HRPYC81 Assignment 15/30/35/40/45 with solutions
ASSIGNMENT 15/30/35/40/50
NOTE:
This assignment is shared by a number of projects. Although the assignment consists of the same
questions the assignment has a different assignment number and a different unique number for each
project. Make sure you use the assignment number and the unique number that are associated with
your project (see Tutorial Letter 101). If you submit the assignment with an incorrect assignment
number or incorrect unique number your assignment will not be marked.
Assignment 15: Project 4803
Assignment 30: Project 4807
Assignment 35: Project 4808
Assignment 40: Project 4809
Assignment 50: Project 4811
Assignment description
A research scenario is provided below followed by a discussion of the research project. Read the
scenario and then assess the discussion by answering the assignment questions.
The research scenario
The research company …
You own a consultation company specialising in social science research. The company is called PsyCom.
You employ a number of social scientists and professional psychologists, but there are also student
researchers who do their practical at the company.
Meeting the client …
You have been contacted by Dr Lukele, the director of the Employee Wellness Division of a company
called PTA Steelworks to help him solve a problem. You set up a meeting with Dr Lukele.
According to Dr Lukele HIV/AIDS is becoming a serious problem for the company. The average number
of days of sick leave taken per employee has been increasing over the last five years and is now reaching
alarming proportions. The rise in sick leave taken is associated with HIV/AIDS related ailments.
Therefore the company now decided to implement an HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support programme
(HASP). The programme is to be implemented throughout the company at all work levels. To save costs
they bought an existing programme (the least costly one they could find) and tailored it to suite the
specific needs of PTS Steelworks. They are ready to implement the amended programme but would like
to get a research consultancy company such as PsyCom on board to assess the impact of the
programme. They are hoping that the programme will improve employees’ conduct with regard to
HIV.
Discussing the client’s problem …
,HRPYC81 Assignment 15/30/35/40/45 with solutions
At PsyCom every day begins with project meetings to discuss the business of the day. These meetings
are attended by social scientists and psychologists working for the company as well as student
researchers. This morning you chair the PTA Steelworks project meeting to introduce and discuss the
study with the project team. The team consists of two qualified psychologists, Boshadi and Peter, and
three student researchers, Irene, Lesiba and Kobus.
The assignment questions
The assignment consists of 25 questions. These questions reflect the discussion. In each case you have
to decide who you agree most with, who second most with and who least with.
Question 1
You introduce the project to the team. When you finish Peter says: “The client is not very specific
about the research, so we have to think about the study.” He turns to the student researchers: “How
would you approach this?”
A Lesiba: “Well, we cannot conduct the study without data. So I think we have to consider our data
gathering procedures first so that we can start collecting the data we need for the study.”
B Irene: “Yes, but remember, the research hypotheses are the most important aspect of the research
process. If we do not have the right hypotheses and if they are not formulated correctly the entire
research project will be null and void. So we have to begin with a clear formulation of the research
hypotheses.”
C Kobus: “I think we should make sure we are clear about the research problem and the research
question before we talk about data collection and research hypotheses.”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. b c a
2. a b c
3. c a b
4. a c b
5. c b a
Question 2
Boshadi to the students: “Talking about research problems and hypotheses, what do you think the
research problem is in this case?”
A Lesiba: “The research problem is whether the rise in sick leave taken by employees is due to
HIV/AIDS related ailments.”
, HRPYC81 Assignment 15/30/35/40/45 with solutions
B Irene: “No, I think the research problem is whether the tailored HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support
programme (HASP) is a valid version of the original programme.”
C Kobus: “To my mind the research problem is whether the HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support
programme (HASP) has a significant impact.”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. c a b
2. c b a
3. a c b
4. a b c
5. b a c
Question 3
Peter: “What do you think would be a suitable research question in light of the research problem you
indicated?”
A Lesiba: “Is the rise in sick leave taken by employees due to HIV/AIDS related ailments?”
B Irene: “Is the impact of the tailored HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support programme (HASP) on
employee conduct equivalent to the impact of the original programme?”
C Kobus: “Does the HIV/AIDS conduct of employees correlate with their HASP performance?”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. b a c
2. a b c
3. c b a
4. c a b
5. b c a
Question 4
Peter continues: “Given your formulation of the research problem and the research question, what
would be your research hypothesis?”
