BUS504: Modules 1-5; RES600: Modules 1-3

I am actually surprised that people have been reading my blog... I have not updated it in a while but I will do my best to allow others to see what I have written so far.

For my BUS504 course, here are my essays:

Module 1:
Case
SLP

Module 2:
Case
SLP

Module 3:
Case
SLP

Module 4:
Case
SLP

Module 5:
Case
SLP

Unfortunately I do not recall what grade I received for each assignment, however, the overall grade for the BUS504 course was a B+.

I am currently taking RES600 - Introductory Data Analysis.  This will be my last course at TUIU as I am transferring back over to University of Phoenix.


Module 1:
Grade A: Case
Professor comments:
Alexandria,

In this assignment you were asked to identify the key research question in the study presented, distinguish between types of variables, and provide relevant descriptive statistics to include frequency tables, box plots and other relevant statistics.  You were also directed to give a go at using the cross tabs function.  You were also asked to comment on these various findings in relation to the variables considered most and least important to kids in relation to defining popularity …and you were asked to provide some other observations. 

Overall I like what you did.  I did not see where you clearly and specifically pointed out the key research question, though you did allude to it.  Also, you might want to spend some time pondering if Grade might be better construed as Interval data.  From the start of one grade to the start of another is one year.  Thus, there is a constant distinction or interval between grades.  At the same time, there is no zero value in K-12. 

Still, you seem to understand the fundamental concepts presented in the assignment and I appreciate your hard work.

Dr. C

Grade B+: SLP
Professor comments:
In this assignment you were asked to identify the data type for a series of variables.  You were then presented with a coding scheme for categorizing income data and asked to comment on it.  Finally, you were asked to provide a frequency table and calculate the mean, median and mode for speed limits in various countries. 

Overall you did a good job with this assignment.  I think, however, that for the nominal data categories such as marital status and whether a person has been unemployed, the mean has very little meaning.  Here it seems that frequencies, proportions and the mode would be the appropriate descriptive statistic.  Also, I was hoping for a bit more comment on question 2.  At the doctoral level your response to any given question should be quite in-depth. 

Keep up the good work!!

Dr. C


Discussion forum: Grade A
Academic/Scientific research What is Academic/Scientific research? Bring your multidisciplinary viewpoints to support your arguments.
Academic/Scientific research consists of data analysis and formulas. This data analysis looks to prove or disprove hypotheses. The main objective is to learn, discover, and investigate the integrity of the data. What academic/scientific research can bring to society, science, individuals, etc. is proven information that people can learn from or expand upon.
  
Module 2:
Grade B+: Case
Professor comments:
Alexandria,

In this assignment you were asked to put together a simulation mimicking 500 series to determine using a simulation experiment what the likelihood is of World Series sweeps.  You were asked to discuss this in terms of probability and statistics and to provide your result and some basic graphical analysis. 

There were two ways to do this with SPSS.  One involved the use of a syntax editor and the second way to handle this was provided in a wave file tutorial. 

You used an Excel statistical product, which is fine. 

Overall you appear to have done what you were asked to do except I did not see the pie chart of your outcome, and I think it would have been good to provide some explanation regarding the differences in calculated probabilities and actual series outcomes.  For instance, clearly teams are not always evenly matched.  There are also other potentially spurious variables such as home team advantage among others.  Also, I did not see where you extrapolated to additional series outcomes such as a series going 5, 6 or 7 games.  Regardless, you did demonstrate some critical thinking and a grasp of the fundamental concepts presented in this module.   

Dr. C

Grade A-: SLP
Professor comments:
Alexandria,

In this assignment you were asked to identify the appropriate distributions for various data types, distinguish between a few terms related to sampling, and to show how to calculate World Series probabilities for winning games 5, 6 and 7. 

In short, the information provided for assigning distributions was a bit vague in most accounts and required a little ‘qualifying’ of the information to be able to intelligently argue for one type of distribution or another.  I think it would have been good for you to describe why you thought the distributions you selected would fit the data set described.  Also, a number of students selected to use an abbreviation for a binomial expression in their probability calculations.  I don’t really have a problem using this approach and I noted you used this approach as well.  You did a good job with this part of the assignment. 

