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BSBRES401 Analyse and Present Research Information: Research and Analyse Information

Case Study

Northern Sydney Institute

Case Study

BSBRES401 Research And Analyse Information Case Study V1

Page 2 of 20 Revision date: 24/09/2016

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. 2

Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Scenario: Pelican Waters Council ......................................................................................................... 3

See how it’s done ................................................................................................................................. 4

Step 1: Define the business problem or opportunity .......................................................................... 4

Step 2: Define the research objectives ................................................................................................ 4

Step 3: Develop the research plan ....................................................................................................... 8

Step 4: Use valid and relevant research strategies and effectively design the research tools ......... 10

Step 5: Use reliable methods of data analysis ................................................................................... 14

Step 6: Make sure assumptions, conclusions and recommendations used in analyses are supported by evidence and consistent with business and research objectives ................................................. 19

Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 20

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Overview

There are many reasons why organisations undertake research, but ultimately it is to improve decision making. Data becomes useful when decisions can be made on the information it provides. Suppose, for example, somebody has not turned up for work. What information do you have, and what do you seek, in order to make a decision? That is research information and your ability to analyse it determines the quality of your decision.

In undertaking research it is important to:

understand the reason for undertaking the research – this could either be to resolve a business problem or to identify a business opportunity

define research objectives which are consistent with the business objectives

develop a research plan to direct the focus of the research. The research plan will include the research methodology which is a description of how the research project will be undertaken. Research can be primary and/or secondary, qualitative and/or quantitative or a combination of methods. Use a variety of research strategies and design effective research tools for collecting valid and reliable research information. there a number of research strategies which can be used including:

o conducting interviews

o facilitating focus groups

o observations

o distributing surveys and questionnaires

o researching texts or industry journals

o online research

use correct sampling methods to make sure surveys are issued to the correct target group (representative sample) and to ensure the sample size is correct and don’t bias or distort results

ensure that once the data is collected, it is then:

o collated, organised and sorted

o interpreted and analysed using reliable methods of data analysis

make appropriate assumptions, conclusions and recommendations which are supported by research evidence and adhere to the business objectives and link to the research objectives

present your research findings to the stakeholders responsible for signing-off your research proposal.

Scenario: Pelican Waters Council

Sunita Nair, Manager of the Community and Library Services Department, is very interested in researching the proposal to implement free wireless internet access (Wi-Fi___33) in Pelican Waters council library. She has already seen how well Wi-Fi___33 works in Sydney libraries and

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believes that there are huge advantages to providing Wi-Fi___33 access to the residents and visitors of Pelican Waters. Sunita is also aware of the new project initiative in the council to promote innovative projects which benefit the community.

Sunita has nominated Toody Jones, the council’s research officer to undertake the proposed research. Toody has 8 weeks to undertake this research and make sure it meets the requirements of the innovative practices projects committee. He will consult with Suzie de Lillo, from Out Front Management Consultants, who has been contracted to provide assistance to council employees in preparing their research project reports to present to the innovative project practices committee.

See how it’s done

At the initial meeting to discuss the parameters of the research, Suzie advised Toody to firstly identify the business problem or opportunity and then clearly define the research objectives and make sure they are consistent with the requirements of the council.

The mission of the council is to provide high quality services and facilities which meet the community needs. The innovative practices project committee will therefore be looking for research projects that benefit the residents, visitors and businesses within Pelican Waters. It is important that the research objectives reflect this.

Of course, council doesn’t have unlimited financial resources and all research will need to be paid for from council revenues. This therefore will be an overarching factor that will influence the extent of and research methods used.

Step 1: Define the business problem or opportunity

From discussions with Sunita Nair, Toody identifies that this business opportunity should greatly benefit the residents, tourists and businesses in Pelican Waters. Toody is excited about this research proposal. He has lived in this rural region most of his life and whilst he loves the water ways, the mountains and the fresh air, one of the biggest disadvantages of living in such a remote rural area is the lack of broadband coverage in most of the region. Fortunately Boardwalk Parade, where the library is located, has access to broadband and Toody sees this research project as a great opportunity to promote equity in the region by allowing all residents, businesses and visitors access to free Wi-Fi___33.

