Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Fauziah bt Wan Yusoff
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Abstract
An abstract is a shortened version of the paper
Contain all information necessary for the reader to determine.
Usually between 200 and 300 words.
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Example:
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Chapter 1
1.0. Introduction
The introduction gives an overall review of the paper.
Start with a broad context, gradually narrowing down to research problem,
objective and hypothesis. A good introduction explains to solve the research
problem, and creates ‘leads’ to make the reader want to delve further into
your work..
Example:
In dynamic business environments, the roles of both current and emerging boards of
directors are under pressure as they seek to undertake challenging responsibilities.
Boards of directors today are expected to perform more than monitoring company
performance (Finegold, Benson & Hecht, 2007). They need to provide strategic advice
and help to manage a firm during a crisis (Daily, Dalton & Canella, 2003). In ensuring
that they perform the above roles effectively, a number of scholars have acknowledged
the importance of competent board members who can contribute intelligently towards
the sustainability of firms’ functions (Forbes & Milliken, 1999; Carpenter & Westphal,
2001; Carter & Lorsch, 2004; Leblanc & Gillies, 2005; Huse, 2005; Levrau & Van den
Berghe, 2007a). Due to the importance of members of boards of directors, it is vital to
identify the characteristics that make them effective. As Coulson-Thomas (1992) urged,
for these reasons the attitudes and behaviours of directors are of more than academic
interest, with Leblanc (2003) pointing out that their impacts are likely to influence
corporate morale and, in turn, overall performance. In addressing this issue, the present
study focuses on investigating the characteristics of members of boards of directors and
their effectiveness in achieving company objectives within the top 100 Malaysian
Public Listed Companies (PLCs).
The present chapter provides an overview of the study covering seven sections as
follows:
1.1 Context of the study
1.2 Problem statement on the importance of boards of directors
1.3 Objective for the study
1.4 Scope of the study
1.5 Significance of the study
1.6 Operational definitions
1.7 Structure of the thesis
1.8 Summary
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1.1 Context of the study
It states how the findings can make a difference and why it is important that
the research needs to be carried out. Essentially,
it answers the following questions: Why is this research important? Who will
benefit? Why do we need to know this? Why does this situation, method,
model or piece of equipment need to be improved?
Example :
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financial systems, capital markets, and technology and innovation, (Economic
Planning Unit, 2007). For instance, in the Ninth Malaysia Plan the government
focused on strengthening existing economic sectors and generating new knowledge-
intensive activities in information and communications technology, biotechnology
and the services sectors. This plan provides a blueprint of strategies and programs that
are geared towards realising the economic and social objectives of the country. Part of
this plan is to strengthen corporate governance in Malaysia.
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Example
The inherent value of student outcomes assessment seems to be widely recognized
after nearly 20 years of work to promote it. Few committed educators and
administrators deny that understanding what and how students are learning on an
ongoing basis can strengthen the teaching and learning mission of any higher
education institution. While critique of assessment is forthcoming to fulfill a real
need to understand what this reform means in education (Hargreaves, Earl, &
Schmidt, 2002; Slevin, 2001; Spademan, 1999), assessment pressures have not
abated. Calls for accountability from outside the academy add to a sense of urgency
for proponents who see assessment as having great potential to improve the
productivity and quality of higher education at a time of increasing competition,
waning public support, and retrenchment (Ewell, 2001; Zemsky & Massy, 1995).
One oft-stated goal of the assessment movement is for the higher education
community to use assessment processes to articulate clearly the nature and value of
conferred degrees in terms of the knowledge, abilities, and dispositions of graduates
(Astin, 1991; Boyer, 1990; Holyer, 1998; Terenzini, 1986). Ideally, institutions
gather and use evidence of student learning and that which promotes or prevents it to
shape institutional missions and planning and to guide critical choices about
curriculum and instruction (AAHE, 1992; Palomba & Banta, 1999.) This is a tall
order, but one that higher education has not avoided as institutions of all kinds have
implemented assessment (Banta & Associates, 1996; El-Khawas, 1995).
