Term Paper on "What Is Wrong With Gas Prices Today?"

Quoted Instructions for "What Is Wrong With Gas Prices Today?" Assignment:

I am doing Research and Strategic communication course in MIS. I have to complete a minimum of a 20-page research proposal consistent with standards of the university’s Directed Research Project (DRP). My current proposal title is "what is wrong with Gas Prices Today", please suggest the better title if possible. I am also pasting a sample paper below for reference how a paper should look like. Topics should be coverd in the similar way. Below the sample paper I am also adding every week (so far) questions ask on research paper, please go through them.

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Employee Satisfaction is Key to Employers Retaining Valued Employees

Your name here

Strayer University Memphis, TN

Instructor: Dr. Lisa Joerg

Research and Communication- BUS 531

March 14, 2005

Context of the Problem

Today the unemployment rate is at a record low. What is at a record high is employee turnover and dissatisfaction. As the employment market becomes more competitive and employees are greater prepared for the employment search, it is the employers dilemma to recruit and maintain employees. There are four major areas that contribute to this issue of the employees’ expectations, the employers recruiting efforts, the employees’ satisfaction level, and the employers’ retention efforts.

Historically employers have not considered employee satisfaction as a problem, because people would take a job and work until they retire. That was the way of society, find a decent paying job to support your family and work until you retire. As the world and technology have evolved, employers have realized that personnel are a company’s greatest assets; subsequently, the need to retain highly trained and motivated employees has increased.

The root of this problem begins with the employee. Today’s employee has greater expectations of the employer compared to employees of the past. There was time when the workforce only expected to be paid for their work; however, as education and resources to prepare for the workforce have become accessible to a broader population of the workforce and as jobs have become more specialized employees who are educated in specific skill set have a greater expectation of employers. For example there is currently a nursing shortage in the United States. Some surveys have projected the possibility of a 1-16 nurse to patient ratio by 2010; with the knowledge of the nursing shortage nurses have greater expectations of employers. The job market is open and nurses have options, therefore employers must be competitive in the recruitment and retention of these employees. Naturally, employers are increasing efforts to retain nurses and to recruit new nursing personnel. Numerous factors have influenced the nursing shortage: changes in the nation’s reimbursement system; modifications in nursing care delivery; technological advances; increases in elderly and chronically ill patients requiring complex care; shifts in health care settings; an inadequate supply of nursing school enrollees; and greater career choices for women (Jones,1992).

Hospitals have responded to the turnover of staff-nurses by employing mostly short-term measures to recruit and retain nurses. These short-term solutions, while necessary to provide the complex care required by the consumer, have been costly. Recent reports also indicate that hospital revenues are being lost when staff shortages require bed closures (Jones, 1992).

The nursing shortage is an excellent example of employee driven, employer retention procedures. As a result of this shortage the nursing industry has become a prime profession. Nursing salaries have increased benefits range from healthy sign on bonuses to flexible shifts and higher differential pay for night nurses, because the industry has changed the recruiting and retention efforts for this specific job type, the industry is beginning to grow.

This is an example of how personnel shortage can directly affect a corporation’s revenue. Fewer nurses mean fewer beds, which equals a lower bottom line. As a result of this type of problem, employers have re-considered recruitment efforts. Employers have realized the need to hire the best candidates on the front end; this reduces the likelihood of job separation. Depending on the level of the position within the corporation, recruiting packages includes: sign on bonuses, benefit packages, car allowances, moving expenses and special request of the candidates.

After the recruiting process, the employer has to maintain the satisfaction of the employee, to discourage job separation. Many employers utilize employee satisfaction surveys to determine employee satisfaction. The most effective satisfaction areas have been: working conditions, working hours and salary.

Once the employee has been recruited and is currently satisfied the employer has to retain the employee. Effective methods of retention have been: promotion, annual pay increases, bonuses, and service-related benefits, such as increased vacation hours by number of years of service. Some employers recognize employees’ birthdays and special events.

This study will to identify new methods of employee satisfaction and retention. This is important to the employment industry in several ways. Finding solutions to these problems will reduce the cost of employee turnover; and increase the stability of the company and its employees.