Suzie De Lillo has also suggested that Toody put together a research plan as this will help him stay on track and guide his research focus.

Step 2: Define the research objectives

Toody has gained his extensive knowledge on research over a number of years. Initially Toody knew very little about research, research objectives or research strategies. When he started working in the council, he was mentored by experienced research officers who helped him understand the research process including research objectives and strategies.

Toody also found out more about research through:

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continuing to consult with experienced research officers in the council (even though he no longer requires mentoring)

the practical research experience he has undertaken over the last few years working at the council

acting as a mentor to new research officers in the council – this is a two way process where both Toody and the new research officer benefit

consulting with very qualified library staff and reading the recommended and reputable text books and journals on research. Toody does this regularly to keep up to date with changes in research

Online Research:

o Searching the library databases for valid and reliable information on research, research objectives and methodologies

o Using effective online searching to access reputable internet sites which have valid and reliable research information and which can be cross-checked against other information sources.

From this extensive experience, Toody knows it is important to clearly define the objectives of the research ensuring consistency with organisational requirements. Toody is aware that research objectives may broadly include:

Comparative analysis which involves analysing separate issues and finding out how these issues relate or compare with each other.

Hypothesis testing which involves research that provides answers to a particular research question or problem, for example you might want to find out why the photocopier keeps breaking down. You could start with reasonable theories and then narrow down the reasons e.g. toner not regularly replaced, or paper inserted incorrectly etc.

Process mapping where you map the processes involved in a particular activity or task and this mapping is often used to identify ways of improving the task to make it more efficient and effective.

Trend analysis which involves examining historical data, statistics or trends and then analysing this data in order to predict what might happen in the future based upon these historical patterns

Situational diagnosis which involves researching the current situation and how it is functioning.

Toody believes his research objectives partially cover trend analysis and situational diagnosis. He hopes to research what has been happening with internet trends and try to predict what will happen over the next few years. Toody also hopes to find out how the library is currently functioning to determine how Wi-Fi___33 will impact or improve on this.

Types of research are generally classified as exploratory, descriptive and causal . From discussions with the external consultant, Suzie De Lillo, Toody plans to undertake his research as follows:

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Exploratory research

This type of research is normally undertaken at the beginning or start of a project to gain a better understanding of the research topic. Literature such as publications and journals are studied to gain preliminary knowledge about the research topic. Toody plans to undertake exploratory research through:

reviewing information technology (IT) journals and publications to find out about wireless internet access

researching Wi-Fi___33 on the internet

accessing the ABS website to find out statistics on average internet use in Pelican Waters

discussing Wi-Fi___33 with Elaine Long, Finance and Information Manager

participating in video conferences with Sydney libraries, which already have free Wi-Fi___33 access, to discuss their experience with implementing Wi-Fi___33

identifying what the challenges may be for the council library staff

identifying resource budget issues for the project

accessing Federal Government Internet funding schemes to identify if there is special funding available for this type of project.

Descriptive research

Once the problem has been defined and Toody understands it better, the next step is to undertake descriptive research. This will describe the situation and help Toody clarify who is doing what, why when and how. Toody will use descriptive research when he:

visits Sydney libraries to observe how free Wi-Fi___33 actually works and to find out who is responsible for what tasks, who supports technical problems, what are the processes for monitoring access time, download restrictions and how these processes are implemented and managed

identifies how free Wi-Fi___33 could work at Pelican Waters library and what training the council library staff may need to assist residents and visitors in using Wi-Fi___33

holds interviews and focus groups with residents and visitors to get a detailed understanding of how this proposal will impact on them

determines what documentation may be required to support Wi-Fi___33 in the library such as internet use policy, filtering policies (particularly in relation to school children using the library’s Wi-Fi___33 access and identifying what web sites must be restricted), disclaimers etc.

distributes questionnaires and surveys to get an understanding of how often a representative sample of Pelican Waters residents and visitors use the internet and for what purpose

liaises with Elaine Long, Finance and Information Manager, to determine how information technology support staff will assist the library with technical problems that arise.