Despite widespread adoption, assessment has not lived up to its promise to provide
means for accountability and improvement (Angelo, 2000; Gelmon, 1997; Peterson &
Augustine, 2000; Ratcliff & Associates, 1995; Tucker, 1999). Angelo notes a “shared
sense among critics and adepts alike that our assessment efforts are not making
enough of a difference, or the right kinds of differences” (2000, p.1). There is
empirical evidence to validate this “shared sense” that the assessment movement is
not fulfilling its promise to make institutions both more accountable and better.
Based on the results from a nationwide survey, the National Center for Postsecondary
Improvement (NCPI) concluded that assessment “initiatives appear to have had little
impact on how institutions have supported or used student assessment to improve
their academic performance” (1999, p. 56).
The initial optimism of assessment advocates may seem unfounded now. Although
faculty have been assessing student learning for a long time, there are still shifts to be
made because it has not been common practice to assess for anything other than
content knowledge in a single course for the purpose of assigning grades. Moving
assessment out of individual classrooms and into the collective consciousness of
faculty is a major shift that affects the day-to-day lives of those who work in
university settings (Phoenix, 2000).
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The daunting task leaders and assessment advocates share is to simultaneously stress
how assessment is at once consistent with faculty work and transformative of it,
demanding a higher degree of collective action and responsibility for student learning
(Schilling & Schilling, 1998; Wergin, 1995). The necessary changes are both subtle
and pervasive as the best assessment practices require changes in faculty roles and
responsibilities and in the relationships that faculty have with each other and with
students.
Often the academic department is the site where desired outcomes for students are
identified and negotiated and plans to assess for these outcomes are made (Banta &
Associates, 1996; Nichols, 1995a; Peterson & Einarson, 1998; Wergin & Swingen,
2001). Ideally, systematic assessment provides useful evidence for departmental
decision making about curriculum and instruction as it has traditionally done for
individual courses. When departments take assessment on, faculty are left to develop
ways to share responsibilities for achieving learning outcomes so that everyone in the
department understands their role in developing and refining these outcomes and
makes choices to realize them.
Because complex student outcomes require agreement about what is most important
and multiple learning opportunities over time to develop, assessment must be the
shared responsibility of everyone in the department. Yet existing work norms make it
unlikely that the assessment focus has shifted from courses to the department level.
To enable the kind of discourse about learning in which faculty articulate the nature
and value of the degrees in their discipline and carry their work through in curricular
choices, shared responsibility will need to become a new norm for faculty work.
Even if willing faculty want to implement assessment, the traditional collegial model
of decision-making in which professors function as a confederation of individuals
rather than as members of a community limits assessment implementation and use of
evidence to individual courses at each professor’s discretion (Huba & Freed, 2000;
Wergin & Swingen, 2001.) These norms of "hollowed collegiality" must change to
enable assessment to take hold as an integral part of faculty work (Massy, Wilger, &
Colbeck, 1996.) The shift away from such norms begins with individuals who choose
to do something different, creating the possibility of spreading new ways of working
(Palmer, 1998.)
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For the faculty members in institutions of all kinds who have tried to make
assessment of student learning integral to their work, compromises in the form of
changes to professional roles, responsibilities, and relationships have almost certainly
been necessary. It may be essential to understand how these individual shifts have
altered the daily lives of the faculty who are pioneering the integration of student
outcomes assessment as well as how their choices may begin to affect departmental
norms. Conversely, it will be necessary to understand how existing faculty work
norms shape the assessment choices that departments make and alter assessment
ideals to meet work realities as faculty perceive and experience them.
The changes necessary to promote assessment are fundamental and unlikely to result
from merely adding assessment to traditional perspectives on faculty work and the
patterns it has engendered (Fairweather, 1993, 1996). It will be necessary to
reconceptualize the relationship between assessment and faculty work as dynamic and
reciprocal, causing faculty to change the ways in which they assess student learning
as well as the ways in which they work individually and collectively. Based on the
above mentioned problem this study is therefore to answer two questions:
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The general objective of a study states what researchers expect to achieve
by the study in general terms.
Example:
General Objective
To explore to what extent community home-based care (CHBC) projects in
Zimbabwe provide adequate, affordable and sustainable care of good quality to
people with HIV/AIDS, and to identify ways in which these services can be
improved.
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1.4 Scope/approach
This section defines the boundaries or limitations upon which the research has
been confined to, addressing the following questions arising: Is there any aspect
of the problem the researcher will not discuss? Is the study limited to a specific
geographical area or to only certain aspects of the situation?
