MBA PROGRAMME RESEARCH TOOLKIT

This Research Toolkit will support MBA Students to carry out their MBA Projects in public service environments. Please CTRL + Click on the sections below.

HOW WILL YOU GATHER THE INFORMATION? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

HOW WILL YOU PLAN YOUR APPROACH TO ENGAGING PEOPLE? .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

HOW WILL YOU ANALYSE THE RESEARCH? .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

WHAT TECHNIQUES WILL HELP YOU MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS? ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

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How will you gather the information?

Surveys Presenting Survey Data Feedback Systems

Surveys can help deliver large-scale responses to identical questions.

There are a number of tools that can help present survey data in a form that is easily understandable.

This could include research to tap into the expertise of staff or customers, using techniques such as interviews/observation methods.

Participatory Workshops Open Space Events Webinars

These are meetings which enable local people to analyse, share and enhance their knowledge to plan projects and programmes.

Open space events are participant driven – participants decide on the programme and self organise into groups.

Webinars are a fairly simple device for organising seminars over the web.

Focus groups Interviews Literature surveys and reviews

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This helps explore a small number of people’s views in-depth, as opposed to surveys that ask numbers of people identical questions.

Interviews can provide important insights, into the nature of the problem, work underway and the further work required.

These bring together research evidence and identify promising new approaches.

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How will you plan your approach to engaging people?

Stakeholder Engagement Matrix Stakeholder Engagement Plan Risk Assessment

This helps identify the key stakeholders, and rate them by how supportive, how influential and affected they will be by the project.

This should specify the approach to engaging with stakeholders and include details of the proposed actions and when they will take place.

This helps identify and assess these threats to successful project delivery.

Stakeholders

Project Sponsor Student Kent Connects Users and customers

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How will you analyse the research?

Mapping Needs Identifying differential needs and capacities Mapping flows

Mapping needs to estimate the existence, nature and distribution of the actual and potential need for services.

Identifying differential needs and capacities through market research, consumer categories and geo-demographic segmentation techniques.

Mapping flows of people, goods and messages often uncovers unseen patterns and possibilities.

Market Analysis Resource Analysis Cultural Mapping

This aims to provide insights into the market related to your project and knowledge of the likely impact of various actions.

This will help identify the quantity and quality of resources available to the people involved in implementing your recommendations

This helps understand how an organisation’s culture will affect its ability to change and adapt to new policies.

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National Comparisons Benchmarking Systems Thinking

These bring together information on similar approaches to your project in other local areas & draw out relevant experience.

This can include comparing the organisation’s strategy, performance, processes or functions.

Systems thinking models aim to analyse all the many feedback links.

SWOT Analysis PESTLE

It can be simply understood as the examination of an organisation’s or a strategy’s internal Strengths and Weaknesses, and its external Opportunities and Threats.

This involves identifying the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological influences.

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Generative Paradigms Generative Scripts First Principles Thinking

Generative paradigms provide new ways of thinking and doing. Examples include the idea of disability rights, zero carbon housing or lifelong learning.

An example from the private sector was the rise of fast food retailing which created a new script for having a meal.

This describes challenging implicit assumptions and approaches.

Tools for visibility Issue Trees Modelling

Mapping, visualisations, storyboards, photographs and video interviews are all tools used to visualise complexity.

This exercise should define the overall issue to be addressed by breaking it down in a logical way to highlight all the sub-issues.

Modelling is a very useful analytical tool that aims to establish formal mathematical relationships between variables.

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What techniques will help you make recommendations?

Forecasting Scenario Development Counterfactual Analysis

Forecasting identifies and tracks past trends and extrapolates them into the future.

Scenarios are used to identify a number of possible alternative futures and, optionally, how we might get there.

The counterfactual is an estimate of the circumstances that would have prevailed had a new policy not been introduced.

Cost Benefit Analysis Multi Criteria Analysis Social Impact Assessments

Decisions are made by comparing the present value of the costs with the present value of the benefits of the strategy.

This requires identifying options for analysis, identifying criteria to assess them, assessing options against criteria, scoring and then weighting them.

This captures all the dimensions of value produced by a new policy.

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Stated Preference Method Revealed Preference Method Social Return on Investment

This monetises social value by drawing on what people say they would pay for a service or outcome.

This focuses on the choices people have made in related fields in order to estimate value.

This helps stakeholders recognise all of the potential benefits a project or program might have, including wider economic benefit and social returns.

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