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Causal research

This research identifies the cause of the problem or opportunity. Now that the problem or opportunity has been identified, clarified and narrowly defined, it can be researched as to its cause and effect.

Toody will use causal research to look at possible solutions to the restricted broadband coverage through addressing this issue in his research. Specifically Toody will:

highlight the frustration that Pelican Waters residents feel with the lack of broadband coverage in this remote rural region

define how Wi-Fi___33 access in the library will allow these residents access to broadband internet access via the library network

determine the advantages of free Wi-Fi___33 for tourists and visitors—the council will work closely with Pelican Waters tourist board to increase tourists and visitors’ enjoyment of this community and free Wi-Fi___33 access in the library will facilitate this

explain how free Wi-Fi___33 access promotes equity and access to information for all residents. This is particularly relevant to students undertaking school projects and residents who wish to complete online government applications, pay bills online etc.

ensure that although Pelican Waters is geographically isolated, it need not be ‘globally’ isolated i.e. Provision of Wi-Fi___33 access will ensure Pelican Waters residents have access to global information through the use of the internet and feel ‘connected’.

Toody has eight weeks to undertake and present this research to the innovative practices project committee. Toody decides to frame his research objectives as follows:

Within the first week Toody will:

apply for ethics approval from the research ethical approval committee – this committee is overseen by Sarah Ortega, General Manager of Pelican Waters Council

liaise with key stakeholders (Sunita Nair, Elaine Long, librarian supervisor Mia Booker and Suzie De Lillo) to gain an overview of the specific research requirements. He will put in monitoring checkpoints so that these key stakeholders can review the research project’s progress and make revisions if appropriate

gain approval from the ethics committee before completing the research plan

complete the research plan and seek approval for this research plan from Sunita Nair

gain approval on the research plan before proceeding further with the research.

From Week 2 to Week 3 Toody will:

undertake exploratory research to gain a greater understanding of wireless technology and how this will benefit the Pelican Waters community.

From Week 4 to Week 6 Toody will:

undertake descriptive research to describe the impact of implementing Wi-Fi___33 in Pelican Waters.

In Week 7 Toody will:

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examine how this research opportunity will benefit Pelican Waters and the cause and effect of implementing Wi-Fi___33 in the library.

In Week 8 Toody will:

liaise closely with Sunita Nair and Suzie De Lillo in finalising the research proposal report and preparing an oral presentation so that the research proposal can be presented to the innovative practices project committee in the most suitable format.

Step 3: Develop the research plan

Once the research objectives have been identified, the next step is for Toody to develop the research plan. The steps involved in Toody’s research plan are:

Defining the research purpose

Gaining ethical approval from the research ethical approval committee

Identifying how this research will benefit Pelican Waters community and how it relates to the council’s business objectives

Defining the research objectives

Adhering to the council’s policies and procedures

Identifying the research participants

Ensuring that the research strategies are valid and relevant

Using reliable methods of data analysis

Making assumptions, conclusions and recommendations which are consistent with the business and research objectives and can be supported by research evidence

Monitoring timeframes and ensuring there is a timeline for each stage in the research process.

Obtaining feedback on the research and its recommendations once the report is finished and presented to the innovative projects practices committee

Toody has put together a research project plan.

Research Project Plan

Note to Leaner/Researcher: keep this plan brief – dot points only; hints and suggestions are in italics

Purpose for the research

Hint: Start this section with: The purpose of this research is to investigate the viability of……

Pelican Waters Business Objectives

What is the reason/s that Pelican Waters Council wants this research?

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Objectives of the research

Hint: your research may involve identifying trends in the increase in births in the council over a period of time; it may also involve situational diagnosis and reviewing the current situation.

What organisational policies and procedures may impact on your research?

Hint: relate this to policies for working with children, security and confidentiality requirements and to the mission of pelican waters which is to provide the highest quality services and facilities for the community

The target audience

List who the research could involve/impact/affect (e.g. council staff, child care staff, Pelican Waters residents)

List who will read and or make decisions based on your research report (e.g. Council management)

What will be your Research Strategies?

