Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations

Discussion Thread: Evaluating a Problem Statement Identify and Explain Each of the Error(s) in Each Sentence in the Problem Statement

In the first sentence the “to be surveyed” illustrates a research method or study approach,

and it does not communicate addressing specific issues. The subsequent four supporting

sentences are problematic. The first supporting sentence articulates an internal finding about

customers, it is not literature support. The second supporting sentence can be helpful, but it is not

cited. The third sentence about healthcare employees is irrelevant. The fourth sentence is about

offering solutions to the problem, not supporting it, and IT is the wrong industry. None of the

supporting statements are supported, and Moore (2022) notes that all sentences should be

adequately cited for credibility. The specific problem statement has issues. For example, IT

leaders and the IT industry are the wrong focus per the business problem information.

Rewriting the Problem Statement

The general problem to address is the challenges bank leaders face in mitigating job

demands, resulting in the inability of organizations to foster a healthy work environment that

encourages productivity and retains employees. Al-Suraihi et al. (2021) state that leaders struggle

to manage job demands, which causes employees stress and dissatisfaction. In a recent study,

Sadiq (2022) finds that stress and dissatisfaction are critical factors in low productivity.

Purwanto et al. (2021) support this statement when they note that the ability of an organization to

retain its employees is directly related to a leader’s ability to foster a balanced work environment

that promotes productivity. Khalid et al. (2020) find that the ability to mitigate job demands is

challenging in the banking industry. The specific problem to be addressed is the possible

challenges leaders within the banking industry in the southcentral United States face, mitigating

job demands to lower stress, resulting in the possible inability of leaders to retain their

employees.

References

Al-Suraihi, W. A., Samikon, S. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2021). Employee turnover causes,

importance and retention strategies. European Journal of Business and Management

Research (EJBMR). https://doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2021.6.3.893Links to an external site.

Khalid, A., Pan, F., Li, P., Wang, W., & Ghaffari, A. S. (2020). The impact of occupational

stress on job burnout among bank employees in Pakistan, with psychological capital as a

mediator. Frontiers in Public Health, 7,

410. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00410Links to an external site.

Moore, E. M.(2022). Effective Problem Statements & Research Questions.[Canvas].

Liberty University.https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/581238/files/100616940?module_ite

m_id=6Links to an external site.3841109Links to an external site.

Purwanto, A., Asbari, M., Hartuti, H., Setiana, Y. N., & Fahmi, K. (2021). Effect

of Psychological capital and authentic leadership on innovation work

behavior. International Journal of Social and Management Studies, 2(1), 1-

13. https://doi.org/10.5555/ijosmas.v2i1.4Links to an external site.

Sadiq, M. (2022). Policing in a pandemic: Is the perception of workload causing work–

family conflict, job dissatisfaction, and job stress? Journal of Public Affairs, 22(2),

e2486. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2486Links to an external site.

Discussion Reply to T. Anderson: Evaluating a Problem Statement

Anderson (2024) argues that the first sentence of the sample problem statement needed to

be more specific and clearer. He backs up his statement using an article about grammar by

Nozima and Nusratovich in 2023. A specific issue with the problem statement is that it is written

in a declarative tone, which is against the rule of writing an effective problem statement (Moore,

2022). Anderson (2024) notes that a second issue with the statement is that job demand interferes

with employee performance being redundant. A third problem Anderson (2024) identified was

the irrelevance of healthcare employees quitting their jobs due to uncompetitive organizational

benefits. This is a valid finding supported by the business problem information, as the banking

industry should be the focus of the study. Anderson (2024) also notes that information

technology is improper for the study, which is correct based on the background information

provided.

There are several opportunities for improvement. First, the revised specific problem

statement must be properly formatted. Moore (2022) illustrates that an effective problem

statement includes three parts: (1) the beginning, (2) the middle, and (3) the end. In the

beginning part, one must specify the general problem to be addressed (Moore, 2022). In the

middle part, one must provide three to four supporting statements (Moore, 2022). One must

articulate the problem in the last part (Moore, 2022).

Further, one must consider scale and scope when formulating a problem statement (Islam

et al., 2022). It is essential to identify the problem or core issue and keep the data within the

scope of the study (Moore, 2022). Rana et al. (2022) agree with these viewpoints when they note

that in any research, a study must have a focus and a limit (scope) to ensure efficient and

practical research.

References

Anderson, T. (2024, February 1). Discussion Thread: Evaluating a Problem

Statement. [Online discussion post]. Liberty

University. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/581228/discussiontopics/5331070?wrap=1.

Islam, M. A., & Aldaihani, F. M. F. (2022). Justification for adopting qualitative

research method, research approaches, sampling strategy, sample size, interview method,

saturation, and data analysis. Journal of International Business and Management, 5(1),

01-11. https://doi.org/10.37227/JIBM-2021-09-1494Links to an external site.

Moore, E. M.(2022, October 10). Effective Problem Statements & Research

Questions.[Canvas]. Liberty

University. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/581238/files/100616940?moduleitem_id=6

3841109Links to an external site.

Rana, T., Steccolini, I., Bracci, E., & Mihret, D. G. (2022). Performance auditing in the

public sector: A systematic literature review and future research avenues. Financial

Accountability & Management, 38(3), 337-359. https://doi.org/10.1111/faam.12312Links

to an external site.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th

edition). SAGE.