attempts to spread out the overtime in
ways that are valued as being more fair.
An organizational analysis often begins with an
intuitive sense of where to look to understand an
organization and describe its character to others.
An organizational analysis is guided by an idea of
how organizations work. Each of us has schemas
that affect what we pay attention to and what we
ignore. The three lenses provide a number of pos-
sible ways to expand your views of organizations
and enrich your organizational analysis.
Balancing Multiple Perspectives
You will have a chance to use all three lenses as you
conduct the organizational analysis that is de-
scribed in the last Class Note in this module,
which begins on page 83. At the same time, it is
important to understand that SOlnetimes these
lenses suggest contradictory, not complementary,
approaches or actions.
Througlmut the term, you will have opportuni-
ties to work with other people who look at organ-
izations differently or prefer a different perspective
than you do, based on their dift'erent organiza-
tional experiences and standpoints.
We emphasize that problems don't have a single
clear, correct, optimal solution. It does not mean
that any analysis is a good analysis. Some analyses
are better than others---more thoughtful, more

complete, more attentive to contingencies and
trade-oftiq or more able to balance and integrate
multiple perspectives. A failure to consider multi-
pie perspectives represents all incomplete analysis.
References
Fiske, Susan T., and Shelley E. Taylor. 1984. SociM CogMtiom
New York: Random House.
Lord, Robert G., and Roseannc I. Foti. 1986. "Schema Theories,
infbrmatioll Processing, and Organi-
zational Behavior." In H. P. Sims, Jr., and D. A. Gioia (eds.),
The Thiukiltg OrjTaÿzizatio*l (pp. 20-48). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Module 2 ,, Tht'ee Lcÿzses em Orgaÿlizatiolml A mll),sis aÿld
ActioH
Applying the Three Lenses
M2-83
Z
Academic researchers have the luxury of i-'ocusing
on one of the three lenses and becoming all expert
oll it: strategic design, political, or cultural. One
expert ilia), analyze the organization chart prima-
rily as a map of information flows and l:ormal roles
and responsibilities, [br example, and assess it in
terms of how well its formal structure meets tile
strategic needs of the organization. Another may
regard it as one piece of data ill analyzing the polit-

ical system o1" the organization, as a map o[" who
has formal authority over whom. Another may see
it as a cultural artiÿhct, viewing its siglfificance in
terms of how often the chart is reproduced and ill
what contexts, and whether nlembers of the
organization refer to the "org chart" when they
try to explain their organization to outsiders or
whether they assert that no one can understand
the organization by looking at the chart.
Taking effective action in organizations, how-
ever, requires an ability to see the organization
through all three lenses, not just one, and to inte-
grate the insights derived fi'om each into action
steps that will work oll all three dimensions. This
part of the module asks you to practice your skills
in the context of a single case, which follows up
the case on Dynacorp presented earlier in the
strategic design section of the module. In order to
prepare tim" tile class discussion on integrating the
perspectives, you should go back and review each
of the three lenses: the strategic design, political,
and cultural lenses. Please also read tilt additional
background material on the Dynacorp organiza-
tion that begins on page 85. This material also
includes a transcript of the Dynacorp video that
you will see in class. The video itself provides much
richer inÿbrmation than the transcript alone, but
you might want to read through the written ver-
sion before class to enable you to focus more
attention on the nonverbal cues in tile video.
• What arc important interdependencies across
tile t:ormal units represented by the "boxes" ill
the organization design (i.e., with what other
t111its does any one tulit need to interact on a

regular basis to carry out its assigned activi-
ties)? Are adequate linking mechanisnls in
place? What are they, and how well are tile.,,,
worldng?
• How is the perl-brmance of tile organization
and its members being measured? What is the
incentive system and is it recognizing and
,'ewarding strategically 'aluable behaviors and
activities? Are there "perverse incentives" that
are rewarding dysl'uncdonal behavior (i.e.,
behavior that is impeding tile achievenlent oF
desired goals)?
° Do people in the organization have the
resources and tile motivation the}, need ill
order to carry out tile tasks assigned to them?
If not, why not? What are the barriers that are
getting ill tile way?
Political Leÿls
To help you prepare to do the analysis, here are
a few questions posed fi'om each of the three per-
spectives, that can guide your thinldng. This list is
suggestive, not exhaustive. Try to think oi: addi-
tional questions to consider under each category.
Strategic Dcsiglÿ Lc1,ÿs
° What is the strategy of the organization as a
whole? How well is it understood and imple-
mented by the members o£ the organization at
various levels?
" What is the basis l-br the iÿbt'nlal grouping

structure? Are roles and responsibilities clearly
defined and understood? On what activities
does the structure l-ÿlcus attention?
• Who has power and status in the organization?
What is the basis of their influence? Is power
concentrated (at the top, or elsewhere), or are
there multiple power centers?
o' What are the key arenas of conflict? Who are
the key actors in this conflict (individuals,
groups, subunits), and what are the basic
causes of the disagreements? What are tile
interests of the key actors?
• What, if any mechanisnls of conflict resolu-
tion exist, and how effectively are they work-
ing? If they are not working effectively, why
not?
° Who benefits most fi'om the current patterns
in tile organization, and why?
° Who gets credit in the organization when
thillgs arc going well and perl:ormance goals
are met? Who gets blamed when tile organiza-
tiondoes not meet its goals? Do those who
get blamed have the power to make changes
that will improve perf'ormance?
° How well do inl:ormation about problems and
requests fbt' help move up the hierarchy? How
open are those in positions offbrmal authority
to suggestions and initiatives fi'om below?
CulturM Le,ÿs

