Scientific Research and Informal Research

1. Describe some differences between scientific research and some informal research that you have done. Give an example of how your informal research activity could be done using a formal scientific approach.

Scientific research can be defined as research that is controlled, objective with a systematic approach in identifying data. Conversely informal research usually has an element of subjectivity with random observations.

As a stock broker I have had many opportunities to use a scientific approach when analyzing a particular company in order to determine its worth and relative buy or sell signals. The first step in the process is to employ a strategy known in the industry as top down analysis. Primarily this consists of determining market sentiment as a whole or a macro analysis of the market conditions; i.e. bearish or bullish sentiment. Second, consideration is given to the particular industry group and sector that the particular company is held in. The third step is to analyze the appropriate fundamentals of that particular company such as financial health. The last step in my scientific methodology of stock analysis is technical analysis on the 5 year, 1 year, 30 day and 1 minute charts to check previous support and resistance levels corresponding to moving average coefficient divergence (MACD) and Stochastic indicators in relation to the 30 day moving average.

Informal research being primary subjective observations, I will give the example of some observations that I have noticed at work. Some individuals are more compelled to succeed than others are. While reading the text I came across the Hawthorne study which basically is all about production and motivation of certain employees under certain types of work place stimuli. This has always intrigued me and I have yet to be able to apply a scientific type of study in which I have been able to adequately explain all of the various reasons for some employees to achieve and succeed and others to simply coast by. I would like to apply what I have gained through incite by the Harvard researches and apply it to some of my fellow colleagues in a scientific deduction method to determine how they can best be motivated to achieve.

I believe the best way to achieve the results I am looking for would be to create a blind survey with control questions in order to gain perspective into how and what my colleagues are motivated by.

2. If you were going to study some aspect of Organizational Behavior, what would it be, and why.

Organizational behavior has been a fundamental function of business since the modern study of management around 1900. In order to fully maximize or leverage the business one should be a true practitioner of this discipline. The aspect in which I find the most intriguing and influential would be motivation.

In my mind motivation is the crux