Hello everyone!

My name is Josh and I am a graduate student at James Madison University and am working to complete an assignment on ROI. I have been doing some research, which I briefly noted below, and had a few questions about people's experiences with ROI. If individuals would be so kind to take a few moments to share, I would really appreciate it!

Return on Investment appeared in program evaluation research and literature as one approach to improve the flaws in Kirkpatrick’s (1998) original four-level model of evaluation, which did not examine the financial impact of programs on the bottom-line of organizations. As Phillips & Phillips (2006) demonstrate, however, ROI is not a new practice, but rather one that has been in existence in some form or another since the 1920s, even though it is an evaluative method that only recently has become more widespread in evaluation efforts. While organizations value ROI as an effective evaluation method, there is no one single model for calculating ROI. Rowden (2005) notes some of the ROI methods, including cost-benefit analysis, the training-benefit forecasting model, the Stolovitch/Maurice model, and critical outcome technique among many other methods. Phillips & Phillips (2004) contend that ROI even provides more than merely numbers, encompassing results from all levels of the traditional four-level approach to evaluation, in addition to return on investment itself and intangible benefits, if calculated correctly. Other researchers do not hold such high praise for ROI, such as Levinson (2005), who contends that return on investment is overly simplistic and too time consuming. Therefore, other aspects of analytics for evaluation are also playing key roles in the field as well. In addition, still other organizations still rely on Kirkpatrick’s (1998) model of evaluation.

Does your organization value return on investment analysis?

Does your organization utilize any particular form of ROI for programs? If so, in what way does the organization utilize ROI?

Does your organization calculate ROI in-house, or is someone contracted from outside the organization to provide ROI analysis (if your organization utilizes ROI)?

Does your organization’s method of ROI evaluation (if you utilize one) provide more information than merely the standard cost-benefit analysis (such as reaction, learning, or application)?

What do you feel is the best method for calculating ROI for programs?

Do you feel ROI is a good stand-alone method for evaluation, or should ROI go alongside other methods? If so, what other methods do you feel should supplement ROI?

Thank you everyone! I look forward to hearing your experiences and insight!

Is this for a Master Thesis proposal????

Nero

I am not asking for anyone to help with a Master's thesis or research project. The assignment that I am working on is to solicit feedback from practitioners in the field of evaluation in an online Community of Practice (forum) on questions we generated in an area of the field that we are interested in. So any feedback anyone could provide to the questions I posted on the ROI or Kirkpatrick threads would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

"I have been doing some research". Incredulous.

Nero