This could include

Reviewing documentation – what type of documentation?

Conducting focus groups – who could be the participants and what are the advantages of focus groups?

Interviews – who would you interview and why?

Online researching – what reliable web sites will you use to locate information about childcare centres?

Access Pelican Water Council’s library journals, textbooks or online databases – what relevant and accurate information could you obtain from library research?

Surveys, questionnaires – who would you issue questionnaires to?

Note: Make sure you get signed consent forms from all research participants

How will you analyse the data?

How are you going to check the validity, reliability, accuracy and relevance of the information gathered and analyse this information? You may include here:

Reviewing other councils information on their child care centres

Feedback from results (e.g. surveys, questionnaires)

Organising, summarising and logically grouping results from interviews and focus groups

Identifying trends in birth-rates and relating this to how many child care centres may be needed

Conclusions/Recommendations

How will conclusions/recommendations be reached?

How the data will be stored.

Outline how you will store your data after you have collected it, particularly any information that

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relates to personal details. As this involves research into child cares, confidentiality and security is

critical

Estimated time frames for completion of research

How long do you think your research will take?

Feedback - Indicate how you will obtain feedback on your research and its recommendations once your report is finished and presented. This could be in the form of:

Comments from child care workers and parents

Quality assurance data including audit documentation and reports

Research evaluation questionnaires

Step 4: Use valid and relevant research strategies and effectively design the research tools

Toody, as the researcher, needs to design, test and conduct research to investigate the viability of implementing free Wi-Fi___33 at the council’s library. In undertaking this research, Toody understands the importance of adhering to the requirements of the ethical approval committee and that it is critical to conduct this research with integrity.

Toody will design his research tools so that the questions he uses are fair, easy to understand and directly related to the research objectives. He will make sure that these questions are not loaded, leading, ambiguous or too complex or too many. Toody will access internal information from within Pelican Waters and external information from relevant external organisations. He will use a mixture of primary and secondary research and he will also use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. He will make unbiased assumptions, conclusions and recommendations based on valid and reliable data.

Research stakeholders and participants

The key stakeholders in this project are:

Sunita Nair, Community and Library Services Manager, who is the research sponsor and has the ultimate sign-off for this research proposal

Suzie De Lillo, the external consultant who has been appointed to provide objective and impartial advice to all council staff who are putting forward research proposals to the innovative practices project committee. This committee will have the final say on whether the research findings and recommendations will be approved, rejected or will require further changes

Elaine Long, Finance and Information Manager who will provide advice on the information technology requirements of Wi-Fi___33 in the council library

Mia Booker, the Library Supervisor whose library practices will be directly impacted by this proposal.

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This research proposal will also impact upon a range of Pelican Water residents, tourists and visitors. The research participants will represent a cross-section of the Pelican Waters community, tourists and visitors. These participants will actively contribute to the research findings. Toody is also careful not to stereotype participants or describe them in a way that is insulting to them.

Toody believes that more valid and relevant data will be obtained through taking a participatory research approach with the participants. To facilitate this, Toody needs to:

clearly define the research objectives and communicate these objectives to the participants

understand the needs of the different research participants (such as age, socio-economic background, education level, culture etc.) and where appropriate adjust the design of the research tools to ensure that the questions are pitched at the appropriate levels

pilot the questions on a few participants to make sure the questions are unambiguous, clear, effective and enable analysis which will result in objective and useful research findings which add value to the research.

review the feedback from these piloted questions and make appropriate changes to questions if required

issue the questions to all participants

get objective views and ideas from participants

survey a representative sample to find out how often the internet is used, the age group and any other statistical information relevant to the research

share the research findings with the participants throughout the research process

allow participants the opportunity to provide feedback on the research findings and recommendations before publishing the final results. where Toody has misinterpreted any of the information, he will make the appropriate changes before finalising the research results and recommendations.

