On research conceptualization: e-study materials (videos)
1a. On research conceptualization
1b. Research conceptualization
1c. Research conceptualization technique.
2. On research objectives, research problems and research questions.
Also study the blog note on the ALRA way on research conceptualization.
An exercise about zoning in the agile literature review approach (ALRA) diagrams:
{zone 1: environmental drivers; zone 2: organizational capabilities; zone 3a: outcomes-related; zone 3b: solutions-related}
The following management-concern items belong to which zone in the ALRA diagrams:
1. Management unclear about the quality status of team spirit of the sales team of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
2. Management concerned about the impact of increasing consumers' price-sensitivity on toys products towards profitability depression of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
3. The negative impact of high-pressure corporate culture on employee retention and stress of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
4. Management unclear how to effectively enter the new market of India in 2023.
It belongs to zone _______.
5. Management concerned about the adequacy of the present sales force management competence of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
6. Management not clear how to introduce an effective mentoring system in ABC Ltd in 6 months' time.
It belongs to zone _______.
7. Management unclear about the present competitive advantage status of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
8. Management worried about the adequacy of strategic alliance competence of ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
9. Management concerned about the impact of covid-19 on the supply chain infrastructure reliability facing ABC Ltd.
It belongs to zone _______.
Refinement of management-concerns items: illustrative example 3. This note covers examples in zone 1, zone 2, zone 3a and zone 3b.
Example 1: "gold price appreciated" (zone 1 [environmental drivers] item)
Refined as: "Management concerned about the impact of gold price increase on depressing consumer demand on jewelry in Hong Kong" [MC1] {MC means management concern}
Subsequently, the converted theoretical framework item is" to evaluate the impact of gold price increase on depressing consumer demand on jewelry in Hong Kong"
Example 2: "product innovation capability" (zone 2 [organizational capabilities] item)
Refined as: "Management concerned about the adequacy of the product innovation capability of ABC jewelry ltd (HK)" [UMC 2] {UMC means urgent management concern}
Subsequently, the converted theoretical framework item is "to evaluate the adequacy of the product innovation capability of ABC Jewelry Ltd (HK)"
A note on archival research and historical documents, with e-resources, in the context of research methods study.
1a. What is archival research.
1b. Archival research.
3. Personal and historical documents.
On the two types of dissertation report template for housing studies:
Type 1: the consulting-oriented type.
Type 2: the academic-oriented type.
A study note on the ethnographic approach and its associated topics with e-learning materials:
A diagram on the ethnographic approach and its associated topics:
On the long and short forms of management-concern items in the ALRA:
In my blog notes on examples of formulation of management-concern items [for zone 1], I have pointed out the relevant considerations involved, which are item expression structure, the variable nature of the items, with hints on linkages with other management-concern items (re: example 1), the management-concern in nature of the items, and specific organizational unit of analysis standpoint (re: example 2). The examples subsequently illustrate how to provide management-concern items formulated with meaning clarity and analysis-facilitation strengths. Nevertheless, high clarity of management-concern item formulation has its cost; it is quite lengthy; putting a set of lengthy items in a management-concerns diagram could be a bit overwhelming for readers to digest. Thus, there is a need to distinguish two forms of management-concern items: the long form and the short form. Two examples are provided in the following table:
|
The
long form of management-concern items |
The
short form of management-concern items |
|
1.1: Unclear how to introduce effective AI application(s)
in the service operation of ABC Ltd, notably on tedious task
automation |
1.2: Unclear on effective AI application in ABC service
operation |
|
2.1: Unclear about the AI impacts on service operation on
the XXX business sector with special regard to its competitive landscape |
2.2: Unclear AI impacts on the competitive landscape of
the XXX business sector |
Using the short form of management-concern items, in lieu of the long form, to construct the management-concerns diagram makes the diagram less wordy, thus easier to grasp the overall situation as portrayed by the management-concerns diagram. The management-concerns items, in long form, are then employed in the description of the management-concerns diagram in dissertation report writing. Thus, the management-concerns items in the diagram can still be clarified in the report writing.
Note: the the task of item formulation for zone 3a (outcomes-related) is more straightforward, thus the issue of long and short forms does not arise in most situations. Examples of zone 3a items are:
Example 1: worried about the high staff turnover at the retail outlets of ABC Ltd.
