Description
Identify and explain each of the error(s) in each sentence in the problem statement. Describe how you addressed each error. Rewrite the problem statement, correcting the identified errors. (Your problem statement should contain one general problem sentence, four supporting sentences, and one specific problem sentence based on the business problem information provided.) . For each thread, you must support your assertions with at least 3 peer-reviewed, scholarly citations (besides the possible use of the course texts and the Bible) in current APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 peer-reviewed, scholarly citation (besides the possible use of the course texts and the Bible) in current APA format. Any external sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include scholarly articles, the course textbooks, the Bible, etc.). Please respond in at least 300 words
A. bank is experiencing a decrease in productivity. Employees appear to be stressed as a result of unmitigated job demands. Bank leaders have tried to address the issues but their efforts have had minimal positive impact. Leaders at the bank, located in Austin, Texas, shared they are struggling to retain employees, and that the employees still present do not seem focused on daily tasks. Employees voiced issues with feedback and low morale. The customer base at the bank has decreased because of rude employees.
During research of the peer-reviewed, scholarly literature, it was noted that discovered that bank leaders provided job resources to mitigate job demands which led to an increase in productivity, workplace culture, and employee retention. New accounts also increase as a result of bank leaders addressing job demands. Bank customers were more likely to close and move their accounts to a different financial institution to avoid interacting with rude customers. Voluntary terminations escalated and job performance declined when employees had a significant increase in their workload. Employee performance dropped when overwhelming workloads negatively impacted employee performance.
Problem Statement
The general problem to be surveyed is that leaders lack an understanding of how to address job demands, resulting in an increase in voluntary termination, counterproductive workplace outcomes, and a loss of customers. Bank leaders discovered from customer surveys that customers are closing accounts because their rates are not competitive with area credit unions. Job demands such as a heavy workload interfered with employee performance, leading to decreased job performance. Healthcare employees who felt the organization’s benefits were not competitive were more likely to quit without notice, resulting in retention issues for the organization. Information technology leaders who provide job resources to offset job demand have seen an increase in (a) new accounts, (b) employee productivity, (c) positive workplace culture, and (d) employee retention. The specific problem to be addressed is that IT technology leaders in the information technology industry potentially lack an understanding of how to increase knowledge-sharing among remote team members in a computer store in Atlanta, Georgia, absolutely resulting in an increase in voluntary termination, counterproductive workplace outcomes, and a loss of retail space.
HINT: Read the article, Effective Problem Statements and Research Questions before you begin. The article explains how to properly write an effective problem statement. You will not do well with this discussion assignment if you do not read the article. Next, read the business problem information provided above. Then, read the problem statement.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Effective Problem Statements
& Research Questions
Version 2.1
Edward M. Moore, Ph.D.
Liberty University
School of Business
10 October, 2022
Effective Problem Statements & Research Questions V2.1
Page 2 of 12
Overview
The purpose of this paper is to give the researcher an overview of how to develop simple
yet effective Problem Statements and Research Questions that will get them moving quickly and
in the right direction. The Problem Statement can be thought of as the cornerstone of the research
proposal. It is responsible for establishing broadly what area will be studied with the general
problem and narrowly focusing on a section of that broad area with the specific problem. The
Problem Statement also provides clear and direct support from the current literature that
demonstrates that the problem does exist. Research Questions on the other hand provide the basis
of inquiry for your study. They are broad questions that will be used to guide the research in
addressing the Problem Statement. The simple rule for developing Research Questions is to
make sure to ask questions that address all the factual assertions made in the Problem Statement,
but none that ask questions that are outside of the Problem Statement. Research Questions also
guide in the choice of methodology for the study as will be seen below.
The Problem Statement
All good business research begins with a clearly articulated and focused Problem Statement!
In order to build a strong and focused problem statement that is related to the field of
study for the research project just follow the method discussed below. This method is based upon
a simple three part presentation; the beginning – the general problem, the middle – supporting
statements, the end – the specific problem. The Problem Statement example below is based upon
a business research study in the field of Leadership. None of the citations provided are real and
are only intended to illustrate the process.
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The First sentence
The general problem to be addressed is ______________ resulting in _____________.
The general problem sentence must be an overarching problem clearly related to the field
of study that can be proven to exist based upon current (last five years) literature. It is also
important to note what a general problem sentence is not:
A general problem sentence is not a question – The general problem to be addressed is
why leaders are ineffective resulting in …
A general problem sentence is not a simple declarative – The general problem to be
addressed is leaders are ineffective resulting in …
A good general problem sentence addresses a specific issue in a way that is clear,
descriptive, and self-explanatory. Another way to think about a problem statement is that it
generally describes a situation we don’t want to happen that is, a situation that is not happening
that we do want, or a situation that that is happening but not to the desired level. As can be seen
from both of the examples below, there is no confusion about what the broad focus of the study
is intended to be:
The general problem to be addressed is the challenges leaders face gaining employee
support for new initiatives resulting in …
The general problem to be addressed is the lack of formal leadership training in for new
managers resulting in …
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The consequences (resulting in …) should provide a broad but clear statement regarding
the negative outcomes that result from the existence of the general problem:
… resulting in the inability of organizations to make critical changes.