Example:
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1.6. Operational definition
Demographic characteristics
Demographic characteristics include age, gender, ethnic groups, tenure and number of
directorships (Hambrick & Manson, 1984; Zahra & Pearce, 1989; Westphal & Milton,
2000).
1.8 Summary
Finally, the introduction chapter end-up with summary. In this section, the
entire above component will be summaries.
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Chapter 2: Literature Review
Find a focus
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Example for introduction part
2.0 Introduction
With the corporate failures of the last decade, both academic and financial practitioners
have begun to recognise the importance of boards of directors to corporate governance.
The roles of boards of directors are challenging as they seek to discharge a diversity of
roles and responsibilities in a dynamic business environment. Boards are expected to
perform a variety of functions including monitoring of management to mitigate agency
cost (Fama & Jensen, 1983; Johnson, Daily, & Ellastrad, 1996; Dallas, 2001; Harris &
Raviv, 2004), providing and giving access to resources (Preffer & Salancik, 1978;
Hilman & Dalziel, 2003) and providing strategic direction to the firm (Tricker, 1984;
Conger & Lawler, 2001; Kemp, 2006). Carpenter and Westphal (2001) urged that a
board should be studied as a team of individuals who combine their competencies and
capabilities and contribute towards executing a company’s governance. Given the
increasing importance of the individual members of boards of directors, it is important
to identify the characteristics of board members that make one more effective than
another.
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Chapter 3: Methodology
Methodology is the analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates
employed in a study.
it explains research design
it also explain the way in which the data are collected for the research project.
Research Approach
Quantitative research – numerical data
Qualitative research – non numerical data. involves analysis of data such as
words (e.g., from interviews), pictures (e.g., video), or objects (e.g., an artifact).
Mixed methods – combination of qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative Quantitative
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Data is in the form of words, Data is in the form of numbers
pictures or objects. and statistics.
(the two quotes are from Miles & Huberman (1994, p. 40). Qualitative Data Analysis
Types of research
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A study that investigates the connection between two or more
variables within the same group of sample
Two types :-
concurrent (relationship draw from the same point of time)
Predictive correlation (knowing an earlier data can led to
prediction of later set.
o Experimental research
Two types
Sampling
Types of Sampling
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o Non-probability samples
o Probability samples
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Snowball sampling
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Stratifies Sampling
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Cluster sampling
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Systematic Sampling
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Multi-stage sampling
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Chapter 4: Results
This part reports findings of the study. The report can be in various forms
depending on types of study. For quantitative study, the results usually were
presented in a form of numerical data. While, results for qualitative study are
more descriptive, this based on respondents’ points of view.
The last part of the paper usually consists of summary of the study, the
implication of study and suggestion for future research.
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References
Styles of reference usually depend on each journal. For social science paper two
common style of reference are; Harvard style and American Psychological
Association (APA). Therefore, before publishing any paper or article the author
should check which style is applicable.
Although both styles have some differences, one common aspect is both require list of
references to be in alphabetical order.
_____________________________________________________________________
References
The Writing Centre (2008). How to write a literature review. Avaliable at:
www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/.
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Sample of Literature review
For over three decades, scholarship on the American presidency has taken place beneath the
shadow of Richard Neustadt's Presidential Poweri ii[1] , first published in 1960 and
periodically updated since that time. Neustadt's book can be seen to also exist beneath a
larger shadow cast by the developing notion of a modern presidency that dated from the
administration of Franklin Roosevelt and that represented a transformation from the previous,
more traditional presidency.iii [2] This modern presidency recognized the informal leadership
powers of the president and argued that these powers overshadowed the formal constitutional
powers of the traditional presidency, and that they were especially necessary for effective
government. Neustadt's book also displaced Edward S. Corwin's The President: Offices and
Powers as the dominant work in presidential scholarship. Corwin describes his work as
"primarily a study in American public law," and its central theme as "the development and
contemporary status of presidential power and of the presidential office under the
Constitution" which did not ignore "the personal and political aspects of the subject."iv [3]
Neustadt explicitly rejects this approach, defining his theme rather as "personal power and its
politics: what it is, how to get it, how to keep it, how to lose it," and further declaring "this is
not a book about the Presidency as an organization or as legal powers or as precedents or as
procedures.”v [4] Neustadt's approach represents a fundamental shift of emphasis in
scholarship on the presidency and it has had a profound influence on subsequent
scholarship.vi [5]
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nonetheless clearly stakes out the territory within which a significant body of scholarship has
developed.