° What artifÿtcts, stories, symbols, and observed
behaviors provide important clues to the cul-
ture oi-" the organization? How much unifor-
mity or variety do you observe?
VI2-84 ANALYTICS ° TEAMS • ORGANIZATIONS "
SKILLS
1,
!:
I'
{'
!:r
i'
IA,
What are tile espoused values of the organiza-
tion and how are tile), transmitted? How
widely are these shared?
Are there any inconsistencies bem,een the
behavior observed and the espoused values?
What basic assumptions do these reveal? What
other basic assumptions can you uncover in
the language and stories people repeat?
Do those at the top of the organization have
the same perceptions and beliefs about die
organization as those at the bottom? Do differ-
ent units or groups share these beliefÿ and per-
ceptions, or are there significant differences?
What messages are those at the top of the

organization hearing fi'om those in positions
of authority? How are tile)' interpreting them?
Are they hearing the message that the senders
intend?
What individuals are held up as exemplars?
Who is identified as a good manager or a good
worker? What does this reveal about the basic
cultural assumptions?
What is the emotional atnlosphere in the organ-
izatiou (confident, anxious, contentious, etc.)?
Taldng Effective Action Steps
I •
In order to help you practice using the analytical
skills that you are developing by using the three
lenses, the class discussion will ask you to recom-
mend action steps for one of the key actors in the
case, based on your analysis. Here are some of the
features of a good action step.
• Spat{tic al, d cotÿcretc: It is an action that you
can take and that will have an observable out-
come, not a general prescription such as,
"Show confidence in your team." An action
step spells how what you could actually do to
show confidence in your team.
• Comprche,tsive: It demonstrates an ability to
think through the immediate action step to
include subsequent action steps that will be
needed if the first is to have any positive
impact. For example, you might start with a
recommendation snch as, "Conduct a survey
of employees." This step would not only need

more detail to make it specific and co,lcrcte
(e.g., what topics would it cover? how would
you administer it?), but would also address the
necessary [bllow-up steps (e.g., what will yon
do with the data when you get it? with whom
will you share it?
• EJfectivc ol* all three lerases: You need to think
through whether an action that might seem
appealing using one lens is cousistent with
what you are trying to accolnplish using the
other lenses, For example, to pursue the
example of the employee survey, it might be
tempting, using a political lens, to have a cover
letter or introductory message fi'om the CEO
on the survey, in order to show that it has sig-
nificant support in the company and to
increase the eagerness of people to respond. If
the survey is part of an effort to get employees
• to take more responsibility for improving tile
organization, however, the cover letter may
send a signal of top-down "ownership" of tile
improvement prog,'am that contradicts tile
goals of the initiative.
• ColMslcÿlO, with your aÿ,alysis: Make sure that
your recommended action steps actually build
on your analysis. Many of us have "recipes" to
which we resort in times of pressure, especially
if those recipes have worked in the past (e.g.,
"change the incentive system" or "ensure that
you have the snpport of top lnanagclnent').
Many of the failures in organizations occur
because a manager comes into an organization

and applies recipes that worked for him or her
in tile past, but are not justified by the context
in which they arc now operating.
R_entember that in making recommendations,
as in real life, it is ranch better to have a small num-
ber of specific, comprehensive, well-thought-otÿt
action steps that tbrm a coherent sequence than it
is to have a large nulnber of steps that take you, in
the immortal words of Stephen Leacock, riding
madly oft" in all directions.
Melamine Impact on FDA Resources
PAGE Central Michigan University
Master of Science in Administration (MSA) ProgramCourse
Title:
MSA 600 Administration Research and Report Methods
Submitted to:
[Professor’s Name]
Submitted by:
[Student’s Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State and Zip Code]
Work Phone:
[703-555-1234]
Home/Cell Phone:
[804-555-1111]
Email:

[email protected]Course Location:
MSA600 OnlineSubmission Date:
[Month, Day, Year]
Research Project Title:
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY EXAMPLETHE ECONOMIC
IMPACT OF MELAMINE ADULTERATED FOOD ON FOOD
AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION RESOURCESCERTIFICATE
OF AUTHORSHIP:
I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any
assistance I receive in its preparation is fully acknowledged and
disclosed in this paper. I have also cited any sources from
which I used data, ideas, or works, either quoted directly or
paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me
specifically for this course.
Student’s Signature:
Instructor’s Comments:
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MELAMINE ADULTERATED
FOOD ON FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
RESOURCES
MSA 600 Administrative Research and Report Methods
Submitted by:
Teresa Fox
Project Instructor:
Dr. Thomas KesslerDecember 2008
Table of Contents

Page Number
List of Tables
ii
List of Figures
ii
Chapter 1
Problem Definition
1
Chapter 2
Literature Review

7
Chapter 3
Research Methodology
15
Chapter 4
Data Analysis
[Future]
Chapter 5
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
[Future]
Terminology and Definitions
Page 18
References