To ensure validity of the data, Toody knows it is important to design the information gathering tools carefully and to avoid personal bias, either his own, or eliciting non-factual responses from the participants. He needs to make sure that these research tools relate directly to the research objectives. Toody needs to consider how the information gathered will be used and make sure that this information is valid and reliable. Toody is aware of the importance of analysing this information to achieve research results which are impartial, based on sound judgment and from which effective business decisions can be made.

Toody will reference the research objectives to help him:

Define what data needs to be collected

Work out the design of his research tools and determine the type and structure of questions which need to be developed—Toody will use a broad range of relevant research questions and a variety of questioning techniques and will pilot these

Identify the most suitable sampling method(s).

More specifically in determining his research strategies, Toody will ask himself:

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How do I ensure that my research strategies link directly to the research objectives and meet the requirements of Sunita Nair, the research sponsor and the innovative practices committee who will either approve or reject this research proposal?

Do I have the time and resources needed to collect the required information?

Have I planned carefully so that the process of contributing information will be easy for the participants?

Will I use primary and secondary data or both? Primary data is data that is collected specifically for this research into implementing Wi-Fi___33 in Pelican Waters council library. Secondary data is information that already exists as it has been collected for another purpose, such as demographic data on internet use in regional areas, or research undertaken by other libraries into the implementation of Wi-Fi___33.

Will I use quantitative or qualitative methods or a combination of both? (Quantitative research methods involve mostly statistics and numerical information such as how often do the residents, tourists and visitors use the internet in Pelican Waters, what is their age range and does this influence the frequency of accessing the internet?). Qualitative information involves finding out more about how these residents, tourists and visitors feel about accessing online information and why it is important to have quick internet access.

Toody starts with identifying the alternative research strategies he is going to use to research free Wi-Fi___33 at Pelican Waters library. Toody will use a range of research strategies (refer back to the Learning Program for details):

Toody has decided to use these different research methods and different data sources as he understands that this is important in establishing validity. Toody decides to put together an action plan which includes each research strategy, the due date, the participants and the expected outcomes. The action plan can be further added to and/or modified as the research progresses. Toody can also make sure that this action plan links to the research objectives and may form part of the appendix of supporting evidence in the final research report. It is also important to acknowledge the research participants in the final research report.

Toody’s draft action plan

Action When by? Who? Expected outcome (the reason for taking the action)

Examine existing documents including IT journals, policies & procedures, research undertaken by Sydney library

Toody to examine documents by dd/mm/yyyy

Toody – no participants involved

Ideas for research project methodology and approaches

Research online information,

Toody to complete online Toody – discuss tips for online

Variety of ideas and approaches to consider

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Action When by? Who? Expected outcome (the reason for taking the action)

Pelican Waters intranet, relevant databases

research by dd/mm/yyyy research with Elaine Long, Finance and Information manager

with research information provided from online searching

Conduct interviews with internal and external interviewees

Toody to design interview plan by dd/mm/yyyy

Conduct interviews on dd/mm/yyyy

Review interview findings by dd/mm/yyyy

Participants are staff in the council, Sydney library staff, residents and visitors

For discussion and further input from stakeholder’s group – in depth information

Facilitate focus groups

Toody to design focus group plan by dd/mm/yyyy

Conduct focus group on dd/mm/yyyy

Review focus group findings by dd/mm/yyyy

Participants are staff in the council, residents and visitors

In-depth collaborative information on the implementation of free Wi-Fi___33 in the library

Observation Toody to design observation criteria and checklist by dd/mm/yyyy

Conduct observation on dd/mm/yyyy

Review observation findings by dd/mm/yyyy

Participants are internal council library staff and external library staff where Wi-Fi___33 is already implemented

Understanding of actual work practices and how the implementation of Wi-Fi___33 will influence these

Questionnaire/Survey

Detail the sampling methods:

Stratified sampling

Toody to design questionnaire/survey plan by dd/mm/yyyy

Issue survey on dd/mm/yyyy; Specify when surveys must be returned – dd/mm/yyyy

Collation and analysis of survey results by dd/mm/yyyy

Participants are Pelican Water residents, tourists and visitors

Statistical information on how the internet is used, the age range and educational levels of participants and the type of information accessed

Toody has called this a draft action plan because he needs to show it to Sunita Nair, the research sponsor, for approval before finalising this plan. Sunita may want further information added or some of the above information changed. She may also want Toody to change the ‘When By?’ date.

