Topic - Business Etiquette

How do different genders approach business etiquette in meetings?

We will employ the use of a focus group to collect our research. Focus groups will allow our participants to discuss the topic and respond to questions within a group of their peers. This will help to absolve any feeling of discomfort and promote participation and interaction because of the personal nature of a focus group. Furthermore focus groups generally offer a wider range of opinions than one-on-one interviews.

The personal nature of the focus group will make an office boardroom or meeting space ideal to conduct our research. This site will be convenient for our sample group because they will not have to go out of their way or leave their workplace to participate. In order to have a representative sample population, we intend to have 6-12 employees participate, equal distributions of male and female employees.

We will need one mediator to conduct the focus group and a second individual to take notes and make observations while the focus group is being conducted.

Focus Group: Questions - we will encourage the participants in our focus group to elaborate upon their answers and give personal anecdotes to support their responses. We believe the use of 5 questions will give us sufficient data and allow for an appropriate amount of discussion or each member of the focus group.

Questions:

1. During a business discussion, do you feel that it is appropriate to interject or interrupt a co-worker?

2. How much notice do you feel is an appropriate amount to cancel or reschedule a meeting?

3. When conducting a meeting in a non-conventional meeting space such as at a restaurant, do you feel obligated to observe typical business etiquette?

4. When do you feel it is appropriate to use a cell phone during a meeting?

5. What type of information do you feel is appropriate to divulge upon first meeting somewhat in a professional setting?