Pages 19-22
Appendix A
Permission to Conduct Study
Appendix B
Transmittal Letter/Survey Instructions
Appendix C
Survey/Interview Questions
Chapter 3
Methodology
Research Approach
The attempt to determine the financial impact of melamine on
FDA resources is a question that will require the compilation of
employee hours spent on investigations, import entry review,
sample collections, development of lab methodologies,
acquisition of equipment, lab analyses, analytical review of
results, and appropriate policy review and implementation.
To that end, program evaluation will be the methodology of
choice. Even though melamine adulteration is not a regular
program per se, the FDA’s regulatory actions in response to
unforeseen events can be seen as a program, since it involves
multiple divisions that currently exist within the agency.
Data Collection Approach and Procedures
Data To Be Collected
Data will be collected from the FACTS computer database and

existing data from FDA budget requests on resources devoted to
melamine for fiscal years 2007and 2008, and the first two
quarters of 2009. In addition, time spent on melamine
assignments by employees who do not enter hours into FACTS
will be determined by information obtained by personnel in
supervisory roles in those divisions and a calculation will be
made. Import entry review time on melamine products will be
accomplished by running an ORA computer program tracking
FDA product codes nationwide. A time estimate will be derived
by assigning historical time increments needed by entry
reviewers to determine if a sample collection is necessary. That,
in turn, will be multiplied by the total number of import entry
points where FDA entry review is taking place.
FACTS will specifically be able to show work hours associated
with the Program Accomplishment Code (PAC) for melamine
assignments. This is the most accurate means of determining
financial impact on the ORA field employees.
The report on number of products with particular product codes
will be used to determine number of extra hours spent by entry
reviewers on the melamine sampling assignments. This is
separate from FACTS and would be impossible to chronicle in
an ongoing fashion, since the average entry reviewer is clearing
hundreds of lines of products entering the country daily and
quick turnaround is essential to not impeding commerce. The
time estimate will include the time necessary to review products
of interest using various databases, sampling and analytical
history, as well as scheduling and coordinating examinations
with field personnel, customs brokers, and importers.
Fact gathering from supervisors at the Centers and DIOP will
consist of querying how much time was devoted to the

melamine issue in which fiscal year. A calculation will
determine the economic value. Laboratory supervisors will also
be asked if their lab was required to purchase more equipment
or hire more analysts or both, to accomplish melamine testing.
FDA regulates a vast array of products and provides oversight
over industries related to the manufacture and distribution of
regulated products. The complexity of the agency’s missions
makes it extremely difficult to quantify individual assignments
within the agency. These methods of data collection are the
most reliable means available to answer the research question
and determine what financial impact melamine has had on FDA
resources. They represent the most accurate assessment
available in an agency with many divisions, centers, and
missions that are constantly evolving.
Data Collection Procedures
Existing data searches will be accomplished using FACTS and
ORADSS databases. Reports will be compiled and hours
determined from those reports. FDA personnel data will be used
to determine the average salary of personnel performing
melamine related activities in each FDA district, which are
divided by geography. This is important because cost of living
pay differs according to geographical area. Data reports in
FACTS will be separated by districts as well; appropriate
calculations will be made and a cumulative total will be
determined accordingly. Personnel names and locations will not
be used in this study. This information is available under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Information gathered should not be biased since it is merely an
estimate on time spent on a particular event. That being said,
because the first melamine contamination occurred in 2007, the

data acquired on that event may not be accurate, as it may be
dependent on a person’s record keeping. This information is
available under FOIA.
Proposed Approach for Data Analysis and Synthesis
The parameter for this study will be FDA personnel involved
with addressing the melamine adulteration problem on imported
products. The data will be continuous and will vary according to
geographical area. It is reasonable to assume that geographical
areas where Asian imports are higher will show a greater
number of hours spent in this program area. Once all available
data has been collected, the dollar amount spent on melamine
assignments will be calculated and expressed as a ratio of the
total budget for ORA and CFSAN. This ratio will be used to
determine the projected financial impact on FDA resources and
the consequent effect on FDA food safety programs. This data
can further be displayed as a dollar percentage for each
operating division within FDA that has had to address melamine
contamination in some way.
Since the data being acquired cannot be modified, this will be
an observational study. The interview may yield variable results
which may ultimately affect the accuracy of the final
calculations, however, since most of the data will come from
established databases, the ultimate conclusion should not be
altered. The final data analysis will be displayed as pie charts to
show the degree of influence the melamine issue has on a
specific division’s budget.
Methodological Limitations
The limitations of this study are primarily related to
calculations that will be made on employees who do not enter

work hours into the FACTS database; therefore it will be harder
to quantify their contribution to the melamine assignment. The
data will not include hours spent on melamine by other
government agencies. Ultimately, those hours could be shown as
a ratio of their organization’s resources, not FDA’s. Another
limitation will be the lack of similar studies from which to
compare results for validity. The results of this study can be
used in the future when budgeting dollars for specific
responses, however, an in depth study would be required for
true accuracy and precision.

PAGE
Implementing AWS
Title:
Submitted to:
Submitted by:
[Student’s Name]
[Street Address]

Work Phone:
[703-555-1234]
Home/Cell Phone:
[804-555-1111]
Email:
[Month, Day, Year]
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY EXAMPLEAn Investigation of
the Feasibility of Implementing an Alternative Work Schedule
Program at the 55th Rescue Squadron in Tucson, Arizona: Can
it work?
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP:
An Investigation of the Feasibility of Implementing an
Alternative Work Schedule Program at the 55th Rescue
Squadron in Tucson, Arizona: Can it work?