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Once Sunita finalises this action plan, it can also be used as a research monitoring progress tracking tool to assist Toody to make sure that this research is on schedule.

In reflecting on the various research strategies, part of Toody’s evaluation may include determining which methodology produced which research results and comparing the strengths and weakness of the chosen methodologies.

Step 5: Use reliable methods of data analysis

The research proposal outlines the research purpose, business objectives, research objectives, research participants, research strategies, methods of data analysis, conclusions, data storage, estimated timeframe and feedback mechanisms.

Sections in Toody’s Research Proposal

Section Comments

Cover Page Toody will include a creative title which conveys the essence of the report and engages the committee

Toody will include his name and the date of the report, the council’s logo and the name of the research sponsor, Sunita Nair

Table of contents (TOC)

Toody will use a TOC to sign-post sections/major topics, headings, sub-headings and page numbers in his report

This TOC will list details of all material in the appendices

List of illustrations Toody will list all illustrations such as graphs, tables, maps, photographs and drawings used

He will identify the illustration numbers, captions and page numbers

Executive summary Toody will include a concise summary of the research opportunity to implement Wi-Fi___33 in the library, research design and methods used, main findings, discussions, conclusions and recommendations

Toody will design this summary so that it is pitched at decision-makers and it will be around 200–500 words (maximum) – ½ to 1 page

Although this appears at the start of his report, Toody will write this section last

The executive summary can act as a mini-report for stakeholders who do not need to read the full report

Introduction and background

Toody will identify the content and limitations of the report in the introduction

He will provide the research background and demonstrate his understanding of the proposal to implement free Wi-Fi___33 in the library

Toody will explain why this research was undertaken and what his report is about

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Research objectives Toody will list and explain the research objectives

Research design/ Methodology

Toody will describe how the research was undertaken - how he collected valid and reliable information and went about his investigation through using information gathering techniques such as interviews, questionnaires, observation, document review and online searching

Toody will explain the reasons for the mix of methods used

Toody will provide details about the research approach, what type of research methods were used and why. He will include details on sample type, composition and size

Statistical analysis Toody will discuss the use of statistical analysis software and how this assisted his analysis

Results/ key findings Toody will provide details of the important and significant results from his research project. These results will be reported using text and relevant illustrations.

Toody will report on the survey response rate and the main responses or findings from the research

Toody will group results according to topics and he hopes to make this section interesting and easy to follow for the committee

Toody will refer readers to the appendices to access the raw data used to derive the results and key findings

Discussions, assumptions and conclusions

In this section, Toody will comment and expand on the research findings/results – he will interpret the evidence found through his research and hopes to reach a satisfactory and logical conclusion.

Toody will present the estimated costs and the benefits to the council and the community of implementing free Wi-Fi___33 in the library

Toody will use effective problem solving techniques and he will provide justification for proposed solutions.

Toody will discuss any conflict with the data and he will identify the strengths of his methodology and any deficiencies

Toody will make appropriate assumptions using supporting evidence

In his conclusions, Toody will link to his research objectives, summarise findings and address the implications of implementing free Wi-Fi___33 in the library

Recommendations Toody will present his research recommendations which are actions that he believes should result from his research findings

Toody will recommend that free Wi-Fi___33 be implemented in the council library

He will use brief action statements which will flow logically from his findings. These action statements will include how Wi-Fi___33 will be implemented and who will have responsibility for what

Toody will request that the committee approve his research recommendations

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Glossary Toody will include a glossary of technical terms used in his research and will list these terms in alphabetical order

Bibliography Toody will list all references in alphabetical order with full bibliographical details

He will include footnotes or endnotes where appropriate

Appendices Toody will include supplementary information here which is of use to the reader but is not needed in the body of his report

He will also include large material here that is too extensive for the body of the report such as detailed tables or maps and the raw data collected in his research

Toody will include examples of research tools used such as the questionnaires issued, the interview plan with question, observation checklist etc.

