Research Studies: Please Answer Both Parts Of The Question P

Research Studiesplease Answerbothparts Of the Questionpart 1prepare A

Part 1: Prepare a one-page description of your plans to solve a specific problem through a research study. Your plan should include the following sections:

1. Statement of the Problem: Clearly define the issue you intend to investigate.
2. Research Method and Sources of Information: Specify the research approach (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and detail the sources of data you will utilize, such as surveys, interviews, documents, or observational data.
3. Nature of Data to Be Gathered and Analyzed: Describe the type of data you plan to collect (numerical, categorical, qualitative descriptions) and how this data will be relevant to addressing the problem.
4. Hypothesis or Hypotheses: Propose one or more hypotheses that you aim to test or disprove, if feasible based on the nature of the problem.

Examples to consider:

• Investigating a campus issue like declining enrollment in specific majors or delayed financial aid payments.
• Exploring a business challenge such as a company’s decision to add organic products or improve customer service through online tools.
• Assessing a managerial problem, for example, customer perceptions of financial stability during economic downturns.

Part 2: Determine the most effective graphic representation for each data set below and justify your choice.

1. Growth in companies offering paid volunteer leave over five years: Line graph - It clearly shows the trend over multiple years, illustrating increases or decreases over time.
2. Number of downloads from iTunes by media type (music, books, TV) in the past quarter: Pie chart - It effectively displays parts of a whole (total downloads), making comparisons easy.
3. Percentage of organizational projects delayed, on time, or ahead: Pie chart or bar chart - Both are suitable; pie shows proportion, while bar allows easy comparison across categories.
4. Growth in credit card debt in different states over four years: Map with embedded bar charts or line graphs - A geographic map combined with data visualizations highlights regional differences.
5. Relationship among functional areas from CEO to line supervisors: Organizational chart (hierarchical diagram) - It visually represents hierarchical relationships clearly.
6. Projected unemployment rate across U.S. regions for 2015: Map-based infographics with color coding - Geographic visualization conveys regional differences effectively.
7. Instructions for conducting employee fraud interrogations: Flowchart - It guides through procedures step-by-step, illustrating decision points and sequences.
8. Warranty claim percentages for three product lines over four quarters: Grouped bar chart - Facilitates comparison of each product line’s performance across time periods.
9. Number of portfolios opened by age group over four quarters: Stacked column chart - Shows both the quantity per age group and the changes over time in one view.
10. Progress of a product development team for a 2013 launch: Gantt chart - Tracks project milestones and timeline progress effectively.

Paper For Above instruction

Statement of the Problem

For this research plan, I propose to investigate the declining enrollment in the business management program at my local university. This problem affects institutional revenue, resource allocation, and student diversity. Understanding the underlying causes and developing strategies to reverse this trend is critical for the university's sustainability and academic reputation.

Research Method and Sources of Information

This study will adopt a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights to provide a comprehensive understanding of the decline in enrollment. Quantitatively, enrollment records from the university's Registrar’s Office over the past five years will be collected and analyzed. These data will include enrollment figures for business management and related majors, demographic information, and application rates. Qualitatively, surveys and interviews will be conducted with prospective and current students, faculty, academic advisors, and alumni to capture perceptions, motivations, and barriers related to choosing or remaining in the program.

Sources of information will include institutional data, official university reports, online application portals, and direct feedback from stakeholders through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, external data such as labor market trends and competitor analyses will be gathered from industry reports and educational evaluation websites to contextualize the enrollment decline.

Nature of Data to Be Gathered and Analyzed

The primary data will encompass numerical enrollment figures, application rates, and demographic characteristics, which will be analyzed statistically to identify trends and correlations. Descriptive statistics, trend analysis, and regression models will be employed to examine relationships between enrollment decline and possible influencing factors. Qualitative data collected through interviews and surveys will be transcribed and coded thematically to identify recurring themes such as perceptions of career prospects, program relevance, and academic support.

This combination of quantitative and qualitative data will provide a nuanced understanding of the factors affecting enrollment and inform targeted interventions.

Hypotheses

The primary hypothesis to be tested is: "Negative perceptions about career opportunities in business management are significantly associated with declining enrollment rates."

Secondary hypotheses include: "Lack of awareness of program benefits contributes to low application rates," and "Perceived high tuition costs deter prospective students from enrolling."

Testing these hypotheses will help determine where efforts should be concentrated to increase student interest and enrollment in the program.

References

• Bloom, H. S., & Perrin, K. (2009). "School dropout prevention." In R. J. Gatlin & S. P. O'Neill (Eds.), Educational Interventions for At-Risk Students (pp. 349-368). Routledge.
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
• Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research. Sage Publications.
• Krieger, J., & Epstein, F. (2017). "Using geographic information systems to examine regional variations in employment trends," Journal of Economic Geography, 17(6), 1231-1250.
• Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2018). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Pearson.
• Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Sage Publications.
• Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016). Real world research. Wiley.
• Seidman, I. (2019). Interviewing as qualitative research. Teachers College Press.
• Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications. Sage Publications.
• Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., & Griffin, M. (2010). Business research methods. Cengage Learning.