Dr. C


Discussion forum: Grade B+
Interesting Probability Question Let us look at a very interesting probability question here: In a certain televising game show, a valuable prize is hidden behind one of three doors. You, the contestant, pick one of the three doors. Before opening it, the announcer opens one of the other two doors and you see that the prize isn't behind that door. The announcer offers you the chance to switch to the remaining door. Should you switch, or does it really matter? (Hint: you may use conditional probability)

You are welcome to share your thoughts and clues here and it can be a collaborate effort. The final answer may not matter as long as you show your logic reasoning here.
The initial probability of opening the correct door is 1/3 or 33%, since there are 3 doors and you can only finalize one.

"...the announcer opens one of the other two doors and you see that the prize isn't behind that door..."

It doesn't really matter if the contestant switches or not because the odds of winning will always be slim.

If the contestant picks correctly (door 1), and door 2 or 3 is randomly opened and reveals that there is no prize, then there is a 1/2 chance between the contestant's choice and the announcer's choice and cannot open door 1 to open.
door 1 probability=0
door 2 probability=1/2
door 3 probability=1/2

If the contestant picks door 1 but door 2 has the prize, the announcer will pick door 3.
door 1=0
door 2=0
door 3=1

If the contestant picks door 1 but door 3 has the prize, the announcer will pick door 2 to open.
door 1=0
door 2=1
door 3=0

This is only if the announcer does not reveal the door with the prize.

There is a second set of probabilities if the announcer does show the prize if the contestant picks door 1.

door 1=0
door 2=1/2
door 3=1/2

Module 3:
Grade A: Case
Professor comments:
Alexandria,

You did a good job with this assignment.  Your reasoning was easy to follow and you did a good job of following directions.  I think the key point of this assignment is to give students some 'hands on' experience with sampling distributions.  I like that your 'experiment' tended to demonstrate the Central Limit Theorem as well.  Both concepta are important fundamentals of statistics. 

You seem to have done everything that was required of you.  Good work!

Dr. C

Grade B+: SLP
Bonus: SLP with comments from professor
Professor comments:
Alex,

Please see the attached feedback file... 

Dr. C


Discussion forum: Grade N/A
Understanding Polls -- Confidence Interval Many newspapers, when reporting results of political polls, say that “with 95% confidence, the results are in error by no more than +/- 3 percentage points.” The typical sample size is about 1500. This allowance for error is intended to cover both sampling variability and the effect of small biases.

a) Assume that the poll (sample) indicates that just about 50% of likely voters favor a particular candidate. How large a +/- term is required for a 95% confidence interval for the population proportion.

b) Would the +/- term be much different if 40% of likely voters in the sample favored the candidate.

c) Why is the quoted +/- 0.03 larger than the +/- term you calculated in question a)?
Many newspapers, when reporting results of political polls, say that “with 95% confidence, the results are in error by no more than +/- 3 percentage points.” The typical sample size is about 1500. This allowance for error is intended to cover both sampling variability and the effect of small biases.

a) Assume that the poll (sample) indicates that just about 50% of likely voters favor a particular candidate.

P = 50% (or .5) of voters that favor the candidate
n = 1500 is the sample size
standard deviation sample proportion (p) = sqrt[P(1 – P) / n] (Stattrek.com, 2011)

p = sqrt[.5(1 - .5) / 1500] = sqrt[.25 / 1500] = sqrt.0001666 = 0.0129

Confidence Interval (z) = 1.96 (Bioconsulting.com, n.d.)
Confidence (C) = 95%
Confidence interval with level C (N) = (1-C)/2

N = (1-.95)/2 = .05/2 = .025

Margin of error (m) = z * p / sqrt N (Mackowaik, et al, 1992)

m = (1.96 * 0.0129 / .025)² = (.025284/.025)² = 1.01132² = 1.0228

b) Would the +/- term be much different if 40% of likely voters in the sample favored the candidate.

P = 40% (or .4) of voters that favor the candidate

p = sqrt [.4(1 - .4) / 1500] = sqrt [.24 / 1500] = sqrt.00016 = 0.0126
m = (1.96 * 0.0126 / .025)² = (.024696/.025)² = .98784² = .97582

c) Why is the quoted +/- 0.03 larger than the +/- term you calculated in question a)?

The quoted +/- 0.03 might have been larger than the +/- term I calculated because the quote may have come from different standard deviation calculations and may need more information, such as other samples to calculate the question more appropriately.

