Research Applications in Global Business

Session 1 Introductions, Data, Information, Intelligence, Ethics in Research Stephen Humphrey

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About Stephen
12 years marketing and management teaching experience Range of industries engineering, telecommunications, TV&Film, gambling sector and education CIM qualified and an MA in Strategic Marketing MSc in Renewable Energy Technology Cranfield University Currently undertaking my PhD in Economics & Marketing Ex-CIM examiner and moderator for Diploma and Post-Grad Currently Examiner and Moderator for CMI (Chartered Management Institute) Currently an external examiner for Royal Holloway, University of London Mathematics & Statistics plus International Business Run my own marketing training & consultancy business

LCA/ARU/Class Guidelines
Harvard Referencing approach please Has to be your own work Research thoroughly Avoid plagiarism most serious offence Meet the deadline no extensions Be on time to class Attend class 100% of the time Question the tutor Question eachother Be respectful and polite to one another Contribute in class Participate in debate

Examiner Comments
Weaker students ignored the command words i.e. Critically evaluate, critically analyse, develop, justify Allocation of word count was not appropriate for the grades awarded in some cases New material added in report that was not justified or referenced/sourced appropriately try to avoid making unsupported comments Some material used in the report was not contextualised to the organisation

Top grade students

Answered all tasks Evidence of considerable wider reading from a range of sources Constantly refers to key literature to support comments and assertions All aspects related to the assignment brief All aspects are detailed, complete, applied and evaluated Consistent and appropriate use of the underlying theory and concepts

Fail grade students

Little evidence of wider reading Lacks understanding of theory Aspects of submission are inconsistent, inaccurate or irrelevant Ignored command prompts from the assignment brief Little or no evaluation Report lacked structure and focus

Senior examiners report

One of the workable approaches to avoid making common mistakes is the management of the researched (internal and external) literature. The brief outlines topics and components that should be addressed. Candidates should research and develop the subject matter under investigation only. There is little to be gained from diluting the core content beyond the requirements of the task and whilst wider evidence is important a candidate should know when and where to stop Stephen Humphrey CMI Examiner and Practioner

Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate a broad appreciation of the need for information in global management Describe the role of information in the overall management process Explain the concept of knowledge management and its importance in a knowledge-based and global economy
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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent Salvor Hardin in Isaac Asimovs novel, Foundation
An organisation dedicated to predicting and reshaping the course of human history using a statistical method called psychohistory. Psychohistory - Once a reality, now a real possibility.

Researchers are now demonstrating the power of this technique in forecasting how conflicts will develop and end.

Information
Good information is the raw material used by management in deciding a companys policy and day to day operations
(Chisnell 2001)

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Information Value

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Activity
I buy mineral water. What need am I fulfilling?

Write down as many as you can think of Think about the context in which a person may buy water.

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Data & Information for competitive advantage

To anticipate and satisfy customer/consumer needs Ethos spread throughout organisation Enable differentiation New opportunities of ways to do business Asset Management
Increase responsiveness Identify new customer opportunities Anticipate competitive attacks

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Management and information

Analysis Planning Implementation Control
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Key information
Information on customers Information on other organisations Information on the environment

Use information in an integrated manner rather than in isolation Better informed judgement should result in better decisions What are some of the problems associated with information?

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Organisations Information Requirements

Markets Share of market Products Price Distribution Promotional planning Finance Communication planning Advertising Sales force Customer attitudes Competitors activities Environmental factors

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Typical information requirements

1. Market analysis
Market size Market profitability Market growth trends Main products in the market Customer attitudes and buying behaviours Major competitors and market shares Distribution patterns Marketing strategies used in the market

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Typical information requirement

2. Product Research

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Typical information requirements

3. Pricing Decisions
Competitor product prices Consumer attitudes to price What would they expect to pay? What would they be prepared to pay? Cost/price/volume what quantities are likely to sell at different price levels?
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Typical information requirements

4. Advertising and Promotions

Size of potential market Demographic characteristics of users Demographic profiles of segments Behaviours and attitudes of different segments Language used by customers in talking about products Share of mind compared with competitors
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Typical information requirements

5. Sales decisions Sales territories Sales personnel efficiency Sales statistics Sales forecasts Sales incentives
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Key Strategic questions

Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How might we get there? How can we ensure arrival?
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Types of information
Descriptive What, where, when? Comparative How? Diagnostic? Why? Predictive? What would happen?

