MEANING AND OBJCTIVES OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

Why define the Research Problem?

Defining your destination before beginning a journey. It determines,
what you will do, will it withstand scientific scrutiny, how you will do it, and what you may achieve

How is a research problem selected?

Researchers interest in a topic National or agency priorities Urgency of an issue Availability of research funds Availability of supervision

Steps in defining research problems

Identify a broad topic
Identify a narrow topic within the broad topic Raise questions Formulate objectives
Use action-oriented words - To demonstrate; To evaluate; To measure

Identifying Broad Topics

Think of the BIG PICTURE
What is the problem you are trying to solve? Think of something you like to learn more about Consult text books, journal or your supervisor

Pick one based on:

Interest and relevance Magnitude of work involved Level of expertise

yours and your advisors

Examples of Broad Topics

Optimizing productivity of land and water resources Ensuring Food Safety & Security Sustaining Agricultural & Marine Environments

From Broad Topic to Narrow Topic

Examples of a narrow topic:
Liver disease in Goat Greenhouse Agriculture Milk Quality Greywater reuse potential in Oman

When selecting a narrow topic think how it can contribute towards solving the BIG PROBLEM!

Problem Tree Keep asking Why?

Unskilled Labor Low Labor Productivity Unsuitable Climate Inefficient Water harvesting Inefficient Irrigation

Water Scarcity Food Insecurity Unsuitable Crops

Lack of crop varieties adapted to climate

Farming Patterns do not Return nutrients

Low Land Productivity

Farmers cant afford fertilizers

Poor Soil
1/26/2013 Research Proposal Development

Farmers unaware of best practices

THANK YOU

Organisation Behaviour
Book Reference: Organisational behaviour, 13th edition, Robins, Judge and Sanghi ;Publ: Pearson

The stellar universe is not so difficult of comprehension as the real actions of other people.Marcel Proust.

Learning Objectives
Demonstrate the important interpersonal skills in the workplace. Describe managers functions, roles and skills. Define Organisational Behaviour. Show the value to OB of systematic study. Identify the major behavioural science that contribute to OB. Demonstrate why there are few absolutes in OB. Identify the challenges and opportunities mangers have in applying OB concepts. Developing an OB model

Importance of Interpersonal Skills

Till 1980s behavioural science was not the part of curricula because technical aspect of management was given more importance. But in last two decades business faculty given the importancebecause leadership and communication skills come to the fore outweighing technical and quantitative skills. Interpersonal skills are essential for managers to hire and maintain high performing employees. Technical skills are necessary for managers but people skills are unavoidable for success.

Companies with good reputation as workplaces

Starbucks, Adobe systems. Cisco, Whole foods, American Express, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, and Marriot. In India as per Business Todays survey- Microsoft, Johnson and Johnson, Accenture, Dr. Reddys Lab, Marriott Hotels India, Godrej consumer etc. Companies need to build elements of autonomy, challenge and scope of innovation into their job for having a truly engaged workforce. Task1 : Bring some articles from The Hindu Opportunities or some related case studies from other sources.

What Mangers Do?

They get things done through other people. They make decisions, allocate resources, and direct the activities of others to attain goals. Managers do their work in an organisation, which is a consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

Management Functions
Planning Organizing Leading Controlling

Mintzbergs managerial roles

o o o o o o o o o o Interpersonal Figurehead Leader Liason Informational Monitor Disseminator Spokesperson Decisional Entrepreneur Disturbance handler Resource allocater Negotiator

Activities performed by managers

Technical Management Communication Human Resource management Networking

Allocation of activities by Time

Average Managers
Human resource mangem ent 20%

Effective Managers

Successful Managers
Human resource mangem ent 11%

Networki ng 19% Human resource mangement 26%

Networking 11%

0%

Traditional management 19%

Commun ication 29%

Tradition al manage ment 32%

Communi cation 28%

Networki ng 48%

Communicati on 44%

Tradition al managem ent 13%

Definional Organisational Behaviour

OB is a feild of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, structures have on behaviour within an organisation for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organisation effectiveness.

Complementing Intuition with systematic study

Behaviour is generally predictable, and systematic study of behaviour is a means to making reasonably accurate predictions. Systematic study mean looking at relationship, attempting to attribute cause and effects and basing our conclusions on scientific evidence. Evidence based management (EBM) involves basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific evidence.

Disciplines that contribute to OB feild

Psychology- is the science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behaviour of humans and other animals. Sociology- studies people in relation to their environment and culture. Social Psychology- It focuses on peoples influences on one another. Anthropology- is the study of society to learn about human beings and their activities.

Anthropology People Vs People

Sociology - People vs environment and culture

Socio-psychology Individual Vs People

PsychologyIndividuals - Mind

Why there are few absolutes in OB?

Two people often act very differently in the same situation and the same persons behaviour changes in different situations.

Challenges and Opportunities

Responding to Globalisation Increased foreign assignments Working with people from different cultures Coping with anticapitalism backlash

Developing OB model
Three stages: Individual level Group level Organisational level

Depended variables
Productivity Absence Turnover Deviant workplace behaviour Citizenship Satisfaction

Activities to do:
Get the text book from MIM library Study the topics given above Answer the questions at the end of the chapter Collect newspaper articles related OB (eg: Opportunity page every Wednesdays on The Hindu) Read the abstract of research article.