Formal Constitutionalist
I have chosen the title formal constitutionalist for that scholarship following from and
associated with Bessette and Tulis' understanding. These scholars demonstrate a consistent
attachment to and respect for the forms embodied in the Constitution. Authority and power
for the president flow from the Constitution itself, not from informal and extra-constitutional
attributes or from the necessity to deal with a changed world. In theft view, the Constitution
provides for the exercise of personal power, as well as for the exigencies that spring from
development and necessity. Scholarship in this category includes the work of Harvey
Mansfield, Jr., Jeffrey Tulis, David Nichols, and Terry Eastland in addition to the essay by
Bessette and Tulis.
In "The Constitution, Politics, and the Presidency," Bessette and Tulis argue two main
points. First, political behavior can be founded upon, and is perhaps best founded upon, the
Constitution. The day to day operations of government which include the bargaining,
negotiating, power plays, and conflict between the separate branches, not only take place
within the constitutional framework, but are shaped by that framework. Because political
actions must be consistent with constitutional guidelines, "the necessity to find some
constitutional grounds for questionable political acts may itself influence the selection or
character of the actions.''viii [7] Thus, various questions of policy as well as the propriety of
actions are informed by constitutional considerations, though they may be so routine as to be
overshadowed by the question of the moment. The president acts within these constraints, as
do the other branches of government, and endeavors to achieve his goals, pursuing that end as
a guardian of the constitutional forms in his own right.ix [8] The president has considerable
leeway within which to act, with the fundamental imperative at one end to preserve the office
of the presidency from being overpowered, and the requirement to consider the possibility of
strong attempts by the other branches to rein in an executive run amok. The constitutional
separation of powers allows for vast differences in presidential personality, ambition, and
leadership within the aforementioned limits.x [9]
The second major point Bessette and Tulis wish to make is regarding the nature of the
executive. The executive by design is the branch of government endowed with the energy and
unity to act on bold designs as well as to react quickly to emergency, crisis, or threat.xi [10]
This energy in the executive, which is very similar to the prerogative power identified by
John Locke in his Second Treatise On Government, is difficult to bring under the control of
law. Necessity or circumstance may dictate a course of action that requires extra-legal action
by the executive in a good cause. A tension thus resides in the executive, as witnessed by
Abraham Lincoln's extraordinary actions during the Civil War, actions justified by the very
laudable goal of preserving the Constitution, the union, and republican government.xii [11]
These type of extraordinary actions are outside the realm of control by law. Therefore the
genius of the Constitution is seen in its "competing structures of power which would have
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both the inclination and the means to oppose aggrandizement by any one branch.''xiii [12]
The executive will be constrained from acquiring excessive power through political, not
legal, means. This political control is found at its origin in the Constitution, not in informal
powers, or other extra-constitutional sources. In this way, the Constitution provides means to
cope with necessity that are consistent with constitutional government.
Harvey Mansfield has written extensively on the executive, generally on topics that
would fall under Bessette and Tulis' second main point regarding the nature of the executive.
