книги / How to Write a Research Paper

planning and controlling the firms' tasks. Conversely, based on the business information technology viewpoint, ERP is defined as a software system that integrates applications of various sectors like finance, manufacturing, logistics, sales and marketing, human resources and other functions in a company [4].

Glenn (2008) says that "ERP is the method of integrating various functional systems of a large organization into a single system" [2, p. 16]. He defines Enterprise Resource Planning as the process of merging the entire data of an organization from different departments into one single system. A well implemented ERP system builds a comprehensive efficiency across the various departments and uses a unified database to store data across many functions within an organization [2].

Thus, ERP systems can be described as well integrated software systems which are operated to mechanize the essential corporate actions in various departments in a firm. Nowadays, companies are trying to improve their global management process and to implement competitive strategies, new industrial structures and customization strategies. However, Hackney and Dunn (2000) consider many of the existing systems to be difficult, nonflexible and misaligned. That’s why companies need new ERP systems [3].

References

[1]Bidgoli, H. (2004) The Internet Encyclopaedia. John Wiley and Sons.

[2]Glenn, G. (2008) Enterprise Resource Planning 100 Success Secrets – 100 Most Asked Questions. Retrieved from: lulu.com [Accessed 26 January 2017]

[3]Hackney, R., Dunn, D. (2000) Business Information Technology Management - Alternative and Adaptive Futures. Macmillan Press ltd, Great Britain.

[4]Vollmann, T. (2005) Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems for a Supply Chain Management (5th edition). McGraw-Hill Professional, USA.

After you read the text…

Translate the text into Russian.

2. Put down the parts of a text summary. Compare your ideas with the following:

A summary should provide the following information:

the source (author, his/her first/last name, title, etc.)

the main idea of the original (paraphrased)

the major supporting points (outlined)

major supporting explanations (causes or effects)

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3. Put down the number of the column where reporting verbs express:

Strong attitude – Column №… Counterargument, criticism – Column №… Neutral attitude – Column №…

4. Read and translate more phrases for summarizing and paraphrasing sources:

The article (title of the article) is about/is devoted to/deals with…..

It is written by …

In this article the author (also) says/maintains/states/argues/ contends/claims/reports that…

The central idea/goal of the article is to demonstrate/analyze…

The structure of this article is as follows. The first section reviews/describes/clarifies… The second section shows/demonstrates that… The conclusion summarizes…

In this article, the author reviews/demonstrates that…

In this paper, the author attempts to clarify…

This article presents a new approach to the study of …

According to the author, … Firstly, the author… Secondly… At the end/ finally, the author concludes/comes to the conclusion that…

The paper proposes a new methodological framework within which this problem can be studied.

5. Read and translate the phrases. Write out:

Words for linking ideas in a literature review

Sentences to describe gaps in the present body of knowledge:

This area has been surprisingly neglected until recently, as the majority of the literature on (topic) has focused on …

To appreciate the effects of …, we must examine, in detail, the different methodologies that have been used to investigate this topic.

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Traditionally, researchers have aimed to … (references). However, such a narrow focus may not fully explain … Therefore/consequently, in order to understand why… we should explore...

The research compares these alternative explanations to determine the best one…

Although the experiments described in this study do not attempt to test the factors, they are used to help understand the results obtained and consider implications of the findings. Due to this fact/owing to this fact, we can …

6.Find and summarize three articles relating to the area of your research. Use the phrases for paraphrasing and quoting. Prepare a glossary of terms mentioned in these articles.

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UNIT 3.

Stating Research Goals and Objectives

“Research is creating new knowledge.” Neil Armstrong

1. Read and translate the following definitions of goals and objectives (purposes of the study):

A goal is an overarching principle that guides the overall process of decision making.Objectives are specific steps that can be taken to meet the goal.

2. Fill in the columns with the following adjectives describing goals and objectives:

General, precise, abstract, concrete, difficult to measure, measurable

3. Reading and translating

Before you read the text…

Visit www.avanade.com to learn more about the Avanade company. What does the company specialize in?

As you read the text…

What are the problems the company is currently experiencing?

What information/research is needed to solve these problems?

Are the problem statement and the research goals and objectives well aligned?

What is the practical and scientific relevance of the research?

Problem statement

Avanade’s ERP Service Line frequently reviews new opportunities in the energy market. The previously introduced transition in the energy market towards non-commodity products, such as energy-saving products, is showing a new promising opportunity for the application of ERP.

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However, because of the lack of insight into the needs of energy suppliers regarding non-commodity products, Avanade has no clear understanding of how to react to this new opportunity, which version of their ERP solutions would fit best in this market and is therefore not sure if it is viable to invest in this opportunity. Therefore, Avanade approached us with the request to help define and evaluate a new proposition of using ERP for energy suppliers focused on non-com- modity products. This request fits our research objective: to develop an information system (IS) proposition to support innovation and to provide knowledge about the impact of the IS on achieving the firm’s strategic goals. Because there is little to no research on the use of ERP for non-commodity products, this is a good moment to study the potential value of ERP for non-commodity products.

