Tag: plan

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Research Plan Blog Post

Peeling back all the layers of the internal conversation which led me to settle on this topic, I suppose it comes down to this question: Does it really matter if I choose to boycott a business? Sure, it might make me feel better to not do business with a company or support an organization I disagree with, but what impact does my choice really have? There are likely to still be plenty of people who are willing to shop, dine, donate to, or support that company or organization. If that’s really the case then, besides addressing my own principles or sensibilities, have I really made a difference?

I recently shared with you all my personal anecdote about “Crossbar”, the German-style beer hall here in Baltimore. I explained my decision to stop going there after the owner made racist comments on Twitter. It truly is a great spot to get some beers (Served by the liter!) and spend time with friends. However, when you think about it, apart from the liters of beer, I’ve just described any number of places where beer is served, and friends gather.

That’s something I’ve come to better understand as I’ve been doing my research. I’ve been looking at a lot of books and articles written mostly by sociologists. The consistent theme is choice. Choice is what makes my decision possible. The fact that there are other places to grab a drink and hang with friends makes it a less painful decision for me to stop going to Crossbar. In fact, the sheer amount of choice is what makes “consumer activism” possible. The more options a person or a group or a society has, the easier it is to choose to support some organizations and businesses over others.

What I’m hoping to learn as I pull all of this research together is whether the owner of Crossbar even knows that I’ve stopped going? Not literally, obviously. We don’t know each other personally. He won’t notice I’ve stopped coming around. However, do my actions serve as an example to others? It’s not enough to simply stop going myself. I need to share with others the reasons behind my choices, and perhaps inspire them to make that choice too. When many stand in solidarity to express their displeasure, would that somehow influence the Crossbar owners of the world to change their negative behavior?

 

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Research Portfolio, plan, Benjamin Fisch

1.) I want to use my research to understand 2 things. The first thing I want to understand is why employees with neurological conditions are so under represented in the work place. The second thing I want to understand, is how companies will benefit from hiring employees with neurological disorders, because it is clear from research that these types of employees can have a lot of beneficial qualities for an organization.

2.) I am interested in these two questions, because the potential answers for both connect with a personal experience of mine. My little brother, when he was born to the age of about 3, was showing signs of developmental slowness, and as a family we were worried that he may be autistic, which is a type of neurological disorder. It turns out, thankfully, that he grew out of these developmental issues, but still to this day, the scare of them still holds close to my heart.

3.) I believe there will be connections with the research I am doing on this topic, and my later life experiences. The one main connection that I for see, is having to interact with co employees that have neurological disorders. Rather than viewing these hypothetical co workers as limited, I will respect and admire their rare contributions to the organization, rather than focusing in on areas where they may struggle in.

4.) The fields that are going to matter most for my search inquiry, are fields that are heavily dependent on math and numbers. This is so, because neurotypicals are known to be very advanced with math and numbers. Researching fields like finance and technology organizations will definitely benefit my intentions.

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Research Plan

I chose to focus my research on generational diversity in the workplace. A classmate introduced this topic to the blog and I was immediately intrigued because I feel as though working with others who come from different generations as me will be a challenge I could potentially face in the near future. I have watched several TedTalks now and read several articles about bridging this gap in the workplace and have concluded that the questions guiding my research are: What are the implications of generational diversities in the workplace? How can we manage these conflicts into becoming a successful, multigenerational workforce? How is generational diversity a competitive advantage in a working environment? I want to use this research to understand how others must respect and listen to those who have different perspectives of them while still working efficiently together, especially because growing up in completely times leads to having different outlooks on how to live one’s life. 

I want to understand the questions italicized above because the career I plan on going towards is advertising. With advertising, there is no doubt that I have already heard from my professors how much group work there is over individual work, so I am expecting to be working with people of all ages after post-graduation when I find my first job. Not only would I be working with people of different generations, but depending on my position I could also be presenting my ideas and having clients who come from a different generation as me. I want to know these answers to not only better myself as an employee, but make those around me feel just as professional when working with me regardless of my age. 

