¶ … topical outline for a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods proposal. Include the major topics in the examples in this chapter. (Chapter 4 -- Writing the Proposal) Topical Outline for a Qualitative proposal -- Qualitative Transformative Approach

Statement of the problem (Gender Discrimination in work-place - issue addressed; existing literature about the problem; deficiencies in the literature; and relevance of the study for audiences)

Study the impact of women discrimination by society

Philosophical assumptions or worldview

Qualitative research strategy

Role of the researcher

Data collection procedures (including the collaborative approaches used with participants)

e. Data analysis procedures

f. Strategies for validating findings

g. Proposed narrative structure

h. Anticipated ethical issues

Preliminary pilot findings (if available)

Significance of the study and transformative changes likely to occur

References

Appendixes: Interview questions, observational forms, timeline, proposed budget, and a summary of proposed chapters for the final study

2. Locate a journal article that reports qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research. Examine the introduction to the article and, using the hook-and-eye method illustrated in this chapter; identify the flow of ideas from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph and any deficiencies. (Chapter 4 -- Writing Ideas)

Journal Article:

Power and gender at the crossroads: A qualitative examination of the nexus of power and gender in public relations

Katie R. Place, Saint Louis University, Missouri

Introduction:

Female public relations practitioners experience unique gender- and power-related phenomena...

Although women comprise nearly 70% of the public relations workforce, they receive lower salaries, achieve fewer promotions to management positions, and are favored less than men during the hiring process (Aldoory & Toth, 2002, p. 103). Scholars suggest, therefore, that women may lack power in public relations due to gender-based discrimination and expectations. Because of its female-majority status and unique gender norms, the public relations industry offers an ideal site of study for the analysis of gender and power in order to further advance gender theories of communication. Previous communication scholarship has championed such use of site- and case-specific inquiry of gender and power in the workplace (e.g. Ashcraft, 2005). The limited understanding of power in public relations necessitates further analysis. Power has often been studied separately from gender, as a capacity or individual possession. van Zoonen (1994) explained, however, that "power is not a monolithic 'thing' that some groups (men, capitalists, whites) have and others (women, working class, blacks) have not" (p. 4). Gender research offers one way to deconstruct, analyse and critique the individual, cultural and embedded relations of power that exist in public relations practice. By studying the concepts of gender and power together, we further advance gender theories of communication and better understanding of the complex and layered intersections of gender and power. Failure to address gender/power issues in public relations may perpetuate gender discrimination and slow women's professional advancement and equality. Whereas previous public relations scholarship has examined the concepts of gender and power separately, this qualitative study examines these phenomena together…