He will label this material in order e.g. Appendix 1, 2 etc. and ensure they are listed in the TOC

Index Toody will include an index which is a list of names and topics with page numbers

This index will be sorted alphabetically and will be useful for finding information quickly

Toody will use a wide variety of research strategies which will result in the collection of valid and reliable qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data will provide valuable insights into what people think about the implementation of Wi-Fi___33 in Pelican Waters whilst the quantitative data is great for gathering statistical information and graphically presenting this.

Toody will use the following methods of data analysis:

Data sampling

Toody will send questionnaires/surveys to a representative sample of Pelican Waters residents, tourists and visitors and he will use the stratified sampling method. He will use data sampling to find out how many of the participants use the internet, their age and reasons for their online research.

Statistics are often presented as simple percentages such as:

96% of all survey respondents think that the implementation of free Wi-Fi___33 would be very beneficial to the community. The remaining 4% do not use the internet and cannot see the relevance of this proposal

Sydney libraries have seen a 60% improvement in the use of technology in the library since the implementation of free Wi-Fi___33 access.

Review of previous research

Toody will examine and analyse previous research to assist him in his research. He needs to consider when the research was conducted, who conducted it how current it is and the quality, integrity and reliability of this research. Toody will specifically review and interpret research information on implementing free Wi-Fi___33 from the different Sydney libraries.

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Collation of qualitative information

Toody will organise, summarise and logically group results form interviews and focus groups.

Analysis of online research

Toody will use effective online search strategies to extract relevant, valid and current research information. He will access the Australian Bureau of Statistics to identify patterns in internet use and to predict/forecast trends in internet use in Pelican Waters over the next few years.

Statistical analysis

Toody will use statistical analysis to help him understand large volumes of data and to present the data so that it is more meaningful. This is particularly useful when dealing with large amounts of numerical information. Toody will use inferential statistics to infer results that are likely to be obtained from the larger Pelican Waters population. Toody will use statistical analysis methods such as frequency distribution, measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) or measures of dispersion such as the range and standard deviation. These methods help to simplify large amounts of data and allow the data to be summarised into usable information. An example of how Toody could use frequency distribution relates to a survey conducted to find out how often different students in the age range 12 to 18 use the internet for school projects. The results could be summarised and displayed as a pie chart.

Toody may also need to use special statistical computer packages to assist in the analysis of the data he has collected in his research, particularly for trend analysis and projections. Toody already uses Microsoft Excel. He is therefore thinking of using ‘Analyse-it’ which is add-in statistical software to be used with Excel. Toody hopes to use this software to:

Graphically depict and test sampling information obtained from Pelican Waters residents and visitors

Identify patterns and trends, for example, changes in the number of people accessing the internet in Pelican Waters. This information may be able to help Toody predict what will happen with internet use over the next few years.

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Extensively use charts such as a scatter plot and frequency histograms to depict summary statistics, explore the data and look at alternate views of sample distributions throughout the region

Establish data relationships from which forecasts can be made

Produce formatted reports containing charts and statistics

Save and update this analyses in a workbook and publish it on the council’s intranet.

The process of analysing data also involves sorting, summarising, collating, grouping into categories and/or converting statistical data into graphical form so that it is easier to understand.

Toody plans to follow the four step process to analysis and evaluation which is:

Clarification

Toody will examine the data collected to determine that the key issue is relevant to the implementation of Wi-Fi___33 at Pelican Waters council

Toody will check the validity, accuracy, reliability and currency of the information.

Analysis

Toody will examine the data collected to make comparisons

Toody will ‘read between the lines’ particularly when evaluating opinions and results from the interview and focus groups

Make decisions regarding the main reasons for implementing free Wi-Fi___33 in the library.

Reflection

Toody will look at the data collected and factor in personal feelings and biases – Toody’s aim is to make the research findings as objective and unbiased as possible

Toody will compare and contrast what he already believes or knows about the use of Wi-Fi___33 in the library to his actual research findings

Toody will also think about the consequences of the ideas generated from his research.