I believe that my professional, internship, and organizational coursework inform the inquiry because even in my current summer job, I have noticed the lack of ability to overcome this generational gap. I work at a local smoothie shop, and the staff is all high school and college students. Some days it gets very disorganized and we’ll be short on staff, or not have enough ingredients, etc. because I feel like our manager and owner, who are Millennials, don’t know how to properly communicate. This is a current example in my life of why I want to explore this topic more; the fact that I don’t even have a professional job yet and I already see conflicts between Gen Z and Millennials happening in such a casual work environment honestly blows my mind so I can only imagine what I will experience in the actual working world. Because of this research assignment, I will be expanding my knowledge on an issue that I will soon be confronted with after my time at SU and into the world of advertising. The fields that matter most to my inquiry are scholarly articles from several SU databases and professional websites such as Forbes.com which I have already gained a few sources from. I think having the contrast of scholarly databases and casual yet academic websites really feeds me detailed information that is also not too difficult to search for. 

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Research plan, Isaac Haseltine

In recent years, I have become increasingly more aware of the negative state our country is in, there is deeply rooted privilege that creates a harsh imbalance in the organizational cultures across the world. As I searched for a topic that peaked my interests I found myself intrigued by the steps being taken towards a more inclusive education system. The papers included studies and programs that have been implemented to research the discrimination of young children, and how it dawned on me the recycled racism we have occurring in our country. As a young black child steps into life, they are immediately faced with all the disadvantages that the parents must face, and it creates a cycle of oppression that only seems to create more generations of disadvantaged groups. Where is the education system failing in regards to creating equity for the global population of children? And what changes are individual schools implementing into their curriculum that has an actual effect? I ask these questions because I don’t agree with the morals the schools are governed with and the fact that our grandparents were fighting for the same rights we are now. There is a massive population of kids and young adults who have a significant disadvantage because of the position they are born into. The education system is a significant part of the issue, because of its important role in the formative years of children’s lives I believe it is one of the most important areas to focus on.
I have watched my friends get racially profiled and I have heard racial slurs yelled into their faces. I have been the only white person in a neighborhood, and very briefly, I dealt with the problems minorities must face every day of their lives. As an artist, I feel that part of my purpose in this world is to inspire change and reassessment of a persons life and mindset. The largest connection I have to this topic is that I am a product of it, as well as the people I am surrounded by. I have always considered myself an outsider to our society, and I consciously have to act a certain way to fit in. My differences and unique ideologies are what define me, yet they are what separate me so much from the life most of my classmates have. “If I could change anything I would change everything”, there isn’t a day that goes by without me wanting to change the world. Where we are currently creating mountains of unsold produce while Yemen has over 3 million malnourished children. We have become selfish, in the United States especially, and it begins with how our children are introduced to this world. I strongly believe that the only way we can positively grow as a species is to drastically apply changes to our standardized lives and what we focus our attention on and who we listen to.
My main source of information has been through academic papers on varying topics within the subject of discrimination in the education system. Primary sources include experiences that are crucial to the full severity of how discrimination affects a child and helps me comprehend how a malleable their minds are. Typically, I’ve read papers written by education professors who have years of experience as research professors, as well as a background working in younger classrooms. This is very helpful because their field encompasses not only creating the programs and studies that are made to improve our education system, but they also have a solid understanding of the role of a teacher working with children.

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After reading others posts, and doing some research on my own, I have realized that I want to focus on diversity and disabilities in education. The main question that is guiding my research is: What is inclusion, and why does it matter in education? I believe that this is a very important question because many people do not know exactly what inclusion is. In the field of education, inclusion is a very talked about topic. My major at Syracuse is inclusive elementary and special education, and most of my classes so far have been about inclusion, and why it works. The work that I have done so far in my previous courses will help me with my research because I now have some background information about inclusion, and I know the benefits when it is done correctly. This topic is important for me to understand for my future career because I want to be the kind of teacher who accepts and supports all of her students. I want each and every child to feel welcomed and safe in my classroom. I believe that inclusion is important for everyone to know about, not just teachers and teacher candidates because it can help people understand why it is essential to try to include others in our daily lives. Maybe if everyone understood inclusion, our world would be a more accepting place. The fields that matter most to my inquiry are education, and possibly psychology/science. This is because I am focusing specifically on education, and a lot of the articles I have found so far have studies that prove a certain point, or help explain inclusion.