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Research proposal on the potential risks of establishing Australian School of Commerce Training Centres (ASOC) in Tasmania and Sydney.

Student Name

Professor’s Name

Course Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date

Introduction

Following the desire of the Australian School of Commerce Training Centres (ASOC) CEO to expand training program to Tasmania and Sydney, I developed a proposal entitled “Research proposal on the potential risks of establishing Australian School of Commerce Training Centres (ASOC) in Tasmania and Sydney.” This proposal is intend to establish readiness of the organization and suitability of the new environment to ensure the institution commences services with all intrinsic and extrinsic factors likely to affect the establishment is considered. This requires prior knowledge educational policies, cultural, political and economic structures in order to ascertain viability in expanding the organization (Misko, 2017; ASQA, 2019). The driving forces of institutional performance are financial capability, present productivity rate to attract customers, and availability of human resources (Misko, 2017). In addition, availability of competent trainers and unique training curriculum (Rogala, Batko & Wawak, 2017) suitable for the community needs is inevitable to instil beneficial skills and build confidence in the organization (Chheri & Stokes, 2019). By factoring these considerations, I believe that ASCO will be able to scale its performance above its competitors.

Purpose:

The purpose of this research project as presented to the ASCO CEO is to identify potential clientele attractions and possible risks that ASOC would experience if it were to be established in Sydney and Tasmania. The benefits of the proposal highlighted to the CEO included; providing knowledge on potential competitors, financial demand and constrain to be incurred, knowledge on current skills demanded in the prospective market. Others are cultural, political and economic structures to help the organization in decision making on how to operate and the involvement of the leadership and community of the areas.

Hypothesis:

The hypothesised outcome of this proposal is “The newly Registered Australian School of commerce (ASOC) Training organization is unadaptable to the cultural, political and economic structures of Sydney and Tasmania to attract potential clienteles.”

Research strategy: 

The ASOC management team and the Trainers were proposed for interviews while students are administered with structured questionnaires. With the CEO being concerned on how the objectives would be achieved, the following strategies were described. The interviews would be guided by open-ended, semi-structured questions (Iqbal & AlSheikh, 2018). The management would be prompted to provide information regarding the financial position of the intuition, capability to employ more competent work force, if they are aware of education and immigration policies in the new areas, and if there is available data providing the political and socio-economic status of the new environment. The training staff would be to provide information relating to the teaching resources, suitability of the terms of employment, and needed resources to improve on the skills needed in the market. Students’ structured questionnaires would be to get an insight into the relevance of skills provided, and flexibility of the training programs in the job market and suggestions on areas of improvement of the institution is to serve them and others elsewhere. Having shared these strategies with the CEO, the suggestion of amendment on the strategies was that only senior students are administered with the questionnaires factoring gender balance and non-teaching staff be included in the study too. It was a mutual agreement with the CEO that importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method (Rogala, Batko & Wawak, 2017) would be suitable to use in the study to obtain correlation of factors attributing to customer perceptions and outcomes of the training skills offered and how other training related factors affecting the outlook of the ASOC. Further, the proposal mixed research method combining qualitative and quantitative study was accepted to provide a description of both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors possible to risk the ASOC in their new move to Sydney and Tasmania.

Policy:

The ASOC CEO acknowledged that to proceed in expanding the RTO, the management would need to consider policies and Frameworks stipulated by Australian Government Education system for the VET institutions. These are; Strategic policy, Immigration policy and Australian Quality Training Frameworks (AQTF) (Chhetri, & Stokes, 2019).

The Strategic policy provides guideline of the resource management, delivery of services and the service providers to ensure maximisation of the resource potentials to increase quality and income generation. It also serves as a guide to facilitate and regulate the training courses impacting skills and the purchase of places for training. The immigration policy specifies on the student enrolment criteria, immigration documents’ requirements and competence of internationally sourced work force. This is to increase student population and sourcing of skilled international labour force. The AQTF stipulates on student protection laws and the factors to consider in institutional assessment which is demand-driven rather than economic demand.

Ethical compliance: 

Question on ethical requirements which the CEO would need to be aware of if the study have proceed are as outlined by Wallace & Sheldon (2015). These are; Research merit and integrity: Literature has to be reviewed to form basis for the study and acknowledgement of resource authors. Justice: recruitment of participants should be fair and standard to avoid biased data. The outcome of the study should be provided to the group providing the information to effect the study. Beneficence: the research design selected should be able to maximise benefits and minimise risks involved in the study to avoid any form of harm to the participants Respect: throughout the study, respect for participant privacy, confidentiality, welfare beliefs, cultural sensitivities, and capacity of respondent in making decision should be highly observed. The CEO was in full acceptance of the considered ethics as proposed.

Target group:

The proposed target respondents to this research are enrolled vocational education training (VET) students (domestic and international), ASOC employed trainers and the ASOC team Management.

Context of the Research:

The research will be conducted in the context of geographical, cultural and financial framework. The location of the VET institution would be factored in considering variation in locality, variation in social and political demands essential for establishing the institution. The CEO appreciated the fact that Sydney and Tasmania are areas occupied by people of different culture with different market demands and perceptions of education. It was therefore deemed important that the ASOC financial capability which is fundamental in transfer of institutions to new places be considering for the cost of setting up structures and employment of work force.

