Module 1 – SLP

Assessment of Data Sources for the Research Problem

In this SLP you will begin the process of collecting and analyzing background information on the firm for your dissertation. You received this firm’s commitment via the Letter of Intent in DOC650. In the SLPs, you will analyze secondary data on your chosen firm. (In the Cases, you will design how you will conduct your primary research at the firm.) Secondary data are records that are publicly available while primary data for most of you will involve interviews and observations at the firm.

In the SLPs, you will take a deep dive into the context of the firm for your dissertation. For some of you this may be a for-profit corporation that has stockholders and publishes an Annual Report with articles about the firm in Forbes, Fortune, CNNMoney, and other sources. For others, this may be a non-profit or volunteer organization. Some may have selected a small business that is privately owned, or you may have selected a government agency for your dissertation. You could be researching an educational institution at any level. Bear in mind that before you can start collecting primary data from the firm, you will need to submit a proposal on your research to Trident’s Institutional Review Board, one of whose rules is that research subjects must be at least 18 years of age.

In this SLP, you will describe the organization where you will conduct your dissertation research, describing the organization in detail and why it is relevant for your research question. Here in SLP 1, you will build a quantitative case to supplement your qualitative rationale for selecting this firm.

Below is a list of data sources that may be helpful in finding background information for your firm. You may have other sources, and you can certainly use them as long as you provide the source for the information you use in justifying the context for your dissertation research.

Data Sources

Pew http://www.pewresearch.org/download-datasets/

http://money.cnn.com/quote/financials/financials.html?symb=UA

https://www.usa.gov/statistics

https://www.census.gov/econ/isp/

https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_201.htm

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.TOTL.ZS

https://data.oecd.org/industry/industrial-production.htm

https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/NACJD/index.html

https://www.kaggle.com/datasets

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb.html

https://www.census.gov/econ/survey.html

http://www.annualreports.com/

https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/ (available via the Trident Online Library)

https://www.financewalk.com/industry-analysis/

Nonprofits

http://foundationcenter.org/find-funding/990-finder

In the remaining SLPs, you will use Excel. In Figure 1 below you see how you can get the latest version of Excel via the Trident website using Microsoft 365. EXCEL is free to you as a TUI Student. Log on to mytlc.trident.edu and then go to your email.

1. Click the Office 365 button at the top.
2. Click Install Office Apps.
3. Follow the directions to get Office 365 on your computer.

Figure 1.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Provide background data about your organization. This may be the total sales or the number of customers, patients, or clients served. How does this firm differ from other similar organizations? Find similar statistics on these other similar firms and provide a comparative analysis in a table.

You want to find all the secondary data available on the firm that you can locate. Besides financial data this may involve articles in Fortune Magazine or Business Week. If possible, look in the back issues of newspapers and magazines local to the area in which the firm is located. Get the names of management and descriptions of their jobs. Find out the firm’s locations (addresses) and how products or services are delivered. Describe the customers or other external contacts. What are the logistical issues in delivering the product or service? Who are the competitors and what are their sales? Of the total market for the product or service, what percentage does your firm have?

From your review of secondary sources, produce a 4- to 5-page Background Introduction on your selected firm. In coming modules, you will add quantitative analysis to the Introduction you develop for this SLP. This is the first step and the introduction to your background on why this firm has been selected for your research.

Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:

Assignment-Driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment.

Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.

Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.

Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in-text citations and the reference list.

Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.

Module 1 – Background

Assessment of Data Sources for the Research Problem

Required Reading

Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. (2007). Presenting methodology and research approach. In Completing your qualitative dissertation. Sage Publishing. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/18533_Chapter3.pdf

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative inquiry handbook: For leaders of change. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishing. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 36089 in the search bar.

Greener, S. (2008). Business research methods. Ventus Publishing. Retrieved from http://web.ftvs.cuni.cz/hendl/metodologie/introduction-to-research-methods.pdf

Chapter 1 in:
Goodyear, L., Barela, E., Jewiss, J., & Usinger, J. (2014). Qualitative inquiry in evaluation: From theory to practice. Jossey-Bass: Hoboken, NJ. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 80713 in the search bar.

Research Methodology. (n.d.). Research Design. Retrieved from https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/research-design/

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Ng, W., & Coakes, E. (2014). Business research: Enjoy creating, developing and writing your business project. Krogan Page: London, UK. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 58388 in the search bar.

Chapter 1 in:
Phillips, P. P., Phillips, J. J., & Aaron, B. C. (2013). Survey basics. Association for Talent Development. Available in the Trident Online Library: Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 53520 in the search bar.

Chapter 4.3 in:
Rothenberg, J. (n.d.). Introduction to sociology. OpenStax, Creative Commons. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/kHDrTlrv@1.9:NxU28ruF@4/Ethical-Concerns

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Swanson, R. A., & Holton, E. F. (2005). Research in organizations: Foundations and methods of inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Oakland, CA. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 11859 in the search bar.

USC Libraries. (n.d.). Organizing your social sciences research paper: 6. The methodology. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/methodology

Chapters 1 and 2 in:
Walker, S. (2012). Employee engagement & communication research: Measurement, strategy, & action. Krogan Page: London, UK. Available in the Trident Online Library: Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 47012 in the search bar.

ZeePedia.com. (n.d.). Classification of research. Retrieved April 30, 2018, from http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?classification_of_research_goals_of_exploratory_research_research_methods&b=71&c=3

Video Material

Altee, R. (2009, June 16). Types of research and research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49_u-pXwx7g

ChrisFlipp. (2014, January 15). Qualitative vs. Quantitative [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-QSU6-hPU

Gibbs, G. (2014, January 22). The nature of social research [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4RAHXtvS0&list=PLirEzjzoHKvxaX8zZuFUSAi4jdukeexwx

Gibbs, G. (2014, January 22). Documents in social research Part 1 of 2 on documents and diaries [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk1i4aWuass&index=16&list=PLirEzjzoHKvxaX8zZuFUSAi4jdukeexwx

Center for Research Quality. (2015, January 23). Introduction to research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYywR7SA03E

RanYwayZ. (2016, September 20). Research design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9j_t570LY

Collaborative Statistics Textbook

Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Preface. Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/XgdE-Z55@40.9:LnCgyaMt@17/Preface

Chapter 1 in:
Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/gLOpQmDR@1.28:AkLGjuVA@15/Video-Lecture-1-Sampling-and-Data

Video Lectures

CCS eLearning. (2017, July 11). Accessing your OpenStax textbook [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntCX-E6vRc

Skillshare. (2015, May 21). How to clean up raw data in Excel [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3es54FafNC0

Optional Material

Dillon, K. (2016, April 18). Research methodology design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9fZ8E1x3nU