The Theoretical Basis for the Research

In-Semester Assignment submitted as part of requirements for the module Philosophy of Social Science within the MSc in Business Administration at the School of Business, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Introduction

The overarching purpose of this report is to critically consider the research question of a past Master´s Thesis titled “Embedding Corporate Sustainability in Organizational Culture – The Role of Hotel Leadership” that was authored by Quy Ly Pham and submitted in November 2015. In order to accomplish this purpose, the research question was improved based on the most recent trends in the topic under examination. This paper explains how and why the research question was improved, and the consequences this might have on the various aspects of the thesis such as its theoretical basis, research design, data collection methods among others.

First and foremost, the topic of the dissertation will be examined critically based on the most recent research trends in order to determine how the research question might be improved. After updating the research question, methodological approaches to answering it will be explored and then compared with the approaches the author of the thesis used. Afterwards, anticipated research results and conclusions will be compared with the current findings, conclusions, and recommendations. By doing so, it would be easy to determine if the consequences of the improved research question represent an improvement or not.

Research Question

Before discussing the research question and how and why it was improved, it is important to consider the context of the topic of the thesis. The whole theme of the dissertation can be broken down into three components namely corporate sustainability, hotel leadership, and organisational culture. The three sub-topics are prominent in both the academic and business worlds. However, when the whole topic is brought into context, that is, the role hotel leadership can play to embed corporate sustainability to organisational culture effectively, it fittingly falls under the course Philosophy of Science. The author of the thesis, Quy Ly Pham, has elaborated the relationship between the three aspects both in the problem statement and the literature review sections.

In a lecture of the module called Working Academically ⁄ Scientifically (Philosophy of Social Science), MacKevett (2015, Slide 4) stated that the first issue that should come to the mind of a researcher is how to find a suitable, good research topic. In the same lecture, MacKevett (2015, Slide 4) implicated that a good research topic is the one that can be investigated within the social-scientific or academic foundation. The subject of the dissertation can be studied within this foundation hence suitable for further analysis to determine an improvement to the research question.

The main research question of the dissertation states as follows: “How can hotel leadership embed corporate sustainability in organizational culture?” In order to determine how this research question could be improved with minimal or no change to the meaning of the topic, it is essential to decide on recent research trends related to this topic. Several databases were researched online including Google Scholar and EBSCOhost. The most significant study that was retrieved from one of the databases is a systematic review of the body of knowledge that outlines the most effective practices for embedding corporate sustainability to organisational culture (Bertels, Papania & Papania, 2010, p.12). The study describes a portfolio of effective methods to foster corporate social responsibility, also known as corporate sustainability in the organisational culture (Bertels et al., 2010, p.12), but it is not particular to the hotel sector of the tourism industry. Moreover, the findings of this study can shed light on how the current research question could be improved.

In addition to the portfolio of best practices, Bertels et al. (2010, p.12) also indicated the need to foster commitment, clarify expectations, build momentum for change, instil capacity for change, and a call to action. The scope of the thesis even went beyond the findings of this systematic review by indicating that in addition to fostering commitment and a call to action, hotels should also communicate their action plan to stakeholders, implement it, monitor the implementation process, and institutionalize corporate sustainability strategies (Pham, 2015, pp. 56-67). Importantly, Pham (2015, pp. 56-67) has outlined what should be done under each step of the implementation process, particularly in the hotel sector. Although their scopes differed significantly, Bertels et al. (2010) found out and Pham´s (2015) findings overlapped considerably.

Arguably, clarification of expectations, building momentum for change, and instilling capacity for change are also useful aspects of the corporate sustainability implementation process, especially in the tourism industry. Pham (2015) comprehensively included insights from various previous systematic reviews. Although Pham (2015) did not cite Bertels et al. (2010), the literature review section of the thesis reveals that these insights, obtained from other authors, were included in the scope of the study. However, Pham (2015) paid little emphasis to them as evidenced in the discussion and conclusion section, probably because of their little relevance in the hotel sector or due to author bias during the discussion. Therefore, this omission served as the basis for improving the main research question of the dissertation.  

In addition to Bertels et al. (2010), another significant study that was used in providing a rationale for improving the research question is Engert’s and Baumgartner’s (2016). The main difference between the main thesis for analysis and Engert’s and Baumgartner´s (2016) study is that one was conducted in the hotel sector (tourism industry) whereas the other one was done in the automotive industry. Another difference is their nature of expression. In the thesis, Pham (2015) directly investigates how the hotel leadership can embed corporate sustainability in organisational culture whereas Engert and Baumgartner´s (2016) study examines success factors for implementing corporate sustainability in organisational culture. In this case, Pham (2015) seems to focus on how hotel leadership can be utilised to successfully achieve corporate sustainability whereas Engert and Baumgartner´s (2016) topic appears to be broader than Pham´s (2015) as it implicates all organisational stakeholders. However, since corporate leadership has a significant influence on other stakeholders, the two topics seem closely related hence can be used in improving each other.

