Tag: external view

Internal and External Validity

In quantitative research, a study is valid if one could draw meaning and inferences from the results based on methodology employed.  The three ways to look at validity is in (1) Content (do we measure what we wanted), (2) Predictive (do we match similar results, can we predict something), and (3) construct (are these hypothetical or real concepts).  This is not to be confused with reliability & consistency.  Thus, Creswell (2013) warns that if we modify an instrument or combine it with others, the validity and reliability of it could change, and in order to use it we must reestablish its validity and reliability.  There are several threats to validity that exist, either internal (history, maturation, regression, selection, mortality, diffusion of treatment, compensatory/resentful demoralization, compensatory rivalry, testing, and instrumentation) or external (interaction of selection and treatment, interaction of setting and treatment, and interaction of history and treatment).

Sample Validity Considerations: The validity issues are and their mitigation plans

Internal Validity Issues:

Hurricane intensities and tracks can vary annually or even decadally.  As time passes during this study for the 2016 and 2017 Atlantic Ocean Basin this study may run into regression issues.  These regression issues threaten the validity of the study in a way that certain types of weather components may not be the only factors that can increase/decrease hurricane forecasting skill from the average.  To mitigate regression issues, the study could mitigate the effect that these storms with an extreme departure from the average forecast skill have on the final results by eliminating them.  Naturally, the extreme departures from the average forecast skill will, with time, slightly impact the mean, but their results are still too valuable to dismiss.  Finding out which weather components impact these extreme departures from the average forecast skill is what drives this project.  Thus, their removal doesn’t seem to fit in this study and defeats the purpose of knowledge discovery.

External Validity Issues: 

The Eastern Pacific, Central Pacific, and Atlantic Ocean Basin have the same underlying dynamics that can create, intensify and influence the path of tropical cyclones.  However, these three basins still behave differently, thus there is an interaction of setting and treatment threats to the validity of these studies results. Results garnered in this study will not allow me to generalize beyond the Atlantic Ocean Basin. The only way to mitigate this threat to validity is to suggest future research to be conducted on each basin separately.

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Business strategy and social business strategy

According to Wollan, Smith and Zhou (2010) a business strategy is “the direction, positioning, scope, objectives, and competitive differentiation” of the business.  However, having a social business strategy is important.  It is important and enables a business to learn from the business’ employees, customers, and partners (Li, 2010).  It is important and enables to drive a dialog (both internally and externally) and thus creates a relationship within and outside of the business (Li, 2010; Wollan et al., 2010). This relationship can lead to innovation, because of what is learned from having this relationship within and outside of the business (Li, 2010).

From an external view of a social media strategy, it is seen to engage with its customers and promote its business along with its business strategy.  Originally, marketing departments and public relations (PR) teams ran the early uses of social media, but eventually, it got too complex (Wollan et al., 2010). Today, many companies have multiple teams that use social media, and this is in line with open leadership (Li, 2010; Wollan et al., 2010).  All these departments have to deal with the following key issues related to the business strategy, and it should be contained in their social media strategy (Wollan et al., 2010):

  • “How is social media aligned to the business?”
  • “How should social media decisions are made [or prioritized]?”
  • “How do we manage social media investments?”
  • “What controls do we need in place?”
  • “How do we measure and reward?”

This social media strategy should be created not just by executives but through leaders encompassing all the departments, because of social media impacts all departments, not just marketing and PR departments (Wollan et al., 2010).

Placing an internal view of a social media strategy, it can help shape the human capital strategy, which enables the business strategy (Wollan et al., 2010).  Considering the human capital strategy helps define the needs of their employees, discovering and attracting talent, developing high-potential talent, and deploying the talent in the right place and at the right time through knowledge sharing plans (Wollan et al. 2010). Also, business employees know and even feel any changes made in the business strategy (BusinessWeek Online, 2012). Social media is one of many ways to help drive and understand employee responses to these changes.

However, engaging people/customers from a business perspective is not as simple as just starting a social media page/account and watching what happens.  Li (2010), described that there is an engagement pyramid, where watching what happens and the competitors/suppliers have the lowest level of social engagement and sharing, commenting, producing and curating content show increasing levels of engagement.  It’s in the higher levels of engagement that helps one develop a relationship via social media.  Businesses need to move past the watching what happens level of engagement and start curating content that helps customers and employees share their content (“word of mouth”), which can help drive up the sales of their products and services (Boysen, 2012).

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