Description of the researcher
A researcher is someone who conducts an investigation of a certain phenomenon of interest. I am a bachelor student studying human resource management (HRM). My college gives every student an opportunity to become a researcher as one of the primary requirements for the award of Bachelor's degree. I have little knowledge about research because I have not yet gotten a chance to conduct an academic research but I believe I possess necessary qualities of a good researcher. Conducting a successful research requires a lot of expertise gained through continuous studies and practical applications of research. A good researcher must utilize ten elements contained in the word “RESEARCH.” These are Research oriented, Efficient, Scientific, Effective, Active, Resourceful, Creative, Honest, Economic, and Religious (Ariora, 2006). I will make an effort of utilizing these elements whenever I engage in a research for personal or professional purposes.
Engagement with research
Research takes place in almost every activity in life will it work life, family life, school, or the natural environment. The definition of a researcher reveals that I have engaged in different forms of research on different circumstances throughout my entire life. I have never engaged in a professional research activity, but I have some experience on how to carry out a successful research. During my junior school education, I engaged in a research activity with my classmates. The class teacher gave us the assignment to collect information about factors that lead to peer-pressure influence. The activity required each student to refer to books, parents, religious leaders, and other useful sources to acquire the information. In this manner, I was able to collect data from a number of respondents and use the information acquired to report my findings.
On the other hand, I have engaged in numerous research activities in my workplace. Organizations conduct studies to help them become more familiar with the diverse business environment. The organizational staff plays a critical role in these studies. I engaged in one of the researches conducted by our Human Resource Department aimed at investigating how to totally engage employees in the workplace to improve productivity. I work as a part-time employee, therefore; I was assigned the duty of collecting data that included interviewing other staff and filling in questionnaires. The activity enlightened me on some challenges of conducting a research and increased my experience that I will apply when doing my academic research projects. In addition, engaging in such research activities provides a direct motivation to a student and helps in sustaining what one learns in class. According to the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) (2016), a student finds positive value from the learning environment that impacts direction, quality, and acceptable learning behaviors.
Assumptions about research, knowledge, & truth
The personal understanding of the element of research reveals that a research is something that operates based on assumptions. A research assumes how the situation would appear in the real-life before engaging in a physical research. The assumptions made in a research depend on the researcher's knowledge on the phenomenon under investigation and the evidence-based truth acquired from previous studies on the related topic. The researcher conducts a research with the main objective of achieving a specific desired outcome. It is not obvious that the researcher will achieve the desired outcome leading to the creation of knowledge claims referred to as philosophical assumptions, research paradigms, epistemologies, or ontologies (Sinjela, n.d).
Research assumptions
The research operates on two main research assumptions. The first assumption provides a detail of what the research aims to achieve or learn while the second assumption describes proposed ways to achieve the outcome in the process of determining the most appropriate approach capable of leading to expected outcomes.
Knowledge & truth assumptions
The knowledge on the type of research that the researcher conducts helps in providing a guide on how to make correct assumptions. A research may either be qualitative or quantitative. The main knowledge assumptions used in a research are as follows. First, the research does not achieve any absolute truth since the knowledge used to develop research objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes lack complete information. Secondly, the researcher assumes that some knowledge may be ignored throughout the research process. Third, the researcher assumes that evidence, data, and rational considerations shape knowledge and truth. Finally, there is an assumption that social interactions with the human community generate meanings of the research. Research assumptions create a form of inquiry that helps in understanding the research problem under investigation in either qualitative or quantitative approach (Cresswell, 2014).
Concerns about potential shortcomings of research (Individual role as a researcher)
Researchers encounter many challenges in the process of conducting a research that influences the individual's attitude towards research. A number of researchers do not achieve the expected outcome resulting from significant physical, emotional, and psychological impacts towards the researcher. However, a knowledgeable researcher must understand that no research study gives full guarantee of success and that problems occur from time to time. The previous analysis highlighted some assumptions made during the research process, hence; the researcher should know that activities based on assumptions have higher probabilities of failure.
As a researcher, I have the following concerns about potential shortcomings of research. First, I must acknowledge research limitations before engaging in the actual study to make me more psychologically prepared for any failure. Secondly, I have a motivation that a potential shortcoming in a study creates a potential opportunity for further investigations. Failures encountered in the first study should act at the stepping stone for further researchers that allow the researcher to fill gaps. The two concerns about potential shortcomings of a research lead to the understanding of my role as a researcher.
A researcher has some responsibilities that help in ensuring the success of the study. One of the basic responsibilities of a researcher is the advancement of knowledge to the society. I am obliged to developing honest, independent, and critical ideas capable of bringing positive outcomes to the society. Secondly, I have the responsibility of communicating my research idea to the relevant stakeholders. Moreover, I must create a good relationship with the target population, administration, and the society to make the research more successful and avoid unnecessary shortcomings. Finally, I have to demonstrate high levels of honesty and high moral values during the research process. Research ethics plays a critical role in achieving acceptable outcomes. Factors that influence positive research ethics include following ethical principles, having positive professional attitude, public engagement, accountability, and professional responsibility (Careers Research and Advisory Centre, 2017).
Personal and professional benefits of research in logistics
Researchers carry out investigations on many areas with each outcome having its advantages and disadvantages. Research in the area of logistics has not been fully exploited, but researchers who have managed to achieve outcomes from the area have realized some personal and professional benefits.
Personal benefits
Conducting research in logistics helps in increasing personal knowledge in the area of supply chain and management. The research increases the understanding of how the logistics process operates, help in identifying barriers to successful implementation of supply chain activities, and develop solutions that are beneficial to personal career development. On the other hand, research in logistics improves personal contributions to the field of research by increasing individual experiences in research.
Professional benefits
Research in logistics contributes to the professional growth of an individual especially those working in the human resource management departments. The personal knowledge and skills gained from the research help in the professional growth creating more opportunities for promotions in the workplace. Secondly, carrying out a study in the area of logistics helps in developing new strategies that the organization could utilize to overcome supply chain and logistic challenges creating a high competitive advantage. The manager becomes more relevant to the organization leading to high retention rates and increased benefits.
References
Ariola, M. M. (2006). Principles and methods of research. Manila: Rex Book Store.
Careers Research and Advisory Centre. (2017). Your responsibilities as a researcher. Vitae.
Retrieved Jan. 23, 2017, from https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/research-staff/practicalities-of-being-research-staff/your-responsibilities-as-a-researcher
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT). (2016). Research-based Principles of
Learning & Teaching Strategies. The university of Michigan. Retrieved January 23, 2017, from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p4_7
Sinjela, K. (n.d). Introduction to Educational Research. Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Approaches. Retrieved Jan. 23, 2017, from http://kwangaikamed.weebly.com/knowledge-claims--philosophical-assumptions.html
