1. Create a problem/opportunity statement.
Problem Statement: CEO, Patrik Simpson, has neglected Network International's Scottsdale, Arizona office for the last two years. Its productivity and profitability are at an all time low. The staff is highly inadequate, incompetent and apathetic.
Opportunity Statement: Network Internationals Beverly Hills, California office has been doing really well. Its productivity and profitability is unprecedented in Network Internationals history. Two of the most competent employees of this office are willing to go and help improve the office morale and productivity of the Scottsdale office, upon Patriks request. They will spend a couple of weeks there to research and analyze the core of the problem and will ultimately turn the business around by applying their experience and expertise. They have already started answering forwarded calls from the Scottsdale office, in order to make appointments for when they arrive in Arizona.
2. Develop constructs of the problem/opportunity (Refer to Chapter Two of the e-text, Business Research Methods).
English: Beverly Hills, California, computer image...
Beverly Hills
City Hall, Beverly Hills, California, USAA construct is an image or abstract idea specifically invented for a given research and/or theory-building purpose. We build constructs by combining the simpler, more concrete concepts, especially when the idea or image we intend to convey is not subject to direct observation.
When the Beverly Hills office begins to research and tackle the problems of the Scottsdale office, they will be struggling with the construct of low-productivity and low-profitability.
3.Develop an operational definition from the constructs (Refer to Chapter Two of the e-text, Business Research Methods).
An operational definition is a definition stated in terms of specific criteria for testing or measurement. These terms must refer to empirical standards. Whether the object to be defined is physical or highly abstract, the definition must specify the characteristics and how they are to be observed.
During the research stage, the Beverly...