Stattrek.com (2011)
http://stattrek.com/ap-statistics-4/standard-error.aspx
Mackowiak, et al (1992)
http://www.stat.yale.edu/Courses/1997-98/101/confint.htm
Bioconsulting.com (n.d.)
http://www.bioconsulting.com/calculation_of_the_confidence_interval.htm


Module 4:  in progress


I honestly felt that this was the hardest course I have had to take in a long time.  I am really dreading taking any more statistical courses.  I thank my professor for being very generous with his grading methods as I am very new to this type of course and mostly tech savvy.

Module 2 Grades

Case Assignment Grade: B
Comments:
Alexandria,

You have done a very good  job on this assignment. You completed each step of the assignment fully according to expectations, and your discussion of the quality of the paper was thorough and drew on the Module 1 assignment. You did not include the mediator variable, Posttraumatic distress in your table or statement of hypothesis.

Your writing is clear and I did not come across any errors in spelling or grammar. In your reference list, you indicated that you retrieved the Bacharach & Bamberger (2007) article on May 25, 2009. I believe you are new to Trident this term, so I am confused about this retrieval date. Can you offer an explanation for this retrieval date?

Dr. Hanson

[I knew I forgot something!!!]

SLP Assignment Grade: A
Comments:
Alexandria,

In this module 2 SLP assignment, you have done a good job being responsive to my feedback for the module 1 SLP. You have done a good job identifying the variables, and stating your hypothesis.

Overall, your writing is good. I did not come across any significant problems in spelling or grammar.

Keep up the good work.

Dr.  Hanson

Sweet!  An 'A'!  Now that's what I'm talking about!

Grades for module 1

I received my grades for module 1 out of 6 for this course.

For the case assignment, I got a B+.  My professor's comments were:

Alexandria,

Your paper demonstrates that you read the two papers under consideration very thoroughly. I wish you had used the criteria of quality research that are provided in the reading to assess these two studies. These criteria also could have been used to structure your paper.

As you write your next papers, please take the approach of using the assignment papers to demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the assigned background readings. The knowledge base in this class is very cumulative.

Your paper is well-written and you use paragraphs well. Please use headings within your paper to organize your thoughts and guide the reader.

Overall, you have done a good job on this assignment.  Please keep working hard.

Dr. Hanson

For the SLP, I got another B+.  My professor's comments on that were:

Alexandria,

You description of the situation at Gabriels is engaging. You have identified many issues that will make for a good research study. I wish you would have been more direct in tying what you have written to the questions posed in the assignment. Which of these issues (variables) have you identified as your dependent variable; which will be your independent variables?

Overall, your writing is good. I noticed that you sometimes write “employee’s” (the possessive when you mean employees (the plural).

Keep up the good work!

Dr. Hanson

I'm waiting on the discussion forum grade.

I'm glad I got a B+ on both of the assignments and consider it a fair grade.  Obviously I would have liked to get an A, but I think that this grade is actually pretty generous.

I have not started on my module assignments yet.  [sigh]  I gotta get on it.  I think I'm going to change what I originally scheduled around since it's very difficult for me to study during the week.

So... my new idea is to to the following for module 2:

Sunday [5/1]: 

• Discussion Forum,
• SLP, 
• Some research on case assignment, and
• Respond to someone's discussion post.

Sunday [5/8]: 

• Finish research on case assignment, and
• Finish case assignment.

Tonight I have a full code push*... when will it ever end.

* For those of you who do not know what a "full code push" is, it is basically when all the code from one website (normally a testing environment or beta site) is published to the official website (aka production or live website).  This process takes anywhere from 2 hours and on depending on how many servers or problems there are.  For our organization, because the client likes to have it done during low traffic times, we do it at night time.  So I either work from 8pm to 10pm (give or take) or from midnight to 2am (give or take).  The longest that a full code push has ever lasted was 5 hours.

BUS504: Module 2 out of 6 begins.

I figured I should break up my assignments a little better so I don't spend my entire weekend doing homework again... so unless I am too tired, I should try to stay on schedule.  However, not doing any homework today since I need a break.

Discussion forum question [I will answer this sometime either Tuesday or Wednesday during lunch.]
Research questions and hypothesis-testing In the readings, a distinction is made between the general "research questions" that shape a study and the specific hypotheses it purports to test. So here's the question -- are there meaningful research questions (emphasis on "meaningful") that cannot be assessed through the process of operationalizing and testing hypotheses? If you believe that there are such questions, what might be an example of one (or more)? If you believe that there aren't, why not?

