Mixed Methods Research: Applications and Techniques

This assignment delves into the principles and applications of mixed methods research in the social sciences. It examines the strengths and limitations of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and highlights the benefits of combining them for a more comprehensive understanding of complex social phenomena. The importance of triangulation as a technique for enhancing validity and reliability is also discussed, along with practical examples of how mixed methods research can be effectively applied in various social science contexts.

University
IMPLEMENTING CSR ACTIVITIES WITHIN
ORGANISATIONS TO MEET SUSTAINABLE OBJECTIVES
Name:
Lecturer’s name:
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Table of Contents
Introduction:................................................................................................................................3
Part 1: Project Management Plan..........................................................................................................3
P1: Aims and objectives of the project plan:..............................................................................3
P2: Evaluation of a project management plan incorporating: costs, scope, time, quality,
communication, risk and resources. ..........................................................................................4
P3: A work breakdown structure and a Gantt chart to provide timeframes and stages for
completion: ................................................................................................................................6
Part 2: Project log book.........................................................................................................................7
P4: Carrying out a research based on both qualitative and quantitative methods......................7
Part 3: Performance Review................................................................................................................10
P5: Analysing the research using techniques and tools ............................................................10
P6: Communicating appropriate recommendations .................................................................10
P7: Reflecting on value of the research for meeting own learning and stated objectives.........11
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................11
References...........................................................................................................................................13
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Introduction:
Part 1: Project Management Plan
Corporate social responsibility refers to social, ethical and economic development in relation
to the business operation and helps in improving the quality of workforce and performance. It
does not cater to the development within the organizational setting but fosters development
within families, community and society. Internationally or globally the practice of CSR has
incorporated several organizations in relation to the sustainability of their business operations
(Hanna, Vanclay and Arts, 2016). The concept of CSR has several aspects with diverse
elements such as ethical, social, political, environmental, philanthropy etc. The significant
aspect of CSR being the power of increasing the value of the shareholders an investor and
making them take part in the decision-making process and that helps in creating effective
business plans and reducing competitive risks (Silvius et al. 2017). CSR sustainable
development has its own guidelines, regulations, laws that provide outlines and general
structure to the project managers that helps them to stay guided and committed to the task
they are performing and assess global transparency, sustainable development, and
accountability in relation to the business operations. This project is based on the Enemery
Company whcih is small sized organisation and working in recruitment and selection sector.
They are working for those companies which has a need of employees. As this is a small
small scale organisation they are having a few number of employees around 20 in their
management structure to provide their services to their client company. Therefore, Emery
Company need to formulate its own corporate social responsibility policy, procedures and
programs that will enhance in building competitive platform while gaining customer and
stakeholder trust and support. The paper discusses the importance of CSR in meeting
sustainable objectives that is dividing into three different parts that include, project
management plan, project log book and performance review.
P1: Aims and objectives of the project plan:
The project management of CSR sustainability generates and articulates certain strategies that
emphasise in deriving better and developed project that will enable improvement in
company’s long-term reputation within the local and the global community. The project
management plan aims at preparing possible project management strategies that can be used
as milestones in regards to the success of a project. The strategies will further add from a
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project value by allowing the organization in enhancing and identifying the need and
importance of social and environmental awareness (Hanna et al. 2016). It is important for the
organization in understanding the targeted guidelines under the management of CSR that will
enable protection of the environment. The project plan ensures sustainable strategies,
guidelines and approaches that need to be implemented by the organization in deriving
potential outcome. The study also aims at identifying challenges that the project managers
face and the ways in which the strategies are incorporated in enhancing communication
among the members of the team and partners in CSR projects. The main objective and aims
of the CSR activity in this project is are as follows:
 Aim: Making effective planing and making the effective planing for the company.
Making healthy performance in the market.
 Objective: Compte and survive in market, generate profit and full file the need of
customer
P2: Evaluation of a project management plan incorporating: costs, scope, time, quality,
communication, risk and resources.