Mansfield traces the history of the executive in political thought to demonstrate that the
executive we know as the American President is primarily a product of modern political
thought, and that the presidency is ambivalent in the sense that it is both limited and
unlimited by law which creates a tension in the office by its very nature. Still, the executive is
not suitable for the United States until it is made compatible with republican government.xiv
[13]
The executive power as we know it, Mansfield argues, is foreign to the political
thought of Aristotle, and does not begin to take recognizable shape until the writings of
Machiavelli. Aristotle did not speak of different powers in government, but rather different
elements that made up the regime. These different elements consisted of the deliberative, that
of offices or magistracies, and the judging element. These elements of the regime bear a
resemblance to American separation of powers on their face, but are really not
commensurate.xv [14] These elements of Aristotle's regime clearly mixed the powers which
in American government are institutionally separated, and Aristotle clearly stated that the
deliberative was the sovereign element. The deliberative element in particular exercised
powers that would cross the boundaries of all three separate powers outlined in the American
Constitution. The magistracies, those powers we would associate most readily with the
executive, were many, divided, and subordinate to the deliberative element. Not until the
writings of Machiavelli do we begin to see the executive take shape, but primarily in a fear-
and awe-inspiring form. The executive recognizes no limits but necessity.xvi [15] Locke
softens the executive by making this power subordinate to the legislature, the supreme power,
and the law, but also grants the executive a power of prerogative to act outside the law when
necessity dictates.xvii [16] Montesquieu softens the executive still further by placing the role
of punishment in another separate power, the judiciary. The most fearful of executive powers,
punishment, is then made acceptable to democrats through the judicial institution of the jury,
judgment by one's peers.xviii [17]
The executive, then, is ambivalent, or pulled in two direction by the very character of
the office. As the executor of the laws, the executive is subordinate to those that make the
law, but in order to carry out the force of law against recalcitrant violators of the law, extra-
legal measures must be available to ensure that the law is in fact enforced. The president is at
one and the same time endowed with an office limited by law and powers that go beyond law
according to the dictates of necessity.xix [18] The task remains to make the president
compatible with republican government. The solution is found in representation, by which
"the people choose to limit themselves; they choose not to govern directly themselves."xx
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[19] Representation incorporates a filtering effect between the people and government which
encourages the selection of worthy individuals as representatives and insulates those same
representatives from the temporary passions of the people. The executive is thus not tempted
into demagoguery by the clamoring will of the people, and is held in check by the separate
and co-equal branches of the government.
The argument that the presidency had evolved into a rhetorical presidency was first
developed by James Ceaser, Glen Thurow, Jeffrey Tulis, and Joseph Bessette in a 1981
article entitled "The Rise of the Rhetorical Presidency?xxi [20] This theme was picked up
and carried on by Jeffrey Tulis.~ in a number of articles, and in a book entitled The
Rhetorical Presidency.xxii [21] The rhetorical presidency is viewed by these scholars as not
merely a matter of style, but as a serious modification of the constitutional order. As such this
vein of scholarship fits under the first main point of the Bessette and Tulis essay, the
constitutional source of political behavior.
The rise of this rhetorical presidency, Ceaser and his co-authors assert, is founded on
three developments: "(1) a modern doctrine of presidential leadership, (2) the modern mass
media, and (3) the modern presidential campaign.”xxiii [22] The most important of these
three is the change in doctrine, for through the nineteenth century presidential rhetoric was
more circumspect and confined to communications within government or ceremonial
speeches. Not until the twentieth century did the president begin to appeal directly to the
people on policy grounds in order to pressure Congress from below.xxiv [23] An emphasis
upon popular presidential rhetoric can result in an "opinion that speaking is governing,"xxv
[24] and become so routine as to be disregarded.xxvi [25]
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task of governing is made more difficult, is undermined, and breeds a virulent public
cynicism toward the government.
Terry Eastland argues that presidential authority comes unequivocally from the
Constitution, and that the powers granted by the Constitution are altogether sufficient for the
requirements of daily governing as well as for contingencies of an extraordinary nature.xxx
[29] Eastland forthrightly declares that his "book may be read as a corrective to Presidential
Power, a constitutional corrective, to be precise." He specifically takes issue with Neustadt's
assessment of separation of powers as "separated institutions sharing power."xxxi [30] The
powers, as vested in the Constitution, Eastland argues, are of three different kinds according
the understanding of separation of powers held by the framers, not one undifferentiated mass
shared among the different branches as Neustadt argues. Eastland, thus falls under that first
main point made by Bessette and Tulis in their essay.
Eastland draws heavily from Mansfield, Bessette, and Tulis as he lays out his
approach to the presidency. He does not, however, go so far as to accept the appellation of
rhetorical in regard to the presidency. Rhetoric plays a signal role in the exercise of
presidential power, and therefore, he eschews the term rhetorical presidency because of the
pejorative sense it conveys.xxxii [31]
The presidency portrayed in Energy in the Executive is forceful and active in the roles
of legislative leadership, protection of the executive, administration of the bureaucracy, and
appointment of judges. In this assessment of the Reagan and Bush presidencies, Eastland is
quite apparently arguing for acceptance of an active and powerful president among
conservatives. Despite this apparent partisanship, Eastland does provide a forcefully argued
defense of an explicitly constitutional presidency.
