Free Paper: Motivation for Research and Job Satisfaction of the University Staff: Are They Interconnected?

Shakirova and Nurakhmetova (2015, p. 286) were aimed at examining the relationship between job satisfaction and the research capacity of the university staff. This study was guided by four hypotheses. The first hypothesis addressed the relationship between university staffs' research potential and their job satisfaction, the second examined the impact of organizational culture and interpersonal communication on job satisfaction, the third hypothesis sought to test whether the evaluation of faculty's research findings by university's management affect job satisfaction while the fourth hypothesis was meant to determine whether there no age differences in job satisfaction.

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The hypotheses of this study had all the characteristics of a good hypothesis. According to Aparasu and Bentley (2015, p. 141), a good hypothesis should describe the relationship between two or among more than two variables. In all the four hypotheses, the dependent and independent variables and their relationships are clearly outlined. Second, a good hypothesis should be a declarative sentence (Croucher and Cronn-Mills 2014, p. 121). All the hypotheses in Shakirova and Nurakhmetova (2015, p. 286) study were declarative statements. Lastly, a good hypothesis must be empirically testable (Grcic and Grcic 2009, p. 114). This attribute of a good hypothesis was also met by the hypotheses in this study.

To address the purpose of the study, the researchers collected primary research data. According to Neelankavil (2015, p. 49), primary data are data collected to help in solving a specific problem or to help in taking advantage of an opportunity that needs decision making. In primary research, the researcher is tasked with the collection of original data specifically for a particular research project or study (Jones and Gratton, 2004, p.20). In Shakirova and Nurakhmetova (2015, pg. 286) study, data was gathered using two questionnaires. These survey-based questionnaires were used to collect data on participants' job satisfaction.

Even though the study's research design was not explicitly stated by the researchers, it can be inferred that the researchers used survey research design. This is because the researchers used questionnaires to collect data needed to test the research hypotheses. According to Mitchell and Jolley (2007, pg. 276), a successful survey must meet three conditions: it must have clear research hypotheses, the questionnaires used in data collection must validly measure the construct being studied, and the findings of the survey must have external validity. All these conditions were met by Shakirova and Nurakhmetova (2015, pg. 286-297) study.

The research study's sampling technique was also not explicitly stated by the researchers. However, because the researchers sampled specific group of people for the study (i.e., faculty members who do more of teaching than research and faculty members who are mainly dedicated to research and do little teaching), it can be inferred that the researchers employed purposive sampling technique in recruiting the participants into the study. According to Gerrish (2010, pg. 149), purposive sampling involves selection of participants from a pre-specified group of people. In this type of sampling, the researchers also specify the characteristics of the population of interest (Johnson and Christensen 2014, pg. 264).

The researchers analyzed the quantitative data descriptively and reported the descriptive statistics results. The use of descriptive statistics was not appropriate for addressing the research hypotheses. Instead, the researchers should have used inferential statistics to test the hypotheses. For instance, to test the first hypothesis, Pearson-product moment correlation analysis ought to have been conducted in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). On the other hand, to test the second hypothesis, the authors should have used linear regression to determine whether organizational culture and interpersonal communication affect job satisfaction.

Research ethics were not taken into consideration when conducting this study. The researchers did not seek permission from relevant authorities (such as the University's Institutional Review Board) before conducting the study. Additionally, informed consent was not sought from the participants. Other ethical considerations which were not adhered to include confidentiality, voluntary participation, freedom to withdraw from the study, and others. The current research findings lack generalizability and, therefore, they lack validity of replication. This is because the sample was not picked using random sampling techniques. Some of the limitations of the current study include a small sample, thus limiting the external validity of the findings, and non-representativeness of the sample of the study.

Competition and its influence on consumer decision-making in social marketing

Schuster (2015, p. 4) were aimed at investigating the types of competition operating within and their impact on customers' decision making in seeking help for mental ill-health. The author noted that mental illness is a worldwide problem that requires help-seeking for its improvement. Consequently, the author emphasized that it is important to know how competition may deter help-seeking.

Because the current study was qualitative, it lacked the hypotheses. However, the author made some predictions in his study. First, the author predicted that the findings of the study would help in the development of a typology of competition that is developed from the consumers' point-of-view. Secondly, the posited that the findings of the study would help in understanding the effect of competition on customers' decision making.

The researcher used a qualitative research design to address the aim of the study. This type of research design enabled the researcher to investigate the nature and influence of competition on the clients' willingness to obtain mental health services from hospitals. The use of qualitative research design is also useful in gaining an in-depth understanding of the little-known problem of how competition may deter help-seeking.

To address the purpose of the study, the researcher collected primary research data. According to Neelankavil (2015, p. 49), the collection of primary data is useful in solving a particular identified problem and also in making decisions related to the problem. Jones and Gratton (2004, p.20) further noted that primary research involves the original gathering data for a specific study. In the current study, data were primarily collected using semi-structured depth interviews. The interviews were face-to-face and ranged from half an hour to one hour and twenty minutes. The average interview time was 55 minutes. Psychotherapy services were readily available during the interviews.

The author used non-random sampling methods used to recruit the participants for the study. Because the study targeted a specific group of people into the study (young adults aged 18-25 years having self-reported low-to-moderate stress, anxiety, and depression). Because the study targeted a specific group of people in the population, it can be concluded that the author of this study used purposive sampling technique in selecting the participants into the study. This sampling technique is useful in choosing participants from a pre-specified group of people (Gerrish 2010, p. 149) and in specifying the characteristics of the population of interest (Johnson and Christensen 2014, pg. 264). Another non-random sampling technique employed in this study is snowball sampling. This type of sampling was used to because the target population was unique and challenging to reach.

References

Aparasu, R. and Bentley, J. (2015). Principles of research design and drug literature evaluation. 1st ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning, p.141.

Croucher, S.M. and Cronn-Mills, D., 2014. Understanding communication research methods: A theoretical and practical approach. Routledge.

Gerrish, K. and Lacey, A. (2010). The research process in nursing. 6th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p.149.

Grcic, J. and Grcic, P.D.J., 2009. Facing Reality: An Introduction to Philosophy Revised Edition. AuthorHouse.

Jones, I. and Gratton, C. (2004). Research methods for sports studies. 1st Ed. New York: Routledge Publishers, p.20.

Mitchell, M. and Jolley, J. (2007). Research design explained. 8th ed. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, p.276.

Neelankavil, J. (2015). International business research. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, p.49.

Schuster, L., 2015. Competition and its influence on consumer decision-making in social marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(11-12), pp.1333-1352.