Synthesis

Toody will use his research and communication skills to draw the material together and make sense of it

Toody will make appropriate conclusions

Toody will further develop his line of reasoning

Toody knows that the analysis of data becomes useful when effective decisions can be made on the information. This may come at a cost and it is important to consider the relationship between cost and benefit when collecting and analysing research information. Data may need to be coded if it is going to go through a computer analysis. A summary of the data is then produced from this analysis.

Information acquires value after analysis. When analysing data, Toody needs to make sure that any assumptions made are explicit. Such assumptions need to be tested to determine that they

Case Study



are valid ones. Sunita Nair, the research sponsor, will expect Toody to be able to prove any assumptions made by providing supporting evidence.

Step 6: Make sure assumptions, conclusions and recommendations used in analyses are supported by evidence and consistent with business and research objectives

The skills which Toody needs to effectively conduct this research are:

Organising skills in order to identify, source and access information on Wi-Fi___33

Intellectual skills in being able to separate useful information from irrelevant information

Technological skills to access information using the internet, council’s databases, Pelican Waters intranet, and other relevant technologies

Problem solving skills to deal with information that may be incomplete, inconsistent or contradictory

Analytical skills to review all the research findings, identify trends and make appropriate assumptions, conclusions and recommendations

Literacy skills in both reading and interpreting complex research journals and online papers and in writing easy to understand reports which are informative, engaging and directly relevant to the research objectives

Proofreading and editing skills to ensure that all written material is clear to the innovative practices project committee

Communication skills to effectively liaise with the key stakeholders and the different participants, including the library staff, visitors and residents of various ages and educational levels.

Conclusions and recommendations

An important step between collecting information and producing the final research report for the innovative practices project committee is the process of editing, collating and analysing collected information. Toody will transcribe and edit the interview and focus group findings. He will summarise numerous surveys and use statistical analysis where appropriate.

Toody will collate the findings from his online research and the results from his review of existing documentation and previous research. Toody will also collate the findings from his observations on library work practices. He then plans to organise the findings from these different research methods, cross compare the findings, identify trends and patterns in the information, make appropriate assumptions and draw conclusions. Toody needs to make sure that any assumptions, conclusions or recommendations that he makes are supported by evidence and are consistent with the council’s business and research objectives.

Toody will then complete his research report with its recommendations and forward it to Sunita Nair, Suzie De Lillo, the auditor and appropriate participants for review. Toody will action any required changes and then submit the final research report with its recommendations to the innovative practices project committee. This committee will approve the research request, reject

Case Study



the research request or require further changes be made to the research report before making its final decision.

Summary

In this case study we have:

defined the objectives of Toody’s research and how important these objectives will be in keeping the research focused

put together a research plan which is important in guiding Toody through the research process

explored different research strategies which Toody could use e.g. interviews, focus groups, questionnaires/surveys, observations, online research or reviewing existing documents. The size and complexity of the research project and its objective would determine which research strategies to use. Sampling methods would be used to make sure that this research targets a representative sample of Pelican Waters population.

looked into how using advanced search engine functions and Boolean operators could help Toody with his online research

highlighted how critical it is for Toody to use objective data which is relevant to his research objectives

used different methods of data analysis which included data sampling, statistical analysis, collation of qualitative information and analysis of previous research and online research

discussed making assumptions, conclusions and recommendations from the analysis of the data. It is important for Toody to ensure that such assumptions, conclusions and recommendations are clear, justified, supported by evidence and are consistent with the business and research objectives.

Sources

D Aaker, V Kumar and G Day (1995), Marketing Research, 5th edn, John & Wiley Sons, USA, p73 (types of research – exploratory, descriptive, causal)

N Benjamin & F Moore, (2002) Analyse and Present Research Information, Pearson Education Pty Ltd, p40.

D Davis (2000), Business Research for Decision Making, 5th edn, Duxbury, USA, p 231.

N Benjamin & F Moore, (2002) Analyse and Present Research Information, Pearson Education Pty Ltd, p41.

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