The concept of the modern presidency as a fundamentally different institution than the
traditional nineteenth-century presidency is powerful and widely held, as discussed
above.xxxiii [32] David K. Nichols attempts to debunk the myth of this modern presidency.
His is an explicitly constitutional argument, in which he asserts that all the attributes of the
modern presidency have their source in the Constitution.xxxiv [33] Nichols asserts that the
true change "is that recent Presidents do more than previous Presidents, but that is traceable
to the simple fact that modern American government as a whole does more."xxxv [34]
Nichols also considers the central fact of the president's place in the constitutional order, and
thus falls under Bessette and Tulis' first main point.
This argument is different than most of those already examined in this category in that
there is no fundamental transformation in the executive office, either constitutional or extra-
constitutional. The problem of the modern presidency is that it has forgotten its constitutional
roots. This failure works to undermine the authority of the presidency, since "by failing to
recognize the constitutional origins of the major elements of the modern Presidency, the
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doctrine of the modern Presidency ignores the extent to which the Constitution shapes
contemporary political behavior."xxxvi [35] Further, Nichols argues that the modern problem
is not with the presidency, "but that we expect too much of the government."xxxvii [36]
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Dynamic Constitutionalism
The argument focuses upon the comparative formal legislative powers of Congress
and the president. Dynamic constitutionalism recognizes that the fundamental power of
legislating resides in Congress, and that the president has relatively little power to legislate,
formally. The legislative initiative remains with Congress.xlv [44] This seems a reasonable
assertion, but may denigrate the significant presidential power over legislation through the
formal power of the veto. Further, the electoral dynamics of the presidency, long term and
national constituency, act to limit the depth of presidential involvement in initiation of
legislation.xlvi [45] Dynamic constitutionalism incorporates a much needed return to the
Constitution in discussing government policy making, but, at least as presented in
"Legislative Leadership Over Time," may fail to capture the full influence of constitutional
politics upon initially defining legitimate policy options.
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Sample of methodology chapter
Overview
Research Design
The descriptive method of research was used for this study. To define the descriptive
type of research, Creswell (1994) stated that the descriptive method of research is to gather
information about the present existing condition. The emphasis is on describing rather than
on judging or interpreting. The aim of descriptive research is to verify formulated hypotheses
that refer to the present situation in order to elucidate it. The descriptive approach is quick
and practical in terms of the financial aspect. Moreover, this method allows a flexible
approach, thus, when important new issues and questions arise during the duration of the
study, further investigation may be conducted.
Descriptive research on the other hand is a type of research that is mainly concerned
with describing the nature or condition and the degree in detail of the present situation. This
method is used to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to
explore the cause/s of particular a phenomenon. The aim of descriptive research is to obtain
an accurate profile of the people, events or situations. With this research type, it is essential
that the researcher already has a clear view or picture of the phenomena being investigated
before the data collection procedure is carried out. The researcher used this kind of research
to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound
conclusions and recommendations for the study. The descriptive approach is quick and
practical in terms of the financial aspect.
In this study, the descriptive research method was employed so as to identify the role
and significance of using personality questionnaire in recruiting and selecting employees
during the time of research. The researcher opted to use this research method considering the
objective to obtain first hand data from the respondents. The descriptive method is
advantageous for the researcher due to its flexibility; this method can use either qualitative or
quantitative data or both, giving the researcher greater options in selecting the instrument for
data-gathering. The aim of the research is to determine the role of personality questionnaire
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in human resource processes as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using
psychometric testing in the recruitment and appraisal of employees; the descriptive method is
then appropriate for this research since this method is used for gathering prevailing
conditions.
Quantitative methods establish very specific research problem and terms. The
controlled observations, mass surveys, laboratory experiments and other means of research
manipulation in qualitative method makes gathered data more reliable. In other words,
subjectivity of judgment, which is not needed in a thesis discussion, can be avoided through
quantitative methods. Thus, conclusions, discussion and experimentation involved in the
process are more objective. Variables, both dependent and independent, that are needed in the
study are clearly and precisely specified in a quantitative study. In addition, quantitative
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method enables longitudinal measures of subsequent performance of the respondents. Fryer
(1991) noted that qualitative researchers aim to decode, describe, analyze and interpret
accurately the meaning of a certain phenomena happening in their customary social contexts.