Submitted by:
Jennifer Kunkel
Project Instructor:
Dr. Thomas KesslerDecember 2008
Table of Contents
Page Number
List of Tables
ii
List of Figures
ii
Chapter 1
Problem Definition
1

Chapter 2
Literature Review
7
Chapter 3
15
Chapter 4
Data Analysis
[Future]
Chapter 5
[Future]
Page 18
References

Pages 19-22
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Chapter 3
Research Approach
Although the literature on alternative work schedules revealed
far more advantages than disadvantages, it is not until a
program is evaluated and tested within one’s own organization
that one can determine its true success or effectiveness. This is
also the case for the 55th RQS.
The 55th RQS is made up of approximately 75 personnel who
perform various functions in the organization. This includes
both officer and enlisted staff members and men and women.
Within the organization, some personnel are assigned as
aircrew. Aircrews are defined as personnel who actually
perform flight operations; pilots, co-pilots, flight engineers, and
gunners are considered aircrew. There are other support
personnel in the squadron not considered aircrew such as
maintenance and life support.
The mission of the 55th RQS is to provide worldwide combat
search and rescue. Their mission is specific and requires
tremendous training time so that lives of the aircrew and those

they are rescuing are not put in further danger. While the crew
is located at home (in Tucson, Arizona), they are responsible
for planning and training for the types of missions they are
likely to be faced with in combat. Although this is the primary
mission, there are always several other support tasks to be
accomplished in a given week.
Currently, the 55th RQS deploys to Iraq or Afghanistan 1-2
times per year for approximately four months. This is a
dynamic to the work-family conflict that most other private
sector organizations do not face under normal operations. It is
also what makes the importance of work-life balance even more
essential in the military environment when extended separations
from family are routine and frequent. A primary task for
squadron commanders is effective and efficient work
scheduling. It appears that the benefits of alternative work
schedules in terms of increased employee satisfaction and
morale would support evaluating the feasibility of implementing
an alternative work schedule.
In order to determine the feasibility of implementing an
alternative work schedule program, one must collect data. The
methodology for data collection is program design. Currently
there is no formal written alternative work schedule program at
the 55th RQS. Personnel work a standard 5/40 work week
unless the aircrew is scheduled to fly during that week. Flights
can be scheduled for day or night operations. Aircrew assigned
to fly must have the required “crew rest” hours before arriving
on shift. This is not a flexible rule as the safety and well being
of the entire aircrew is at stake.
The objective of a program design methodology is to evaluate
the rationale, advantages, and disadvantages of implementing a
new program by collecting data from the organization that it
will impact. Data will be collected by surveying the current
personnel and interviewing leadership. The surveys will be

anonymous, voluntary, and collect data on how employees feel
about the existing schedule, alternative work schedules, and
individual characteristics that affect whether one uses these
programs. The surveys will be distributed at a staff meeting
and by e-mail. A secure drop-box will be placed at the
squadron for completed surveys. Face-to-face interviews will
be conducted with the following positions: Squadron
Commander, Director of Operations (DO) and the Group
Commander. The purpose of the interviews is to determine if
the current organizational culture supports alternative work
schedules and what benefits and impacts are expressed from a
leadership perspective.
Data Collection Approach and Procedures
Data to Be Collected
Because of the overwhelming evidence to support that
alternative or flexible work week programs increase employee’s
job satisfaction and commitment to the organization, the
purpose of this research is to gather information about the use
of flexible work arrangements and what issues may influence a
decision on the use or lack of use of these types of programs
(Lambert, 2006). Survey data will be collected in the following
categories:
· Use of Flexible Work Arrangements
· Support for Use
· Determinants for Use
· Follow Up Questions
· Demographic Information

The questions within each category provide the specific details
about whether a program is in use and what individual
characteristics affect the likelihood of using the program.
The survey that will be used for this research was selected
because it highlights some key factors that may affect whether a
flexible work program is feasible based upon the nature of the
work and current organizational environment. The questions
address how supportive supervisors and coworkers are
perceived to be and what work-life conflicts may be affecting
the likelihood of using such programs. The demographics
information is especially helpful in understanding the workforce
and what generational gaps may be present.
It is also important to interview key leadership positions.
Leadership is responsible for the overall productivity and
morale of the organization and the attitudes and behaviors
exhibited by leaders significantly affect the effectiveness of
these policies. It is critical to understand the leadership and
organizational environment to determine the feasibility of
implementing a new program. Leadership will be asked similar
questions relating to the survey so that a correlation may be
made as to any similarities and/or differences between the
interviews and survey respondents. Most questions will be
directly from the survey. Other open-ended questions will be
used to fully understand the nature of the work and potential
barriers for implementation.
Existing data about the advantages and disadvantages of
flexible work week schedules are not sufficient to determine the
feasibility of implementing an alternative work schedule
program at the 55th RQS. Another important factor is the

military environment and the effects of frequent deployments.
It is possible that an alternative work schedule program is not a
motivational factor for military personnel since there may be
perceived lack of control over schedule and whether they deploy
or not. Therefore, it is essential to this research to survey the
personnel within the 55th RQS. Data from this research may or
may not support other research in the private sector.
All survey and interview materials have been reviewed and
approved by Central Michigan University, Institutional Review
Board, and all participation is voluntary, anonymous, and
confidential. Survey’s will be handed out at a staff meeting and
sent via email by the Squadron Commander or Director of
Operations (DO). The researcher will not have access to any of
the email addresses of the survey participants. To assure
confidentiality and anonymity, survey respondents are not being
asked any personal data that may link survey respondents to
specific survey responses.
55th RQS personnel will receive an email from the Squadron
Commander or DO inviting them to participate. The email will
include a cover letter from the researcher explaining the
purpose of this research and the survey; survey instructions will
also be included. Hard copies of the survey will also be handed
out at a staff meeting and will include the cover letter and
survey instructions. No surveys will be collected at the staff
meeting to assure participation is confidential and anonymous.
It is possible that some members of the squadron will be
deployed during the research period. If that is the case, the
researcher will investigate designing a secure website to collect
responses but at this point, deployed personnel will not be
included in the study.
Approximately 60 surveys will be handed out at the staff

