Business Research: Reflective Journal on Learning and Application

This reflective journal documents a student's critical analysis of their learning process throughout a 12-week Business Research course. The journal focuses on the student's progress with learning goals related to assessments, reflecting on the application of theoretical knowledge in practice. It evaluates the effectiveness and usefulness of the learning experience, discussing opinions, values, and the application of learned concepts in the course, future programs, career, and general life. The journal also describes the learning process, including understanding research methodologies, data collection, and analysis techniques, and the rationale behind completing assessments. It concludes with a plan for applying this learning in the student's course, profession, and personal life, highlighting the development of data analysis skills and contributions to organizational development.

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT 3
Topic: Business Research: Assessment 3
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1BUSINESS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT 3
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................1
2.0 Evaluate the Effectiveness and Your Usefulness of the Learning Experience..........................2
2.1 What is your opinion about learning experience...................................................................2
2.2 What is the Value of this Experience.....................................................................................2
3.0 Explain how this Learning Process will be Useful to you.........................................................3
3.1 Usefulness in Course..............................................................................................................3
3.2 Usefulness in Program...........................................................................................................3
3.3 Usefulness in Future Career (Transfer or apply new knowledge and insights in future)......3
3.4 Usefulness in General Life.....................................................................................................3
4.0 Describe Objectively what Happened in the Learning Process.................................................4
5.0 Evaluate what you learn.............................................................................................................4
5.1 Judgments Connected to Observations..................................................................................4
5.2 How Business Research was useful for Research Learning Process.....................................5
6.0 Explain your Learning Process..................................................................................................5
6.1 Reason for doing Assessment 1.............................................................................................5
6.2 Reason for doing Assessment 2.............................................................................................6
7.0 Explain Plan how this learning you will applied.......................................................................6
8.0 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................6
Reference List..................................................................................................................................8

2BUSINESS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT 3
1.0 Introduction
The 12 weeks course has been extremely helpful for me to complete the assessment 1 and
assessment 2. The entire course completely focused on the process required for accomplishing a
research. I gained various knowledge on the different tools and techniques that will be necessary
for completing my research topic “Job satisfaction among workers in public services. A case
study of Australian Tax office”. In the following journal, I will discuss the effectiveness and
usefulness of learning experience that I have gathered from the 12-week course. I will present
the discussion through deeper considerations of what went well and new insights, connections
with other learning, my feelings and importance of hypotheses. Finally, I will highlight the ways
by which this learning course will help me in my future career and profession.
2.0 Evaluate the Effectiveness and Your Usefulness of the Learning Experience
I gathered idea from Pearson (2014) that literature review needs to be critically analyzed
by incorporating the viewpoints of different authors. While conducting the literature review part,
I came to understand from the week 3 of learning course that information was to be collected
from scholarly sources, peer review articles and case-study based sources so that supportive
information against the research topic could have been collected.
2.1 What is your opinion about learning experience
Considering the learning experience, I must say that it only gave the preliminary
theoretical ideas that would be necessary for research design. I came to understand various
research tools, techniques and methodologies but I faced hurdles while actually implementing
those in the research proposal. Enough idea was presented regarding the research designs but I

3BUSINESS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT 3
was not able to understand whether qualitative or quantitative tool would be necessary for my
research topic. However, I must declare that enough idea was provided for the research
philosophy, research design, research approach, data collection and sampling techniques.
2.2 What is the Value of this Experience
The experience gathered from the learning course will be extremely helpful for me in
future as I have gathered ideas of different forms of data collection techniques and the data
analysis methods. I even came to understand from week 4 to week 8 about how to measure and
quantify quantitative data and the relation between research hypothesis and research variables.
Such experience will help me while working in any corporate sector for data analytics
department and analysis of quarterly operational outcome.
3.0 Explain how this Learning Process will be Useful to you
3.1 Usefulness in Course
In my course, I will be able to apply the forms of data analysis techniques. The
assessment 2 was just the research proposal, and therefore the week 6-8 learning course will help
me in developing the methodology section for my thesis. I will also be able to derive the best
recommendations in favor of Australian Tax Office.
3.2 Usefulness in Program
In my future program, the 4 to 8 weekly learning will specifically help me in forming the
research ethics and principles and the importance of adhering to those along with the suitability
of quantitative or qualitative technique. Moreover, in my future program, I will be able to
presume my population size so that adequate data can be collected for accomplishing my
research.

