This paper will discuss the method of research to be used, the respondents of the study, the sampling technique, the instrument to be used, the validation of the instrument, the administration of the instrument and the statistical treatment of the data that will be gathered.
Method of Research to be used
According to Swetnam (2000) “Writing Your Dissertation” How To Books, research falls into two basic styles, “objective” and “subjective”. Objective approaches are concerned with the physical characteristics and the external world, universally applicable rules and laws, tested through hypothesis, experiment and survey. Subjective approaches deal with the created social lives of groups and individuals through observation and explanation.
Although a great number of research methods are available i.e. Action Research, Surveys, Experimental Methods, Ethnographic, Case Study and Historical etc. It was important during the research method selection process, to consider such constraints as time, cost, access and ability.
Given the nature of the dissertation it was the intention of the author to use “Action Research” as the primary method of investigation. However given that the author no longer has direct access to the “featured” organisation (Dunlop Hiflex Ltd), it would have been impossible to plan, monitor or change any experimental situation focused on organisational development, within the organisation. Since the research methodology is based on experimental conditions, no observation or interaction could have been achieved and so, no meaningful data could have been obtained. Given this fact this research technique was abandoned.
The Research paper on Origins Of Psychology And Research Methods Worksheet 2
Part I: Origins of PsychologyThe seven major perspectives in modern psychology are psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanist, cognitive, neuroscientific/biopsychological, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Psychoanalytic: The founder of the psychoanalytic school of thought is Sigmund Freud. He believed that many psychological problems result from the conflicts that occur between “acceptable” ...
Again due to the nature of the dissertation, and the accessibility to research data. This study will utilise the descriptive approach. The descriptive research method uses observation and surveys. In this method, it is possible that the study would be viewed as limited. It might also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and infer causations. Thus, this study will use the descriptive approach. This descriptive type of research will utilise interviews and observation in the study.
The author was able to secure limited access to the “featured” organisation in order to conduct the investigation.
In order to illustrate the descriptive type of research, John W Creswell (2002) “Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches” Sage Publications, will guide the researcher when he states: The descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition. The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the cause / s of particular phenomena. The author opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the author to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study.
This study basically intends to identify the critical success factors of a sustainable lean manufacturing programme within the organisation, Dunlop Hiflex Ltd. Specifically, the study is determined to know the current thinking on lean manufacturing and continuous improvement programmes; the lean manufacturing programmes that the organisation utilises; the level of effectiveness of the organisation, in the implementation of a sustainable lean manufacturing programme according to maintenance of machinery, human resource management, and manufacturing processes; determine the level of effectiveness of the organisation, regarding the satisfaction of its primary customers in terms of quality of products and product delivery; and to ascertain whether there is a significant relationship between the satisfaction of its primary customers and the level of effectiveness of the organisation, with regard to the implementation of a sustainable lean manufacturing programme.
The Term Paper on The study of design research methodology
Abstract Studies on design research methodology are infrequent, although there is a consensus that more e ort is needed for improving design research quality. Previous calls for exercising better research methodology have been unsuccessful. As numerous studies reveal, there is no single scienti c methodology that is exercised in science or in any other research practice. Rather, research ...
The primary source of data was derived from a researcher-made interview with the key personnel who were instrumental in the implementation of lean systems, on an industry wide scale. The respondents of the study were selected personnel of Dunlop Hiflex Ltd. The personnel selected for the study were so selected because of their direct involvement with the original lean manufacturing change programme. The respondents were all members of the various lean implementation teams. They were multi-skilled and also possessed specialist knowledge in areas such as Kaizen, Customer Services, Production Control, Maintenance and Human Resources. A full respondent portfolio can be seen at appendix D. The Kaizen engineers that were involved in the original lean implementation programme were trained formally in the tools and techniques of kaizen, and had previous experience working within World Class Organisations such as Unipart Industries.
The secondary sources of data would come from published articles, social science journals, theses and related studies on lean manufacturing and continuous improvement programmes.
For this research design, the researcher would gather data, collate published studies from different local and foreign universities and articles from social science journals, distribute sampling questionnaires; arrange interviews; and make a content analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material. Upon completion of this process, the researcher would summarise all the information, make conclusions based on the researched data and provide insightful recommendations dealing with the sustainability mechanisms and critical success factors of a lean manufacturing programme.
The Term Paper on Ethics Broadly Conceived Is Concerned With Questions About Value How part 1
Ethics, broadly conceived, is concerned with questions about value, how we should live, and what we should do. Normative ethics is concerned with developing general theories in response to these kinds of questions. Consequentialists, contractarians, virtue ethicists, Kantians, and still others all develop different theories. But these theorists understand the subject matter itself differently, ...
