Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions

This reflective journal describes the experience of a 12 week learning course on the topic of advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. It covers the learning process of research methodologies, tools, and techniques. The course code, course name, and university are not mentioned.

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 3
Assignment 3: Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1ASSIGNMENT 3
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Week 1.............................................................................................................................................2
Week 2.............................................................................................................................................3
Week 3.............................................................................................................................................3
Week 4.............................................................................................................................................3
Week 5.............................................................................................................................................4
Week 6.............................................................................................................................................4
Week 7.............................................................................................................................................5
Week 8.............................................................................................................................................5
Week 9.............................................................................................................................................6
Week 10...........................................................................................................................................6
Week 11...........................................................................................................................................6
Week 12...........................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
Bibliography....................................................................................................................................9

2ASSIGNMENT 3
Introduction
I have persuaded a 12 week learning course before making assignment 1 and assignment
2. The learning course has facilitated me a lot in conducting the literature review and research
proposal successfully on the topic “advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business
functions”. It has been a greatest experience in my academic life through persuading this
learning process. I have gathered rich experience throughout the learning process, which would
definitely help me in conducting the business research successfully and exploring my future
career. This reflective journal will describe my experience throughout this 12 week learning
process.
Week 1
In week 1, I came become aware of the importance of business research and its relevance
with the business field. I was quite unaware regarding the research aspects like research theories,
appropriate structure, practical relevance and sorts of reasoning associated with the business
research. In this week, I become aware of those research aspects and different ways of
conducting business research. This week was associated choosing most appropriate research
topic for conducting research. Hence, I had to study on several contemporary research topics
relevant with contemporary research issues. Such knowledge will help me in finding different
business issues in future. Moreover, the chosen research topic “advantage and disadvantages of
outsourcing business functions” will help me in understanding the importance of business
outsourcing.

3ASSIGNMENT 3
Week 2
In this week, I started learning about different research methodologies for conducting
effective business research. The learning was also associated with several types of alternative
criteria for qualitative research and types of research validity. I learned about mixed
methodology, experimental elements for research design, external and internal validity and
comparative design and cross sectional design. I became aware regarding the formulation of
research objectives and research questions for gathering most relevant research information. In
my opinion, such learning experience will be highly valuable for me to conduct research study in
an effective way for leading high quality research outcome.
Week 3
This week was associated with the learning of research literature review. Moreover, I
learned about the ways of conducting literature review associated with research topic.
Throughout this week, I came to know about the literature review, which is actually related with
several theories, models and concepts linked with the research topic. I gathered huge scholarly
information from authentic books, journals, websites, magazines and others relevant to the
research topic. In this week, I gathered huge knowledge regarding the business outsourcing
process, which can help me in my career life to manage any outsourcing function effectively. It
can also help me in my career life to complete my coursework successfully.
Week 4
In week 4, I leaned about the research ethics and principles to be adhered with the
business research for its successful completion. I understood that I would not be able to complete
my research without complying with the research ethics and principles. Hence, I came to know

4ASSIGNMENT 3
about ethical issues, ethical principles, legal compliance, privacy invasion and ethical decision
making. Moreover, this week was completely associated with the learning of norms to be
maintained in completing the research successfully. Such ethical norms will also help me in
maintaining ethical principles in every aspect of my personal life and career life for leading a
honest and prosperous life. Furthermore, the learning of research ethics will also facilitate me
completing my research program successfully.
Week 5
In week 5, I looked into several research tools associated with qualitative research. Such
research is actually associated with collection of data from several ground sources. I learned the
ways of collecting qualitative data through interviewing, conversation analysis, ethnography,
focus group and documents. In this learning process, I saw that focus group requires collection of
many respondents from the similar backgrounds. On the other hand, I observed the flexibility
associated with the interview process to collect most credible and trustworthy information from
the selected samples.
Week 6
The learning process of week 5 was still continued in week 6, where I got detailed idea
regarding qualitative research. Moreover, in this week, I learned about several ways of
conducting qualitative research, which are like unstructured interview and semi structured
interview. The most important thing that I read in this learning process is the formulation of
interview questions to be asked to the selected respondents. I also observed that conversation
analysis is quite complicated because of its reflexivity and indexality. The learning of interview

