Research Methodologies in Global Learning

This research proposal focuses on the general theme of wellbeing and sustainability. It explores the relationship between wellbeing in an organization and how it contributes to sustainable development. The specific title of the research proposal is, therefore; “Positive Healthy Organizations: Promoting Well Being, Meaningfulness and Sustainability in Organizations.”

Running head: RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING
Name of student
Institution Affiliation

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING
Contents
Title:...........................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................4
Rationale....................................................................................................................................................6
Literature review........................................................................................................................................7
Aims and Objectives................................................................................................................................11
Methodology............................................................................................................................................12
Research design.......................................................................................................................................12
Participants of the study.......................................................................................................................13
Data gathering methods..........................................................................................................................13
Data analysis method...........................................................................................................................14
Limitations...............................................................................................................................................14
Ethical considerations..............................................................................................................................15
Timeline...................................................................................................................................................15
References................................................................................................................................................17

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 3
Title:
This research proposal focuses on the general theme of wellbeing and
sustainability. This research tries to establish the relationship between wellbeing in an
organization and how it contributes to sustainable development in an organization.
The specific title of the research proposal is, therefore; “Positive Healthy
Organizations: Promoting Well Being, Meaningfulness and Sustainability in
Organizations.”
Introduction
The objective of this research is to understand the relationship between the
ecological environment of an organization and sustainable development.
Environmental economics deals with the ability of natural capital to handle the impact
of human beings. It also involves the potential of human systems to maintain or
increase the well being of human beings. To understand the title of this research, it is
essential to clearly define some of the terms used in the title. A healthy organization
can be described as an organization that caters for physical, mental and social
wellbeing of persons working in the organization (Di Fabio & Rosen, 2018). It does
not merely mean the absence of disease. Therefore, health in an organization involves
working in proper and suitable physical condition, working in the right state of mind
and living a healthy lifestyle where there is the right work-life balance. The
interactions between fellow employees as well as management teams are also crucial
in contributing to health in an organization. The two main components of
organizational healthy are the health of employees and the performance of an
organization. This means that to have a healthy organization, there first has to be a

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 4
healthy individual employee, and then the general health of the organization will be
attained. The current models of organizational health move beyond the personal
health of an employee. The model incorporates the health of the community in which
an organization operates (Di Fabio & Rosen, 2018). This is measured by the impact
that the activities of the organization have on the local community.
One of the primary objectives of The World Health Organization (WHO) is to
improve the working conditions since occupational health is closely associated with
public health. WHO is interested in factors impacting on the health of workers. This
includes disease and injury in occupational health as well as social and individual
factors that may affect the health of an individual. These concerns, therefore,
prompted WHO to propose a Global Plan of Action on Workers Health 2008-2017.
The action plan was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in the year 2007 (Bae et
al., 2017). The following are the objectives of the WHO action plan for the ten years;
developing and implementing policies for workers health, promoting hygiene and
health in the workplace, providing and communicating important information so that
action can be taken as well as improving access and performance of health services
for workers.
Research conducted over the years indicates that work plays a significant role in
the health of employees and other people involved with an organization. It is therefore
vital to identify the negative impact that works may have on the health and general
life of workers. It is also crucial to determine the effect of a positive work
environment on the health of workers. The past few years have experienced advances
in technology which have rendered many people jobless while other people live in
fear of losing their jobs at any time. In addition to this, high levels of unemployment

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 5
in some countries have led to immigration to other countries. These factors have
contributed to the poor treatment of workers especially those who leave their
countries to go and seek employment in other countries (Arnoux et al., 2016). Many
organizations have taken advantage of the workers by offering them meager wages.
Low wages affects the wellbeing of these workers because they struggle to pay their
bills despite being employed. In addition to this, the working conditions are
deplorable. Most of the workers are exposed to injury and disease, and they are
treated poorly by their seniors. It is for this reason that this study is carried out to be
able to understand how organizations can create a healthy organization by promoting
well being, meaningfulness and sustainability.
Rationale
Many organizations have failed to understand the significance of having a healthy
organization and how it contributes to sustainability. This has contributed to failure by
organizations to achieve sustainability in terms of profitability, the culture of the
organization as well as the environmental sustainability of an organization. Majority
of organizations put all their effort and focus on maximizing profits at the expense of
ensuring the wellbeing of its workforce. There are other organizations which give
their employees proper remuneration and monetary reward and fail to address another
aspect of the health of an individual working in an organization (Tetrick, 2002). The
failure to address these factors has resulted in many organizations making losses and
eventually becoming insolvent. Other organizations are not able to achieve
sustainable social, cultural and environmental benefits. Many previous types of
research have focused their study on the benefits of environmental sustainability on an
organization. Other studies have also concentrated on the other factors that lead to a

