BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS

ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY

ASHIRWAD TIWARI

M210049MS
 KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND COMBINATION: THE ROLE
OF HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES IN THE PERFORMING
OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY FIRMS

1:-SITUATION ANALYSIS

The competition among technology based firms has increased, the source of
competitive advantage in these firms has migrated from tangible resources and market
power to knowledge and knowhow. In addition to create new knowledge in a firm
specific resources that can yield new revenue producing opportunities and enables
firms to respond effectively to rapid changing environment. Commitment based HR
practice is focused on training and development, compensation and selection practice
items, and aims on mutual long-term exchange relationships.

2:- RESEARCH PROBLEM

To develop and test the theory of how a human resource practices affect the
organizational social climate conditions that facilitates knowledge exchange and
combination and resultant firm performance.

3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

 To develop and test theory about how commitment based HR practices affect the
organizational social climates that motivates employees to work together to
generate new knowledge and subsequent firm performance.
 To examine how commitment based HR practices affect firm performance in
rapidly changing environment.
 To examine how commitment based HR practices influence key knowledge
workers, those who are likely to have greatest impact on firm performance through
knowledge exchange and combination.
4. RESEARCH QUESTION :-

How commitment based HR practices affect knowledge creation and firm performance
through organizational social climate?

5. HYPOTHESES PROPOSED

1. Hypothesis 1:- commitment based HR practices are positively related to an

organization’s trust, cooperation, and shared codes and languages
2. Hypothesis 2:-Organizational social climates for trust, cooperation and shared
language are positively related to firm performance(revenue from new products and
services and one year sales growth) through their effects on knowledge exchange and
combination
3. Hypothesis 3:-Commitment based HR practices positively affect employee knowledge
exchange and combination and subsequent firm performance through organizational
social climates for trust, cooperation, and shared codes and languages

6. Identify, List And Classify The Variables

Constructs Dimensions Data collection

Commitment based HR
Practice
Organizational social climate
 Internal labor market and
selection based on fit to the
company
 Group and organizational
based incentives
 Training program and
performance based
appraisals based on long
term growth
 Trust (Ability, Benevolence
, Integrity)
 Cooperation
 Shared codes and language
Previous research
theories and
interview with CEO
and HR managers
with external market
approach
Survey of
knowledge workers

Knowledge exchange/  Employee motivation Survey of

combination  Ability knowledge workers
Firm performance  Revenue form new products Interview with CEO
and services and public corporate
 One year sales growth records
7. MEASUREMENT OF THE VARIABLES AND SCALES USED
1. Commitment based HR Practice:- The HR manager of each practicing company was
asked to rate the extent of which he/she agreed that the company used various HR
practices to manage knowledge workers. It was same for CEO as well. The
measurement was done in nominal five point likert scale (where 1=”strongly disagree”
and 5=”strongly agree” )
2. Organizational social climate:- For each of the three dimensions , the knowledge
workers were asked to access the degree to which they agreed in a scale (where
1=”strongly disagree” and 5=”strongly agree” ).
a. Trust:- 12 item trust scale which included 4 items for each of the three sub
dimensions i.e ability ,integrity, and benevolence.
b. Cooperation:- Reverse scored six item scale.
c. Shared codes and languages:- Reversed scored 5 item scale.
3. Knowledge exchange/ combination:-It was measured by using 8 item scale which
was prepared by brainstorming sessions and pretested with MBA students and
managers who had high tech experiences
4. Firm Performance:- Researcher collected the measure of revenue for new products or
services and percentage of one year sales growth through the follow-up survey from
each CEO .

8. WHAT ARE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY SCORES REPORTED?

CONSTRUCTS RELIABILITY VALIDITY

Commitment based HR 0.87 Not mentioned
Practice
Trust 0.91 Not mentioned

Cooperation 0.88 Not mentioned

Shared codes and language 0.84 Not mentioned
Knowledge 0.91 Not mentioned
Exchange/Combination

9. WHAT ARE THE TOOLS USED

1. Common method variance

2. COMPUSTAT
 3. Least square Regression analysis
4. Confirmatory Factor analysis:- To check the distinctiveness of the constructs.
5. Chi Square difference tests.

.
10. WHAT IS THE SOFTWARE USED

MS Excel- XLSTAT