5ASSIGNMENT 3
question formulation will facilitate me in conducting effective interview session with the
respondents for successful research completion.
Week 7
Week 7 was actually associated with learning of quantitative process. I came to
understand about the validity and stability of the quantitative research. I also got the idea of
setting appropriate sample size to gather effective information regarding the business research.
At the time of conducting the business research, I practically implemented the sample size and
sampling method to be incorporated perfectly in collecting research information. In this way,
business research helped me in practically learning about the aspects of research process in my
learning process.
Week 8
In this week, the learning process helped me in learning about the quantitative research
process. I gathered in-depth knowledge regarding the quantitative research. The prime thing,
which I got to know in this week, is questionnaire design for conducting survey. I learned about
the ways of designed structured questionnaires to be distributed among the selected respondents.
At the time of conducting the business research, I practically learned about the selecting most
relevant and adequate numbers of samples for collecting bias free research information. During
this time, I also learned about the ways of designing useful research questionnaires for collecting
most trustworthy information. In this way, I gained practical knowledge of conducting research
thorough this business research process, I help in providing hands on experience in my learning
process.

6ASSIGNMENT 3
Week 9
In this week, I started to gather secondary research information for conducting the
literature review for my business research. I did assignment 1 for collecting huge secondary
information from several scholarly sources. This assignment helped me constructing the
literature review part of the business research. I got access to several secondary sources like
authentic e-books, journals, websites and magazines to collect most authentic research
information. Hence, this assignment would definitely contribute in the overall quality of the
outcome of the business research. The objective of assignment 1 will direct me through the
business research process for reaching at ultimate research outcome.
Week 10
In week 10, I was highly concerned about selection of most appropriate research tool,
techniques and methodologies for collecting most valuable information regarding business
research topic. I did assignment 2 to choose the most appropriate research approach and methods
for collecting useful business research information. The research objectives and questions
formulated in assignment 2 facilitated me in conducting the business research in right direction
for its successful completion. Furthermore, the selection of appropriate sample and sampling
technique was quite useful in gathering authentic and biasfree research information about
business outsourcing function and its associated advantage and disadvantages.
Week 11
This week was associated with the learning of statistical data analysis along with proper
ways of data collection. I learned about chi-square data analysis for extracting right information
from the collected data from the selected sample respondents. I understood that such analysis can

7ASSIGNMENT 3
help in differentiating the actual observation with the theoretical information of the research
topic. Hence, I can perfectly apply this learning in my research subject for gaining actual
analysis of my collected data regarding the research topic. Throughout the learning process, I
learned about ways of solving different problems and challenges. Hence, I can apply such
learning process through in my future to solve different problems and challenges in my life.
Week 12
In this week, I learned about narrative analysis method for analysis the qualitative data
collected from the chosen research participants. I learned about the ways of analyzing the
interview transcript recorded during the interview session with the research participants. Hence,
this learning would definitely help me in my research subject to analyze the qualitative
information gathered from the organizational heads selected in assignment 2. On the other hand,
I have learned about ways of effective interaction with the research participants. Hence, such
learning has improved my interpersonal skills. Such learning will definitely help me in my future
career to interact with my superiors and subordinates properly.
Conclusion
While concluding the reflective journal, I must say that the 12 week learning process will
definitely help me in my future career as well as in my academic field. I gathered huge
information regarding the advantages and disadvantages of business outsourcing process through
doing assignment 1. Such learning will help me in successfully completing my research and
explore my career option having huge research knowledge. The knowledge about research tools
and methods would definitely help me in successfully conducting business research for leading

8ASSIGNMENT 3
accurate research result. The knowledge gathered from the learning process would also help me
in solving different complex problem in my academic, future career and personal life.

9ASSIGNMENT 3
Bibliography
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Choy, L.T., 2014. The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: Comparison and
complimentary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. IOSR Journal of Humanities
and Social Science, 19(4), pp.99-104.
Dumay, J. and Cai, L., 2015. Using content analysis as a research methodology for investigating
intellectual capital disclosure: a critique. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 16(1), pp.121-155.
Farooq, S. and O'Brien, C., 2015. An action research methodology for manufacturing technology
selection: a supply chain perspective. Production Planning & Control, 26(6), pp.467-488.
Fletcher, A.J., 2017. Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets
method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), pp.181-194.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), pp.473-475.
McCusker, K. and Gunaydin, S., 2015. Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed
methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion, 30(7), pp.537-542.