Example 2: unhappy about the present business performance as well as its prospect of the Consulting Division of ABC Ltd.
The same situation applies to zone 3b (solutions-related) items. It is straightforward. Examples of zone 3b items are:
Example 1: Unclear how to formulate an effective AI system to support the staff recruitment function of ABC Ltd.
Example 2: Unclear how to improve the existing marketing communication program of ABC Ltd.
A related reading: example 3.
Converting a factual statement into a management-concern item: example 2: a conversation between Student L and Dr. X
Student L: Dr. X, I have formulated a zone 1 management-concern item as follows: "AI can help to replace the job or work that are tedious or duplicated". Could you comment on its appropriateness?
Dr. X: L, could you clarify what is the underlying management concern from the standpoint of your organizational unit of analysis (e.g. The Service Operation Department of ABC Ltd)?
Student L: The management concerns are: (I) that they are unclear about the opportunities and challenges facing the Service Operation Department of ABC Ltd's AI automation, notably on tedious tasks in the service operation of ABC Ltd, and (II) that they are unclear about the AI impacts on service operations on the XXX business sector, thus also on the XXX sector's competitive landscape". {note: ABC Ltd belongs to the XXX business sector}.
Dr. X: In this case you could consider the following two management-concerns items which are clearer in expression for analysis purpose:
(I) "Unclear how to introduce effective AI application(s) in the service operation of ABC Ltd, notably on tedious task automation" (a Zone 3b [solutions-related] item).
(II) "Unclear about the AI impacts on service operation on the XXX business sector with special regard to its competitive landscape" (a Zone 1 [environmental drivers] item).
An additional reminder: these two items (I and II) can be converted into theoretical framework items with clear meaning:
(I) becomes "to evaluate how to introduce effective AI application in the service operation of ABC Ltd, notably on tedious task automation" (Zone 3b item in the theoretical framework)
(II) becomes "to evaluate the AI impacts on service operation on the XXX business sector with special regard to its competitive landscape"
These two theoretical framework items are also useful to serve as an agenda to do literature search, as the key words in these two item statements can be used for literature search purpose:
Key words for (I): "Artificial Intelligence application for service operation"; "Artificial intelligence application adoption"; "Artificial intelligence application implementation". or more broadly, "information system introduction" and "information system adoption".
Key words for (II): "Artificial intelligence application" "AI impact on competitive landscape"; "Business impact of AI" and "competitive landscape".
Finally, a reminder: management-concern items can be urgent (urgent management concern [umc]) and not urgent (management concern [mc]).
Related readings: on example 1 [for zone 1 items] and the long/short forms of management-concerns items. Also study example 3.
Note: for zone 2 [organizational capabilities] items, the item formulation is more straightforward as compared with that of zone 1[environmental drivers]. Zone 2 items are mainly about the weaknesses and inadequacy of certain organizational capability domains, such as human resource management competence, IT management competence, etc. Examples of items for zone 2 are:
Example 1: Management concern item 1 (Zone 2): Worried about the diminishing human resource management competence of ABC Ltd.
Example 2: Management concern item 2 (Zone 2): Uncertain about the adequacy of New Product Development competence of ABC Ltd.
Converting a factual statement into a management-concern item [for Zone 1]: example 1:
Very often, students have difficulty to formulate a proper management-concern item in the construction of a management-concern diagram. For example, an item not appropriately formulated can be:
Item as "automation solution replace low-tech workers".
Comment: This item does not clearly indicate a management-concern. It is mainly a factual statement (in the form of full sentence), which does not reveal why management should be worried or exited about it. For example, it does not indicate how it affects which area of organizational competence of an organization in which way". Thus, it is a poorly formulated management-concern item.
If the item is converted into: "Impact of automation solutions advancement on the low-tech worker requirements of ABC Ltd", then it becomes clearer that the management concern is about "the impact of xxx" (an external environmental driver item [zone 1]; it is also a variable, not a full sentence)..... on "low-tech worker staff requirements (a factor related to workforce competence (organizational capabilities item [zone 2]). Better still, the full statement is : "management concern about the impact of automation solution advancement on the low-tech worker requirements of ABC Ltd".