meeting. The exact number distributed will be collected at the
staff meeting; 75 surveys will be available at the staff meeting
and the number left over will reflect the exact number of
surveys distributed. Email notifications will include a partial
duplicate list of survey participants and include those who may
not have been present at the staff meeting for various schedule
reasons. Because servicemen and service women tend to be
very diligent, it is estimated that 40-50% of the surveys will be
returned resulting in a response rate of 24-30%. The number of
surveys and respondents greatly depends on the number of
deployed aircrew at the time of the survey.
Personnel will be given two weeks to complete the survey. A
secure and locked drop-box will be placed in the squadron
common area. Only the researcher will have a key to the drop-
box. A reminder email will be sent out one week after the
initial request and two days prior to the ending date.
Although the researcher is not affiliated with the 55th RQS or a
member of the Department of Defense (DoD), the researcher is
the spouse of the Squadron Commander. The Squadron
Commander will invite personnel to participate but there is no
penalty for not responding. In order to assure confidentiality,
completed surveys will not be kept at the home of the researcher
but in a secure location at the Davis Monthan Base Education
Office. There is again no personal data being collected that may
link survey responses to survey respondents. This measure
assures the data being collected will remain secure and
confidential.
The survey to be used was obtained from a previous research
project conducted by Alysa D. Lambert. The research project
was conducted in 2006 in affiliation with the University at
Albany, State University of New York, as partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The
survey underwent a multi-stage pilot study in order to create a

reliable measure and dispose of inappropriate or flawed
questions (Lambert, 2006). The final reliabilities from the pilot
study are as follows: supervisory support = .92, coworker
support = .83, spousal/partner support = .87, program
knowledge = .90, and lifestyle = .81 (Lambert, 2006).
The survey contains different types of rating scales. According
to Lambert (2006), using different scale endpoints for collecting
criterion and predictor reduces the chance for single source bias
within the study. A five point Likert scale and dependent
variable items asked for “Yes” or “No” responses (Lambert,
2006). Part IV of the survey provides the respondents the
opportunity to answer open-ended questions in case the survey
questions do not adequately address issues relating to flexible
work arrangements. Results from Part IV, Follow-up Questions,
will be used to determine the frequency of any common
responses.
Lastly, face-to-face interviews will be initiated by the
researcher through direct contact. The researcher anticipates
calling the interview candidates and scheduling an appointment.
Interviews will be conducted in-person at the office of the
respective interview candidates: Squadron Commander, DO,
and Group Commander. These candidates were selected
because of their direct authority and responsibility for work
scheduling and morale. These candidates would be responsible
for evaluating and implementing any new programs offered by
the squadron and assuring the necessary resources were
available to support the new program. Interview candidates will
be asked to review and sign the Informed Consent Form
indicating voluntary participation in the research project prior
to the beginning of the interview. No videotape or audiotape
will be used.
In order to attempt to identify similarities and differences
between leadership and personnel in terms of flexible work

arrangements, the interview candidates will be asked similar
questions to those participating in the survey. The interview
questions have three (3) parts. In Part I: Use of Flexible Work
Arrangements, the questions is identical to those questions on
the survey. The researcher will ask the interview candidate the
questions instead of them completing that part of the survey
independently. This also allows for open discussion on some of
the questions.
In Part II of the interview, candidates will be asked similar
questions from the Part II: Support for Use of the survey. The
interview candidate will be asked questions relating to the
importance of allowing staff to rearrange schedules and tasks,
being supportive, listening, and encouraging. These questions
were selected in order to determine any notable similarities or
differences in leadership perception between the survey
participants (i.e. staff) and the leadership.
Part III of the interview consists of open-ended questions
relating to the nature of the work within the squadron and how
suitable the organization and certain tasks may be for a flexible
work week program. These same questions were asked of
survey participants as well. It is important to understand the
nature of the work and what specific barriers are noted by those
actually performing the work.
Content Analysis is a systematic examination of the contents of
a particular body of material for the purpose of identifying
patterns, themes, or biases (Leedy & Ormond, 2005). For the
purposes of this research, content analysis will be the primary
data analysis method. The results from the surveys and
personal interviews will account for the body of material to be
examined and studied.
According to Leedy and Ormrod (2005), the researcher must

sort and categorize the original data and gradually boil it down
to a small set of abstract, underlying themes. After the
submission date for all completed surveys to be returned, the
researcher will organize the survey data by compiling the
responses for each question. The researcher anticipates using a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to manage the data. The researcher
will note any general perceptions from the data and preliminary
interpretations.
In addition to the survey data, the researcher will review the
interview notes and identify any common categories or themes
discussed during the interview. During the interview, the
researcher asked several identical or similar questions to that on
the survey. The researcher will organize the responses from the
leadership interviews and make some general notes regarding
preliminary interpretations. A separate Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet will be used to manage the leadership responses.
After several reviews, the researcher anticipates identifying the
major categories or themes of the data. The data will be
reported in table format and present the percentages of each
response for each question. For open-ended questions, the data
will be reported in table format and present the frequency of
responses by survey participants.
Based upon the data, the researcher will discuss the rationale,
advantages, and disadvantages of implementing an alternative
work schedule program. The discussion will include any
associated direct or indirect costs, any benefits to the
organization, and anticipated problems.
There are several known limitations of this research. The first
limitation is the sample size. It is possible that part of the 55th
RQS may be deployed when this research project is scheduled to