The focus of the researchers utilizing the framework of the interpretative paradigm is on the
investigation of authenticity, complexity, contextualization, mutual subjectivity of the
researcher and the respondent as well as the reduction of illusion.
The researcher opted to integrate the qualitative approach in this study due to its
significant advantages. The use of qualitative data gathering method is advantageous as they
are more open to changes and refinement of research ideas as the study progresses; this
implies that qualitative data gathering tools are highly flexible. Moreover, no manipulation of
the research setting is necessary with this method; rather than employ various research
controls such as in experimental approaches, the qualitative data gathering methods are only
centered on understanding the occurring phenomena in their naturally occurring states. Aside
from these advantages, researchers use qualitative data-gathering tools as some previous
researchers believe that qualitative data are particularly attractive as they provide rich and
well-grounded descriptions and explanations as well as unforeseen findings for new theory
construction. One of the notable strengths of the qualitative instruments is that they evoke a
more realistic feeling of the research setting which cannot be obtained from statistical
analysis and numerical data utilized through quantitative means. These data collection
methods allow flexibility in conducting data gathering, research analysis and interpretation of
gathered information. In addition, qualitative method allows the presentation of the
phenomenon being investigated in a more holistic view.
Participants
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thus, a total of five employees were selected for every company; as the study also aimed to
determine whether personality questionnaire play an important role in conducting recruitment
and appraisal procedures, the researcher did not consider choosing companies that are
actually applying this mode of employee selection or evaluation.
Simple random sampling was done for the sample selection. This sampling method is
conducted where each member of a population has an equal opportunity to become part of the
sample. As all members of the population have an equal chance of becoming a research
participant, this is said to be the most efficient sampling procedure. In order to conduct this
sampling strategy, the researcher defined the population first, listed down all the members of
the population and then selected members to make the sample. For this procedure, the lottery
sampling or the fish bowl technique was employed. This method involves the selection of the
sample at random from the sampling frame through the use of random number tables
(Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2003). Numbers were assigned for each employee in the master
list. These numbers were written on pieces of paper and drawn from a box; the process was
repeated until the sample size was reached.
Instruments
The survey questionnaire was used as the main data-gathering instrument for this
study (See Appendix A). The questionnaire was divided into two main sections: a profile and
the survey proper. The profile contains socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents
such as age, gender, civil status, the number of years they had served the company as well as
their assigned job position. The survey proper explored the perceptions of employees on
personality questionnaire, particularly on its usability and reliability as an employment
selection and appraisal tool. The questionnaire proper section also contains questions that
identify the advantages and disadvantages of using personality questionnaires in the
department. The questions were structure using the Likert format. In this survey type, four
choices are provided for every question or statement. The choices represent the degree of
agreement each respondent has on the given question. The scale below was used to interpret the
total responses of all the respondents for every survey question by computing the weighted
mean:
Range Interpretation
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The Likert survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to
answer the survey easily. In addition, this research instrument allowed the research to carry out
the quantitative approach effectively with the use of statistics for data interpretation. In order to
test the validity of the questionnaire used for the study, the researcher tested the questionnaire
to five respondents. These respondents as well as their answers were not part of the actual
study process and were only used for testing purposes. After the questions have been
answered, the researcher asked the respondents for any suggestions or any necessary
corrections to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument. The researcher
revised the survey questionnaire based on the suggestion of the respondents. The researcher
then excluded irrelevant questions and changed vague or difficult terminologies into simpler
ones in order to ensure comprehension.
After gathering all the completed questionnaires from the respondents, total responses
for each item were obtained and tabulated. In order to use the Likert-scale for interpretation,
weighted mean to represent each question was computed. Weighted mean is the average
wherein every quantity to be averages has a corresponding weight. These weights represent
the significance of each quantity to the average. To compute for the weighted mean, each
value must be multiplied by its weight. Products should then be added to obtain the total
value. The total weight should also be computed by adding all the weights. The total value is
then divided by the total weight. Statistically, the weighted mean is calculated using the
following formula:
or
Ethical Considerations
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