Dive in on this one -- you aren't being assessed on the degree to which you agree with my position on this question (which you don't actually know), but on the degree to which you can make an informed critical statement about it - and engage the statements of your colleagues. Maybe consensus will emerge, maybe not. It will be entertaining to see.

As usual, creative tearing into each other -- all in a spirit of good collegial fun, of course -- is encouraged strongly.



Case Assignment

Part One: [I will read during the week at lunch time]

In this module we'll continue to practice learning research by looking into actual research projects. Both Module 2 and Module 3 will make extensive use of this recent article:

Bacharach, S. & Bamberger, P. (2007). 9/11 and New York City firefighters' post hoc  unit support and control climates:  A context theory of the consequences of involvement in traumatic work-related events. The Academy of Management Journal, 50 (4): 849-868.

It's a study of New York City firemen in the aftermath of the events of 9/11.  It's interesting and important in its own right, and also provides excellent examples of variable operationalization and hypothesis formulation.  You should read the article down to the "Results" section, where the statistical analysis begins.  Then, skip to "Discussion," and read the article to the end.  You may need to do this several times.

Tip:  As you read, try to translate the academic jargon into ordinary English.  Example:  "Hypothesis 1.The association between the intensity of employees' involvement in a work-related critical incident and their post-event negative emotional states (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress) varies significantly over work units."  Translation:  People involved in disasters tend to suffer emotional injury.  Those who are more closely involved with the disaster suffer greater injury.  But the extent of the injury caused by a particular level of involvement depends on the characteristics of the work unit they're in. It helps to keep the context --i.e., the 9/11 attacks -- in mind as you read.

Required Readings

Bacharach, S. & Bamberger, P. (2007). 9/11 and New York City firefighters' post hoc  unit support and control climates:  A context theory of the consequences of involvement in traumatic work-related events. The Academy of Management Journal, 50 (4): 849-868. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com.lb-proxy6.touro.edu/ehost/viewarticle?dat a=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bFOsqi1Srak63nn5Kx95uXxjL6rrUq0pbBIr q%2beSbimtVKzrp5oy5zyit%2fk8Xnh6ueH7N%2fiVaunsk2zqK9Lr6%2b1PurX7H%2b72% 2bw%2b4ti7evLepIzf3btZzJzfhruotEq1r69Qrpzkh%2fDj34y75uJ%2bxOvqhNLb9owA& hid=105  

Figley, C. (2008).  Impact of Event Scale Revised.  Retrieved on Feb 20, 2009 from http://www.atft.org/research/Impact%20of%20Event%20Scale%20-%20Revised.htm 

University of New South Wales (UNSW)  (n.d. a)  Overview of the DASS and its uses.  Retrieved on 25 Feb 2008 from http://www2.psy.unsw.edu.au/groups/dass//over.htm

University of New South Wales (UNSW) (n.d. b).  DASS21 survey form.  Retrieved on 25 Feb 2008 from http://www2.psy.unsw.edu.au/groups/dass//Down_W6_US/dass21.doc

Optional Readings

Dallal, G. (2004) Units of Analysis. The Little Handbook of Statistical Practice.  Retrieved May 25, 2009, from http://www.jerrydallal.com/LHSP/units.htm

Dereshiwsky, M.  (1998) Understanding Variables. Introduction to Research. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mid/edr610/class/variables/variables/lesson3-1-1.html

Eveland, JD (2003) Some observations on data, variables, and relationships.  PowerPoint presentation.  Available here.

Trochim, W. (n.d.). Measurement. Social Research Methods Database. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/measure.htm

Part Two: [I will complete on Sunday]

You are to develop a brief critique of the Bacharach et al. study, in accordance with the following outline:

1. In one or two paragraphs, summarize the study, its findings, and its implications for management practice. [If you'd like a little more structure to this part of the exercise, click here.]
   
2. Identify the variables in the study.  Characterize them as DVs, IVs, MVs, or EVs.  State the level of analysis of each; either individual level, or group level.  Summarize your analysis in the form of a table assigning a code to each variable, including the type of the variable (see Introduction), the level of analysis (either I for individual, or G for group), and the full description of the variable. Here's such a table, with two lines filled in:
   

Code	Type	Level	Authors' label
Str	DV	I	Stress
Icv	IV	I	Intensity of critical incident involvement
(etc.)

