Compose a Problem Statement

Updated Mar 2021

Deon: please see attached. What you wrote represents an opinion-based introduction with some advice included. Neither type content is good, so you'll need to switch to an academic writing style where all key assertions stem from the literature (not your personal experience), as indicated by in-text references. You will also need to add an actual problem statement

Below, I've added some information with advice on how to craft one and provided some examples. Please revise!

Problem statement structure and two examples

A dissertation research problem statement is a short (250-300 words), 3 paragraph section, in which you:

1. Clearly state problem (“the problem is XYZ”), supported by statistics and recent research findings *)

2. Explain the negative implications to stakeholders, supported by statistics and recent research findings

3. Explain the gap in the literature (what is not known that leads directly to the purpose of the study) and the consequences of not doing a study.

That’s it. All other content belongs in the introduction or somewhere else.

*) Note it is acceptable – but not necessary - to present both a general and a specific problem. The specific problem is the one that will serve as the basis for the study, whereas the general problem extends to a larger context. For example, a general problem is the cyberattacks are on the rise across industries, costing organizations billions of $ each year (Jones, 2021). A specific problem is that cyberattacks in healthcare have risen by 45% over the past 5 years (Kinsley, 2021).

1.Example of skeleton problem statement that follows this 3-part structure (details to be added but gives you an idea of what content goes into which part):

Nurses play critical roles in patient care. When nurses are satisfied with their jobs, patient outcomes improve (cite sources), and hospitals are less likely to experience high nurse turnover (cite sources). The problem is nurse turnover in hospitals in the US is 67% for critical care nurses (cite industry statistics – not one study with Likert scale averages, or a study limited to a small group of employees). As a result of the high turnover among critical care nurses, <explain the negative impacts to hospitals, nurse, and patients>. Chief nurse officers (CNOs) play an important leadership role in hospitals because they are responsible for managing the nurse workforce. This means CNOs have significant impact on nurses’ job satisfaction, engagement, and attrition. Despite the central role of CNOs, little research exists on XYZ (cite sources). Such research could shed light on XYZ and if the gap is not addressed, the problem of nurse turnover may persist.

2. Example of full problem statement following 3 part outline (297 words)

The problem addressed by this study is the high number of workplaces bullying occurrences in the foodservice industry. More than one in five (22.5%) foodservice chefs reported bullying behavior and harassment at work in 2019 (Lippert, Rising, & Tendick-Matesanz, 2020). In restaurants, up to 30% of employees experience acts of bullying, violence, or sexual harassment while on the job (Ram, 2018). The foodservice industry can be an aggressive working environment with bullying, verbal abuse, sexual intimidation, inappropriate jokes, and unwanted teasing toward employees (Kitterlin et al., 2016; Lippert et al., 2020).

Restaurants Opportunities Centers (ROC) United (2014; 2017) found bullying and harassment in foodservice hurt the morale of employees. Thirty-six percent of food service workers found depression or anxiety increased after experiencing harassment at work. According to Lippert et al. (2020), the figures place the foodservice industry in second place among other industries reporting acts of workplace bullying. The foodservice industry is a sector portrayed with susceptible workers (young, female, and minorities). The income of foodservice workers is dependent upon supervisors and managers (Ram, 2018). The inequality of power converted to aggressive patterns of behavior toward employees (Overall, Hammond, McNulty, & Finkel, 2016). The effects of workplace bullying produce a toxic workplace environment, which affects employee relationships outside the organization, and overall wellbeing of the employee (Ram, 2018).

Millennials are a demographic group in the workforce who have become managers and leaders in organizations (Calk & Patrick, 2017; Gerard, 2019). A knowledge gap exists regarding US workplace bullying (Richardson, Hall, & Joiner, 2016) and millennial managers’ lived experiences (Gerard, 2019). Millennial attitudes, beliefs, and values are part of their social structure, and their lived experiences assist in building an organization (Wilson, 2019). If the gap is not closed, workplace bullying may continue to persist among Millennial employees.