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lack of environmental sustainability without much regard on how the health of
workers may impact on the sustainability of an organization. This, therefore, shows
that there is a huge gap that exists in research that needs to be filled and hence
explaining the need for conducting this research.
Literature review
There are very many authors who have written about health and well being of
workers in an organization. There are also various writers who have made a
tremendous contribution to the organizations that can contribute to the global
objective of achieving sustainable development goals. Deci & Ryan (2010)define
organizational health as the ability of an organization to function effectively, to cope
adequately to situations and to adapt to change from time to time. Di Fabio, (2017)
defines a healthy organization as an organization whose employees are physically,
mentally and socially well and hence ensuring that their productivity is maximized.
He also argues that for an organization to be defined as health, all the groups within
the organization irrespective of their level are perfectly healthy.
One of the most common conceptual frameworks for organizational health is
WU-OSHA &ILO model. The European Agency for Safety and Health at work
establishes that risk prevention is at the core of the development of a healthy
organization. The factors that are crucial in risk prevention include risk assessment
and putting in place a proper risk management strategy (Di Fabio & Peiró, 2018). It is
crucial that both the top management of and all workers are involved in the process of
designing the risk management plan. Another framework which explains
organizational health is the ILO framework which focuses on risk prevention in the

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work environment. It also encompasses mental health as being important in building a
healthy organization. A healthy environment at work can be cultivated through;
policies, organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation as well as taking action
for improvement. Di Fabio & Peiró, (2018) indicates that a primary preventive
approach where risks are eliminated can be used to achieve a healthy organization.
This approach focuses on identifying the inherent dangers in the job environment and
identifying ways in which these risks can be managed. Primary prevention approach
emphasizes the importance of preventing a problem from occurring. This approach
emphasizes the promotion of psychological well being to build on the strengths of
employees. Talents of employees at an organization should be promoted at the
following four levels; individual, group, organization and inter-organization level.
There should also be the sustainability of work-life projects. This is achieved in
terms of direction, togetherness, feeling of being important and a sense of belonging
are essential in promoting well-being and health organizations. This theory
emphasizes on shifting from the motivational method which uses intrinsic motivation
regarding working to gain satisfaction and extrinsic motivation where a person works
to get a reward. The approach rather emphasizes on the meaning model which
explains the significance of meaning in understanding how people can live
meaningful lives and experience meaningful life experiences which contribute to
sustainability at work (Di Fabio & Kenny, 2018).
Organizational health is composed of the following key components:
Goal focus- This is defined as the ability of a person, groups, or organizations to
have goals and objectives that are clear, acceptable and advocate. This means that the
group or organization must have common goals and objectives which have been

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 8
designed and accepted by all members of the organization. (Acemoglu, Restrepo,
2017). This, therefore, means that all stakeholders of the organization irrespective of
their status in the organization should be involved in designing these goals and
objectives. Failure to include all the participants leads to discontent and a feeling of
being less valued within an organization. Involving workers in setting organizational
goals helps in contributing to the health of the organization since the self confidence
of everyone will be raised since they will feel an essential cog of the organization.
Goals and objectives that are set with all stakeholders involved are more achievable as
compared to targets set without involving workers.
Communication frequency- Communication adequacy means that information
is flowing freely in an organization. Free flow of information involves both vertical
and horizontal flow of vital information within an organization. Vertical flow is where
information flows from between the top management and the low-level employees.
Workers can communicate things such as performance, challenges faced in day to day
execution of duties, as well as reporting on work environment issues (Akay et al.,
2017). Communication from the top management downwards may involve
disseminating information such as performance, rewards, and appreciation as well as
informing employees of decisions made by the top level management. Ensuring that
there is free flow of information between and across the various levels of an
organization without any barriers is critical in building a healthy organization.
Optimal power equalization- Optimal power equalization refers to the ability to
maintain a balance of power and influence within an organization. The leader of a
group or organization should spread power to members of the team that they lead.
Balancing of the power ensures that the team members feel valued and hence develop

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a sense of responsibility which is critical in ensuring that an organization achieves its
objectives (Hesketh & Cooper, 2017). Equalization of power also provides that the
leader is not viewed negatively by the team members and hence promoting a healthy
working environment.
Resource utilization-Utilization of resources is key to ensuring wellbeing and
sustainability of an organization. It involves the ability to coordinate and optimize the
factors of production. This involves physical, human resources as well as financial
resources. This is key to ensuring sustainability and wellbeing in an organization.
Morale-Morale is the state of people within an organization having a feeling of
security, satisfaction, pleasure, and desire to work and achieve more (Tamers et al.,
2019). The morale of an individual is determined by a variety of factors. These factors
could be social, cultural or physical. An organization must ensure that employees
have the morale to achieve sustainability. One of the ways that an organization can
raise the morale of workers is by making that employees work in a safe and clean
environment, ensuring accessibility to high quality health care to employees when
they fall sick and also ensuring that their social needs are met (Schulte.et al, 2015)
Cohesiveness-this is the state of people or groups being closely knit with a shared
sense of direction and identity. Cohesiveness means that everyone in a group or
organization is working in harmony with one another and no person is pushed or
ordered to do anything against their will (Pérez.,.et al, 2018) A cohesive organization
has fewer conflicts and when conflicts arise, they are resolved amicably. A cohesive
organization is attained by ensuring the social, physical and psychological needs of
every employee are addressed.

