Riordan Manufacturing Paper
Research for Reporting Improvement of Riordan Manufacturing
Research for Reporting Improvement of Riordan Manufacturing
Riordan Manufacturing is experiencing deficiencies in its financial and accounting reporting. It is imperative to the firm’s continuing success to identify and correct these reporting problems. The scope of the following literature involves: identifying the research questions, naming the hypotheses, identifying the variable to be considered, and the ethical considerations involved in the research.
The Research Questions
A research question is “the hypothesis that best states the objective of research” (Cooper, D. & Schindler, P., 2011, pp. 83). It is easier to develop a research question if the topic is …show more content…
known, and if the question could be based on someone’s knowledge. The same case exists with Riordan Manufacturing. The firm is aware that problems arose when they implemented new accounting software. The software was not compatible across all divisions, and reports have even been done manually. If the management team is to determine what the real cause of this issue is it has to ask questions like “are the employees trained properly on the uses of software,” or “is there a more uniformed reporting program which Riordan can employ?” Research questions help the researcher to determine what, where, how and when data are collected. Riordan Manufacturing has to concentrate on what, where, how and when while developing the question to move towards the resolution of the problem. Development of the research question is an essential step towards building conceptual foundation for every research plan. Without a question, there cannot exist resulting research; once the research question is developed, the next step is to develop the hypotheses.
The Hypotheses and Variables
Creating a hypothesis is crucial to the completion of research. It “guides the direction of the study, identifies facts that are relevant and those that are not, suggests which form of research design is most appropriate, and provides the framework for organizing the conclusions that result,” (Cooper & Schindler, p. 64, 2011). A hypothesis consists of a case, which is essentially the entity, or thing the hypothesis talks about, and a variable, which is defined as “the characteristic, trait, or attribute that, in the hypothesis, is imputed to the case,” (Cooper & Schindler, p. 62, 2011). Referring to Riordan Manufacturing’s Financial and Accounting (F & A) department, such hypotheses must be created.
Being “unable to achieve anything remotely resembling ‘seamless compatibility’” (Riordan Manufacturing, 2013) pertaining to the submittal of data, the F & A department has to devise a plan for improving its efficiency. A suitable hypothesis is “Riordan Manufacturing’s Financial and Accounting divisions are experiencing reporting inefficiencies resulting from incompatible reporting programs.” This acts as a descriptive hypothesis by directly addressing the case, Riordan’s financial and accounting divisions, and the variable reporting inefficiencies. A relational hypothesis outlines two dependent variables (DV) and their relation to a case. An example of this is “In-depth training programs (DV) for uniform F & A systems (case) will streamline F & A data reporting (DV). Explanatory hypotheses relate a casual variable or independent variable (IV) as it is sometimes called, with a DV. An example of this is “the implementation of a uniform F & A system (IV) across all divisions will lead to faster turn-around for reporting …show more content…
(DV).”
The moderating variable involved in the research process is the training program that Riordan’s management team will implement. The independent variable is the uniformed reporting program. The dependent variable is the data reporting itself. To perform the research Riordan’s management team will implement a reporting system which is compatible across the operating entities. It will then implement the proper training required to familiarize the F & A reporting teams with said program. Ideally Riordan will see an improvement in reporting time and audit completion time. Other variables to consider are the external factors such as waste management and time management issues. It will behoove the research team to mitigate these types of issues by recording how much time employees actually spend working specifically on F & A reporting, this should be measured before and after the implementation of the new reporting system to view the relative difference and eliminate it as a cause for improvement.
The Ethics
Riordan is having issues with the software and its compatibility with locations in Michigan and Georgia.
Thankfully the customers are not being affected with the issues since the employees are still inputting the information one way or another. The main issue is that Michigan and Georgia still need to consolidate all their information and send it to the San Jose location. There are no ethical issues that arise to customers or suppliers. One of the few unethical issues is that the San Jose location needs to work harder and more diligently than the other locations to ensure Michigan and Georgia are sending the information on time. To resolve this issue of everything being inputted properly, it is recommended that the corporate office send employees out from different locations to help out with transferring information. This will help reduce the 15-20 days it takes to input everything after months end. The use of an auditor is extremely beneficial since there is some information that is being inputted twice. If information is tracked incorrectly it is unethical for Riordan. After research is completed, the employees should be able to all use the same software to ensure the
accuracy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, asking right research questions and stating right hypotheses are crucial steps towards resolving any dilemma. Riordan Manufacturing is having a software problem. Their management has to conduct research to see what caused them to have those problems. After they collect all data it will be easier for them to reach conclusion and to correct the issue.
