(NCU) Examine Degree Type’s Influence

Examine Degree Type’s Influence 
BTM 7303, Assignment 1 
DuBose, Justin Z. 
Dr. Susan Petroshius 
8 October 2017 

​Influence & Impact of Degree Type on Research 
My name is Justin DuBose and I am currently a Ph.D. student at Northcentral University.  I am pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Organizational Leadership.  My particular research focus will be dealing with various issues associated with a largely volunteer, multi-generational workforce in the religious not-for-profit sector.  This falls within the scope of a Ph.D. since I am endeavoring to contribute original research and knowledge to this field rather than applying specific administrative principles within an organization, which would align more with the pursuit of a DBA. 
The pursuit of a Ph.D., as opposed to another degree type, impacts the way I approach a research problem in that it forces me to look at a unique problem at a depth level that has not been previously explored or researched.  Within this research focus, it forces me to qualify the nature of the problem being researched, and the research process itself, as being either quantitative or qualitative in nature.  As qualitative research is research in which the “researchers are concerned with how individuals perceive their world”, my research problem of discovering how different generations of workers and volunteers perceive and react to leadership greatly influenced by technology fits into this mold of qualitative research (Castellan, 2010).  This qualification, then, effects the research methodology and the research itself. 
The pursuit of an applied Doctor of Philosophy degree also effects the research approach and design.  Namely, the degree type involves a heavy amount of original research, but also must not neglect the practical application of the knowledge gleamed from this research.  Within this research process, maintaining ethical values and approaches must be maintained as well as objectivity (Sachdeva, 2008; Mertens, 2015).  An inability to maintain the highest ethical standards in research as well as maintaining a healthy separation from those being observed and researched will inevitably result in either an erroneous conclusion, or one which is easily dismissed or rejected because of either unethical or biased methodologies employed to reach that conclusion.  In pursuit of an applied Doctor of Philosophy degree, it is imperative that each of these approaches and designs be observed. 
As stated earlier, I believe that my research will be primarily qualitative as I am seeking chiefly to answer questions regarding the various perceptions of a multi-generational and largely volunteer workforce to modern e-leadership within the not-for-profit sector.  However, as this problem is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, I will inevitably run into the problem of “pragmatic action”: the problem of deciding which scientific approach would best be suited to the research at different stages (Dane, 2011).   Therefore, while the principle research methodology employed will be qualitative in nature, I am operating under the assumption that a mixed methodology will be employed at times throughout the course of my research.  Depending on the particular focus at a given phase within the research process, the methodology may become quantitative or qualitative, but the overall focus of the research will be primarily qualitative in nature. 
 
 
 
 

References 
Castellan, C.M.  (2010). “Quantitative and Qualitative Research: A View for Clarity”.  The International Journal of Education, 2(2), 1-14. Retrieved October 8, 2017. 
 
Dane, F.C. (2011). Evaluating research: Methodology for people who need to read research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 
 
Mertens, D.M.  (2015). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 
 
Sachdeva, J.K.. Business Research Methodology, Global Media, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncent-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3011363.