In terms of expression, thus, convert a statement in the form of full sentence into an object item: e.g. "The generation z is getting more interested in nonalcoholic drinks" [a factual statement in the form of sentence] should be rewritten as "Increasing interest by generation z to buy nonalcoholic drinks" [an item in the form of a variable, an object]. Better still, the researcher concern can be more clearly elaborated as: "Impact of increasing market demand on nonalcoholic drinks by the generation z on the sales performance of ABC Ltd". This item, in this case, is a Zone 1 item (environmental drivers).
For my illustration, I mainly demonstrate the way to formulate a management-concern item and it does not mean that I accurately guess the true intention behind the item formulation of the student in this case.
Another comment: this management item can now be converted into a theoretical framework item as: "to evaluate the impact of automation solution advancement on the low-tech worker requirements of ABC Ltd". This now constitutes a research objective statement. On the other hand, to convert a factual statement into a theoretical framework item is not feasible, also with unclear analysis intention and incorrect sentence structure: "to evaluate automation solution replace low-tech workers".
The discussion in this blog note is related to the subject of the agile literature review approach (ALRA); the disccussion is primarily applicable on zone 1 (environmental drivers) items with outgoing arrows, but without incoming arrows. See the diagram below:
Related readings:
* on example 2 and long/short forms of management-concerns items.
Research methodology and research method: a note
Research methodology = know-why (A) on know-how (B) [research method(s) choice + research method design choice] + know-how
Know-why: justification on (B) is based on:
Item 1. Research philosophy choice, which justifies a specific view [considered as appropriate by you] on (i) ontology (nature of reality) and (ii) epistemology (nature of knowledge and how learning (gaining justified belief [knowledge)
Item 2. Based on item 1 and your preliminary understanding of a particular topic of interest [based on preliminary literature review and other exploratory study], you (i) choose a specific research issue(s) and (ii) formulate your research objective(s) and research question(s) in a particular way. {In addition, knowledge of problem-exploration skills and consulting skills are useful to make decision on what specific research issue(s) to address. Such decision on issue choice is value-laden, not value-neutral.}
Based on items 1 and 2, you now justify your decision on (B) [research method(s) choice + research method design choice]
In short: research methodology = Research methodology = know-why (A) [justification on B] + know-how (B)
A cognitive mapping study of “the impact of covid-19 on the Hong Kong society in 2023”
The following news article is from Hong Kong Free Press (re: https://hongkongfp.com/2023/09/20/hong-kongs-wealth-gap-widens-as-city-sees-polarised-post-covid-recovery-ngo-oxfam-says/)
Quote
Hong Kong’s wealth gap widens as city sees ‘polarised’ post-Covid recovery, NGO Oxfam says, by KELLY HO12:51, 20 SEPTEMBER 2023
Hong Kong’s poorest made
almost 60 times less than the wealthiest in the first quarter of 2023, marking
the widest income gap in the city in decades, a study by Oxfam’s local office
has found.
In the first four months of
2023, the median monthly income of the poorest 10 per cent of households in
Hong Kong stood at HK$2,300, 57.7 times less than the wealthiest 10 per cent,
which earned HK$132,600, Oxfam Hong Kong said on Tuesday citing data from the
Census and Statistics Department.
The overall median household
income was HK$29,500 per month, marking a 1.7 per cent increase compared to
before the pandemic.
The overall poverty rate
reached 20 per cent in the first quarter, meaning more than 1.36 million people
were living poverty in Hong Kong, the NGO said. The wealth gap showed that
although the city had returned to normalcy following the pandemic, the path to
economic recovery for low-income and high-income families was “sharply
divided,” it said.
“Despite society returning to
normal, the problem of income inequality is becoming increasingly serious. The
slow recovery of low income families have sounded alarm bells for the whole
society,” said Karlina Tsang, director general of Oxfam Hong Kong.
Oxfam’s study found that
nearly 210,000 people – or 6.4 per cent of the city’s population with a job –
were living in poverty despite being employed. More than 80 per cent of this
group were employed in low-skilled jobs, with one in 10 workers in the retail,
accommodation, and food services sectors experiencing working poverty.