This research proposal will investigate situations like the nursing shortage. The author will focus on reasons why employees are satisfied and dissatisfied with their employer. In addition, how the employment industry can recruit and retain highly trained and motivated employees for greater than ten years.

Statement of the Problem

In today’s competitive job market, employee satisfaction is a key to the retention of employees. The job market has become so diverse that employers are experiencing high turnover of valuable personnel. The expense of turnover can affect a company’s revenue; therefore, employers recognize the need to maintain happy, secure employees. This paper will address the topic of how employers can recruit qualified personnel, satisfy employees and retain them for greater than 10 years. This paper will concentrate on illustrating ways to increase employee satisfaction, and retention of employees for more than 10 years.

Research Questions

As employees investigate prospective employers and compare opportunities prior to decision-making several requirements come to mind. First and foremost is the salary and benefits package, beyond this is the employees’ need for security and to feel challenged in the position. Surveys have shown employees thrive in an environment where they have a since of ownership and control. To obtain the information needed to assess these areas of the topic the author will ask and answer the following research questions:

1. How important of a role do the organization’s culture, philosophy and mission play in retaining employees?

Corporate culture has become an important factor in employee decision-making. The author intends to look at the culture of the corporation itself. What is the structure and cultural design? Is this employer a strict and unrelenting company? Is the managerial structure to lenient? Secondly, what is the company’s employee cultural make up? In our diverse society, many cultures of people come to work together everyday. The paper will determine if this is a factor in employee satisfaction.

2. With the current generation’s diversity in the workplace, does this create an empowering environment?

The paper will examine how the many different culture of people working together daily affects the workplace and morale.

3. As our country/world continues to evolve, how do we define blue collar or white-collar workers?

The author will determine if workplace satisfaction changes between the blue collar and white-collar industry.

4. What makes an organization a great place to work?

The author will explore how employers can create work environments to satisfy and retain employees.

5. Where are the good employees?

The researcher will outline the recruiting efforts to help employers find highly trained and motivated employees on the front end.

6. What is employee satisfaction?

Employee satisfaction has several pieces, the paper will focus on interpersonal and organization influenced employee satisfaction.

Significance of the Study

Every child in America has one thing in common, the desire to succeed. Although the socio-economic environments of our children may be very different, every American child is taught to strive for something better to achieve the American dream. A very poor child may be encouraged to be the first person to be employed in his/her family. A child in a lower-middle class family may be encouraged to be first to attend college. A child in a well-to-do family may be encouraged to become a doctor or lawyer. Yet another wealthier child is raised to take over the family business and grow it in ways the generations before could not. Nevertheless, we all have the same desire to achieve a goal in life, to live the best life we can.

The foundation of this dream begins with work. The type of work or career we choose is the foundation of every other life decision. Better jobs equal better pay, which equals a better quality of life. The first determining factor of reaching each employee’s individual American dream is based on his or her employment. Because employment is such a key component in a person’s quality of life, it is the most important factor to many.

This proposal is vital in the sense that there is a direct relationship between employee satisfaction and quality of life. Weston (1999) states, although a myriad of factors may contribute to judgments of quality of life, the achievement of a sense of well-being (or happiness or life satisfaction) is a central component. As Weston (1999) pointed out a basic assumption underlying research into quality of life is that human beings are motivated to seek a sense of well-being and to avoid distress. Research has shown the work we do directly affects our sense of well-being. There are many levels of satisfaction for employees; however the primary factor is salary. According to Weston, employment status and occupational circumstances such as ‘blue-collar’ verses ‘white-collar’ are commonly used indices of socio-economic status which carry implications for numerous aspects of life, including financial circumstances, values, interests, social networks, sex-role patterns, socialization of children, adoption of health risk behaviors, and health status(1999). Information like this leads us to believe that a person’s profession drives almost every aspect of life, and how well that individual perceives his/her success.

This proposal aims to tackle the issue of what it takes to maintain a satisfactory employment status and what is needed to remain satisfied until employee’s goals are met. This author will present that one’s personal satisfaction could be correlated to ones satisfaction at work. One example of this is in employees who work in stressful situations an example of a stressful situation is an unrealistic workload. Thompson states that an unrealistic workload had the opposite effect. An unrealistic workload, will demoralize committed staff, wear them out, and ultimately drive them away. Overloaded staffs generally produce less work – and often work of lower standard - than staff members who have a demanding but realistic workload (2004).

