Prepare a paper discussing the case and incorporating answers to the questions b
ID: 353598 • Letter: P
Question
Prepare a paper discussing the case and incorporating answers to the questions below. It is important to address each of the questions presented. Respond to these questions in an essay format using APA style of writing, and use at least 5 peer-reviewed references.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST HAVE AN INTRODUCTION, BODY AND CONCLUSION. AND PROVIDE SECTION HEADS WITHIN THE PAPER. DO NOT NUMBER YOUR PAPER.
1. Do you think that Phil and Mark had good reasons for choosing the research topic
initially? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Draft a possible first research question for Mark’s and Phil’s idea as described in the first
three paragraphs of the case study.
3. What lessons can you learn from Phil’s and Mark’s experience?
4. To what extent do you feel that Mark’s and Phil’s final research question meets the checklist below?
a. Does the topic fit the specifications and meet the standards set by the examining institution?
b. Is the topic something with which you are really fascinated?
c. Does your research topic contain issues that have a clear link to theory?
d. Do you have, or can you develop within the project time frame, the necessary research skills to undertake the topic?
e. Is the research topic achievable within the available time?
f. Is the research topic achievable within the financial resources that are likely to be available?
g. Are you reasonably certain of being able to gain access to data you are likely to require for this topic?
g. Are you able to state your research question(s) and objectives clearly?
i. Will your proposed research be able to provide fresh insights on this topic?
j. Does your research topic relate clearly to the topic you have been given (perhaps by an organization)?
l. Are the findings for this research topic likely to be symmetrical, that is of similar value, whatever theoutcome?
k. Does the research topic match your career goals?
Summary: A few years ago Mark and Phil thought it would be fun to work together on a piece of research. They also hoped it would benefit their continuing development as researchers. Mark's research background (strength) has its origins in the recruitment and subsequent mobility of labor. His research methods skills emphasize the quantitative approach, although he had undertaken a variety of qualitative research projects. Phil's strength is as a mainstream HRM academic with an bias towards understanding the processes of everyday HRM. His research methods skills are mainly qualitative. Unlike many students Mark's and Phil's research area was one in which they were aware of the literature. However, despite this, they were in a similar situation to many students. They wanted to undertake a new piece of work that would excite them and be of some practical benefit to organizations In the early 1990s Mark had carried out a survey of recruitment methods used by local authority employers. This had built on and developed research he had undertaken as part of his doctoral thesis approximately 10 years earlier. While discussing the findings in the coffee shop Phil agreed to take a more detailed look to see whether there was anything of practical significance for managers. During discussion a few weeks later an issue that they felt was fascinating emerged. Throughout the previous decade there appeared to have been a dominance of internal and word-of-mouth recruitment. Internal recruitment is where recruitment is restricted to an organization's existing employees relies on the organization's existing employees to tell other people in their social networks about the vacancies. . Word-of-mouth is where r Through their discussion Phil and Mark developed a clear research idea that was in both their areas of academic strength. This was concerned with explaining why, given the centrality of equal opportunities to local authorities' recruitment, internal and word-of-mouth recruitment was so dominant. They felt this idea was fascinating because, on the face of it, both forms of recruitment were alien to the principle of equal opportunities. Quantitative evidence from Mark's survey showed that the phenomena of internal and word-of-mouth recruitment were dominant. Mark's experience of working in local authorities supported this. They now needed to refine the idea, develop a clear research question and objectives, and write their research proposal They adopted what we felt was a rational process. They both drafted outline proposals simultaneously and criticized each other's work. This led to an outline proposal that integrated their ideas and encompassed research questions and objectives Next they reviewed the literature to establish what work had been done on this aspect of recruitment. The overall conclusion from the empirical research, undertaken in all sectors of the economy, was that word-of-mouth and internal recruitment methods were still important. However, none of this work concentrated on local authorities. Moreover, they thought that awareness of the importance of equal opportunities would have grown since the time when the research was conducted. Their research proposal still seemed valid, and the literature confirmed its relevance. In addition, reading the literature had suggested possible new research questions. However, they still needed to discuss their proposal with other people The first discussion was with an equal opportunities officer with a London borough. He was not excited by their research idea, and commented that he was not surprised by the survey findings. These, he said, were due to the need to redeploy people who would otherwise be made redundant. The second discussion was with a personnel specialist from a large county authority. Her response can be paraphrased as 'well what do you expect.. the pay for manual positions is relatively low so there are few applicants. we therefore have to rely on word of mouth Mark and Phil were depressed, to say the least. They thought they had a fascinating research question. Yet the first two people they had discussed their ideas with had shown them the answer was obvious. They had spent a great deal of time refining their research proposal and in searching the literature. Their immediate reaction was to abandon the research completely. However, a few days later they decided to revise their research ideas. They decided to discard the local authorities and equal opportunities perspectives and focus on the notification channels used by employers. Their revised research question was: 'Why do organizations use word-of- mouth recruitment?Explanation / Answer
Any scholarly attitude towards education must necessarily be intentional; that is what the case of Mark and Phil indicates. They have taken their college education seriously and attempted to solve real issues in the field. They approached the issue in their hand with valid body of knowledge i.e., their practical experience, research literature and expert’s opinion. Their posing of questions and plans to find answers to the questions is definitely a scholarly act. It is important for the educational institutions and society to acknowledge such efforts by the students.
For many organizations, recruitment is a critical activity and a top priority, as most circumstances do not help to identify a right candidate. The factors such as policy complications associated with recruitment, the remuneration fixed for the job, the availability of the qualified candidates, and the expectations of the applying candidates often create a complex web of decision making challenges to the employers. Due to the impracticality of the ideal recruitment methods many authorities resort to the word-of mouth approach to fill the vacant jobs.
The incongruence of the equal opportunity philosophy and the word of mouth approach to recruitment was sensed by the young researchers, but they did not emphasize it because of the inadequate experience in the field. However, a deeper exploration of the actual recruitment processes in the public institutions have convinced them that following equal opportunities scheme by local authorities is far from reality. In both, public and private sector, word of mouth is still a recruitment practice because it helps to overcome many practical difficulties. Mark and Phil have become scholarly wiser and practical with their question “Why do organizations use word of mouth recruitment?