The two most important things that need to be understood by the organization is the strategic
planning and implementation of such strategies. There are several approaches for the CSR
sustainability implementation that include multiple phases such as assessment of availability
and distribution of resources, assessing and evaluating the environmental risks, gaining trust
of the stakeholder, gather information and funds and investment, costs, identifying the design
of project plan and drafting the project guideline and structure, enabling and managing a
project change, evaluating the present status and record the future possibilities and outcome,
gathering progress reports simultaneously assessment of project completion (Papke et al.
2017).
The cost management part of the project plan help in analysing the ways in which the project
will be measure, formatted and controlled within the given period of time. The manager need
to assess regularly the project’s cost value and performance and report if the project cross the
expected and estimated budget and set plan in getting the project back with the help of
Project Sponsor, who help in making changes and sets the project within the criteria of
change and budget. It is important for the manager of CSR project in dividing its time in
certain categories such as credibility, collection of information, change, resource allocation,
performance management and division, scope, cost, activity that will help in fixing time in
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relation to the attainment of the targeted gaols (Moore and Buchman, 2017). This maximises
the scope for the project plan as it creates a systematic work structure. Quality is an important
aspect in the project plan in regards to CSR sustainability as the manger should ensure
collection of important information, review, articles and sources in preparing quality and
efficient prohject with planned policy, procedure, criteria, methods, designing, application,
activities and assign every aspect with professionals for overall assessment (Montecchia et al.
2016). The most important element is the risk management as the professionals assigned and
appointed need to address the threats and risk caused due to the external and internal factors,
uncertain events, that affect the overall structure and plan and creates a negative impact on
the management plan. Therefore, risk management will help keep the members aware of such
risk and train them in facing such challenges and find appropriate solutions. Communication
helps in connecting people and guides members of the project plan team towards
collaborative and innovative approach. The manager needs to foster communication among
the employees and importantly stakeholders in creating high communication management
plan (Scandelius and Cohen, 2016). Without resources every plan is incomplete, therefore
every plan need abundant resources both primary, secondary, machines and people in
completion of tasks and management of plan. All these aspects together help in the effective
and strategic completion of the CSR project within a specific time period.
 Cost: In making the CSR activity they have to need the financial need. These need
will help in making the performance.
 Scope: The will help in making the effective perfomance in the market. This will also
help in making the advertisement. This will make profit.
 Time: This will need some process that have to be perfome in the organisation. That
process will take 10 week to complete.
 Quality: The on the quality of the activity. So quality of CSR activity have to be
mantain.
 Risk: There are risk in every action and activity in this activity risk is of getting loss
of time and financial resource.
 Communication: When the planing have to be prepared then when it is to be
implemented that time proper communication should be in there.
 Resources: There are so many resources that have to be need in making the CSR
activity. Like financial resource and human resource.
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P3: A work breakdown structure and a Gantt chart to provide timeframes and stages
for completion:
A work breakdown structure is essential in the systematic development of project
management. The structure is referred to as strategic categorisation of a project into distinct
and required components. It helps in easier management of team's work into manageable
sections of work structure (Ahimbisibwe et al. 2017).
Figure 1: Work break-down structure
(Source: Hanna et al. 2016)
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Gantt chart:
Figure 2: Gantt chart showing the project plan
(Source: Papke et al. 2017)
Part 2: Project log book
P4: Carrying out a research based on both qualitative and quantitative methods
The research on the CSR activities to be incorporated within the organisation includes the
basic research methods which are qualitative research as well as quantitative research. Causes
of research efficiently gather information about any matter but not in the numerical form for
example, open ended questionnaires or structure of solutions on structured interviews and
diary accounts (Ritchie et al. 2013). Qualitative data is typically referred to as the descriptive
data and even it is quite hard to analyse as compared to the quantitative data. The usefulness
of the question research lies in the studies at individual level and to determine of finding out
an in-depth analysis of the ways in which people are required to think what other people think
and feel.
Analysis of the data is problematic and needs an exact are accurate description about the
responses of the participants for example interviews into the broader themes and sorting out
the responses towards open questions that I answered by the customers (Ormston et al. 2014).
Quotations from the interviews or Diaries shall be used for illustrating the points of analysis
and justifying the SS expert knowledge regarding the area where it is necessary for
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interpreting the qualitative data with great care and the tension must be taken while doing so
for example if looking for the symptoms of any mental illness.
