The research problem
A research problem declares an existing issue or an acute situation, which requires understanding and investigation in the area of research (Johnson and Christensen 95). According to the article, the research problem is the existing difference of the Australian culture from that of UAE in social and religious aspects, communication patterns, etiquette and so on. These differences imply possible miscommunication and other work-related problems that can affect the overall outcomes.
The research problem defines that it is crucial to understand how the Arab culture affects the Australian project managers in the work environment. To apply the appropriate modes of conduct, the project manager should adapt to another organizational culture, which is a challenging process. Apart from that, the article dwells upon the cross-cultural communication and the efficiency of the generalization approach towards it.
The research objectives
The objective of the research is aimed at explaining the directions in which the research problem will be solved (Rios and del Campo 41). The objective of the article is to determine the efficiency of the Western expatriates’ leadership, who work in the UAE and estimate whether the managers are well-equipped to conduct project management in the cross-cultural setting. Moreover, the article is aimed at analyzing how the managers have adapted to the Muslim culture and what managerial behavior should be considered effective.
Research Methodology
Population & Unit of analysis
Research population is a large group of individuals, at whom the query is oriented, while the unit of analysis is the subject of the research (DePoy and Gitlin 161). In this article, the author surveyed Australian project managers, who were the employees in the UAE. The unit of analysis was the Arab organizations that employed Australian expatriates and strived to facilitate effective cross-cultural communication. The project managers themselves can be called the unit of the analysis, as according to the article, the research will enable them to build stronger relationships and communication within their team.
Sampling technique
The author utilized mixed sampling methods to obtain in-depth results. The qualitative sampling enabled detailed information about organizational processes and social contours, while the quantitative sampling gave an opportunity to search for behavioral patterns within a group of individuals to assess the characteristics of the general population (Cerimagic 281). The following integration permitted a broader utilization of the results. Nevertheless, the author did not provide enough information about the employees’ background or how they were recruited, which makes the information from the article less valid and reliable.
Data collection methods
The author collected the data from Australian Project managers through the online literature-based questionnaire. The SurveyMonkey was used to conduct the survey. It consisted of 49 questions; where 34 questions were qualitative, and 13 were open-ended qualitative questions of essay type (Lim and Ting 9). It was aimed at identifying the background of the employees and whether they received any specific training for managing the UAE teams before or after they entered on their duties. The questionnaire survey collected the information about the participants’ demography. Further, the participants were able to share their experiences and opinions about the survey topics.
Sampling frame
The sampling frame consisted of the project managers from Australia, who were currently working in the Emirati companies (Groves et al. 231). However, as mentioned earlier, the author did not provide detailed information about the target population.
Sampling size
100 project managers were interviewed to quantify the organizational culture improvement and provide accurate and reliable results.
Data analysis technique
The author did not clarify how she has analyzed the data; subsequently, the results can be considered less reliable. However, according to the article, the author tried to analyze the detailed answers to obtain the deeper understanding of the researched issue. Nevertheless, the analysis technique was not clearly described.
Works Cited
Cerimagic, Sabina. “Influence of culture on project practices.” Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues 3.4 (2010): 277-288. Print.
DePoy, Elizabeth, and Laura N. Gitlin. Introduction to Research: Understanding and Applying Multiple Strategies, St. Louis: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2013. Print.
Groves, Robert M., Floyd J. Fowler, Mick P. Couper, James M. Lepkowski, Eleanor Singer, and Roger Tourangeau. Survey Methodology, Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.
Johnson, R. Burke, and Larry Christensen. Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches, Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 2013. Print.
Lim, Weng Marc, and Ding Hooi Ting. Research Methodology: A Toolkit of Sampling and Data Analysis Techniques for Quantitative Research, Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2013. Print.
Rios, Veronica Rosendo, and Enrique Perez del Campo. Business Research Methods: Theory and Practice, Madrid: ESIC Editorial, 2013. Print.