The city reported a 3.1 per
cent unemployment rate in the first quarter, which fell from 3.5 per cent in
the preceding quarter. The government said in a
economic report in May that unemployment and underemployment continued to
improve, but Oxfam said on Tuesday that employment remained “precarious,” as
some working in low-paid positions were laid off or dismissed after the
pandemic.
The NGO said the widening income disparity was partly due to the loss of low-skilled
jobs after the pandemic, pointing to a lower demand for cleaners. Some members
of low-income households also lost their jobs as operations were digitalised in
the post-Covid era, Oxfam said.
The government should adjust
the minimum wage annually to catch up with inflation and offer better income
protection, Oxfam said. A more generous minimum wage could also help the city
attract potential labour force, it said.
The authorities should also
promote the concept of a “living wage,” whereby people are paid enough to cover
their basic needs, such as accommodation and urgent medical fees for them and
their families, Oxfam said.
“Before importing foreign
labour, our organisation calls on the government to adjust the minimum wage,
create jobs for the most disadvantaged groups, and offer incentives to support
employment at the grassroots level,” Tsang said.
One potential incentives would
be improving childcare services, the NGO said, which could allow women from
low-income families, who were previously unable to join the workforce owing to
their duties as caretakers, to find jobs.
End quote
The following cognitive map is constructed
by me based on the news article above:
There are 4 categories of items:
Category A: Direct impact of covid-19
Item 1: Impact of covid-19
Item 2: Lower demand for cleaners
Item 3: More operation being digitalized
Category B: Immediate outcomes
Item 4: Reduce low paid jobs
Item 7: Improve participation in the labour market
Category C: Ultimate outcomes
Item 10: Increasing poverty rate, including working poverty
Item 11: Widening income gap in HK
Category D: Policy-related options
Item 5: Import more foreign labour
Item 6: Improve childcare services support
Item 8: More support of basic needs for the poor, e.g. accommodation
A cognitive mapping exercise to study a news article on "the housing affordability challenge facing the HK young people": a note
The news article to examine
Quote:
In a recent report
titled “Study on the Housing Affordability of University Graduates across
Generations in Hong Kong,” released by the New Youth Forum on 7th October,
concerning data highlights the significant increase in Hong Kong’s overall
property price index over the past 35 years. Comparing the years 1987 and 2022,
the index has skyrocketed by 1305.7%, far surpassing the inflation rate of
221.8%. On the other hand, rental prices have experienced a relatively modest
increase of 279.4%.
The study further
reveals that the median income for the most recent generation of university
graduates (aged 20 to 24) stands at HK$17,424, showing a slight improvement
from HK$15,856 in 2017. However, when adjusted for the property price index,
the median income for the eighth generation of university graduates in 2022
amounts to HK$4,868, indicating a significant decline compared to the seventh
generation’s HK$4,492 in 2017. The purchasing power of today’s youth to enter
the property market falls far behind that of the first generation in 1987,
whose median income was HK$17,490. The New Youth Forum warns that Hong Kong’s
property market is currently at an exceptionally high level, making it
challenging to alleviate the burden on young generations, emphasizing the
urgent need to increase subsidized housing supply.
Analysing data
from the Hong Kong Government’s Census and Statistics Department, the New Youth
Forum compared university-educated individuals from different generations,
dividing each five-year period from 1987 to 2022 into distinct cohorts. The
first generation consists of individuals born between 1963 and 1967, currently
aged between 55 and 59, while the most recent eighth generation comprises those
born between 1998 and 2002, now approximately 20 to 24 years old.
The study further
dissects the property price index into different unit categories based on floor
area. In the past decade, the most significant price increases were observed in
smaller units known as “starter homes.” From 2012 to 2022, the price index for
Category A units (with a usable area of less than 40 square meters) rose by
87.3%, surpassing the 82.6% increase for Category B units (with a usable area
ranging from 40 to 69.9 square meters) and the overall property price index
increase of 79.3%. This disparity exacerbates the challenges faced by younger
generations with weaker purchasing power, making it even more difficult for
them to enter the property market. Additionally, in terms of rental prices,
Category A units experienced the highest increase of 30.8% among all unit
types.