3. Next, summarize each hypothesis using the variable codes.  One of these would be (from Figure 1):
   
Icv is positively correlated with Str.
Some of the hypotheses involve either moderation or mediation.  In that event, use the formula:
X is (positively / negatively) correlated with Y, (moderated / mediated) by Z
[What's the point? Is this just busy work? Absolutely not.  Both scientists and managers, when they are reading and studying a paper that they absolutely MUST master, do exactly this sort of thing.  Reading a research report is a labor-intensive activity!]
4. 
   
   Once you've completed your description of the variables and the listing of the hypotheses, conclude with your best estimate of the overall quality of this study as research, on the basis of what you know now.  Trust your judgment.  Be sure to explain the reasoning behind your assessment.

SLP [I will do the following Sunday]
For the Module 2 component of the Project, please review the feedback you received on Module 1, and make necessary revisions.  Then add the following.

• Characterize your variables in terms of (1) level of measurement (2) level of analysis, and (3) whether each of them is a DV, IV, MV, of EV.  Don't worry about operationalizing the variables at this point.  That's a topic for Module 3.
  
• State your research questions in terms of testable hypotheses.  As mentioned above, the preferred format is as follows:  "(DV) is (positively / negatively) correlated with (IV)."  There must be a separate hypothesis for each combination of DV and IV.  JUSTIFY each hypothesis, on the basis of what you've read and/or observed, either in this or in some other organization.
  

The second bullet above deserves additional explanation, and an extended example.  Suppose the DVs are job satisfaction and intention to quit, while the IVs are job tenure (time on the job) and pay.  You think that tenure and pay are predictors of satisfaction, but only tenure is a predictor of intention to quit.  Further, you think that higher pay and longer tenure are related to higher levels of job satisfaction, and that longer tenure is related to a decreased intention to quit.  Your hypotheses would then be:

• H1:  Pay is positively correlated with job satisfaction.
• H2:  Tenure is positively correlated with job satisfaction.
• H3:  Tenure is negatively correlated with intention to quit.

Be sure to provide precise and detailed arguments in support of each of your hypotheses.  Avoid statements such as, "it is commonly known that" or "it is obvious that."  Few things are commonly known, and even fewer things are obvious.  Whenever possible, cite concrete examples supporting your hypothesis.  Example:  If Outward Bound training increased productivity in companies A, B, and C, it is reasonable to hypothesize that it will have the same effect in your company (assuming that A, B, C, and your company are all reasonably similar in terms of structure, culture, and other key variables.)

SLP done, time to eat.

Here is my first draft which I submitted to my professor for the SLP assignment.  This is not a totally true essay as I only am answering the questions that are required for the sake of the assignment itself.  But it was fun to write up some of it anyway.  I guess that's why I did it so fast.  I'm still learning so I expect the professor to educate the class on how this should really be done.

Case Assignment done, Next SLP

I finally got my case assignment done.  I would have gotten it done earlier if I didn't fall asleep in the middle of it.  I submitted it so let's see what the professor says.  

Personally, I think I could have done a lot better and could have included a lot more from my outline but I didn't want to write too much so as to divert from the point that I understand what a research paper is and how it's basically constructed.

Here is what I submitted.

Now onto my SLP essay.  I should be able to get this one done easily since this is more aimed at where I work.

First Post and First Assignment!

So here I am thinking that a PhD is both a great idea and a horrible idea yet I am again falling asleep on my assignment.  Not that it's boring but that I am a bit depressed at how long this is going to take me... okay, yes, a little boring.  I mean, I have QWERTY on my forehead right now.

My homework is due this Monday.

Discussion Threads
The discussion forum portion (the online equivalent of participation in a classroom setting) was done last week.  I am also required to answer someone's post as well, which I did today.

The teacher's thread starts off with this:

Research Priority and Justification

Research requires resources, and resources are always scarce things in organizations. So allocating resources to research of any sort requires deciding that its results are potentially more valuable than the results that might be obtained by spending the resources on something else (such as advertising, or executive bonuses, etc.) Such decisions are difficult enough when the research is technical and the results potentially translatable into bottom-line dollars. But when we're talking about behavioral science research, tracing and quantifying possible results and relating them to organizational goals and priorities may be almost impossible.

