Week 2 Discussion

The discussions each week are designed to (a) reinforce the research topics that you are reading about, (b) challenge you to explore the topics further, and (c) test your understanding of the concepts and their application within business research.
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion post, review the following resources:

Doing Discussion Questions Right
Expanded Grading Rubric

From the below list, select one topic for which you will lead the discussion in the forum this week. Early in the week, reserve your selected topic by posting your response (reservation post) to the Discussion Area, identifying key words about your topic in the subject line. By the due date assigned, research your topic and start a scholarly conversation as you respond with your initial or primary post to your own reservation post in the Discussion Area. Make sure your response does not duplicate your colleagues’ responses:

Analyze the steps that can be implemented within quantitative studies to identify and control extraneous variables and increase the internal validity of a study. Locate a research study on an area of organizational behavior in a peer-reviewed journal and briefly evaluate how the researcher’s design controlled for extraneous variables.
Assess the intended purpose of random sampling from a population. What criteria must be met for a sample to be considered random? What are the dangers inherent in nonprobability sampling? Locate a research study on an area of organizational behavior in a peer-reviewed journal and briefly evaluate its sampling method.
Contrast alternative research designs (such as experimental, quasi-experimental, case study, narrative, and grounded theory). How does one determine which design to utilize? Locate a research study on an area of organizational behavior in a peer-reviewed journal and briefly evaluate its design.
Analyze the difference between types of data. Integrate other terms sometimes used for data, including categorical, metric, non-metric, continuous, and noncontinuous, into your discussion. Locate a research study on an area of organizational behavior in a peer-reviewed journal and briefly evaluate its use of data type.

As the beginning of a scholarly conversation, your initial post should be:

Succinct—no more than 500 words.
Provocative—use concepts and combinations of concepts from the readings to propose relationships, causes, and/or consequences that inspire others to engage (inquire, learn). In other words, take a scholarly stand.
Supported—scholarly conversations are more than opinions. Ideas, statements, and conclusions are supported by clear research and citations from course materials as well as other credible, peer-reviewed resources.