What Is Good Business and Management Research - Dissertation Example

? Learning Journal: Having read this paper, and building on the discussion you have in the ial, has it changed your perception of what is ‘good’Business and Management Research (BMR) and BMR more generally? If so, how and why? If not, why not? Name: Class: Date: Tutorial 1: How to Critique an Academic Paper (w/c 11 October 2010 and w/c 18 October 2010) For your reflective diary: Having read this paper, and building on the discussion you have in the tutorial, has it changed your perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR) and BMR more generally? If so, how and why? If not, why not? In the essay 'Engineering humour’ from the collection ‘Masculinity, joking and conflict in shop-floor relations,’ I learned Business and Management Research (BMR) appears on one level as semantic and technical, as it differentiates business from politics, religion, education, medicine, law, and other disciplines in the social knowledge represented in humour. This may be further represented in class biases and alienation. This definition would seem to not prohibit the use of humour to make jest of any ideological, political, or moral concern, but also positions these judgments outside of the specialization of business management. This definition represents the pragmatic way businesses have operated throughout the history of capitalism on the basis of humour and morale in social operations. This represents a slight change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), but is not really a main aspect of ethical concern. Tutorial 2: Introduction to Interpreting and Evaluating Research (27 October 2010 and 3 November) In the essay “Product development: Past research, present findings, and future directions” by S.L. & Eisenhardt, K.M. (1995), I learned that just as the advanced Western economies and free market requires a mixture between socialism and capitalism in the way government and business are interwoven, similarly Business and Management Research (BMR) is integrated into all aspects of business activity by the fact that people comprise the corporation and client base. As humans they have interests that are greater than profit, and this must be appealed to in product development. This can be seen in the anti-sweatshop and fair trade movements, as well as innumerable other charitable donations made by businesses to private causes. It is unfair, unrealistic, and possibly morally wrong to expect people to be less than fully human when acting as employees as a company, by requiring them to “turn off” their moral, political, and ideological concerns in the organization of commercial activity. This represents a major change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because to do so leads to injustice, poor practices, and social harm in the greater population through valuing only the bottom line of business against the environment and collective heritage of humanity. Tutorial 3: The Context of Management Research (8 December 2010 and 15 December 2010) In the articles from “Looking at ourselves as we look at others: An exploration of the publication system for organization research” by Nord (1985), I learned to apply the principles of Business and Management Research (BMR) to the recent financial crisis where banks in America were donating to politicians that wrote the legislation for their industry, and the relaxed standards of the Bush administration that allowed banks to take on excessive risk. The absence of both political regulation and business ethics in Wall St. financial banks largely contributed to the crisis. This represents a significant change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because of the importance of public relations, brand identity, and advertising in modern business. Tutorial 4: Evaluating Quantitative Research (24 November 2010 and 1 December 2010) I used the information received from Miller& Shamsie (1996) in their essay “The resource-based view of the firm in two environments: The Hollywood film studios from 1936 to 1965” to apply to the image of Wall St. and the financial sector after the meltdown. That Wall St. and financial institutions have a moral responsibility related to an ideal social order is not generally accepted in business management practices for the financial industry. This represents a continuation of my established perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), and did not change my opinions. Tutorial 6: Evaluating Mixed Methods Research (w/c 17 January 2010 and 24 January 2011) I applied what I learned from the Meyer (1982) essay “Adapting to environmental jolts” by reflecting on the issues of the environment in relation to moral hazard. The concentration of wealth constitutes a de facto monopoly in capitalistic societies because of the manner of distribution. In using capital concentrations to influence legislation that goes against the social welfare and environment, businesses can increase profits but this is a definition of corruption in a society. Moral hazard may result from the over influence of capital in building support for the businesses with the greatest concentrations of wealth against the environment. This represents a change in my critical interpretation of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because of the importance of business ethics in management. Tutorial 7: Evaluating Qualitative Research (w/c 31st January and 7th February) From the Oliver & Roos (2005) essay “Decision-making in high-velocity environments: the importance of guiding principle,” I learned in many instances, businesses with an inordinate concentration of wealth such as the banks, big oil, and the financial industry could advance socially unbeneficial policies globally under utilitarian and humanistic standards solely because it increases profits for their companies. Their advantage in the concentration of wealth enables them to buy legislation that is not reflective of common morality but rather that furthers their profit. In this manner, environmental destruction, imperialism, exploitation of labour, and other practices can be advanced. This represents a significant revision in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because I resolved to value more the environmental concerns personally. Tutorial 8: Evaluating Critical Research (w/c 14th and 21st February 2011) I found that I learned a lot from the article by Barker (1993) titled “Tightening the iron cage: Concertive control in self-managing teams”. I considered Barker’s (1993) interpretation of morality also supportive of an integrated business ethics that acts in favour of the universal moral concern. Whether or not this moral universal exists is a major aspect of the post-modern era, but the humanistic standards of morality are the most reflective of the era of globalization. Because of this, humanistic standards are preferred in combination with utilitarianism as a basis of business ethics and this should be further reflected in shareholder value, brand identity, and philanthropy. This represents a slight revision of my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because of the importance of a compassionate or humanistic approach in day to day operations and business management. Tutorial 9: Unitarism vs Pluralism (w/c 7th and 14th March 2011) The information I learned in the Pfeffer (1993) report, “Barriers to the advancement of organizational science: Paradigm development as a dependent variable,” I applied to the example of the recent financial meltdown, where the Wall St. firms and UK financial industry represented by private sector banks were not forced to accept losses on a normal basis on the same foundation as other businesses and individuals in the society, it may relate to an example of moral hazard where the excessive risk taking was encouraged by the ability to influence public legislation through the advantage of capital concentration. This represents an unethical business practice and is socially destructive, yet may be considered consistent with Pfeffer’s view. This represents a significant change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because the advancement of business ethics on humanitarian and utilitarian foundations is preferred in the current era of globalization as a means to manage businesses consistently with the principles of social justice. Tutorial 10: Examination Practice (w/c 21st and 28th March 2011) The introduction of ideology into business makes it a political organization, the introduction of religion and morality to business makes it into a charity, and only business organizations strictly concerned with market issues related to production and supply of goods and services are capitalist. Social activism in business is rejected by traditional Business and Management Research (BMR) in the same manner that it is embraced in mixed-market socialist economies of the West. While undoubtedly activist business organizations can exist, they are according to Business and Management Research (BMR) principles better inherent organizing methods for political ends. Social activism is more often seen as a contributing factor to forcing businesses to conform to moral standards that are not reflected in existing legal requirements, as in the anti-sweatshop and fair trade movements. Sources Cited: Read More