So -- here's the question. What sort of justification can you offer as to why an organization -- any organization -- should expend resources on the kind of social/behavioral science research that you're learning about here? You are invited to pose possible rationales you might offer to a potential sponsor -- and/or to poke holes in the rationales offered by your colleagues. Preferably both. Creative tearing into each other -- all in a spirit of good collegial fun, of course -- is encouraged strongly.

GENERAL NOTE ON TD POSTINGS: I'm looking for original, thoughtful contributions, plus equally thoughtful critiques of other student postings. Simply agreeing with a previous posting doesn't count for much.

Also, personal sharing is encouraged. The experience of research involves you bringing all that you are to the experience, and it's not possible to evaluate research without knowing something about the researcher (and who funded the research and why, which of course brings us back to the issue at hand...)

My answer was:

In the organization I work with, I am a web product manager. I was discussing how and why an organization would benefit from social/behavioral science research with one of my peers. We both pretty much felt that researching the social/behavioral sciences can benefit an organization in a few ways.

The first way is that it allows us to facilitate better communication between the people that we work with. This allows us to remove any confusion due to misinterpretation. I especially find this helpful in managing the projects with the developers I work with because it is important that they understand the project to do it correctly.

The second is to learn and understand conflict resolution. Anyone within the organization can benefit from a program such as this. This will help keep the projects and processes moving along and provide employees with the knowledge to resolve any issues efficiently.

Lastly, it also provides the organization with a sense of synergy. When employees are happy, they are generally willing to do more and are more loyal. This actually benefits the company in reducing any additional costs, especially in the realm of hiring and training new people.

I got two responses from the class but I will only post one here:

Conflict resolution is a complicated matter, especially in organizations that have a global presence or a global workforce, or even a local workforce that employs people from a variety of cultures. To me, conflict resolution is related to negotiation. Many of the negotiation studies by Brett and by Salacuse, both of whom dealt with cross-cultural negotiation, can be applied to conflict resolution as well. Understanding how other cultures communicate is important as well as understanding how that communication style is changing, especially in emerging economies. A significant issue in negotiation and conflict resolution is having a little bit of knowledge about a culture and then overgeneralizing about the population from that knowledge. Research by Brett and Salacuse has shown, over time, that cultural communication styles change, evolve, and adapt as those cultures begin to interact more frequently and intimately with other cultures. The only way to track these changes is with ongoing research; this type of research can be very valuable to organizations as they strive to stay competitive.

My response to him was:

Very true. Although I did consider grouping conflict resolution and negotiations together, I kept them separate because as manager, you do not necessarily negotiate with your employees on the project/s you give them and saw negotiations as more of resource outside from the organization, even if the organization can benefit it. Additionally, a client is not someone you want to have a conflict with and therefore negotiations with clients can be in and of itself a separate challenge.

Although I do not disagree with him, I needed to post a somewhat substantial response anyway so there it was.

Case Assignment
Topic: Differentiate between good and mediocre research in terms of specific criteria.

For some reason I thought it was about organizational commitment because of the first article's subject matter.  Needless to say, I didn't prepare for it all that well.  I mean, I had two weeks to do this and so far all I've done is read one of the two articles I was required to analyze last week.  I did happen get to read the other one today and find some other additional resources to use in my essay.  I wrote short notes on everything that I will need to formulate this into an actual essay, which I will be able to write tomorrow along with my session long project.

Since this is my first PhD-based essay, I'm worried that I won't do as well as I did in the masters.

So far my version of an outline for the case assignment looks like this:

Research and Resources Stage

Concentrate on design, methods, and findings

Shepherd, D., Douglas, E., Fitzsimmons, J. (2008).  MBA admission criteria and an entrepreneurial mindset:  Evidence from "Western" style MBAs in India and Thailand.  Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7 (2): 158-172.  Retrieved April 24, 2011, from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=32712615&site=ehost-live

My Thoughts:

Design of assessment is the use of the "7-point Likert scale" (very low is 1, very high is 7) & experimental design called "orthogonal fractional factorial design" which is "used to reduce the number of attribute combinations to 16 and thus make the decision-making task more manageable".

Methods used was a "postexperiment questionnaire" to determine if the students with a higher GMAT score was more or less likely to be motivated and committed as a manager.