Unfortunately, in addition to poor performance at work, many employees carry their stress home to their families. Stress at work has been cited in cases of child and spousal abuse as well as addictive behaviors such as alcoholism (Weston, 1999). In addition, work related stress is a health and safety issue (Thompson, 2004). Stress is a known cause of hypertension, anxiety, and cardiac problems (Thompson, 2004). Employers need to evaluate the working environment and insure that it is as stress free as possible, for the safety of the individual employee and the company as a whole.

The other scenario here is the happy or satisfied employee. Studies have shown employees who are satisfied at work are more productive both personally and professionally (Dalton, 2004). Naturally employers want happy employees and are finding innovative ways to improve morale. One example of this is the Higher Ground Project Dalton sites, the Mount Carmel Health Systems Higher Ground program. “This program is nurturing the calling side of what we do and reconnecting people with the reason they came into health care”(p.24) says Julie Snyder who runs the initiative. Through the program, more than 700 mangers have gone on week-long retreats where Snyder, who runs the initiative, and her team talk about values and discuss the benefits of leading by inspiration rather than through intimidation. Higher Ground also uses an intranet site for educational, inspirational, and community-building purposes. Since the implementation of the program the staff retention rate has gone from 47% to 77%.

Another popular method of employee satisfaction is job ownership or mastery. Studies (Barron, 2004) have shown that employees who have some control over their jobs are more productive and feel more valued.

An employer can create a positive, stress-free working environment for employees by evaluating their attitude and behavior. Levering (2004) notes the following: The main variable is the attitude and behavior of the management rather than the type of organization. How the management relates to its employees is what makes the difference. Levering notes factors that are required for employee satisfaction: sharing information broadly, as well as sharing profit information and other corporate data with all employees. Other points include accessibility of executives to meet with all levels of employees and not self-limiting interaction to just management. Company wide willingness to answer hard questions, leaders must respond to hard questions from employees. Delivering on promises, if the management makes a commitment to the employees it must see it through. Organization must show recognition and appreciation. Demonstrating personal concern employers should show concern for employee’s personal lives and acknowledge significant events such as marriage, illness or death of a family member.

Creating a great place to work does not have to be an expensive endeavor for the company; in fact, it can start with simple measures such as initiatives to improve communication. Employers who make the effort to satisfy employees find themselves in a win-win situation. The employees are more productive and more likely to remain employed. This reduces the cost of turnover, which has been estimated to cost from $1280 to $50,000 depending on the profession (Jones,1992). Reducing turnover can increase revenue for the company. In addition to the company benefiting, the employee benefits as well. Happy employees have better home lives and fewer health problems than their unhappy counterparts.

This author will prove that not only does employee satisfaction improve the working environment and help employers retain employees for more than 10 years; employee satisfaction also has direct correlation to the family structure and its success.

Objectives of Study

The primary objective of this proposal is to educate the reader on ways to recognize a satisfied employee. Satisfied employees provide better customer service and have better attitudes at work. They may go above and beyond their required duties to provide excellence in their profession. The author will also illustrate ways to increase employee satisfaction and retention time to beyond 10 years. The paper will site specific measures employers can use to improve employee satisfaction and retain them. Educate all managers on what it takes to make their organization a great place to work. This author will use the model provided by the Higher Ground program to demonstrate ways to education management in employee satisfaction and personal satisfaction. The author will also, at this time illustrate ways to keep the workplace stress free for both employees and managers.

In addition, the paper will determine if diversity in generations has any affect on workplace environment and employee satisfaction, by assessing employee’s satisfaction in relationship to generational time lines. This author will discuss the diversity of the workplace as it pertains to the cultures and nationalities of employees, and determine if there is a relationship between these factors and employee satisfaction. With the results of this research it is anticipated that changes will be created for greater employee retention. The author will introduce innovative ideas and strategies for employee retention. The author will examine leadership development in organization and measure is success in employee retention. This part of the paper will examine the role executives play in employee satisfaction. The author will determine how employers can develop strong psychological contracts with employees. A psychological contract is most effective retention tool and employer can have, we will express how employers can build and maintain strong psychological contracts with their employees.