… resulting in the reduction of organizational performance.
Putting all of that together we could get: The general problem to be addressed is the
challenges leaders face gaining employee support for new initiatives resulting in the inability of
organizations to make critical changes.
Next three or four sentences
In this middle section the researcher will need to provide current literature support for the
assertions made in the general problem sentence. In the example above, the assertion was that
leaders are failing to gain employee support for new initiatives. Current literature sources would
be scholarly articles or monographs published in the last five years. If the source is older than
that the problem might not be prevalent or it might have been solved. So, develop active voice
declarative statements from current literature that support the assertions made in the first
sentence like the fictitious ones below:
Smith (2017) stated that many high level leaders struggle with effectively projecting an
engaging vision for a new initiative which makes it difficult to gain employee buy-in.
In a recent study, Jones (2015) found that employee buy-in was the most critical
determining factor in projecting future success of organizational change.
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Herbert (2016) supported these views by explaining that the ability of an organization to
make critical strategic changes is directly related to the leader’s ability to foster
organization-wide support of the initiative.
Last sentence
The specific problem to be addressed is (possible / potential) ______________ within the
_____________ (possible / potential) resulting in ____________.
The specific problem must be a narrowly focused subset of the general problem that is
practical to study within the constraints of the program. In the example we are using, the
researcher is not trying to study the entire world of organizations and leaders, just a subset that
will give insight into the entire world. In the examples below, the specific problem starts with the
same words as the general problem like the first one or a subset of the problem like one:
The specific problem to be addressed is the possible challenges leaders face gaining
employee support for new initiatives…
The specific problem to be addressed is the possible challenges leaders face gaining
employee support for new product development initiatives…
The focus (within the…) could be based upon an industry, a region, an industry within a
region, etc. The determining factor is making it narrow enough to study but broad enough
provide enough data for the study:
… within the high-tech electronics industry resulting in…
… within the south-western United States resulting in…
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… within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern United States resulting in…
The last part of the specific problem should restate the results from the general problem
or a subset of the results from the general problem:
… resulting in the possible inability of organizations to make critical changes.
… resulting in the possible inability of the organization to make critical product line
changes.
Putting all of the pieces above together into a single sentence: The specific problem to be
addressed is the possible the challenges leaders face gaining employee support for new product
development initiatives within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern United States
resulting in the possible inability of organizations to carry out critical product line changes.
Rephrasing it to make it flow better: The specific problem to be addressed is the possible
the challenges leaders within the retail clothing industry in the southeastern United States face
gaining employee support for new product development initiatives resulting in the possible
inability of organizations to carry out critical product line changes.
Consider a Bridge
A nice additional touch would be a bridge sentence that takes the reader from the general
problem and its supporting sentences to the specific problem. With the specific problem sentence
developed, this would be the time to consider a bridge like the fictitious source below. Find a
current literature source that supports the existence of the problem in the area focused on with
the specific problem if one is available. This sentence will come in the middle section of the
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Problem Statement after the supporting sentences for the general problem sentences and before
the specific problem sentence. While this part of a problem statement is not essential, it can make
the flow better:
Adams (2017) found that the inability to gain employee support for new initiatives was a
particular challenge in the retail clothing industry.
Assembling the Final Product
What has been developed is a strong and focused problem statement that is supported by
the current literature and is 250 words or less. This provides a solid foundation for the study and
clearly defines the subject and focus of the study.
Example Problem Statement
The general problem to be addressed is the challenges leaders face gaining employee
support for new initiatives resulting in the inability of organizations to make critical changes.
Smith (2017) stated that many high level leaders struggle with effectively projecting an engaging
vision for a new initiative which makes it difficult to gain employee buy-in. In a recent study,
Jones (2015) found that employee buy-in was the most critical determining factor in projecting
future success of organizational change. Herbert (2016) supported these views by explaining that
the ability of an organization to make critical strategic changes is directly related to the leader’s
ability to foster organization-wide support of the initiative. Adams (2017) found that the inability
to gain employee support for new initiatives was a particular challenge in the retail clothing
industry. The specific problem to be addressed is the possible challenges leaders within the retail
clothing industry in the southeastern United States face gaining employee support for new
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product development initiatives resulting in the possible inability of organizations to carry out
critical product line changes.
The Research Questions
All good business research is guided by a comprehensive and clear set of Research Questions!
As previously stated, Research Questions form the basis of inquiry for the study and are
broad questions that will be used to guide the researcher in addressing the Problem Statement.