Research goals and objectives

There is a lack of insight into the potential of ERP as a solution for noncommodity products in the changing and challenging energy market. Therefore, the goal of this research is:

To study the potential of ERP as a solution for non-commodity products and services.

The following objectives are set to accomplish this goal:

Understand how to predict the performance of ERP in a new market.

Understand the developments and needs of energy suppliers regarding non-commodity products and services.

Explain the match between ERP and these developments and needs.

The practical relevance of this research is the insight Avanade gains on the potential of their ERP offerings as a solution for non-commodity products and services in this changing energy market. This insight helps Avanade to decide on how to react on this new opportunity. The scientific relevance of this research is that researchers can get insights into the gaps of ERP and into predicting the performance of an ERP in niche markets.

After you read the text…

Write out the phrases for:

–describing gaps/deficiencies in the present body of knowledge on the subject;

–describing research goals and objectives;

–substantiating research relevance/importance.

Translate the text into Russian.

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4. Read and translate more verbs and phrases to describe research goals and objectives:

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The central/key/ultimate goal of this paper is to analyze…

The present paper focuses on/deals with/undertakes to analyze/considers factors such as…

We attempt to explain …

We aim to examine/determine the nature/features/functions of …

5. Take the following steps to identify goals and objectives of your research: Step 1: Identifying the research goal.

Read your research problem statement. What is the general goal of your research?

Step 2: Identifying research objectives.

What specific steps are you supposed to take in order to achieve your overall research goal?

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Step 3: Make sure your objectives are SMART and SIMPLE:

Step 4: Formulate the goal and objectives of your research.

For example, the goal of the research is to… To achieve this goal, we need to: 1.…

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UNIT 4.

Selecting Research Methods and Collecting Data

“Truth has nothing to do with the conclusion, and everything to do with the methodology.” Stefan Molyneux

1. Reading and translating

Before you read the text…

Find information about the following methods:

–A survey

–An experiment/ experimental design

–An observation

–A case study

–A forecast

–Any other methods you can use when doing your research

Which of the methods can be appropriate for collecting quantitative (numerical) data?

Which of the methods can be used to collect qualitative (non-numerical) data?

As you read the text…

Which method was chosen by the author as the most appropriate and why?

Where was the data for the study collected and why?

Describe the phases of the data collection procedure utilized by the author.

Research Method and Data Collection Procedure

The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sustainability of ERP value and organizational capabilities related to information technology – particularly ERP. Another objective of this research was to provide a description and explanation of the phenomenon of sustainability in the context of ERP value in organizational settings.

Taking into account the nature of the study, a survey was considered appropriate to collect the data. Other research approaches, such as experiments and case studies, were not employed in this research for two reasons. First of all, it is difficult to manipulate the variables of interest (such as organizational IT capability) when the experimental design is the only method. While experimental designs provide excellent control and precision, they present a weak basis on which to generalize the results

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of the study. Secondly, even though the case study approach based on in-depth data collection provides rich insights into a phenomenon by focusing on a selected number of cases, it also results in eluding generalization. In view of these factors, a field survey was considered to be the most appropriate method for this study.

ERP end user organizations in India were surveyed to collect data for this study. The choice to survey a country like India was twofold. First of all, India is experiencing high economic growth. This is marked by India’s rapid adoption of technologies such as ERP systems as a response to fierce competitive pressures. Therefore, issues of innovation or strategic flexibility are highly pertinent in growing economies like India. Secondly, many organizations in India did not experience many of the benefits of ERP implementation (Huang and Palvia, 2001). From this standpoint, the issue of ERP value and its sustainability assumes greater significance in developing countries such as India.

The data collection procedure consisted of two phases. The first phase included preparing the pilot test survey instrument, pre-testing it for content validity and then conducting a pilot test within thirty organizations to obtain initial estimates for the reliability and validity of measures. The second phase involved refining the survey instrument based on the results of the pilot test and administering the questionnaire to target respondents for final data collection.

After you read the text…

Write out the phrases for substantiating:

–The choice of research methods

–The choice of data sources

–Data collection phases

Translate the text into Russian.

2. Answer these questions about your research:

What is the purpose of collecting and analyzing data for your research?

Do you need to collect quantitative or qualitative data? Why/why not?

What role do the findings of the literature review have in determining your data collection requirements?

Which methods will you use to collect data (survey, observation, experiment, case study, questionnaire, any other methods)?

Will you collect short-term or long-term data? What will the data be compared with?

Which companies/ industries will you gather data from? Why?

Will you analyze the data manually or on an automated basis? Which package/ software program will you use to analyze the data?

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