Research Design and Methodology

The research design and methodology of the paper will be a qualitative style of research. The author will use four methods of research, observations, interviews, survey forms and focus groups. The hope is to combine these methods and research findings to demonstrate the thesis of the paper and create innovative new ways to approach future research.

During observations this author will spend ten hours observing various employees in their work environment and rate their level of satisfaction. Employers will also be interviewed regarding the impact of their workplace satisfaction on their home life and personal activities, often times during observation those being observed can change behavior for the observer, we will choose our candidates at random and notify them after the observations are completed. The observation participants will include managers who have been employed for greater than 10 years and employees who have no management titles. Past research has shown that obvious observation can have a negative affect on employees and their performance; we will not interfere with the workplace and will observe as covertly as possible.

The researcher will conduct ten interviews. The ***** will interview five people who have been with their employer for 10 years or more and 5 people who have been with their employer for 10 years or less. The interviews will be conducted with 5 members of management and 5 members of non-management. The ***** will discuss the employee’s current satisfaction rating. This researcher will ask the employee what it will take to retain them for 10 years or more. This researcher will also interview the employee on work-related family issues. Each interview will last one hour, we will collect information from each candidate regarding the corporate structure and culture and how they are affected by it.

Surveys will be the most effective tool in our research. Past research has shown surveys to be a primary tool in improving workplace satisfaction. Greengard (2004) found that surveys connect employee satisfaction with organizational goals. Greengard also notes surveys can help an organization achieve higher retention rates, lower absenteeism, and improve productivity and customer service. Surveys have had such a strong impact on our topic the author believes they will have a strong impact on the research as well. The researcher plans to distribute 20 surveys per week until 120 surveys are obtained. The surveys will include questions to determine the satisfaction of employees. The surveys will also ask to rate employee satisfaction with personal satisfaction. This researcher will use the survey to gain insight into how employers can retain employees and use the ideas to create innovative measures employers can use. The surveys will be the basis for information regarding retention; it will only be provided to employees who have been employed for two years or more. The surveys will be 25 questions in length and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The researcher will allow the surveyed person to return the survey via mail, however we prefer to return and collect the survey.

Focus groups will be conducted during the research project. Each focus group will include five participants and the facilitator. Focus groups will discuss employment challenges, growing autonomy, trust in the company leadership and organization mobility for employees. Focus groups will meet for one hour and will discuss on topic at a time, the topic will be introduced and the group will be given 10 minutes to discuss the topic. The final phase of focus groups will be to brainstorm and pull the main ideas from the discussion; the facilitator will use these main ideas as a part of the research.

In an optimistic eye of a recovering economy “what is a good job?” and is it satisfying to all involved. Overall satisfaction of employees operates in a rippling effect, in that on the front line they continue the vision of their employer, and facilitate the desired growth. One then has to ponder if the ripple is a calming flow into the area of encouragement, or a shock wave effect that can destroy an organizations tone.

Berg states “education is a major contributor to employee dissatisfaction.”(p. 651, 1981) The continual rise in educational requirement for job represents a bias that contributes to a malfunctioning labor market. He goes on to say that not educational achievement, but other personality characteristics and environmental condition are what leads to employee satisfaction.

The future chapters will examine the independent factors to employee satisfaction to include past work experience, educational background and career choices. Future more, it is important to note that the assessment of the satisfaction of people in different occupations attach different weight to job features. Such as gender also is a variable in job satisfaction in that men and women of same occupations view satisfaction differently. Moreover, it is imperative that employers counteract escalating employee turnover and dissatisfaction with witty and ingenious retention strategies that will encourage their employees to remain with the organization at least ten years.

References:

Barron, T. (2004, April). The link between leadership development retention, American

Society for Training and Development, 58(4),58-64. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Berg, I. (1981, Jan.). Education and jobs, American Journal of Sociology, 87,651-683.

