Data_Collection_Paper

Data Collection Paper March 25, 2012 RES/341 Purpose Team B intends to conduct research to evaluate a possible correlation between wage earner salaries and production levels. Team B’s hypothesis indicates the higher an individual’s salary, the higher level of production he or she will produce. For purposes of this research, Team B intends to gather information and knowledge through observation, data collection, and literature reviews. Theoretical framework, generalization of hypothesis, scientific research, analysis, and interpretation will be used throughout the project as well. The purpose of this research will enable researchers to substantiate the hypothesis and answer research questions. With completed research, managerial decisions can be made based on the findings pertaining to the research question. The research problem or question identified for this project is “does an employee’s wage affect productivity'” This research question is important because employers can apply the research information to make managerial decisions for hiring, terminations, rates of pay, and a host of other job related functions. Problem Definition The question of “does an employee’s wage affect productivity” is defined as the problem statement for this project. Variables such as gender, education, annual wage, and occupation may contribute to a substantiated hypothesis and provide an answer to the research question addressed within this paper. The theoretical framework for the dependent and independent variables included in this paper is detailed in the diagram below. The independent variable of the research being conducted in this project is wage earnings. The dependent variable in this research is productivity, which is the main subject of interest for this project. Other independent variables that may affect Team B’s hypothesis are occupation, education, and gender. The dependent variable (wage earnings) can be affected by the independent variable of productivity because the amount of education an employee has, the more effective he or she may be therefore increasing production. The independent variable of occupations may affect the dependent variable in this research because the occupation may be demanding. A less demanding job may require much less production effort than a demanding occupation. The dependent variable of gender can affect the independent variable in this research because a male may do more work in a given occupation than a female, such as lifting heavy objects. The dependent variable of annual wage in dollars may affect the dependent variable in this research because an employee’s wages, specifically if the wages are lower could affect the amount of productivity. Research Hypothesis and Possible Outcomes Team B’s research hypothesis is that companies whose employee wage earnings are higher will have higher productivity levels. Team B has devised three possible outcomes that will most likely result from the research project. One possible outcome is an employee who earns a higher wage will be more productive than an employee who earns a lower wage. This is a possibility because employees that make higher wages are typically happier and produce at higher levels. The second possible outcome of this research could be that employees who make lower wages will not feel motivated to work at high productivity levels. The third possible outcome is that workers making higher wages might feel as though they have achieved a level of satisfaction in life and therefore are not as motivated to be productive. High wages can make a worker feel like their goal was achieved resulting in less drive and production. Operational Definitions Numerous factors are used as variables within this research project. Below is a list of the variables used and their operational definitions: Wage: Wage is defined as the amount of American Dollars earned annually by one employee. The operational definition is the amount of money an employee can earn based on education or occupation. Occupation: Occupation is the type of work that an individual does. The operational definition is the amount of wages an employee receives depends on the type of occupation an employee is in. Education: Education is the years of school that an individual has completed. The operational definition is an employee’s annual wage in dollars greatly depends on the amount of education an employee has received in a given occupation. Male/Female: Indicates the gender of the individual. The operational definition is a female annual wage in dollars is possibly less than that of a male in the same occupation. An employee’s wage earnings and ability to work in certain occupations may be dependent upon the individual’s gender. Age: Age is defined as how old a person is in years. The Operational Definition is an employee’s age affects the annual wage in dollars an employee can receive. Identifying Variables Level of Measurement, and Measurement Scale The independent variable included in this research is wage earnings. The dependent variables in this research are occupation, gender, education, and annual wage in dollars. The level of measurement for the independent variable of wage earnings is 0-5. This is measured using a ratio scale. By using a ratio scale, the amount of wages an employee earns can easily be measured by administering surveys or collecting data that answer questions, such as do you make above or below $20,000 a year' The measurement scale that will be used to measure the dependent variables, occupation, and education is the nominal scale. The level of measurement will be from 0-5 where employees in certain occupations and educational levels are grouped into categories using numbers. An example could be employees with no formal education would be grouped as a zero, and all employees with one year of formal education would be coded as a one and so on. The level of measurement for the dependent variable annual wage in dollars will be from 0-5 using the nominal scale where employees will be grouped according to their annual wage. The remaining steps of the research process that will be followed are steps six through eleven. Step six of the research process will enable the research project to become more informative on the problem definition and allow the hypothesis to be substantiated. Step seven of the research process will help contribute important data, analysis, and interpretation of research issues. Steps eight through eleven of the research process will help contribute to the writing, report presentation, and managerial decision making with use of the research found regarding the projects problem definition. Review of Literature In addition to the data and documentation already discussed, Team B has also performed additional research for the purposes of their research project. Four peer-reviewed articles are included for the purpose of literature review. Below is a brief synopsis for each article as well as how each article applies to the current research project. 1. The Workforce Composition and Firm Productivity article (Workforce Composition and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Taiwan, 2010) produces evidence under a limited study that smaller companies outperform larger companies. According to the study, the increase in performance is related to the middle-aged employees who have secondary education experience. These individuals are more productive than other employees who are under 30 or over 55. The study shows evidence that the middle-aged workers with secondary education experience receive higher wage compensation than other groups of workers. Other factors of significance of wage compensations are economic incentives and market competition. The article relates to the purpose of this research paper in the possible correlation of wage earner salaries and production levels. 