Assignment title: Information
Shared Activities
The Value of Management Research for Decision-Making
Think about the last major organisational decision you made on your own or as part
of a team. How was the decision made? Did you, or your team, make a decision
about what seemed right given the specific situation and your professional
experience, or did you conduct research to inform your decision? Sometimes it is
difficult to incorporate research in all decision-making processes due to constraints,
such as lack of time, funding and people available to help. However, when feasible,
evidence-based decisions can provide a more solid foundation for organisational
decisions.
In this Shared Activity, you will analyse the role of the practitioner-researcher in
business organisations by comparing three management research studies included
in this unit. These examples demonstrate the value of management research and its
practical application. You will also compare how each example could inform
management decision-making, and in the second week of Unit 1, you will extend
your discussion by sharing ideas on how to begin identifying research topics and
resources you can review to assist you in selecting a research topic. You can start
by considering research topics that are directly related to your current role within an
organisation or a new role that you are interested in undertaking.
To prepare for this Shared Activity:
• Reflect on the management research literature you have read throughout your
programme and its potential value for informing management practice.
• Read the assigned readings and management research examples.
• Consider how each example provides findings or results that could inform
management decision-making.
To complete this Shared Activity:
• write a comparison of how the three examples of management research provided
could each inform management decision-making.
• How are the three examples similar or different in their approach to the
• How could a manager use the findings and conclusions presented in each
Would a manager find the studies of equal value, or would differences in research
approach lead to differences in a study's value for informing management decision-
making?
problem studied?
example?