The prime interest in conducting the qualitative research method is collected data that is come
the result of dissatisfaction among some psychologists with a typical scientific study
regarding the psychologist such as their behaviours and motives says the psychologists have
studied paper. The traditional instant approach towards science has not been seen as a much
appropriate way to carry out the research since it has failed to capture total effects of the
human experience as well as essence of harm made to the company by the employees. The
quiet Collection of data does applied by the organisation in order to incorporate a CSR
activities has typically exploded the experience of different participants which is also
regarded as the phenomenological approach (Punch, 2013).
Is often argued that in order to focus on the isolated pieces of the behaviour among
individuals which is most often the unit case of all the studies interested in accumulating the
quantitative data is in state superficial and adequately ignores the concept of social concept
within which an appropriate behaviour and the proper conduct is being formed (Davies and
Hughes, 2014).
Two of the best methods used under the data collection method of qualitative research
analysis have been the instruction as well as group interviews that typically generate the
qualitative data using the open questions. This helps the respondents for talking in an in-
depth analysis selecting the words themselves. This would typically help the researcher for
developing an actual sense of the understanding of any situation in a person. However, it
might be time consuming for conducting the unstructured interview as various analyse
qualitative data (Mertens, 2014).
The quantitative research supplied by the organisation collects adequate data in the numerical
form which might be put into the categories order of a rank is measured as in the
measurement units. This kind of data could be used for constructing tables and graphs of raw
data. Large amount of experiments followed by earlier research has been publicly observed as
the qualitative research and quantitative data analysis since they are typically concerned with
the measuring things. However, several other research methods for instance, the rating scale
for the closed questions on any question will typically generate the quantitative data as this
would produce either the numerical data or which is put into the categories (Holloway and
Galvin, 2016). Open ended questions would eventually generate the qualitative information
as they form the descriptive response. Experimental methods might limit the best possible
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ways where the participants of the research good reacts to and exhibit appropriate and perfect
social and ethical behaviour. Findings of the research are therefore supposed to be in the
Tomb of context bounds and just a reflection of assumptions which the researcher has already
brought into the investigation.
Both primary and secondary data could be used by the research for managing the quantities
as well as quantitative research methods (Berger, 2015). The prime quantitative research
methods while accumulating the primary data about the CSR activities going into the
organisation are accomplishing the CSR project would require the survey analysis on the
employees of the organisation and secondary data would sufficiently consider the thematic
and theoretical analysis with the help of available journals books as well as articles (McNabb,
2015). Under the qualitative research methods while accumulating the primary method it is to
be noted that an interview shall be conducted by the researcher over the managers of the
organisation who could provide details of the CSR activities of incorporation of the CSR
activities in the organisation. While considering the secondary letter it is to be noted that
Under the secondary data collection method and interview shall be conducted over the
managers of the organisation who could easily provide the details of the CSR activities are
there planning of organisational Policies (Peters, 2013).
As for the qualitative and quantitative research sufficient recommendations could be provided
to the company while incorporating the CSR activities into the organisation would include-
Active participation of the employees in the process of decision making which food and show
and ethical and social behaviour by the company. The several issues which arise while
conducting the qualitative and quantitative analysis had been observed by the researcher
while surveying the employees and interviewing the managers. While conducting the
research the researcher has faced some issues or problems in the context of accessibility
reliability and validity of the project. Accessibility of the project would include the problems
faced by researcher while accessing the journals and articles from various websites (Hussein,
2015). It would include the language problem has encountered while accessing in any journal
and even the journal at times asks for username and password so that they can reveal the
appropriate and wanted information through Internet many channels have also asked the
resources to buy them from the Internet and then use which becomes hindrance to the
Researcher. Reliability issues shall include the validity and viability of the project which
might be questions that is some basic facts the journals and articles might provide irrelevant
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contains at times which are not at all acceptable in this company and hence the files are being
checked and then sent.
The ways methods used for correcting the quantitative and qualitative analysis would be
stated as follows. While collecting the primary data of quantitative analysis, the method of
collection had been survey and questionnaires on the employees. Considering the qualitative
analysis, the data collection method had been interview under the primary data (Bryman,
2015). For the secondary data to be collected under quantitative analysis the method of
collection had been various books, articles and useful journals for collecting secondary data
under qualitative analysis would have been thematic analysis which implies using themes to
describe the various objectives of the organisation.