2. The “What Determines Productivity” article (What Determines Productivity', 2011) discusses several factors of productivity within any given firm including macroeconomics, industrial organization, labor, and trade. The research delves deeply into the differences in productivity levels between businesses and production practices. It also compares the effects of outer influences, such as competition and technology and its effects on productivity. The article briefly touches on a few elements related to this research paper, specifically education level and gender as found on page 340. Although age was not mentioned as a factor, the article did make mention of experience and industry tenure that can be related to the age factor of the research project. 3. The article “Why have the dynamics of labor productivity changed” (Why Have the Dynamics of Labor Productivity Changed', 2010) states that the world of economic labor productivity has changed as a result of supplies, and a reduction in the demands of the working environments. These changes have developed stronger more affordable materials, and advancing technology reduces the need for laborers. The reduction of laborers has positively changed firms and large corporations but has a negative impact on individuals seeking work and his or her salary. Exporting has become overwhelmed with advanced productivity from competitive companies from an international point-of-view as well as domestically. As e-commerce advances, it demonstrates how predictable online selling and buying have become, thus reducing the number of workforce personnel needed. This strength is building tremendously for businesses reducing the need for paid laborers. This article provides an additional variable to Team B’s research that was not previously considered. 4. The article “Wage Productivity Linkages in Indian Industries” (Wage-Productivity Linkages in Indian Industries, 2012) discusses the standardization of Indian industries. The article indicates that the cost of living in India is rising rapidly and that measures must be taken to reduce the problem. The research conducted for this article links wage earning to production. Researchers believe that a link between wages and productivity may help India slow the rising of cost of living for workers in rural, urban, and aggregate industries. The article suggests that increases in wages based on productivity instead of inflationary measures may help slow the issues of an increasing cost of living. Information contained within this piece of literature provides data sampling showing the correlation between wage and productivity. Sampling Design The population used for data collection purposes for this project came from 100 employees of various genders and occupations within the chosen organization. The sample size is appropriate for this research project because it encompasses all departments within the company, including management. It also encompasses varied amounts of the dependent variables being included within the research project. Therefore, enough data collection has been collected to provide the type of feedback needed to help form a hypothesis. The reliability of the research should be precise to the type of measuring that will be conducted. However, because there is a category in occupation called “other” it may produce results that may not indicate which occupations have higher or lower productivity. Team B should consider another interview to try to place these employees into an occupation that is already in the population or create a new category that specifically describes their occupation. The “other” category also has the highest percent frequency so the outcome may be somewhat skewed. Validity within the research should also be accurate and provide desired results. The only source of bias that can be foreseen is the possibly gender category. Some people may take the information found within this project the wrong way and assume the findings are indicating that men or women are more productive. This is not the case. The gender category is being used to help produce as many results as possible to get an accurate measure. Data Collection The data collected for this research project has been formatted into tabular and graphical formats for easy reference. Below are displays that compare data regarding occupation, gender, and annual wage. ------------------------------------------------- Occupation | Frequency | Relative Frequency | Percent Frequency | Management | 13 | 0.13 | 13% | Construction | 6 | 0.06 | 6% | Service | 21 | 0.21 | 21% | Clerical | 21 | 0.21 | 21% | Professional | 17 | 0.17 | 17% | Other | 22 | 0.22 | 22% | Total | 100 | 1.00 | 100% | ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Male Or Female | Frequency | Relative Frequency | Percent Frequency | Male | 53 | 0.53 | 53% | Female | 47 | 0.47 | 47% | Total | 100 | 1.00 | 100% | ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Annual Wage in Dollars | Frequency | Relative Frequency | Percent Frequency | 10,000 - 30,000 | 59 | 0.59 | 59% | 30,000 - 50,000 | 28 | 0.28 | 28% | 50,000 - 70,000 | 6 | 0.06 | 6% | 70,000 - 90,000 | 4 | 0.04 | 4% | 90,000 - 110,000 | 3 | 0.03 | 3% | Total | 100 | 1.00 | 100% | Primary Data Collection Methods Some primary data collection methods that will be used to collect important data include Internet, internal and external researchers, Directory of Corporations, The Business Periodicals Index and Trade Publications. Ethical Concerns There are many possible ethical concerns regarding wages and wage earners. When considering ethical concerns for this research, several issues come to the forefront. For example, some individuals may think that age and experience help one to develop ethical standards. Can it be said that a person of an older age and knowledge base should get increased wages versus a person who graduated from college with honors and references stating how valuable and resourceful they were' Minimum wage is another topic that is considered an ethical concern. Some may think the minimum wage is a fair wage based on today’s cost of living; however, others may disagree, and say it is not enough. Some country’s allow sweatshops where children and adults work for wages well below the minimum wage. They can do this because they are living in a country that is poverty stricken and people will work for anything to survive, is this ethical in regard to wages and wage earners, most would think not. Team B is nearing the end of their research project regarding wage and productivity. In the near future additional information will be included in their findings. The team intends to provide additional data analysis using descriptive statistics. Central tendency, dispersion, and skew for the data collected will be evaluated and graphics provided to assist the team in evaluating their hypothesis. References Liu, J., Tsou, M., & Wang, P. (2010). Workforce Composition and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Taiwan. Economic Inquiry, 48(4), 1032-1047. Retrieved from EBSCO HOST Manonmani, M. M. (2012). Wage- Productivity Linkages in Indian Industries. Indian Journal Of Industrial Relations, 47(3), 450-458. Syverson, C. (2011). What Determines Productivity'. Journal Of Economic Literature, 49(2), 326-365. Uma Sekaran. (2003). Introduction to Research. Retrieved from Uma Sekaran, RES 341 website Van Zandweghe, W. (2010). Why Have the Dynamics of Labor Productivity Changed'. Federal Reserve Bank Of Kansas City Economic Review, 95(3), 5-30.