Retrieved February 2, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Dalton, A. (2004, Nov.). Happy workers, Hospitals and Health Networks, 78(11), 24-25.

Retrieved January 31, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Jones, C. (1992, Jan.). Calculating and updating nursing turnover cost, Nursing

Economic, 10 (1), 39-45. Retrieved January 31, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Korn, D. (2004, April). Entrepreneurship through homeownership, Black Enterprise,

34(9), 61-62. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Levering, R. (2004, Aug.) Creating a great place to work: Why it is important and how

it is done, Corrections Today, 66(5), 86-89. Retrieved February 2, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Lommel, J. (2004, Aug.). Turning around turn over, Correction Today, 66(5)54-58.

Retrieved January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

McGinn, D. (2004, May). Quitting time, Newsweek, 143(21) 42-43. Retrieved January

17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Michel, C. (2004, Sep.) We’re all recruiters: how to win the war for talent, United States

Naval Institute, 130(9) 96. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Thompson, N. (2004, Nov.). All stressed out, community care, 1550, 34-35. Retrieved

January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Weston, R. (1999, Autumn). Factors contributing to personal wellbeing, Family Matters

Issue 52. . Retrieved February 2, 2005, from Business Source Premier.

Williams, J. (2004, July). In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity, Nursing

Management, 11(4) 17-20. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from Business Source Premier

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questions from weeks so far:

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for your proposal please give me your topic here. What was it that you found to be a problem and why do you think so? Please tell me in 3 sentences what this problem is and how you think you can either solve it, educate others on it, provide more information to world about it etc.... This will become your Statement of the Problem (Step 2) in your appendix for the DRP proposal. Below is Step 2.

Step 2. Statement of the Problem. The DRP research statement of the problem is a three part statement: an introductory sentence, a problem sentence and a transition/closing sentence.

Introductory Sentence: The first sentence introduces the topic of the research problem that is of primary interest to the DRP student.

Example

“Organizational Behavior touts itself as a field that extracts its contents from various social sciences.”

The Problem Sentence: The second sentence presents the structure from which the research question will be derived.

Example

“A review of academic and professional journals reveals no studies illustrating the Organizational Behavior/Social Science linkage.”

The Transition/Closing Sentence: The third sentence is a transition or closing sentence.

Example

“Universities use Organizational Behavior text’s interdisciplinary approach to educate business professionals about behaviors occurring within organizations, and the Organizational Behavior/Social Science relationship.”

Anyone, with or without expertise in this intended research area of interest can immediately understand where the DRP research effort is headed and why. This provides a basis for how the DRP student will relate the DRP research conclusion back to the statement of the problem and either their primary research question or hypothesis as the research moves forward.

Post this statement of the Problem here.

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for your proposal please provide me with the context of your problem. What is the history behind your problem? Why is it a problem and for whom is it a problem? How did the probelm begin, where is this problem located? What are the consequences and or positive aspects if any of this problem? This is from Step 1 of your DRP proposal in the appendix section of the syllabus. This should be around 3 pages long.

Step 1. Context of the Problem. -- sets up the research statement with background, purpose and perhaps some support from the literature or acceptable literature alternatives. It is here that the DRP problem or issue is discussed and gives a transitory explanation of what the completed research work-product will most likely contain.

post here your context of the problem.

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for your proposal please provide me with your research questions. These questions are going to guide your research. They are going to be the questions from which the answers will help you solve, educate others about or further explore your problem. You should have around 5 or 6 reserach problems. All of them should be guiding not yes or no questions but rather ones that when asked and answered will help you figure out a solution to your problem. This is Step 3 of your DRP proposal in the appendix section of the syllabus.

Step 3. Research Question/Hypothesis and

The research question or hypothesis is derived from the statement of the problem. This provides a clear basis for the research to be done. The research question/hypothesis can be broken into applicable manageable subquestions or subhypotheses.

Example

Research Questions

The purpose of this research is to determine how universities use Organizational Behavior’s interdisciplinary approach to educate business professionals about behaviors within organizations, and the Organizational Behavior/Social Science relationship? To answer this question, the following subquestions will be addressed:

1. What is Organizational Behavior, it’s core body of knowledge and interdisciplinary approach? (Qualitative)

2. What Social Science concepts influence the Organization Behavior field’s core body of knowledge and the correlation between them? (Quantitative)

3. How are business professionals educated about behaviors occurring in organizations? (Qualitative)

Please provide me with your research questions here.