The interviews conducted were administered in a semi-structured way, primarily because the author could not gain direct access to the interviewees through their place of employment (Dunlop Hiflex Ltd).
The author gained access through social circles outside of the workplace. A potential weak area of this method was “interviewer Bias” in terms of answer interpretation. Given that this was the only way to gain access to the target interview population in order to conduct the interviews, the author was particularly mindful of interviewer bias and interviewer status, information could only be drawn compatible with the author’s status i.e. no longer employed by the organisation and so does not represent organisational authority. However given that the interviewees had volunteered the information, the data was accepted for analysis.
The questionnaire (which can be found at appendix E) used for the study, was designed to ensure that all the questions were related to the original research question. The questionnaire was used as a tool to gauge the current level of lean practices (supported by a lean audit, and as seen through the eyes of the respondents) within Dunlop Hiflex Ltd. This information could then be measured against the lean practices originally implemented (supported by the provision of the original lean implementation documentation).
Thus aligning the findings of the questionnaire with the conclusions of the dissertation. The author attempted to use language that was simple, direct and appropriate to the target population (the avoidance of “technical jargon” resulted in a number of questions being edited / removed at the sample stage).
The questionnaire was sectioned in order to provide a structured and systematic approach that the respondents would find relatively easy to use and provide the author with an instrument that could be interpreted and aligned to the original research question.
Part 1 of the questionnaire was designed to provide the profile of the respondents, this data would enable the author to better understand the level of exposure / awareness to lean manufacturing systems that the respondents had experienced, prior to answering the questions.
The Term Paper on General Motors with Lean Manufacturing
Part 3. GM’s Global Manufacturing System6 3. 1 Application of Lean Manufacturing6 3. 2 In-Progress Control and Verification7 3. 3 Process Failure and Effect Analysis11 3. 4 Quality Feedback/Feedforward11 3. 5 Quality System Management13 Part 4. Comments14 4. 1 Achievements beyond Efficiency14 4. 2 A Too-Lean GM? 15 Bibliography16 Part 1. Overview of General Motors 1. 1 Why General Motors? First ...
Part 2 of the questionnaire was designed in order to establish the current level of activity based on lean manufacturing systems. Moreover the mechanisms currently in place that supported maintenance of machinery through Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Human Resources (Lean Manufacturing Training, Multi Skilled Team Working) etc. Manufacturing Processes in particular “cellular manufacture”, Just-In-Time (JIT) and Kaizen Continuous Improvement Activities (CI).
Part 2 questions were also designed to establish what, if any external competitive analysis had taken place in terms of lean manufacturing and the external pressure placed upon the organisation to adopt new working practices.
Part 3 of the questionnaire addressed the organisation’s primary customer base. The questions were designed to provide a “measure” of customer service and satisfaction in terms of product quality and delivery performance (the targeted population would have knowledge / awareness of this information via the use of “visual” measures of performance i.e. Complete and On Time Delivery (COTD), Schedule Adherence (SA) and both internal and external Parts Per Million Defect Rates (PPM).
Respondents of the Study
The general population for this study was composed of personnel who dealt with the implementation of the programme, numbering ten (10) respondents.
Instruments to be used
To determine whether the industry has developed sustainability mechanisms as an integral element of an effective and efficient lean manufacturing programme. The researcher prepared a set of guide questions that were posed to the intended respondents.
Part 1 of the question will ask for the characteristics of the personnel according to age, gender, civil status, employment position, and length of service in the said position.
Part 2 will determine the lean manufacturing programme currently in use within the organisation, Dunlop Hiflex Ltd. And the level of effectiveness in the implementation of a sustainable lean manufacturing programme according to maintenance of machinery, human resource management, and manufacturing processes.
The Term Paper on Manufacturing In Scotland Today
Contents Contents page Page 1 Introduction Page 2 Electronics Page 3 Semiconductors Page 5 Aerospace Page 6 Automotive Page 7 Conclusion Page 8 References Page 9 “Manufacturing In Scotland Today” Introduction This report is not so much on the state of the manufacturing industry in Scotland but rather of it’s current success. Scottish productivity ...
Part 3 will identify the level of effectiveness of the organisation, regarding the satisfaction of its primary customers in terms of quality of products and product delivery performance.
Validation of the Instrument
For validation purposes, the researcher initially submitted a sample of the set of guide questions and after approval; the interview was conducted with two respondents. After the questions were answered, the researcher asked the respondents for any suggestions or any necessary corrections to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument. The researcher again examined the content of the interview questions to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. The researcher excluded irrelevant questions and changed words that were deemed difficult by the respondents.
Administration of the Instrument
The researcher would exclude the two respondents who were initially used for the validation of the instrument. The researcher would also tally, score and tabulate all the responses in the provided interview questions.
