Research Topic and Question
Refer to Module 1.3 of your textbook as you complete this assignment.
In the box below, provide a 2-3 sentence description of your research topic and its relation to your major. You may refer to the GEN103 Possible Topics for Research handout in the classroom for research topic ideas.
Important: “Prayer in school” is not an acceptable topic for your annotated bibliography because it is used for the assignment examples throughout this class.
| Research Topic and its Relation to Your Major: |
| Business Ethics refers to the moral policies set to ensure the smooth operation of businesses, how people are treated in business, and how decisions are made in the business. Understanding business ethics as a business manager is fundamental as it assists in governing actions and individuals within my business. Business ethics is essential in management, especially in making ethical decisions related to the business. |
To help you explore your topic, fill in the KWHL chart below.
- Write at least three specific thing you know about your topic in the first column, K (K = know).
- Write at least three specific questions about your topic that you would like to know the answers to in the second column, W (W = what do I want to know).
- Write at least three specific tools you might use to find out more about your topic in the third column, H (H = how do I find out).
- At this point, you need to do background research before you can fill out the fourth column. Use the tools you wrote down in H to find out more about your topic. Focus on the questions you wrote in W:
- When you do background research, it’s fine to do a Google search or to use Wikipedia or other encyclopedias or general reference works; you will not use these sources in your annotated bibliography.
- The 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research provides directions for using the references sources in the Ashford Library
- After doing your background research, write at least three specific things you have learned about your topic in the fourth column, L (L = what have I learned).
You must have at least three distinct items listed in each column to get full credit for this portion of the assignment.
| K What do I know? | W What do I want to know? | H How do I find out? | L What have I learned? |
| Business ethics is essential as it assists in the improvement of the society by developing government unions and policies in the society.
Business ethics is also fundamental as it helps workers in an organization to conduct themselves in an ethical manner that as required by the management and the whole organization.
Business ethics is also an essential element that helps develop the reputation and maintain the image of the organization in the public.
Business ethics assist institutions to avoid unnecessary criminal acts and fines by setting guidelines that help in rectifying omissions and violation conducted by the company. | What are the psychological conditions and processes that drive employees to take part in voluntary workplace green behavior in companies?
What is the connection between job satisfaction and voluntary workplace green behavior?
What factors influence or cause job satisfaction in an organization?
How to develop a healthy working environment that promotes job satisfaction for employees in an organization?
How does practicing VWGB by an organization benefit workers and the entire organization? | By analyzing research materials search as studying various articles and academic sources that expound more on VWGB.
By conducting interviews with company managers and workers who practice VWGB in their organizations.
Through conducting surveys on the behavioral patterns of workers to determine whether they are satisfied.
Use of focus groups to collect data from various institutions practicing VWGB.
| Voluntary working green behaviors entail the tendency of employees of a given organization to engage in activities that results in environmental sustainability on their own will.
Job satisfaction involves the fulfillment that a given worker attains when working under certain conditions availed by the employer.
When the members of the workforce are satisfied by the conditions availed at their working sections, they tend to engage in activities that result in environmental sustainability voluntary. |
Now that you have done some simple background research, it’s time to write a formal research question. Your research question will help you focus your research by defining the information you are looking for as you research your topic for your annotated bibliography.
A quality formal research question must be:
- Open-ended (Review the How to Ask Open-Ended Questions handout)
- Clear
- Concise
- Detailed
Remember that research questions should generate the kind of research that is suitable for an academic paper. Avoid questions that:
- Are yes/no questions (Often begin with “are” or “do.”)
- Ask for number or date (Often begin with “how many” or “when.”)
- Ask for a list
- Ask for an opinion (Often begin with “what do you think.”)
- Can be answered with a brief explanation or by referring to a single source.
Tip: Open-ended questions usually start with “what,” “why,” and “how.”
Develop a research question that will allow you room to investigate your topic. Some examples of successful research questions are:
What can we do in the United States to prevent acid rain?
How do oil spills impact the fishing and tourism businesses in affected areas?
What evidence shows that pesticides are significantly harming the bee population?
Why is the Clean Water Act an essential law for the welfare of urban populations?
Type the first draft of your research question in the first row of the table below and fill in all of the shaded areas. Write your final, revised question in the last box.
| Type the first draft of your research question in the box to the right. | What is the connection between job satisfaction and voluntary workplace green behavior? | |
| Does the first draft ask a yes/no question? If the answer is yes, you need to revise your research question. | yes/no | |
| Does the first draft ask for a number, date, or a list? If the answer is yes, you need to revise your research question. | yes/no | |
| Does the first draft ask for an opinion? If the answer is yes, you need to revise your research question. | yes/no | |
| Can the first draft be answered with a brief explanation or by consulting a single source? If the answer is yes, you need to revise your research question. | yes/no | |
| Type the final version of your research question in the box to the right. | What is the connection between job satisfaction and voluntary workplace green behavior? | |
When you have completed this worksheet, save the document and submit to Waypoint.
References
Bakotić, D. (2016). Relationship between job satisfaction and organisational performance. Economic research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 29(1), 118-130.
Kianto, A., Vanhala, M., & Heilmann, P. (2016). The impact of knowledge management on job satisfaction. Journal of knowledge management.
Kim, A., Kim, Y., Han, K., Jackson, S. E., & Ployhart, R. E. (2017). Multilevel influences on voluntary workplace green behavior: Individual differences, leader behavior, and coworker advocacy. Journal of Management, 43(5), 1335-1358.
ProQuest, 2019. Real Estate & Investment Week; Atlanta. [ebook] Netherlands Asia South Korea: NewsRx, p.1056. Available at: <https://search.proquest.com/docview/2321880778?accountid=32521> [Accessed 21 May 2020].
