Introduction
In 2018, Brunjes and Kellough conducted a study titled “Representative bureaucracy and government contracting: A further examination of evidence from federal agencies.” It was an imperial study based on statistical data presented in tables and reflected racial diversity among contractors. The study raised the issues of diversity, inclusiveness, business culture. It touched upon gender diversity among company managers and those specialists who make decisions on contract agreements. The study offers accurate and detailed statistics and in-depth analysis of these data. The authors conclude the impact of diversity in companies on contracting with companies where the heads belong to racial minorities.
Definition of the Problem
The problem is not clearly defined, but it is well described using references to various sources. The situation explains that the authors bring readers up to date on contracts and their benefits for companies. Describing a practical problem faced by both private and public businesses, the authors link it to the theory of representative bureaucracy. Thus, the authors describe the problem from the theoretical side, referring to the 1960s and 1970s and from the practical side.
Literature Review
There is no separate part containing a systematic literature review in the article; however, the authors provide many opportunities in the text to get acquainted with the literature used briefly. The authors carried out a detailed analysis of many sources over the past 40 years. The publications provided are relevant to the topic and consider politics, jurisprudence, and business. The authors paid particular attention to publications on the theory of representative bureaucracy.
The Research Hypothesis and Questions
The authors vividly describe three hypotheses on which their study is based. The first hypothesis concerns the impact of minority employees in an agency on the number of minority contracts. The second hypothesis talks about the influence of higher education among minority workers on the conclusion of many contracts with representatives of minorities. The third hypothesis is that agencies where minorities work in high positions that influence contracting, are more likely to contract with representatives of minorities. All hypotheses are described; the authors follow them throughout the study. The authors confirmed the first hypothesis; they provide evidence in a table with percentages. The second hypothesis is also guaranteed; using the example of black workers, the authors talk about an increase in the number of contracts with African American contractors. The third hypothesis is valid for most; however, the authors noticed that Hispanic managers tend to be less likely to work with Hispanic contractors. The authors do not formulate research questions, using detailed hypotheses to structure the study and divide it into parts.
Conceptual Models and Connection to Theory
The conceptual model has been developed consistently; the logic is traced. The conceptual model and its structure are based on four proportions discussed in the tables. These proportions include different contracts with Asian, Spanish, and black-owned businesses. The fourth proportion is the whole number of contracts concluded, the sum of all three contracts concluded with one or another minority. The connection with the theory of representative bureaucracy is indicated, links to relevant publications are given. The authors note the relationship of this theory with gender diversity in the workplace, mentioning already conducted studies based on the theory. The authors also connect their research with corporate ethics and culture theory. In the future, it may be appropriate to link such studies to critical race theory since no connection with this theory is found in this article.
Key Variables
The key variables are divided into sets; one of the main ones consists of proportions, where businesses are divided into Asian, Spanish, and black-owned businesses. This set is the conceptual model and logic used by the entire study. The authors involved three sets in testing three hypotheses, “The first set of explanatory variables is the overall proportion of each minority group in the agency’s workforce” (Brunjes & Kellough, 2018, p. 524). The second set of variables reflected “minority agency employees with a bachelor’s degree” (Brunjes & Kellough, 2018, p. 524). Following the third hypothesis, the third set depicted contract-related jobs for minority workers.
Research Design and Data Collection
The study was carried out with an extended theoretical base on representative bureaucracy. After getting acquainted with the general modern problems, the authors connected choosing contractors with the theory of representative bureaucracy. Having built a logical foundation, the authors put three hypotheses for the study. After formulating the hypotheses, the information collection began, then the compilation of information on the necessary variables and tables. The authors used the following databases to collect data (Brunjes & Kellough, 2018, p. 523). The authors analyzed these databases without conducting interviews or conducting focus groups. The documents and records method is how authors collected information using two databases
Content Analysis and Interpretation
Content analysis of data is based on the concepts of race/ethnicity. Businesses and contracts related to a) Asians, b) Hispanics, c) Blacks are divided into sets; that is, this division is one of the key ones; it details the study as a whole so that the authors do not talk about the abstract concept of minority contractors. The authors interpreted the results at a high level; they explained the percentages even with a slight difference.
Conclusion
The study was based on the obtained databases, which considered the different proportions scattered by the authors in the sets. It structured the investigation without making it overburdened with information and detailed variables. The conclusions drawn are consistent with the theory of representative bureaucracy and assert the importance of inclusiveness and racial diversity in federal agencies. Subsequent studies may be based on individual cases and data, as the authors in the text note that the lack of individual data is a significant limitation of this study.
Reference
Brunjes, B. M., & Kellough, J. E. (2018). Representative bureaucracy and government contracting: A further examination of evidence from federal agencies. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.