4. Research Design and Methodology (1-2 pages):

• Purpose of the Study (Exploratory, Descriptive, Hypothesis Testing or Case Analysis)
• Type of Investigation, Extent of Researcher Interference, Study Setting, Unit of Analysis, Time Horizon

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between employer-provided mobile handheld devices and work-life balance. Mobile devices allow for more flexible work schedules that can provide users with the freedom to work ‘anywhere, anytime' (Davis 2002). However, this extended flexibility can potentially lead to an unwanted overlapping of work and personal time. Primary data will be collected through a one-time survey questionnaire with the potential to follow up with qualitative one-to-one interviews with specific participants. Participants will be recruited through my own extended network and will have the following required characteristics:

• Works for an organization that has more than 1,000 employees
• Has been using their employer-provided mobile handheld device for at least 6 months. I am randomly selecting 6 months as I think this is an adequate duration of time for an individual to experience increased expectations with availability and assess how their work-life balance has been affected
• Has used the device for all of the following purposes - place phone calls, check and respond to email messages, retrieve scheduling and contact information

Specific examples of these devices include Blackberry's, Palm Treo's, PocketPCs, and other Smartphones and wireless enterprise devices. My survey questionnaire will probe into other characteristics of a participant's profile that might help identify and/or isolate attributes that affect the relationship between device usage and work-life balance. Examples of such include the participant's industry, job level, job function, marital status, age, etc. It will also inquiry about the types of formal organizational policies, if any exist, that address mobile handheld device usage.

The investigation will be a correlational, cross-sectional field study with no interference on the normal workflow. Participants will answer the survey in their natural, non-contrived work environment. The unit of analysis is an individual; the work-life balance of individual handheld device users is the dependent variable of primary interest. The research will examine the correlation between employer-provided mobile handheld devices and work-life balance.