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Information and decision making

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Knowledge Management
Knowledge information in peoples minds (tacit)
People Customers Information systems

Explicit knowledge company knows it has Tacit knowledge not documented, invisible, intangible Barriers to developing, keeping and using intellectual capital Facilitating knowledge sharing & management

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Market Research
The collection, analysis and communication of information undertaken to assist decision making in marketing (Wilson 2003)
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Characteristics of market research

Provides information to aid marketing decision making Involves the collection of information using a wide range of sources and techniques Analysis of information to understand it Communication and dissemination of information

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Activity
Choose a) A charity b) A supermarket Discuss all areas of research that may be relevant to them Identify all questions you feel might need to be answered through research in each case

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The knowledge age

Huge volumes of information now available Managers need to be selective and systematic As data is drawn from multiple sources, it needs to be combined and analysed for it to be of value

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Research Ethics: An Overview and Practical Application

Stephen Humphrey

Informed Consent
Informed consent is a persons autonomous authorization to participate in research (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). Informed assent is normally used where children are minors (under the age of 16). The elements of assent are described as information, comprehension and voluntariness (Belmont Report, 1979). It is generally agreed that children aged 7-12 years do have the cognitive capacity to judge information concerning their participation in research (Helseth & Slettebo (2004) although it is recognized that some children and adolescents may have limited capacity and decision making abilities and, as such, assent and not consent would apply in this context (Lind et al, 2003). The environment in which informed consent is given will also influence how and why consent is agreed.

Informed dissent
It is important also to remember that consent is not an event but a process (Alderson, 1998) and that even when, as a researcher, you have obtained consent this consent must be on-going Passive consent or informed assent is not the right to choose between A and B but the right not to participate (de Meyrick, 2005). Helseth & Slettebo (2004) allow participants to use yellow and red cards to express their feelings. As children often find it difficult to verbalise dissent, if they are asked about something they do not want to discuss (if they feel uncomfortable) they can give a warning by holding up a yellow card. If they do not want to discuss an issue or want to end their participation they can hold up the red card.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

This means no one else will be able to attribute the comments or concepts to one specific individual This is usually addressed in the writing up stages by both using pseudonyms to protect the identity of the participants and by carefully considering that the quote used to illustrate the argument or theme in the research is sufficiently free of the participants personal information. It is important to note that the meaning and significance of information depends on what is already known by those receiving it (Richardson & McMullan, 2007: 1117). Confidentiality (and the ethical concerns regarding nonmaleficence and beneficence which underlie the need to engage in a risk/benefit analysis and to minimise risks) is discussed by Mishna et al. (2004).

Protecting the data

What is the researcher collecting the data for? To what institution as a researcher are you affiliated to? Who will have access to the data? The researcher is responsible for keeping the data current, accurate and should be kept for no longer than is necessary (e.g. the duration of the project). Security measures must be in place to guard against loss or damage of the data. The researcher must also prevent processing likely to cause damage or distress and this will include ensuring anonymity.

Covert Research
Researchers, however, can manipulate consent and this has been described as covert research by Homan (2001). Once a researcher has a signature on paper to agree to the respondent being involved in the research process the researcher (and not the participant) is protected from any risks or outcomes as a result of the study Covert research is also akin to the Pontius Pilate Plight described by Walters (1989: 958). A researcher can conform to the formal role procedures of researching but can wash his/her hands of the responsibility of what follows the research because they obtained assent/consent and, as such, were honest and open about what the research involved

Role of the Researcher

In the social work arena despite listening to children being a legal requirement (McLeod, 2007) dialogue with disaffected young people can be hard to achieve. McLeod (pg.278) argues that much that appears unsuccessful in [research] interaction can be understood in power plays, with young people resisting the adults agenda and trying to impose their own. Withholding information, changing the subject or fabricating responses are all strategies displayed by respondents dealing with powerlessness. This powerlessness may be addressed by giving the participants a greater opportunity to be involved in the research process. Many of the discussions of fieldwork with young people have addressed the issue of the roles researchers assume [See for example: Fine & Sandstrom, 1988; Mandell; 1988 and Corsaro; 1997]. These roles include supervisor, leader, friend, parent and least adult.

Completing the Ethical Research Process

It is important to remember to refer to the initial informed assent or consent on completion of the research project It is likely that the participant will have been promised confidentiality and anonymity (see before) but it is also typical to agree to destroy any information/data collected during the research process on completion of the study It is imperative that this is done in such a way that any information (e.g. transcripts, photographs, drawings, and visual data) cannot be retrieved once the researcher has destroyed it. The use of shredding machines is normal practice for destroying items and if this is not available to the researcher the information must still be destroyed through using confidential waste procedures.

Summary
Autonomous authorization Consent is not an event but a process Using pseudonyms being aware of when confidentiality should be breached Access to the data Responsibility for the participant? State role in the environment Not using data beyond the period of the project without express permission