As individuals
gain more experience and their income grows from the initial stage of
employment (between the ages of 20 and 24) to ages 25 to 29, the proportion of
income spent on housing should ideally decrease. However, the study found
significant variations in the ratio of housing prices to income due to
different degrees of market fluctuations across generations. The ratio for the
first generation increased from 19.1% in 1987 to 25.5% in 1992, indicating that
salary increases have not kept pace with property price increases. Following a
decline in property prices during the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the ratio
for the third generation improved significantly, dropping from 42.4% in 1997 to
14.2% in 2002.
In recent years,
the sixth generation already faced a high proportion of income spent on housing
at 52.5% in 2012. By the time they reached ages 25 to 29 (in 2017), this ratio
further rose to 56.5%, reflecting the increasingly burdensome cost of
homeownership. Although the situation has slightly improved for the seventh
generation, with the housing price-to-income ratio decreasing from 75.3% in
2017 to 55.5% in 2022, the burden of homeownership remains substantial.
The findings of
the study shed light on the growing challenges faced by Hong Kong’s youth in
affording housing, as property prices continue to surge while their purchasing
power lags behind. Addressing this issue requires urgent measures to increase
the supply of subsidised housing in order to alleviate the burden on the
younger generation and ensure a more balanced and sustainable housing market in
Hong Kong.
End quote
(Source” Dimsumdaily
Hong Kong 7:46PM Sat October 7, 2023: https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/hong-kongs-property-prices-soar-1305-in-35-years-as-university-graduates-homeownership-ability-declines/)
A cognitive map constructed by me to capture
the housing issue of “the housing affordability challenge facing
the young generation in Hong Kong”
Items on the cognitive map:
Category A. The environmental drivers
Item 1. High rate of increase in housing price over the last 35 years, especially on "starter homes"
Item 2. Modest rate of increase in rental prices (yet higher rate of increase for smaller unit]
Item 3. Decline of income level of the recent university graduates, as compared with that of the older generation.
Category B. The topic under review: the housing affordability challenge facing the young people in Hong Kong"
Item 4: Increased burden of living of the young generation due to heavy housing spending.
Item 5: More severe housing affordability challenge facing the young people of Hong Kong
Category C. Housing solution-concern
Item 6: Increase pressure to provide subsidized housing for the people of Hong Kong
Literature review types and focuses: a study note with embedded video links.
A diagram on literature review (types and focuses).
Phase 1: Literature Search (I)
Phase 2: Literature Review (II)
Item A: the thematic approach
Item B: the literature review funnel
Item C: research gap analysis
Item D: concerns-driven [e.g. management-concerns or housing concerns, notably on theoretical framework-1a]
Phase 3: Literature Synthesis (III)
Item E: patterns of theoretical framework-A
On the scientific process and its associated concepts: a study note (with embedded links on videos)
The scientific process with induction and deduction
The major items [with embedded video links] are:
(A) The scientific process with deduction (A1) and induction (A2)
(B) Theory
(C1) Empiricism
(C2) Objectivism
(D) Falsification
In addition, the diagram also mentions the concept of hypothesis.
Using cognitive mapping to study a case study [related to home ownership]: example 3
The case study relies on the video of "Building nightmare: Desperate property owners losing life savings to dodgy builders".
The following cognitive map is drawn by me to illustrate how to use cognitive mapping to study a topic in Housing Studies, notably for conducting a housing research project in the project orientation phase:
Using cognitive mapping to study a video on homelessness: example 2
The example is "Homeless Crisis on the Streets of California"
I have constructed the following cognitive map to depict the homeless crisis case as presented in the video.
The cognitive map comprises 4 groups of items. They are:
Group A: The subject under study
Item 8: go through the homeless experience
Item 9: Homelessness as a serious public issue
Group B: Directly contributive factors [which are inter-related]
Item 1: Poor mental health
Item 2: Drug addiction
Item 3: Low housing affordability
Item 4: Low-income of people
Item 5: Being an ex-prisoner
Item 6: Aging people
Item 7: Disadvantageous ethnic groups
Group C: Types of government support to address homelessness
Item 10: Local government support: medical care
Item 11: Local government support: rental subsidy
Item 12: Local government support: build low-income/ affordable housing
Group D: Environmental constraint
Item 13: Restrictive housing & zoning regulation
A related reading: example 1 on cognitive mapping.