begin. The researcher hopes to mitigate this limitation by
reviewing the deployment schedule and arranging to conduct the
research while the majority of the squadron is not deployed but
it may not be possible. If a significant portion of the squadron
will be deployed, the researcher anticipates investigating the
use of a secure website for responses but it is not yet
determined if this is feasible. Even if it is feasible, it still may
affect sample size due to geographical separation.
A second limitation of the research is that the project only
surveyed personnel from the 55th RQS. The opinions expressed
on the surveys and interviews may or may not represent all
USAF rescue helicopter squadrons. Therefore other USAF
rescue helicopter squadrons may see different results making
the recommendations observed in this project not applicable to
other interested squadrons.
A related limitation is also the fact that survey research only
captures a moment in time. It is possible that the results can
not be extrapolated once the leadership and personnel of the
55th RQS changes. The opinions and attitudes expressed during
the research are only representative of the population used for
the survey and interviews.
Survey length is another possible limitation. The survey takes
approximately 20 minutes to complete and asks several
redundant questions (Lambert, 2006). The same sets of
questions are used for supervisor and coworker support and for
flextime and compressed work weeks (Lambert, 2006). It also
has six open-ended questions. These issues may contribute to
lack of participation and respondent fatigue (Lambert, 2006).

A potentially significant limitation is the researcher being
related to the Squadron Commander. The researcher is the
spouse of the 55th RQS Squadron Commander. Although
mitigation steps are in place to assure confidentiality and
anonymity, it is possible that the researcher may not obtain the
expected response rate due to issues relating to perceived non-
confidentiality and anonymity.
Although several limitations have been identified, it remains
important to investigate whether the 55th RQS can implement
an alternative work schedule program. The effect of high
deployment rates on work-life balance remains a major issue for
Air Force leadership and one that most squadron commanders
face during their term. It opens future dialogue about creative
ways to increase morale and remain competitive with
recruitment and retention.
Chapter IV
Data Analysis
Introduction
[Future]
Data Presentation and Analysis
[Future]
Data Analysis Conclusions
[Future]
Chapter V
Summary Conclusions, and Recommendations
Summary
[Future]
Conclusions

[Future]
Recommendations
[Future]
Future Research Suggestions
[Future]
TERMINOLOGY ANDDEFINITIONSReferences
Ahmadi, M., Raiszadeh, F., & Wells, W. (1986). Traditional vs.
Non-Traditional Work Schedules - A Case Study of Employee
Preference. Industrial Management, 28(2), pg 20-23. Retrieved
February 22, 2008, from ABI/INFORM database.
Air Force Association. (2007). 2007 USAF Almanac: People.
Air Force Magazine (90)5, pg 48-52.
Air Force Personnel Center. Retrieved February 29, 2008 from
http://wwa.afpc.randolph.af.mil/demographics/
Baltes, B., Briggs, T. Huff, J., Wright, J., & Neuman, G. (1999).
Flexible and Compressed Workweek Schedules: A Meta-
Analysis of Their Effects on Work-Related Criteria. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 84(4), pg 496-513. Retrieved February 22,
2008, from ABI/INFORM database.
Department of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 36-807:
Weekly and Daily Schedules of Work and Holiday Observances.
Washington: HQ USAF, 21 June 1999.
Dunham, R. & Pierce, J. (1983). The Design and Evaluation of
Alternative Work Schedules. The Personnel Administrator,
28(4), pg. 67-75. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from
ABI/INFORM database.
Faram, M. (2008). 4-day work week? Just one of the 12 test

perks. Navy Times. Retrieved February 23, 2008 from
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_perks_080127w/
Golden, L. (2001). Flexible work schedules: what are we
trading off to get them? Monthly Labor Review, 124((3) pg 50-
67. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/benefits-
other/flexibleschedules.htm
Hays, S. (1999). Generation X and the art of the reward.
Workforce, 78(11), pg. 44-48. Retrieved February 25, 2008,
from ABI/INFORM database.
Kelly, E. & Moen, P. (2007). Rethinking the Clockwork of
Work: Why Schedule Control May Pay Off at Work and at
Home. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 9(4), pg.
487-506. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM
database.
References (con’t)
Lambert, A. (2006). Individual differences: Factors affecting
employee utilization of flexible work arrangements (Doctoral
disseratation, University of Albany, State University of New
York, 2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008, from ABI/INFORM
database.
Leedy, P. & Ormrod, J. (2005). Practical Research: Planning
and Design, 8th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall
Morgan, R. (2004). Teleworking: an assessment of the benefits
and challenges. European Business Review, 16(4), pg. 344-357.
Retrieved February 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM database.
Newman, S. (1989). Working Alternatives. SuperVision, 50(7),
pg 11-13. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from ABI/INFORM
database.
Pekala, N. (2001). Conquering the generational divide. Journal
of Property Management, 66(6), pg 30-38. Retrieved February

25, 2008, from ABI/INFORM database.
Rau, B. & Hyland, M. (2002). Role conflict and flexible work
arrangements: The effects on applicant attraction. Personnel
Psychology 55(1), pg. 111-136. Retrieved February 19, 2008,
from ABI/INFORM database.
Robinson, W. (2005). Ethical Consideration in Flexible Work
Arrangements. Business and Society Review, 110(2), pg. 213-
224. Retrieved February, 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM
database.
Turney, J., & Cohen, S. (1983). Alternative Work Schedules
Increase Employee Satisfaction. Personnel Journal, 62(3), pg
202-207. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from ABI/INFORM
database.