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Di Fabio & Kenny, (2018) indicates that culture is very crucial in building a
healthy organization which contributes to sustainability. It is the role of the
management of an organization to integrate all members of the organization with the
culture of the organization. This is done through the application of organizational
behavior and leading by example to make sure that workers understand the
importance of corporate values and culture and how it contributes towards
sustainability in an organization. Di Fabio & Kenny, (2018) emphasize the
significance of organizational culture in achieving sustainable development. In his
study, he established that 63 companies in the USA which have performed well over
the years have an excellent organizational culture which is portrayed by all employees
daily. For wellbeing and sustainable organizational development, the culture of the
organization has to promote the welfare of all workers. The organization culture has
to put the employee at the center of everything since they contribute immensely to the
success of any organization. The author found out in their research that out of the top
10 organizations with the enormous profits globally in 2017, seven of them have a
strong corporate culture which puts a lot of emphasis on the health and wellbeing of
employees.
Aims and Objectives
To evaluate how the physical work environment influences the health and safety of
workers
To assess the importance of risk assessment and risk management in building a
healthy organization

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To establish the impact of the health of individual workers and groups on wellbeing
and sustainability of an organization.
To develop the relationship between the health and welfare of workers and
organizational performance and sustainability.
Methodology
This study will be conducted using a combination of both qualitative and
quantitative research method. Qualitative research method will be used because it will
be critical in answering some research questions which are descriptive. The results
which are not statistical data will be analyzed using a qualitative research method. It
is difficult to measure and rank the mental or physical health of an individual. It is
also difficult to statistically measure the morale and happiness of an individual in the
workplace and hence making it necessary to use a qualitative research method in this
study. The quantitative research method is critical in this study since it will help in
analyzing numerical data, For example, comparing organizational health and
performance of an individual.
Research design
The research design used in this study is descriptive. This is because the nature of
the data collected in this study involves views use of non-statistical data which may
need in-depth explanations.

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Participants of the study
The study will be conducted from a sample of 20 public companies in Australia.
The participants of the study will be chosen using the simple random sampling
technique. The technique will ensure that all companies have a chance of participating
in the study. Both the companies that are performing well as well as those that are not
performing well. The research will also involve human resource managers of the
companies that will be selected for the study. The study will also rely on second data
that was collected previously. The data will be from the companies involved in the
research. The companies` websites will provide useful information on the profitability
and sustainability of the organization (Miller, 2016). My role of the researcher is to
collect all the relevant information available on the subject. The data will then be
filtered and classified to help answer the research questions identified in this study.
Data gathering methods
That will be used for this study will be conducted using a variety of data
collection methods. The study will depend on secondary data. Therefore, secondary
methods of data collection such as peer-reviewed journal articles, books, magazines
as well as online sources of data will be used. These sources will provide valuable
data on how the health of an organization impacts on wellbeing and sustainability of
the organization. The secondary sources of data will offer historical information about
the organization that is being evaluated. The previous history of how workers have
been treated by the management of the organization will help in understanding the
subject being investigated. An unstructured interview will also be used to collect data
that will be used in the study. Workers representatives will be questioned on issues

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN GLOBAL LEARNING 13
relating to the health of workers by the WHO charter. The representatives of
employees will also provide insights on the relationship between the employees and
the management and how these issues impact on sustainability and profitability of the
organization. The representatives of the companies selected for the study will also be
interviewed as part of this research.
Data analysis method
Data collected in this study will be analyzed using tables of means and quantiles.
The first step of analyzing the data is gathering the data from different sources and
putting it together. From this point, the data is processed and classified. The data is
then scanned for errors and corrected to ensure that the data is reliable and can be
used for decision making. The final step is analyzed using data analysis tools and the
communication of the resulting information. Data which has the same characteristics
is put in one class while data with different features are placed in another class. The
data will also be analyzed using statistical tools such as SPSS and Excel spreadsheet.
This will help the researcher in understanding the relationship between the variable
being tested in this research. Tables and graphs will be used to present the results of
the data collected from this study.
Limitations
The selection of the sample size was the major limitation of this research. The
sample of 20 companies in Australia was chosen using random sampling. The method
of selecting the sample may be biased, and hence the most appropriate sample might
not have been selected. The sample size is also small and limited to Australia only.
Selecting a considerable population would present logistical challenges of arranging

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many interviews and traveling. Conducting the study in another country would also be
a considerable challenge because of the limited financial resources.
The other limitation of this study is time. There was not enough time to ask all the
respondents all the questions that are relevant to the investigation. The participants
also did not have enough time for answering the questions posed to them since the
time for each interview was restricted to 20 minutes.
Ethical considerations
The ethics considered in this case include citing and acknowledging the work of
all authors whose input was critical in preparing this research.
Timeline
Activity Begin Ending
Preparation for the study 15 Feb 2019 2nd March 2019
Identify data sources 3rd March 2019 5th March 2019
Sampling and engaging
with participants
6th March 2019 1st April 2019
Literature review 2nd April 2019 7th May 2019
Data collection 8th May 2019 7 July 2019
Data analysis 8th July 2019 5th August 2019
Preparation of report 6th August 2019 12August 2019

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