Research Questions also guide in the choice of methodology for the study. Qualitative Research
Questions are those that seek to understand or explain while Quantitative Research Questions
seek to relate or measure. Research Questions are the questions the researcher seeks to answer
and should not be confused with Interview Questions or Survey Questions which are directed
towards participants as a part of data collection during the field study.
Here are some examples:
Qualitative Research Question: What is the role of leadership in employee retention in
the manufacturing industry?
Quantitative Research Question: What is the relationship between transformational
leadership style and employee retention within the manufacturing industry?
Interview Questions: Please describe your experience with your organizational
leadership. What role has organizational leadership played in your decision-making
process to continue with or leave the organization?
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Survey Question: Transformational leaders inspire employees leading to better employee
retention (Answer 1 – 5). Scale 1 – Highly Disagree, 2 – Disagree, 3 – Neutral, 4 – Agree, 5
– Strongly Agree
The first question is open-ended and allows for the discovery (understanding) of reasons
(factors behind) why employees might leave the industry. This is exploratory rather than
measureable, and therefore no statistical test can be employed and no testable hypothesis can be
developed. Taken together, that is what makes it a solid qualitative research question.
The second question seeks to quantify (measure) the relationship between two variables;
transformational leadership and employee retention. Unlike the first question where the factors
were not known, here the factors (variables) are known. That means that this relationship can be
statistically evaluated based upon a testable hypothesis. In this case: H0 There is no statistically
significant relationship between transformational leadership style and employee retention. The
ability to develop testable hypotheses is what makes for a good quantitative research question.
The third question seeks to extract rich information from a research participant and might
be used in a study based upon the Qualitative Research Question above. This is not a research
question!
The fourth question seeks to quantify a participant’s feelings about a specific topic to
provide measureable data. This would be a great survey question to support a study based upon
the Quantitative Research Question above. This is not a research question!
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Developing a solid set of Research Questions
As stated above, the research questions should inform the problem statement. The
researcher should start with the specific problem and take it apart to find out what areas need to
be explored. Using the Problem Statement example above, the following need to be addressed:
The failure of leaders to gain employee support for new product development initiatives.
The failure of product line changes
The retail clothing industry
That’s it. The southeast United States is a boundary for the study to narrow the focus
although you could ask about this region of the country if there are relevant differences. With
this list established, the researcher can develop the Research Questions. For qualitative studies
this will typically be between three and four broad questions and sub-questions (as appropriate)
that dig into the things you need to know about. For quantitative studies this will typically be up
to three questions that dig into relationships or measurements.
Qualitative Research Question Examples
1. Why do leaders face challenges gaining employee support for new product development
initiatives?
1.a. What leadership actions or behaviors contribute to the failure or success in gaining
support?
1 b. What employee actions or behaviors contribute to the failure or success in gaining
support?
2. In what way are new product development initiatives different than other change initiatives?
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3. Do any differences in new product development initiatives aid or hinder the ability of the
leader to gain support?
4. What cultural elements are present in the retail clothing industry that positions organizations
for success or failure in implementing change initiatives?
You will note that the first research question looks at both the reasons for failure and for
success. It is important to always come at a topic from both perspectives. All questions are open
ended and will gain information related to successes and failures by asking what, how, why, etc.
It should also be noted that the open ended nature of the inquiry has the ability to generate rich
data that is not bounded by preconceived notions regarding the topic.
Quantitative Research Question Examples
1. What is the relationship between leadership style and the leader’s ability to gain employee
support?
2. What is the relationship between leadership style and the organization’s ability to successfully
engage in change initiatives?
It should be noted that these questions are focused on the relationship between known
factors (variables). In the first question the variables are leadership style and ability to gain
support and in the second on the variables are leadership style and the ability of the organization
to change. Each of these could be used to develop testable null hypotheses. As an example, the
second Research Question could be used to develop these null hypotheses:
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There is no statistically significant relationship between passive avoidant leadership style
and the organization’s success in completing change initiatives.
There is no statistically significant relationship between transactional leadership style and
the organization’s success in completing change initiatives.
There is no statistically significant relationship between transformational leadership style
and the organization’s success in completing change initiatives.
Summary
As stated earlier, all good business research begins with a clearly articulated and focused
Problem Statement and is guided by a comprehensive and clear set of Research Questions. Keep
in mind that the goal here is not to develop a literary masterpiece; instead the goal is to establish
clearly stated foundation upon which the rest of the research project can be built. It is only with
the Problem Statement and Research Questions in place, that it is possible to develop the
conceptual / theoretical framework, methodology, and topical outline for the literature review.
The critical nature of these first two steps in the research journey cannot be overstated. It is
essential that the researcher take the necessary time here to get this right or the research project
will flounder or not develop at all.
Happy Researching!
Dr. Moore
10 October, 2022
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