Research Reflection: Business Outsourcing Learning Experience

This document is a research reflection by a student detailing their learning experience through a business outsourcing research project. The student discusses the challenges faced, such as choosing a research topic and conducting surveys, and the support received from supervisors and peers. The reflection highlights the development of research skills, business knowledge, and personal attributes like confidence and communication. The student emphasizes the value of the experience in enhancing their CV, fostering a passion for academic research, and improving their understanding of outsourcing's benefits and drawbacks. They also describe the research process, including data collection from both online and offline sources, and the use of statistical analysis. The reflection concludes with the belief that this research project will be invaluable in future endeavors, whether in business management or academic research.

Running head: RESEARCH REFLECTION
Research Reflection
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Learning experience is defined as any form of experience a student gains, by interaction
through any specific academic course or professional training program or activity, in a formal
academic set-up, or outside the campus, that actively contributes to the enhancement of his
knowledge and expertise. I would not hesitate to state that one of the most profound learning
experiences I had ever, was through the completion of the present research project. I would
definitely admit that I did encounter huge academic pressure while choosing the research topic,
and I was considerably stressed out, by the very thought of executing the research project.
However, as I proceeded with the project, the continual support and assistance provided by my
supervisor and peers, definitely helped me derive enormous knowledge about the research
process. I not only learnt about the process of conducting secondary research of the topic, but
also mastered the art of undertaking survey, to verify my findings of the academic review. The
research experience is invaluable for me, and it is difficult to describe its worth in simple words.
However, it is worth mentioning here that this experience is the first stepping stone to a more
fulfilling academic career that is waiting for me to be explored. I gained the necessary
knowledge about research methods and data analysis process, that will help me become a
professional research in the coming days. Besides, this experience has provided me with the
basic research skills, business theory knowledge, social skills and confidence which are likely to
enhance my employability skills in the long run.
I believe that there are innumerable benefits which I am able to derive through this
research process learning experience. First of all, the completion of a research project on my own
and the conclusion and new findings contributed by the research will add much value to my
Curriculum Vitae and will make a more suitable applicant if I ever wish to work in the field of
research. It is important to mention here that in the process of completing this research project, I

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have discovered my passion to work in the field of academic research, and hence this experience
will be very useful. Secondly, by undertaking the research, I have been able to develop my
knowledge in the field of business outsourcing, and how the same helps an organization lower its
operational cost, while enhancing its revenue. The extensive research process and the thorough
investigation of the research issue, has remarkably enhanced my knowledge about the benefits as
well as the potential drawbacks of outsourcing. Consequently, later in the long run, if I ever
engage in an business activity, I can use my knowledge and utilize my research findings to
harness the value of outsourcing-led innovative business practices. The opportunity of scholarly
publication will also add to my CV that will increase my future professional prospects. However,
while enumerating the benefits of my research experience, I would not confine my discussion to
my professional development, and would rather like to include how the research has contributed
to m personal development as well. By undertaking and completing the research experience
independently, I have become more confident and self-reliant. Besides, I used to be a very shy
and withdrawn person, and yet while undertaking the research survey I had to interact with many
respondents, that helped in improving my communication skills and other social skills. My basic
intellectual skills such as insight and inquisitiveness also got improved that is sure to help me
attain professional success if I ever wish to work as an academic researcher.
While narrating what exactly happened during the learning process, I would first of all
like to mention that this research project was my first research project, and hence I failed on
many occasions before learning new things. First of all, I had great difficulty in choosing the
research topic, as I had so many ideas that I got overwhelmed and stressed. However, my
lecturer as well as my friends explained to me that I had to select a research topic, that would be
the most suitable one, given the present scenario, and it should one, where there had been so far

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little research in the past. Thus, I first understood that given the globalization of the world, I
could conduct research on outsourcing business activities that would be most relevant in the
present business scenario. The next thing that I learnt in the process, is collect necessary data
required for conducting the research. First of all, in order to develop the conceptual framework
of my research, I required collecting fundamental secondary data already available. However,
while collecting data, I realized that although adequate information were available on the free
sites of the internet, the use of peer-reviewed journals and offline journals available in the
libraries is irreplaceable. Initially, I found that there is plenty of information that could be used in
the research paper that made my content irrelevant to an extent. At this point, my supervisor
assisted me and I learnt the importance of writing an outline of the literature review section, so
that I can narrow down the specific fields of research I wish to investigate. Since I was not
comfortable with the statistical analysis of data, I wished to stick to the qualitative data collection
method only. However, I learnt from my lecturer that in order to check the authenticity of the
qualitative data, and to make the conclusion highly case-specific and relevant, I must undertake
survey on the employees of the organizations that practice outsourcing activities. Hence, in order
to develop my professional skills, I got myself enrolled in a Survey and Estimation Learning
Course for two weeks, that improved my survey conduction and data analyses skills. This
training course also helped me get comfortable with basic statistical methods of data analysis
such as Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).
While explaining the importance of this business research project, I wish to explain both
how it helped me develop knowledge about the basic research skills as well as how it added to
enhance my knowledge about business. First of all, I would like to mention that no research
project is meaningful without the researcher reflecting on his existent knowledge and critically

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analysing the same, to derive new findings. Earlier, I tended to study and learn only what was
served to me in class, in the form of lecture notes. For the first time, I was being able to develop
knowledge, by pondering and reflecting over issues that do not form an integral part of my
academic curriculum. The out-of-the-classroom learning experience, helped me learn more
independently, critically evaluate each piece of knowledge, and reflect on to derive a new
conclusion, that can add value to the existent database. Prior to undertaking the research project,
I always thought that research is about establishing one’s own viewpoints and yet I always
dismissed the importance of investigation if secondary resources. I had no interest in reading,
learning and inquiring into new things. However, this business research project developed my
reading interest, encouraging me to inquire into new issues as well. It is this research project that
helped to develop sufficient knowledge about the benefits and potential drawbacks of
outsourcing business activities, and helped me understand the factors that need serious
consideration during the implementation of outsourcing business activities.
First of all, under the supervision of my lecturer, I chose to select a research topic related
to business outsourcing, as it appeared to me the most relevant research topic in the present
globalized market. Although I decided to research the advantages and disadvantages of business
outsourcing, and plenty of information was available on the internet sites, I decided to opt for
peer-reviewed articles and academic journals found offline as well as online, in order to ensure
the authenticity of the data used in the research. Next, I was a bit sceptical regarding my ability
to accomplish the survey process in an effective way, and yet I successfully did the same, as
numerical data was important to ensure that the research findings are completely reliable and
valid. Although I was a little tensed while analysing the findings through SPSS system, with the
help of my teacher I overcame my fear and lack of confidence. Most importantly, the research

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has helped in developing my knowledge, as prior to the conduction of the research, I believed
that an organization is able to earn profit only by outsourcing its business activities. However,
after the completion of the research, I realized that outsourcing could bring risk to the client
organization as well.
Last but not the least, I would like to state that this research project will be largely
beneficial in future. First of all, it helped me gain insight into basic management concepts such
as nature and cost advantages of the outsourcing activities, as well as the strategies to combat the
risks associated with the same. As a Business Manager or an entrepreneur in future, I will be able
to utilize and apply these knowledge in a real business scenario, that will help in improving the
productivity and revenue earning capacity of the organization. I have also learnt the importance
of reflecting and analyzing existent knowledge to draw my own conclusion, and such depth of
knowledge will help me adopt and implement innovative business strategies in my organization
in future. Again, if I wish to pursue my career in the field of academic research, the experience
and skills attained by me in this research will help me.