ASSIGNMENT 15/30/35/40/50
NOTE:
This assignment is shared by a number of projects. Although the assignment consists of the same
questions the assignment has a different assignment number and a different unique number for each
project. Make sure you use the assignment number and the unique number that are associated with
your project (see Tutorial Letter 101). If you submit the assignment with an incorrect assignment
number or incorrect unique number your assignment will not be marked.
Assignment 15: Project 4803
Assignment 30: Project 4807
Assignment 35: Project 4808
Assignment 40: Project 4809
Assignment 50: Project 4811
Assignment description
A research scenario is provided below followed by a discussion of the research project. Read the
scenario and then assess the discussion by answering the assignment questions.
The research scenario
The research company …
You own a consultation company specialising in social science research. The company is called PsyCom.
You employ a number of social scientists and professional psychologists, but there are also student
researchers who do their practical at the company.
Meeting the client …
You have been contacted by Dr Lukele, the director of the Employee Wellness Division of a company
called PTA Steelworks to help him solve a problem. You set up a meeting with Dr Lukele.
According to Dr Lukele HIV/AIDS is becoming a serious problem for the company. The average number
of days of sick leave taken per employee has been increasing over the last five years and is now reaching
alarming proportions. The rise in sick leave taken is associated with HIV/AIDS related ailments.
Therefore the company now decided to implement an HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support programme
(HASP). The programme is to be implemented throughout the company at all work levels. To save costs
they bought an existing programme (the least costly one they could find) and tailored it to suite the
specific needs of PTS Steelworks. They are ready to implement the amended programme but would like
to get a research consultancy company such as PsyCom on board to assess the impact of the
programme. They are hoping that the programme will improve employees’ conduct with regard to
HIV.
Discussing the client’s problem …
,HRPYC81 Assignment 15/30/35/40/45 with solutions
At PsyCom every day begins with project meetings to discuss the business of the day. These meetings
are attended by social scientists and psychologists working for the company as well as student
researchers. This morning you chair the PTA Steelworks project meeting to introduce and discuss the
study with the project team. The team consists of two qualified psychologists, Boshadi and Peter, and
three student researchers, Irene, Lesiba and Kobus.
The assignment questions
The assignment consists of 25 questions. These questions reflect the discussion. In each case you have
to decide who you agree most with, who second most with and who least with.
Question 1
You introduce the project to the team. When you finish Peter says: “The client is not very specific
about the research, so we have to think about the study.” He turns to the student researchers: “How
would you approach this?”
A Lesiba: “Well, we cannot conduct the study without data. So I think we have to consider our data
gathering procedures first so that we can start collecting the data we need for the study.”
B Irene: “Yes, but remember, the research hypotheses are the most important aspect of the research
process. If we do not have the right hypotheses and if they are not formulated correctly the entire
research project will be null and void. So we have to begin with a clear formulation of the research
hypotheses.”
C Kobus: “I think we should make sure we are clear about the research problem and the research
question before we talk about data collection and research hypotheses.”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. b c a
2. a b c
3. c a b
4. a c b
5. c b a
Question 2
Boshadi to the students: “Talking about research problems and hypotheses, what do you think the
research problem is in this case?”
A Lesiba: “The research problem is whether the rise in sick leave taken by employees is due to
HIV/AIDS related ailments.”
, HRPYC81 Assignment 15/30/35/40/45 with solutions
B Irene: “No, I think the research problem is whether the tailored HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support
programme (HASP) is a valid version of the original programme.”
C Kobus: “To my mind the research problem is whether the HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support
programme (HASP) has a significant impact.”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. c a b
2. c b a
3. a c b
4. a b c
5. b a c
Question 3
Peter: “What do you think would be a suitable research question in light of the research problem you
indicated?”
A Lesiba: “Is the rise in sick leave taken by employees due to HIV/AIDS related ailments?”
B Irene: “Is the impact of the tailored HIV/AIDS Awareness and Support programme (HASP) on
employee conduct equivalent to the impact of the original programme?”
C Kobus: “Does the HIV/AIDS conduct of employees correlate with their HASP performance?”
Rank the three responses (a, b and c) from the best response to the worst response, and then select the
most appropriate order of responses from the list provided below:
1. b a c
2. a b c
3. c b a
4. c a b
5. b c a
Question 4
Peter continues: “Given your formulation of the research problem and the research question, what
would be your research hypothesis?”