Part 3: Performance Review
P5: Analysing the research using techniques and tools
Tools and techniques which are used for qualitative as well as quantitative analysis include
statistical tools like mean median mode and inferential statistics including normal regression
as well as correlation which would help analysing the data that has been collected from
surveys and interviews (Zohrabi, 2013). Triangulation is a useful technique to analyse the
data where it is to compare a huge number of distinct sources of data as well as methods for
confirming the findings. Triangulation might bring the strength of the power to identify the
areas for future work. Basically, there are two types of variables- categorical and numerical
variables. The numerical variables are to be analysed through Mean, Median, Mode, standard
deviation as well as regression analysis. However, the categorical variables are analysed
using the concept of frequency distribution, proportion as well as percentage. Various
methods for collecting the Primary data for quantitative analysis would include survey
including questionnaires, biophysical measurements, projects records, facility data or service
provider and facility assessments or service provider (Hair et al. 2014). In order to conduct
the qualitative research analysis, the various methods to accumulate the primary data could be
used as individual interview for the voice focus group discussions and pictures story.
P6: Communicating appropriate recommendations
In order to use CSR guidelines and maintain the rules and regulations mentioned under CSR
in the organisation would reduce the level of conflicts and issues which arise among the
employees and managers of the organisation. It will sufficiently guide every individual of the
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organisation to value each other’s morals and principles. By implementing CSR guidelines
the organisation would be able to sustain the era of innovation and achieve sustainable
development. Other recommendations could be mentioned that the employee relations are
supposed to be managed after regulating the CSR rules. Each of the employees must look
after the needs and desires of others which would emphasize on increasing the productivity of
the workforce in the organisation. Again implementing the CSR rules the organisation
expects to maximize the values as well as a worth of their relations with the stakeholders and
satisfy customers through their excellent goods and services. An ethical environment shall be
followed by incorporating the CSR regulations and rules. For the maintenance of CSR
guidelines the company might not harm the environment and there cannot be any social and
environmental loss in the economy. Equality among the employees is to be maintained after
incorporating the CSR guidelines within the organisation and recruiting individuals especially
according to the guidelines to be followed by the organisation.
P7: Reflecting on value of the research for meeting own learning and stated objectives
Through the research on the flexibility, durability, and viability of CSR guidelines to be
maintained in order to make a perfect organisational pillar in the economy the researcher has
thought about conducting research on the reliability and visibility of this project. While
conducting the research the researcher has proposed project management plan where a Gantt
chart has been provided along with the WBS which implies a work breakdown structure that
would reveal the way of carrying out the project.
This research project has ample future scopes to develop father and bring out more research
on the similar topic of implementing CSR guidelines within the organisation. Research mind
develop new techniques and tools for analysing the data and extract distinct results and
outcomes by the data analysis. Several other methods of collecting the data both primary and
secondary under the quantitative as well as qualitative analysis could be utilised by the
researcher for making the research different from this one. Higher scopes of the research
includes that the researcher Might think exclusive on accomplishing and executing the CSR
project in the organisation by several other methods of analysis which could have been more
productive and effective to reduce extravagant outcomes. Had the researcher got more time to
devote onto this project it would be more productive and useful. This is because a larger
sample could have been taken out for reducing the discrepancies and loopholes founded in
the research. the researcher could have gained more information about the project impact
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from the employees of the organisation. it would have been much helpful for the researcher if
there was no time and financial constraints.
Conclusion
With reference to the study it could be concluded that the project management plan depends
mostly upon the WBS and grand shirt which has been mentioned in the first section of the
study. The next store sections talks about a project logbook and performance review. In the
project log book the entire methodology for the research had been provided along with the
issues that might arise while conducting research. Under the section of performance review
the tools and techniques used for analysing the research have been mentioned and proper
recommendations have been given to improve the implementation of CSR activities in the
organisation. Reflection has been also provided at the end of the study for meeting the
objectives while undertaking the research and On the performance and learning.
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