PAGE
Transition Teams
Title:

Submitted to:
Submitted by:
[Student’s Name]
[Street Address]
Work Phone:
[703-555-1234]
Home/Cell Phone:
[804-555-1111]
Email:
[Month, Day, Year]
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY EXAMPLEFeasibility Study for
Establishing a Family Practice Medical Clinic in
Christiansburg, VirginiaCERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP:

Feasibility Study for Establishing a Family Practice Medical
Clinic in
Christiansburg, Virginia
Submitted by:
Peter Minalga
Project Instructor:
Dr. Thomas KesslerMarch 2008
Table of Contents
Page Number
List of Tables
ii
List of Figures
ii
Chapter 1

Problem Definition
1
Chapter 2
Literature Review
7
Chapter 3
15
Chapter 4
Data Analysis
[Future]
Chapter 5
[Future]

References
Pages 19-22
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Chapter 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Approach
The purpose of this research is to determine if it is
economically feasible to establish a family practice medical
clinic in Christiansburg, Virginia and to see if this medical
clinic can achieve a net income of $175,000 per year beginning
with the fifth year of operations.
Based on the review of the literature selected regarding
establishment of a family practice medical clinic, the approach
to be utilized for this research is a feasibility study, more
specifically, an abridged business plan, which is “a written
document charting a business’ mission, strategies, sales
projections, and plan for growth. [Also, the business plan] is
used to obtain financing and provide a road map for

growth.”(Axman, 2007)
A majority of the data will be collected from existing secondary
sources, specifically, the Internet. The focus of this
information collection will be pro forma fiscal data, meaning
that actual data and reasoned estimates will be used to establish
a realistic projection of the businesses month to month sales,
expenses, profits, and cash flow. The Internet provides access
to a wealth of information retained by the Small Business
Administration, the Virginia Small Business Administration, the
American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy
of Family Practice, and the American College of Osteopathic
Family Physicians (ACOFP). Other secondary sources that will
be used included the Central Michigan University Off-Campus
Library, the Christiansburg Library, the Montgomery County
Chamber of Commerce, and the Christiansburg Chamber of
Commerce.
Data Collected
Collected data will be principally viewed from a financial cost-
benefit perspective. It will include a balance sheet and pro
forma cash flow statement and will include various financial
analyses including break even analysis and payback period
estimation. The information will include comprehensive
estimates of both capital and operating costs for a five year
period with included explanations of revenue projections and
capital and operating expenses.
Taxes associated with a specific type of organizational structure
will also be collected. Potential liability implications of each
structure will be obtained and considered from a financial
standpoint to see what, if any, cost increases or decreases are
prudent to enhance the long term viability of the business.
Available personal financial assets, different types of financial
options and associated costs, and available federal, state, and

local grant types and amounts will be collected to determine the
initial amount of capital required for start-up. This will aid in
determining the best way to mitigate over-financing at start-up
and in determining how much capital will be necessary for
unforeseen circumstances or emergencies.
Types and amounts of insurance required by all government
agencies will be estimated, along with their associated cost.
Additionally, other recommended types of insurance and their
associated costs will be identified and collected. This allows
for further analysis of ways to mitigate financial risk in the near
and long term until the business is solvent and running
smoothly.
The costs associated with leasing versus buying will be
collected and compared as part of location determinants.
Additionally, the demographics of the local and regional area
will be reviewed to determine if there is sufficient population
base to provide satisfactory patient flow to sustain the business
in its projected location.
Other areas of collected data include cost of advisors (e.g.
accountant, lawyer, realtor), required business licenses,
computer hardware, software, and supplies, record keeping,
advertising, marketing, office furniture and supplies, office
medical furniture and supplies, office medical supplies, and
employee pay and benefits. Additionally, a general fee
schedule for services will be reviewed and considered.
Organizational Structure
In determining an appropriate organizational structure three
primary sources will be used. Information will be obtained
from the Small Business Administration online at www.sba.gov

and the 2008 Virginia Small Business Resource online at
www.sba.gov/localresources/district/va. For additional
analysis, the 4th Edition of the Ultimate Small Business
Advisor: All You Need To Know will be reviewed with the
purpose of referencing for this research project. Specifically,
tax and liability implications will be reviewed and compared to
determine which structure best compliments the owner’s goals.
All sources are publicly available and are readily available for
research via the internet.
Although keeping costs down play a big role, whether or not the
owner desires to have partners and investors able to impact the
day-to-day decision making and operations play a significant
role and outweighed the cost-benefit of different structure
types. Ultimately, the information gained in this research will
be used as input for the income statement, the cash flow
statement, and the balance sheet to determine the feasibility of
establishing a family practice medical clinic.
Capital/Financing
Clearly one of the biggest decisions associated with business
start-up costs is the amount of financing required to get the
business moving in the right direction. To determine the correct
amount of financing required, research will be conducted into
how much capital the owner of the business possesses and is
willing to contribute to financing the medical clinic.
Additionally, available capital from friends and relatives will be
investigated. The amount of capital to be financed from a
lending institution will also be researched. Included in the
research of the capital being financed will be an analysis of the
fees and percentage rate associated with the loan as well as the
repayment schedule of the loan.
The primary sources for determining the types and amounts of
financing for a medical clinic are online with the Small