GMAT vs. Work Experience

·         Findings show that students who scored high GMAT scores had low motivation and commitment in their work experience example.

·         GMAT testing is supposed to evaluate if the student is suitable for becoming a manager.

·         Work experience is supposed to provide a student with insight to management.

·         GMAT is only valid to non-US students (Koys, 2005)

·         Being a manager is closely related to being an entrepreneur.

·         GMAT does not support "motivation" or "commitment" or independent thinking and "strategic adaptation".  Cognitive ability is not the same as work-related motivation

GMAT score vs. GPA

·         GMAT scores add an additional value to the student's MBA GPA.

·         GMAT is too predictable.

·         GMAT has a good reputation.

·         Getting a GMAT is considered the "safer route"

Things the article does not mention

·         GMAT is not a requirement in all schools.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_32/b3946109_mz056.htm

·         GMAT is used if the student's GPA or work experience is insufficient to get into some MBA programs.
http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/programs/exec/faqs/executive-mba-program/is-a-gmat-required

Disputable information

·         " Ireland and colleagues (2003) proposed that success in a management career in the 21st century economy will require an entrepreneurial mind-set to enhance firm performance while competing in turbulent and unpredictable environments—turbulent and unpredictable environments like those of emerging economies (Appiah-Adu, 1998; Luo, 2007). " Yet Ireland's economy has now been labeled at "junk status".  So how valuable is their predicted information?:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0418/breaking9.html?via=mr

·         Mintzberg (2004) concludes that academics is not enough to support a management position, even though he only has 2-3 years of work experience.

·         "Perhaps students with higher GMAT scores perceive themselves as special, belonging to an elite group of intelligentsia, and as such, should not be expected to work as hard as others." - opinion leading the reader to believe that this is the real reason the students will never succeed as a manager if they have a high GMAT score and automatically have a pompous attitude.

·          Article research does not factor in cultural differences and motivations between the US, Indian, and Thailand organizations or even within a group or organizational setting.  For example,
http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/petia.petrova/Petrova%20Web%20site%20material/Personality%20and%20Individual%20Differences%20-%20Final.pdf examines how individual motivation can be different if they are in a group setting.

·         Article assumes that students intend to become managers.

·         Article uses an unrealistic scenario "When making these assessments, assume you have savings that are equal to one year’s salary.”  If people don't even have enough money in their retirement funds, they most likely will not have a year's salary in their savings account.  Additionally, in providing the students with saved money can influence the statistics negatively towards motivation and commitment.  It allows the students to perceive that they can quit the job because they have backup funds to last them a year -- which shows lack of commitment.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/pf/retirement_confidence/index.htm

·         The statistics in Table 1 (GMAT average is 650.30) is different than their explanation "with average GMAT score of 689".

·         Hypothesis 1 was found to be unsupported as well as Hypothesis 2b (less independence seeking).

Oz, E. (2001), Organizational commitment and ethical behavior: An empirical study of information system professionals, Journal of Business Ethics, Nov 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2011 from  http://www.jstor.org/stable/25074628

My Thoughts:

Methods: 

·         " Measurement of organizational commitment" - commitment, level of "effort", "membership"

·         " Measurement of ethical hehavior" - analyzing professionals to see which unethical behaviors they do the most or least.  

Design:  "5-point Likert-type scale"

Disputable information/Findings:

IT professionals vs. any other type of professional

·         assessment focuses on behaviors that only go against company policy but the first part of the  questionnaire makes it sound like it's neutral to their participants: "The first part contained an established instrument for determining the organizational commitment of the participant's organization" however "all of the acts described in these statements are explicitly prohibited by all of these organizations".

·         focuses on IT-related, unethical statements -- very few of the professionals  that were participating were in IS-related positions (71 were in IS, 250 were not), which makes the bias towards IS even more visible.  The questions should have had more ethical variety or a standard type of participant. 
For example, if the ethical questions are IT/IS-related, then the participants should also be of IT/IS otherwise it is possible that the other professionals may not understand the full terminology or meaning of the statement.