References
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database
Riordan Manufacturing. (2013). Riordan manufacturing. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Riordan/index.asp
Research for Reporting Improvement of Riordan Manufacturing
Riordan Manufacturing is experiencing deficiencies in its financial and accounting reporting. It is imperative to the firm’s continuing success to identify and correct these reporting problems. The scope of the following literature involves: identifying the research questions, naming the hypotheses, identifying the variable to be considered, and the ethical considerations involved in the research.
The Research Questions
A research question is “the hypothesis that best states the objective of research” (Cooper, D. & Schindler, P., 2011, pp. 83). It is easier to develop a research question if the topic is …show more content…
known, and if the question could be based on someone’s knowledge. The same case exists with Riordan Manufacturing. The firm is aware that problems arose when they implemented new accounting software. The software was not compatible across all divisions, and reports have even been done manually. If the management team is to determine what the real cause of this issue is it has to ask questions like “are the employees trained properly on the uses of software,” or “is there a more uniformed reporting program which Riordan can employ?” Research questions help the researcher to determine what, where, how and when data are collected. Riordan Manufacturing has to concentrate on what, where, how and when while developing the question to move towards the resolution of the problem. Development of the research question is an essential step towards building conceptual foundation for every research plan. Without a question, there cannot exist resulting research; once the research question is developed, the next step is to develop the hypotheses.
The Hypotheses and Variables
Creating a hypothesis is crucial to the completion of research. It “guides the direction of the study, identifies facts that are relevant and those that are not, suggests which form of research design is most appropriate, and provides the framework for organizing the conclusions that result,” (Cooper & Schindler, p. 64, 2011). A hypothesis consists of a case, which is essentially the entity, or thing the hypothesis talks about, and a variable, which is defined as “the characteristic, trait, or attribute that, in the hypothesis, is imputed to the case,” (Cooper & Schindler, p. 62, 2011). Referring to Riordan Manufacturing’s Financial and Accounting (F & A) department, such hypotheses must be created.
Being “unable to achieve anything remotely resembling ‘seamless compatibility’” (Riordan Manufacturing, 2013) pertaining to the submittal of data, the F & A department has to devise a plan for improving its efficiency. A suitable hypothesis is “Riordan Manufacturing’s Financial and Accounting divisions are experiencing reporting inefficiencies resulting from incompatible reporting programs.” This acts as a descriptive hypothesis by directly addressing the case, Riordan’s financial and accounting divisions, and the variable reporting inefficiencies. A relational hypothesis outlines two dependent variables (DV) and their relation to a case. An example of this is “In-depth training programs (DV) for uniform F & A systems (case) will streamline F & A data reporting (DV). Explanatory hypotheses relate a casual variable or independent variable (IV) as it is sometimes called, with a DV. An example of this is “the implementation of a uniform F & A system (IV) across all divisions will lead to faster turn-around for reporting …show more content…
(DV).”
The moderating variable involved in the research process is the training program that Riordan’s management team will implement. The independent variable is the uniformed reporting program. The dependent variable is the data reporting itself. To perform the research Riordan’s management team will implement a reporting system which is compatible across the operating entities. It will then implement the proper training required to familiarize the F & A reporting teams with said program. Ideally Riordan will see an improvement in reporting time and audit completion time. Other variables to consider are the external factors such as waste management and time management issues. It will behoove the research team to mitigate these types of issues by recording how much time employees actually spend working specifically on F & A reporting, this should be measured before and after the implementation of the new reporting system to view the relative difference and eliminate it as a cause for improvement.
The Ethics
Riordan is having issues with the software and its compatibility with locations in Michigan and Georgia.
Thankfully the customers are not being affected with the issues since the employees are still inputting the information one way or another. The main issue is that Michigan and Georgia still need to consolidate all their information and send it to the San Jose location. There are no ethical issues that arise to customers or suppliers. One of the few unethical issues is that the San Jose location needs to work harder and more diligently than the other locations to ensure Michigan and Georgia are sending the information on time. To resolve this issue of everything being inputted properly, it is recommended that the corporate office send employees out from different locations to help out with transferring information. This will help reduce the 15-20 days it takes to input everything after months end. The use of an auditor is extremely beneficial since there is some information that is being inputted twice. If information is tracked incorrectly it is unethical for Riordan. After research is completed, the employees should be able to all use the same software to ensure the
accuracy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, asking right research questions and stating right hypotheses are crucial steps towards resolving any dilemma. Riordan Manufacturing is having a software problem. Their management has to conduct research to see what caused them to have those problems. After they collect all data it will be easier for them to reach conclusion and to correct the issue.
References
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database
Riordan Manufacturing. (2013). Riordan manufacturing. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Riordan/index.asp