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hours ago Huddlestone Robert Rabie Email AuthorRE: Week 2 Discussion Collapse
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Author: Anonymous
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 3:23:33 PM EDT
Subject: Week 2 Discussion
Theory can offer many things to the researcher. It can be used to explain phenomena, generate
hypotheses and suggest additional directions for research. In turn, the results from research can
be used to refine existing theory.

A clear theoretical framework arising from the literature, such as management theory,
leadership theory or change theory, can be used to guide your research, including your choice of
research design and methodology.

In a 750-1,000 word response, post your answers to the following questions to the Discussion
Board by Saturday:

Describe at least two theoretical frameworks you might choose for your research problem and
why.
How will your choice(s) of theoretical frameworks affect the manner in which you conduct your
research?

In your follow-on responses, provide constructive critiques of your colleagues choices of

theoretical framework(s) and suggest additional theories they might consider.
..

1.

The research aim, the research question(s) and the research objectives:

The possibility to apply the Learning Organization theory and the principles of Ubuntu to
agriculture in Post-Apartheid South Africa, will be researched.

Research Question: What learning strategies do Table grape Agricultural Businesses in South
Africa use to improve employee performance and enhance quality?

The growth of agriculture in management is still mostly positioned in the white population as an
inheritance of Apartheid South Africa. Most organizational structures are still a resemblance of
the past while the current situation needs a growth in learning and empowerment of the
unemployed population. A learning momentum must be created and the conventional farming
enterprise must be converted into a Learning Organization to enable this process.

The challenge of this project is that no farmer in the area is conscious about the Learning
Organization (LO), but the student can do comparative research at another farm that are also
exporting, driving the same goals, but not applying Performance Management principles. This
might be a challenge as the farmers are competing against each other and regard own
information as sacred. The student is the owner of the company driving the process of
converting to a LO and also in the process of applying the principles of Six Sigma as a process of
enhanced learning.

Academic angle of the research

To approach this dissertation with a perception that learning has taken place would be
incorrect. The best way would be to take the position of a social constructionist approach. The
method of this angle would be to gather stories among a randomly selected group and obtain
their livid experiences within the created environment that management regards as an
environment of enhanced learning. The potential enhanced quality of the delivered product will
be mentioned as an indication but not as of scientific value.

Ontological perspective

To obtain the situation of triangulation by having a quantitative and qualitative information

gathering, the constructionist position will embraced. Having questionnaires with relevant

questions that the participant have to label from low to high (1 to 10), will result in quantitative
data. The qualitative data will be gathered with the aid of interviews that have to be recorded
and transcribed.

Epistemological perspective

My epistemological stance is that knowledge is generated as individuals share their personal

learning experiences and individual realities. By deconstructing the elements that make them
appear meaningful, it will be understood. Reality is socially constructed by more than one
individual collectively.

2.
Feasibility: Do you have the necessary resources (such as access to requisite data,
consent of your organisation, some indication of the willingness of subjects to be questioned or
interviewed, etc.)?

Although implementing a learning process and a quality audit paper trail, the students
organization has the advantage that the products are inspected in Rotterdam, Netherland
markets by external auditors and inspectors. These reports (and photographs) linked to a bar
coded system, links the product to each report from the farm, and is summarized in a seasonal
report, comparing the local farm to the area and nationally to other producers. The advantage
also exist that there is a comparative quality report from the previous harvest season. This can
evolve into a situation where the two external quality reports from the current and the previous
seasons can be used as data. These are unbiased, objective reports from external auditors that
have nothing to gain from these reports.

3.
Justification of the topic: Why you are researching this topic, what is the potential
benefit to your firm or industry, and what actions may result from the valuable insights gained,
etc.

The potential benefit is that more farmers may proceed to enhance their employees absorptive
capacity, embrace collective learning and goal setting (performance management) and the
possible alleviation of poverty.

Robert