Since the three studies, which are Pham (2015), Engert and Baumgartner (2016), and Bertels et al. (2010) are closely related, their findings can be combined to derive an improved research question from the current one. The first improvement that was done to the research question is the elimination of ”hotel leadership” and replacement with ”stakeholders of hotel industry.” By doing so, the scope of the study would be broader hence accommodating more useful details on how to manage corporate social responsibility in the hotel industry. The main assumption that was made while proposing this change is that hotel leadership is a significant stakeholder of the hotel industry. The second improvement, which is based on the findings of Bertels et al. (2010) as highlighted earlier in this section is the specification of ”embedding corporate sustainability in organisation culture” clause of the topic. Thus, if the whole research question is rewritten, it would be: ”How can stakeholders of the hotel industry clarify expectations, build momentum for change, and instil capacity for change when embedding corporate sustainability in organisational culture?”

In the pursuit to answer the above research question through empirical means, several changes to the current theoretical basis of the thesis, data collection methods, the overall research design, the conclusions and recommendations, and the ethics of the research might be needed. The rationale for this claim is that the scope of the study has changed significantly hence requiring additional theoretical inputs, which will probably result in required changes in methodology and findings. The next section of this report outlines the consequences of the changes to the research question in respect to the above aspects of the thesis.

Theoretical Basis of the Thesis

According to Lederman and Lederman (2015, p.593), the rigour of a study underlies the strength of its theoretical framework. Most online journals fail to publish some papers due to a missing or a weak theoretical framework. Therefore, a robust conceptual framework, which serves as the theoretical basis of a study, is a critical component. This section will examine the robustness of the conceptual framework of the thesis, and if the new conceptual framework that will be undertaken to answer the rewritten research question would be an improvement from the previous. Thus, before availing the evaluation criteria, it is essential to highlight the theoretical basis of the thesis briefly.

Pham (2015) did not outline an explicit theoretical framework for the study. However, while describing the structure of the thesis in the introduction section, Pham (2015, p.12) indicates the purpose of the literature review section is to lay the theoretical foundation of the study. According to Pham (2015, p.12), adopting a theoretical foundation involves exploring concepts related to the whole topic under investigation. Three ideas are entailed in the subject of the dissertation namely corporate sustainability, leadership, and organisational culture. In addition to these concepts, Pham (2015) also discussed the process of implementing corporate sustainability and corporate sustainability in practice. Pham (2015) highlighted the most relevant theories of the five aspects from the literature, implicitly portraying a concept that hotel leadership can play a significant role in embedding corporate sustainability in organisational culture.

The new research question will require a different theoretical approach. Unlike the thesis´ research question, the new research question includes some new theoretical inputs. The new research question can be broken down into five concepts namely expectation clarification, building momentum for change, instilling capacity for change, corporate sustainability, and organisational culture. As highlighted earlier, the first three components are the specifications of the clause ”embedding corporate sustainability in organisational culture.” However, the main assumption that must be observed is that the three aspects (expectation clarification, building momentum for change, and instilling capacity for change) do not comprise the whole implementation process of corporate sustainability. Therefore, the theoretical framework must also entail the process of implementing corporate social responsibility into the organisational culture. Furthermore, it was also stated earlier that the ”hotel leadership” clause of the thesis´ topic was replaced with ”hotel stakeholders.” Therefore, the new study must also involve the role played by each stakeholder, including hotel leadership, in the implementation process of corporate sustainability.

In order to improve the new theoretical model, emphasis must be put on each type of hotel stakeholder. For example, the study must be keen on collecting perspectives of hotel leadership as one of the significant stakeholders among others. By doing so, the scope of the new research will be more comprehensive by going beyond that of the thesis. Therefore, even during the discussion and conclusion of the study, the researcher must categorically discuss findings based on each type of stakeholder. Additionally, adopting the theoretical basis of the new research question will be an improvement to the previous but will need fewer changes to the methodology as outlined below.

Research Design, Data Collection Methods, and Data Analysis Methods

Pham (2015, p.35) exhaustively explained why a cross-sectional research design was chosen citing various sources of evidence to support the decision. One of the main reasons provided is that cross-sectional research design is the most appropriate for a study the makes general recommendations by utilising evidence from multiple cases. However, as mentioned earlier, the new research will emphasise the role of each hotel stakeholder hence involving collecting data from various cases — the most suitable research design for such as study is a multiple-case study (Mills, Durepos & Wiebe, 2010). According to Zach (2006, p.4), a multiple-case studies design provides a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon. Hence, the new research design is an improvement to the thesis´s research design.

Although the research design will change, data collection and analysis methods will remain. Pham (2015) collected data using qualitative means (interviews). A significant amount of data was obtained from hotel publications, records, and websites. The rest was obtained by interviewing hotel leaders and management. These data collection approaches will not change when answering the newly formulated research question since there is no comparison between variables. When research is not seeking to determine relationships between variables, qualitative methods are the most appropriate (Hammarberg, Kirkman & de Lacey, 2016, p.498). However, to answer the new research question, the author will be required to interview the different cases as stipulated in the multiple-case research design.