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3.3 Usefulness in Future Career (Transfer or apply new knowledge and insights in future)
I have understood that most of the organizations need to collect data in order to analyze
its macro and micro environment so that market demand and target consumer can be selected
(O'hara, Yao and Ye 2014). Therefore, in future while working in an organization the 12-week
learning course will help me to collect data from the market such as for understanding the
demand, consumer buying pattern, customer loyalty factors or even elements for employee
satisfaction.
3.4 Usefulness in General Life
At many times, it becomes necessary to analyze data for personal reasons such as before
opening a small business or while investing funds at several money markets and Meyer and Peng
(2016) pointed out that statistical data collection method helps in quantifying the research
outcome. In such situations, I can analyze data using correlation and regression technique.
Identifying the best alternate will be the best usefulness.
4.0 Describe Objectively what Happened in the Learning Process
In the learning process of week 1, I came to understand that a research has mainly five
chapters, which are introduction, literature review, methodology, findings-data analysis,
conclusion and recommendation. I did not have the knowledge of research question and
hypothesis formulation, which I came to understand in week 2 and from them I gained enough
knowledge in research methodology. Based on the learning process, I started designing my
assessment 1 literature review, from which I understood the research gap, research variables and
the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Based on the preliminary
literature and the idea from week 5 to week 9, I understood that for my research topic, both
qualitative and quantitative data will be required. Finally, after getting idea from week 10 to 12, I

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understood the type of sampling technique that would be required along with sample size.
Finally, I was able to design the research proposal.
5.0 Evaluate what you learn
5.1 Judgments Connected to Observations
The most crucial judgement for me was to understand the research approach, either
deductive or inductive. From the learning course week 5 to 9, I came to know that based on
deductive approach certain recommendations can be proposed for the case organization and
therefore, instead of inductive I chose deductive approach. However, in week 7, I got idea of
primary and secondary data but I was not sure how to reach out the employees of Australian Tax
office. Since idea from both managers and middle level employees were required, hence I finally
decided to collect data through interview in one-to-one basis and through questionnaire. Finally,
I got the idea from week 8 to 11 that there are several data analysis techniques, however
descriptive design was the most suitable for thematic data analysis. Therefore, I finally thought
of analyzing the data collected from interview and questionnaire and compare those with
literature review in the form of thematic analysis.
5.2 How Business Research was useful for Research Learning Process
The learning process in the entire 12 weeks helped in outlining some ideas, knowledge,
structure, tools and techniques required for a research. According to McCusker and Gunaydin
(2015), the main tools of research methodology are philosophy, design, approach, data collection
method, data analysis method and ethical consideration. However, using the business research
program, I came to understand the practical usage according to the most appropriate tools
required for my research topic.

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6.0 Explain your Learning Process
According to my learning I must declare that the weekly process was extremely
beneficial for me as I did not have any idea of a research earlier. As the weeks started to proceed,
I found that each of the lecture slides contained huge information and several tools and
techniques. I felt confused regarding which would be the best suitable for a research or even
designing questionnaire. However, things started getting easier when I started doing assessment
1.
6.1 Reason for doing Assessment 1
The assessment 1 helped me in analyzing the available literature related to my research
topic. I came to know that there is a strong relationship between employee satisfaction and
employee performance, where the earlier element creates the base of talent management
(Albrecht et al. 2015). Based on the motivational theories I gathered knowledge between
motivation and satisfaction and therefore, finally the research gap and scope were analyzed.
6.2 Reason for doing Assessment 2
Through the assessment 2, I was able to prepare my research question, hypothesis, scope,
argument, structure, gap and methodological designs. Each of the tools those were analyzed from
week 4 to week 11, were analyzed in detail to identify the best suitability. Therefore, through this
assessment, 1 was able to finally understand the link between research hypothesis and research
variable, suitability of primary or secondary data, inductive or deductive approach, importance of
research ethics and data analysis procedures.

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7.0 Explain Plan how this learning you will applied
The learning course gave the crucial idea of primary and secondary data collection. My
research subject being specific to one particular organization, hence I selected primary data
collection using ideas from week 6,7, and 8. Moreover, the learning process will help me in my
course as I will be able to present my thesis in the best sequential order along with justification
for selecting specific research tools. Furthermore, in my future profession, this learning process
will define by capability in data analytics, better organizational outcome and improvement in
sustainability through continuous market research. Finally, in my personal life I can apply the
theories, techniques and concepts of methodology while starting a new business and collecting
market data.
8.0 Conclusion
While concluding it can be said that the 12-week learning course has helped me enough
in gathering such diverse knowledge in research that it will not only help me in accomplishing
my research subject but also will help me in future profession. Prior staring this learning course,
I never had any idea of research data collection procedures or data analysis. Moreover, I had very
less idea regarding how to critically analyze literature with research topic. However, this
research widened my knowledge on data collection and the relationship between research
variables, research objectives, research hypothesis and research questionnaire development.
Therefore, now after completing my assessment 1 and assessment 2, I am confident enough to
proceed with my research subject for deeper analysis. I am also looking forward for such a
profession where I will be able to showcase my knowledge on data analysis and contribute in
organizational development process.

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Reference List
Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. Employee
engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated
approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp.7-35.
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.
Meyer, K.E. and Peng, M.W., 2016. Theoretical foundations of emerging economy business
research. Journal of International Business Studies, 47(1), pp.3-22.
O'hara, M., Yao, C. and Ye, M., 2014. What's not there: Odd lots and market data. The Journal
of Finance, 69(5), pp.2199-2236.
Pearson, F., 2014. Systematic approaches to a successful literature review. Educational
Psychology in Practice, 30(2), pp.1–2.