Another example, one of the "ethics statements" mentioned was "Sometimes, for my work, I copy software without permission."  But what if the user does not know what "software" actually is?  There are several professionals out there that do not know the difference because they are not tech savvy. (go into detail about how this is derived from personal experience with working with the parents at GW HS and some of them are professionals that work on computers)

·         one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)

·         " the organizational commitment of IS professionals was greater than that of the other professionals"

·         "Apparently, IS professionals are more likely to "hack" than other professionals." - opinion bias because "hack" is not defined.  "Social engineering" is a form of hacking and many people know how to do this, IS or not, but they may not know that that is what it actually is.
http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/social-engineering-fundamentals-part-i-hacker-tactics

·         Article indicated that " the first two statements address behavior that requires some technical knowledge."

·         Article indicates that " Further research, perhaps with larger samples, may shed more light on the reasons for IS professionals' ethical attitudes."

·         Referring to the personal data statement, "This may partially explain why other professionals are as likely as IS professionals to commit these acts." or they don't know realize that the data they have access to is not for distribution to anyone.

I don't think that many people really realize that research and analysis takes up more time then actually writing the essay.  It takes me a couple of days just for one essay usually.

Session Long Project (SLP)
The session long project is typically a compilation of what I've written for the entire session of the course, however, I am required to submit a few pages along with the case assignment.

Topics:

• Identify organizational problems in terms of objective variables.
• Explain how solving these problems could benefit the organization.

My outline for this is not yet done but I will have it done tonight, even if it kills me...  maybe.


[Edit]
I had to sleep so I decided to post the requirements of the SLP here and give short answers to them before I write up the essay as a guideline for myself.

For this part of your project, you are to prepare an introduction.  (Remember, this is a first draft.  You'll have plenty of chances to revise it as we go along).  In Introduction, please address the following issues:

1. What is your organization?  What does it do?
   My organization caters to businesses that wish to create a professional website.  We offer services that create and maintain their database, web designs, and web site maintenance so that they don't have to.
2. Identify at least one, but no more than three, important problems facing the organization.  Some suggestions:  Employee job satisfaction, productivity, turnover, morale, training, training effectiveness, citizenship behaviors, training and training effectiveness.  As we will see, these are the areas within which we will be defining your DEPENDENT VARIABLES (DVs) -- that is, the things that we'd like to change or improve.(a) new project changes/turnover: clients often love to make changes to their website, big and small.  Of course it is their website, however, there also needs to be some control on our side as to how those changes take place.  This includes unrealistic time frames and changes (ie. changes to functional and design elements within a day that took weeks to develop initially) that the clients insist on.
   (b) employees being overworked can often be a big problem as well and lowers morale.  Many of the employees feel that they are underpaid for the amount of work that they dedicate to the company.  The company doesn't seem to appreciate them and always seems to expect more.  Several people have left the organization because they feel this way and have found better opportunities elsewhere.
3. For each DV, identify at least one factor that is probably having either a negative effect, or a less-than-optimal positive effect on it.  Examples: environmental factors (heat, noise pollution), pay, training, performance appraisal procedures or lack thereof, occupational stress, and supervisory styles.  These are the areas from which we'll identify your INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (IVs) - things that we might be able to change or manipulate, or at least observe to be systematically varying.(a) occupational stress: the individuals that work in this organization typically go above and beyond the normal business hours to complete the extra work that is requested of them.  However, they are very stressed and this will often be obvious when they need to take unpaid sick days (the employees receive 5 sick days, 10 holidays, and 8 vacation days throughout the year and are required work hours are from 9pm to 6pm. No rollovers allowed.  No overtime pay.). 
   (b) pay: the employees often complain about the amount of pay they get versus the amount of time and effort they put into the organization.  They complain that they do not get raises but deserve them because they have done so much for the company.
4. State how it could benefit the organization if the exact relationships between one or more problem areas (DVs) and one or more presumed causes or sources of those problems (IVs) could be identified.  Example:  If noise (the IV) is increasing employee turnover (the DV), then it may be cost-effective to invest in sound-suppressing panels and ceiling tiles.(a) if the organization would be more strict or develop better client to business policies, the employees would not need to do extra work or any overtime or they could hire an additional person or intern to do any extra work without loosing any money or time. 
   Additionally, since there are already training sessions going on, this would also be the best time to do so.
   (b) pay raises or some sort of incentives should be normal and on a yearly basis if the employee is providing the organization with the best architecture and services possible.  The only employees that seem to get a raise are the managers.  All other employees do not get raises and they are the ones that are primarily doing the bulk of the work.

Ok!  Now to write up the essays. :)