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for your proposal provide me with your Significance of the Study. This section should be around 3-4 pages long and it should describe to me why you care so much about this problem? Why should I care about this problem? Why should the world care about this problem? This is where your passion can come out and where you try to persude the world that this problem is worthy of your time and energy and the time and energy of those who are going to read it. Put your heart into it but back up what you say with references.... always.

This is step 4 of your DRP proposal found in the appendix section of your syllabus.

Step 4. Significance of the Study. The Significance of the Study section is the researcher’s opportunity to explain why it is a significant research problem under study in theory and/or practice. The following example of a declaration of significance may be helpful:

Example

Significance of the Study

This case study is important because it recognizes the value and benefits of conducting e-business on the WWW.

The study will help clarify the nature of warranted change and how a significant segment of the Corporate structure communicates strategically in business and the professions. This research is also of importance because it will add to the growing base of knowledge about e-business and the WWW Global market place. A third consideration of the significance is that much more can be learned about what companies can do to be successful and to circumvent initial failure in the first place. From a qualitative and naturalistic-ethnographical setting it is expected much will be learned including management and the need for effective strategic communication.

To the extent this study reveals how e-business can be successful, Corporate management may or may not need to be concerned with whether or not organizational policy changes are necessary, or whether the phenomena is a matter of environmental business changes of the day, then the study will have contributed to a better understanding that is unique to the larger WWW e-business community.

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for your proposal please provide me with your Research Design and Methodology Section. This is the meat and potatoes, the heart, the main point of why you are here and why you are doing what you are doing. This is the road map, the path you are taking to tell me how you are going to do what you are going to do. While you will see that quantitative and triagulation methods are talked about in the appendix section of the syllabus I would like you to only use QUALITATIVE methodology. I would also like you to use 5 methodologies in your research design and methodology section.

1. interviews

2. surveys

3. focus groups

4. internal data

5. observations

You must use all 5 and talk about how each of these will be conducted, where, how, with whom, and why? Why will it help you answer your research questions and why and how will it help you solve, further educate etc... the world about your problem.

This section should be around 5- 6 pages long. This is Step 5 in your DRP proposal found in your appendix section of the syllabus.

Step 5. Research Design and Methodology. There are three kinds of DRP research design -- qualitative, quantitative and triangulation. The first sentence of the section explains which kind of design the student will use.

Qualitative research focuses on understanding phenomena, rather than predicting as in the application of traditional quantitative or statistical research. Triangulation is the integration of both qualitative and quantitative (mixed-method) research designs, combining both into a single research strategy to increase the quality of results.

The methodology section describes the procedures the DRP will follow (content an*****s, face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, quantitative an*****s, etc.), describes the information and/or data that the student will collect, and describes how the student will develop conclusions to address the purpose of the study.

Premises of the Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Qualitative Quantitative

Research Definition A formal systematic, realistic and consistent subjective strategy for obtaining information about a targeted research micro group or individual situation that can be used to describe life experiences and give them meaning. A formal systematic, realistic and consistent objective strategy for obtaining information about a targeted research macro population. A method used to describe, test relationships, and examine cause and effect relationships.

Research Goal The realistic goal is to clearly identify a primary research question to answer and gain an understanding and insight by exploring the depth, richness, and complexity inherent in phenomenon. The realistic goal is to clearly identify the primary research hypothesis, test relationships, find facts, describe and examine cause and effect relations.

Research Objectives A prioritized arrangement of specific key researchable and measurable research questions and subquestions; or specific key measurable research hypothesis and subhypotheses, respectively.

Research Strategy The creation of a unique, appropriate, timely design, techniques and activities appropriate for the research objective(s) and goal(s) that are consistent and synergistic. Because credibility, reality, reliability and validity weigh heavily upon the research outcome, it is important for the researcher to “do the right thing and do things right.”

Note: See Leedy and Ormrod (2001) pp. 101 – 103, Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches.

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