Business Communication Skills for Managers

Business Communication Skills for Managers Module 4: Research

Conducting Research

Using Data for Impact • The two types of business reports: • Analytical Reports • Informational Reports • What qualities should business reports have? • Get the Facts!

Research Process Steps • Conduct research using 6 steps: • Ask a question • Find existing knowledge • Develop a research plan • Conduct research • Analyze data • Present findings (cite sources)

Investing Time in the Research Process The Human Fund Martha is a junior analyst with The Human Fund, a business in Chicago specializing in selling local handicraft goods made by homeless families. The Human Fund supplies raw materials such as yarn, cloth, leather or other items, training homeless in their use, and then providing them a safe place to make clothing, bags, and other items. They have experienced fairly consistent growth in their 3 years of operation, and have received excellent local press for their help to the city. Martha’s boss directs her to study if their work is benefitting families in the downtown area; the company’s leadership is considering whether to put more resources into that neighborhood. Using the 6 Steps of the Research process, how should Martha conduct and present research to help her company decide how to best utilize their resources?

Types of Data Sources What is the difference between internal and external data? Internal and external data are organized into two categories: • Qualitative data • Quantitative data

Primary Research What is primary research? Examples of primary research: • Interviews • Surveys • Observations • Analysis

Secondary Research What is secondary research? Examples of secondary research: • Books • Journals • Newspaper articles • Media reports

Internal Data

Types of Primary Sources and Internal Data Ithaca College library defines primary sources as: “Direct or first hand evidence about an event, object, [or person and could include] historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups are also primary sources.”

Types of Primary Sources and Internal Data (cont.) • Internal data are data derived from internal primary sources about your organization. • Examples of internal data: • HR report about turnover and hiring • Financials from Accounting or Finance

Collecting Internal Data ACCESS is key! If you do not have good access to a group or set of data, your ability to collect that data is severely compromised. Data may be readily available, or necessitate some sort of cross-divisional—or at least team—privilege and access.

Working in Microsoft Excel Microsoft Excel is useful for storing, organizing, and manipulating data.

Working in Google Sheets Google sheets is very similar to Microsoft Excel, however this tool allows for real time collaboration.

Finding Secondary Sources

Preliminary Research Strategies • Having a well-defined and scoped question is essential to a good research strategy Watch this video for a discussion on how to develop a good research question:

Finding Sources Work to simplify search phrases! Search engines like Google use high level search operators, meaning that short and simple search phrases will be more efficient when trying to find the information you need.

Using Databases Areas for secondary source material: 1. Google Scholar 2. Library Databases Subject headings and bibliographic links are important to pay attention to.

Source Analysis

Information Literacy The 7 Pillars of Information Literacy: • Identify • Assess • Plan • Gather • Evaluate • Manage • Present

Evaluating Sources Evaluating websites: • Consider the URL (.com vs .org, etc.) • What type of website? Blog, encyclopedia, news page? • What is the purpose or claim of the website? Not all bias is bad but make sure to acknowledge ALL bias to maintain credibility.

CRAAP Analysis Currency- How current is the source? Reliability- How important is the information, and has it been consistently presented? Authority- What is the source of the information? Accuracy- Judged against other sources, how correct is the source? Purpose- What is the goal of the source? Why was it created?

Case Study: News Media Today Information presented through media must be scrutinized as much as any other source, especially with the growing consolidation.

Synthesizing Sources References to sources should sound natural within the flow of your writing. The 3 Methods for Referencing Sources: • Quoting • Paraphrasing • Summarizing

Writing Ethically

Professional Integrity A common sense standard for professional integrity: “Would anyone question the manner in which I’m doing this work or activity?”

Avoiding Plagiarism 3 Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism: • If you even suspect the idea is someone else’s, take the time to go back through notes, Google, or other reputable sources, and search for the author. • Allow enough time to build your reports. • If you are not sure of authorship, consider using other evidence or sources to articulate your idea.

Documenting and Citing Sources Considerations for style of your citations: • Who is your audience? • How much time is available to you? • What are you trying to communicate?

Quick Review • Conduct research using the 6 steps: • Ask a question • Find existing knowledge • Develop a research plan • Conduct research • Analyze data • Present findings (cite sources) • Use a combination of primary AND secondary sources • Evaluate sources for reliability and accuracy before utilizing them as sources. • Avoid plagiarism through organization and careful citation.

Business Communication Skills for Managers