Furthermore, data analysis methods also remain since the nature of data collected is sparingly dissimilar from that of the thesis because of the emphasis put on multiple cases. Pham (2015) used a thematic analysis to identify common themes from the interviews and confirmed their reliability using content analysis of the data obtained from secondary sources such as hotel websites, publications, and records. Since the new study involves the same nature of data, the same data analysis approaches will be used. Thematic analysis is repeatedly used in analyzing interview data that has been transcribed verbatim (Nowell, Norris, White & Moules, 2017).  Together with content analysis, thematic analysis will be used in analyzing qualitative data in the new research study.

Evaluation of the Result According to Social-Scientific Standards

The topic of the study falls under social science hence its investigation must meet social-scientific standards such as reliability and validity of both data collection methods and findings. In the literature review section, Pham (2015) indicated how various researchers had constructed theories in leadership, organisational culture, and corporate sustainability. Furthermore, the thesis sought to determine ways of closing the gap between the formulation of corporate sustainability and its implementation, which can be considered a theory development, hence can as well be regarded as a science (Okasha, 2002). This chapter explains the consequences of the change to the research question in respect to the probable results, analysis and conclusions of the research according to social-scientific standards.

The first observation made is that the thesis had about 18 results since it explained several concepts. This number is significant to maintain the coherence of the reporting of the results. A first-time reader might find it extremely challenging to read through the report and understand the overarching purpose of the study concerning the discussion and conclusion. Thus, it is also challenging to replicate the study. In other words, another researcher might find dissimilar results while using the same approach that Pham (2015) used.

However, Pham (2015) tried to increase the scientific rigour of the study by performing triangulation of both data collection, and data analysis approach. Triangulation is the use of multiple methods of data collection under the same topic hence increasing the validity of a study (Carter et al., 2014). In the new research question, triangulation will also be used as the primary way of increasing the validity of a study. Data analysis was also performed using both thematic analysis and content analysis, and as highlighted earlier, the same approaches will be used to analyse data when answering the new research question.

Finally, the rewritten question will not have any impact on the reliability of the new study. Although there is room to accommodate more approaches to improving reliability, the current methods used are not affected by the impact of the newly formulated research question. Some of the strategies that were used in the dissertation include presenting a detailed report on how the interviewees were transparently recruited using purposive sampling.

The Ethics of the Research

The newly formulated research question will not have any impact on the ethics of the research. In both cases, ethical considerations concerning utilising human subjects in the study shall uphold. However, Pham (2015) exposed the names of the interviewees for transparency purposes, although at their consent. Hence, no major ethical concern will occur due to the rewriting of the research question.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the improved research question of Pham´s (2015) study requires changes to the theoretical framework and research design. Due to the inclusion of new variables such as building momentum for change, the theoretical basis of the new study must change slightly. Furthermore, the research design to answer the rewritten research question must also change because “hotel leadership” was replaced with “hotel stakeholders.” The variable “hotel stakeholders” is multi-levelled because, in addition to hotel leadership, there are several other stakeholders to the hotel industry. Therefore, a multi-case study approach must be utilised because the new study seeks to gain in-depth insight into how each hotel stakeholder can aid in the process of embedding corporate sustainability into organisational culture. However, data collection (interviews) and data analysis (thematic analysis and content analysis) methods will be retained in this study because they are still the most appropriate since the study does not investigate relationships between variables.

References

Bertels, S., Papania, L., & Papania, D. (2010). Embedding sustainability in organizational culture: A systematic review of the body of knowledge. Ontario: The Network for Business Sustainability. Retrieved from https://swift.van2.auro.io:8081/swift/v1/6bda5a38d0d7490e81ba33fbb4be21dd/sophia/blox/assets/data/000/000/058/original/Systematic-Review-Sustainability-and-Corporate-Culture.pdf?1492524392

Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545-547. doi: 10.1188/14.onf.545-547

Engert, S., & Baumgartner, R. (2016). Corporate sustainability strategy – bridging the gap between formulation and implementation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, 822-834. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11.094

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MacKevett (2015) 02 The good master’s thesis before you start and while you’re working [PowerPoint slides]

Mills, A., Durepos, G., & Wiebe, E. (2010). Multiple-case designs. Encyclopaedia of Case Study Research. doi: 10.4135/9781412957397.n216

Nowell, L., Norris, J., White, D., & Moules, N. (2017). Thematic analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 160940691773384. doi: 10.1177/1609406917733847

Okasha, S. (2002). Philosophy of science: A very short introduction (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Zach, L. (2006). Using a multiple-case studies design to investigate the information-seeking behavior of arts administrators. Library Trends, 55(1), 4-21. doi: 10.1353/lib.2006.0055