ssignment Brief – BUSINESS RESEARCH BUS020N532A
Coursework: Research Proposal (70%)
Aim: This assignment is intended to form the foundation for a final year business project or dissertation. The proposal is expected to address a business-related problem of practical and academic interest.
Learning outcomes:
Reflect critically on theoretical and methodological issues in business research, including critically evaluating published journal articles;
Understand research design issues, frame appropriate research questions, and employ appropriate research methods;
Appreciate the historical, social and political contexts of business research choices;
Critically evaluate existing literature in order to produce a reflective, critical literature review for a research project;
Choose, justify, and, where necessary, design appropriate research methods to collect empirical data for a business research project.
Prepare a research proposal.
Structure of the Research Proposal
Title: A full descriptive title for a business-related research problem to be investigated. This is usually related to your research questions but you can also make it interesting! Or have an interesting title and a more prosaic sub-title.
1. Introduction: Scene-setting, why does the research problem matter, why you have chosen this topic. (If your research design involves a case study this section may also include information regarding the case study organization). (approx. 100 words)
2. Literature review: Reporting the state of the art in this field as a preliminary to asking your research questions. It is important the literature you discuss relates directly to what your research question/s relate/s to. It is important to show what is already known and what the research gap you are trying to address is (approx. 1000 words)
3. Research questions: Based on your literature review in which you elaborate on what is known your research question should ideally cover one of areas where not that much is known. Explanation of the research problem and detail of the research questions (approx. 350 words)
4. Method: This section will indicate how you intend answer your research questions. What data (qualitative or quantitative) will be collected and why? This will cover the following areas (approx. 450 words):
Research approach: Qualitative/Quantitative (or mixed), as well as justification for the chosen research design
Research instruments, data collection techniques and procedures
Sampling (what sample has been chosen? and why?)
5. Access and Ethics: Indicate that you have considered the ethical implications of your work and explain how you will gain access to the research field, i.e. how you will find the information you need (approx. 100 words).
7. References: A list of works cited, following Roehampton Harvard referencing style (not included in the word-count).
8. Appendices: Preliminary draft of questionnaires, interview or observation structures and so on will be included as Appendices. (not included in the word-count)