Business Administration and the 2008 Virginia Small Business
Resource. The 4th Edition of the Ultimate Small Business
Advisor: All You Need To Know will also be used. All sources
are publicly available and are readily available for research via
the internet. The information gained from this research serves
as input for the income statement, the cash flow statement, and
the balance sheet to determine the financial feasibility of
establishing a family practice medical clinic.
Insurance
Determining the types and amounts of insurance for a business
is one of the critical tasks in keeping business start up costs
down. To determine the correct types and amounts of insurance
required for a medical clinic, research will be conducted on the
types of insurance and amounts of coverage required as directed
by the federal, state and local governments. Additionally,
research will be conducted into which types of insurance are
strongly recommended for a medical clinic, what amounts of
coverage are recommended, and how much they cost. Research
will be undertaken to review those types of insurance that are
simply good to have and how much they cost. A cursory
analysis of the risk associated with not taking on insurance and
not taking on full coverage will be reviewed if the area to be
insured is strongly recommended by a particular credible
source.
The primary sources for determining the types and amounts of
insurance for a medical clinic are online with the Small
Business Administration, the 2008 Virginia Small Business
Resource and the Montgomery County and Town of
Christiansburg’s Chambers of Commerce. The 4th Edition of
the Ultimate Small Business Advisor: All You Need To Know
will also be used. All sources are publicly available and are
readily available for research via the internet. Again, the
information gained from this research will be used as input for

the income statement, the cash flow statement, and the balance
sheet to determine the financial feasibility of establishing a
family practice medical clinic.
Location
Determining the location for establishing a business is, if not
the most critical task in starting, one of the top three critical
tasks. To determine the proper location for establishing a
family practice medical clinic, the population base in
Christiansburg and surrounding communities will be researched.
Research will also be conducted to determine if Christiansburg
and the surrounding communities are stable economic bases and
to determine their economic potential.
Inclusive in this research, the demographic profile of
Christiansburg and the surrounding communities will be
reviewed and analyzed to determine if the population base can
support the establishment of a medical clinic. Sequentially
related to this topic is whether to lease or buy when the location
for establishing a medical clinic is identified. Research into
these methods will be conducted to determine the cost
implications associated with each method and which method
best compliments the owner’s goals of minimizing start-up
costs.
The primary sources for determining the location for a medical
clinic are online with the Census Bureau at www.census.gov,
the Small Business Administration, and the 2008 Virginia Small
Business Resource. The 4th Edition of the Ultimate Small
Business Advisor: All You Need To Know will also be used.
Other resources include the Montgomery County Chamber of
Commerce on online at www.montgomerycc.org, Christiansburg
Chamber of Commerce online at www.christiansburg.org, and
the Christiansburg Library.

The information gained from the demographic research of
Christiansburg and the surrounding communities is aimed at
determining the potential patient flow into the family practice
medical clinic. This determinant helps shape the income and
cash flow statements and is a principal input for realizing
whether or not the targeted net income can be attained at the
five year mark of the business. The information gained from
research into leasing vice buying will be used as input for the
income statement, the cash flow statement, and the balance
sheet to aid in determining the financial feasibility of
establishing a family practice medical clinic. All sources are
publicly available and are readily available for research via the
internet.
Ultimately, information gained from this data collection and
analysis was used as input for the income statement, the cash
flow statement, and the balance sheet to determine the financial
feasibility of establishing a family practice medical clinic.
These statements and spreadsheets will be structured and
presented as a series of tables in formats that are traditionally
used for presentation of financial information. The 5-year cash
flow will show whether this medical clinic can achieve a net
income of $250,000 per year beginning with the fifth year of
operations (Axman, 2007).
One of the weaknesses projected for this study includes the
scope of the topic areas to be researched for cost data. Much of
the cost information will be generated from existing resources
and not compared thoroughly against other options. For
example, advertising and marketing costs will be derived from
existing industry standards vice comparing the different options
available in the local, regional, and state communities.

Another weakness is the lack of face-to-face interaction with
existing family practice business owners. Most of the
information collected is from existing and from secondary
sources and although the validity is likely high, additional
information, specifically lessons learned and different courses
of action these existing family practice business owners would
take if they had it to do over again, could potentially be gleaned
from first hand interviews.

PAGE
Transition Teams
Title:
Submitted to:
Submitted by:
[Student’s Name]
[Street Address]

Work Phone:
[703-555-1234]
Home/Cell Phone:
[804-555-1111]
Email:
[Month, Day, Year]
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY EXAMPLE
Is the United States Army’s Transition Team Preparation
Program Effective?A Program EvaluationCERTIFICATE OF
AUTHORSHIP:
Is the United States Army’s Transition Team Preparation
Program Effective?
A Program Evaluation

Submitted by:
Matthew Leonard
Project Instructor:
Dr. Thomas KesslerMarch 2008
Table of Contents
List of Tables
ii
List of Figures
ii
Chapter 1
Problem Definition
1
Chapter 2
Literature Review

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