Research methods review and description

Applied Research methods

The methods proposed for the research project include qualitative, quantitative and a combination of the qualitative and quantitative methods (Thy, Asano & Finlayson, 2015).

The goal of the qualitative method; a non-manipulating method is to inquire and obtain data of natural phenomenon but of interest while quantitative method would be used to manipulate phenomenon of interest as a test of possible further occurrences to obtain desired outcome. In these methods, the outcome of the CEO’s consultative meeting was that the factors to include both the direct and indirect causes of growth or failure of the intended plan. In addition, the combined qualitative and quantitative research method is included in order to identify strategies and frequency of usage in a correlation as institutional growth moderating factors.

Applied research theories

Self-determination Theory is an empirically driven theory based on human motivation and personality (Deci & Ryan, 2012). This model was adopted for its differentiation of motivation in terms of being either autonomous or controlled in relation to motivation action.

Planned Behaviour Theory is based on the relationship between attitude and behaviour reasoned action in action (Southey, 2011). Herein, this theory would help the management understand the reason for poor institutional enrolments despite consideration of other factors.

The ‘Reasoned Action Theory’ was embraced and impressed the CEO to model potential benefits and predict the intention to perform a behaviour based on attitude and normative beliefs on individual’s attitude (Southey, 2011).

Data collection techniques

Data collection techniques proposed and agreed with the CEO under the proposal strategies are; interview with semi-structured and structured questions, questionnaires (Thy, Asano & Finlayson, 2015) and use of computer assisted web interviewing (CAWI) methods (Rogala, Batko & Wawak, 2017). The CAWI method is an internet based survey technique where the interviewee follows the website provided script and respond accordingly. The CAWI would make use of semi-structured questions guiding the interviewer to obtain information through interview. The computer assisted web based method groaned the CEO considering that the institution has not yet fully setup efficient IT system but agreed to engage technicians to fix the system. This was after seeing the need where most members of the management are hardly accessible due to their personal duties. Questionnaire technique would make use of structured questions with the needed components wherein the respondent willingly respond to the questions therein.

Data collection:

The data will be collected through semi-structured questionnaires and interview questions (Thy, Asano & Finlayson, 2015). In addition, the interviews will be recorded in audio recorder and then transcribed. The collected data would be recorded in a spreadsheet as templates for data analysis.

Technology and Technology services supporting data collection and analysis.

It was clarified and requested the CEO that computer and internet can be put in place since they would be used extensively in data search as well as data analysis. The data recorded in spreadsheet will then be analysed using computer-based statistical analysis software to generate processed data for critique and interpretation.

Sample size:

The proposed sample size was 200 participants conveniently sampled (Thy, Asano & Finlayson, 2015) from ASOC management, trainers, and senior students (domestic and international) meeting the inclusion criteria. These were accepted based on the fact that it estimates half the total population of all targeted groups.

Data validity:

It was further explained to the CEO that the data will provide description of the factors influencing perception and enrolment of students and how the ASOC compliance to the education policies and Quality frameworks places the institution in the market.

The CEO pledged to encourage all targeted group members to participate in the study and provide information for the study faithfully and honest. This is to ensure the minimum sample size is met as proposed. The CEO proposed that the study limitations can be realigned with education program to enlighten them on the relevance of their study participation so as to have a population to validate the statistics. The structured questionnaires and interview questions should be brief, and precise to encourage participants in the study.

Data reliability:

The CEO questioned on the reliability of the data and was assured that total participation of target and honest provision of information by the participants provide would give reliable results. The research design would only provide a description of the factors and no projection of the outcomes where factors are adjusted.

Data integrity:

The researcher assurance to the CEO was that convenience and voluntary basis of participants would set out the ground on the accurate of the information provided. In addition, the use of qualitative description would provide detailed relationship of the analysed numerical and non-numerical data to prove or disapprove the hypothesis.

Resources

Rogala, P., Batko, R., & Wawak, S. (2017). Factors affecting success of training companies.

Studies in Continuing Education,39(3), 357–370. doi:10.1080/0158037x.2017.1336995 Ormanovic, S., Ciric, A., Talovic, M., Alic, H., Jeleskovic, E., & Causevic, D. (2017).

Importance-performance analysis: different approaches. Acta Kinesiologica, 11, 58-66.

Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). (2019). Protecting the quality of international

VET and English language education.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Chhetri, P., & Stokes, G. (2019). Future of Registered Training Organisations in Australia: A

Policy Paper. Policy, 6, 4. Misko, J. (2017). Factors That Drive RTO Performance: An Overview. Synthesis

Report. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Iqbal, M. Z., & AlSheikh, M. H. (2018). Factors affecting the transfer of training to the workplace after a faculty development programme: What do trainers think?. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 13(6), 552-556.

Southey, G. (2011). The theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour applied to business decisions: A selective annotated bibliography. Journal of New Business Ideas & Trends, 9(1), 43-50.

Thy, M. J. T. B. O., Asano, M., & Finlayson, M. (2015). Combining qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods in understanding multiple sclerosis fatigue management. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(2), 53-68.

Wallace, M., & Sheldon, N. (2015). Business research ethics: Participant observer perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(2), 267-277.