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Assignment Question: You are asked to submit a research proposal by the end of the semester

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Assignment Question:

You are asked to submit a research proposal by the end of the semester. This is an individual assignment, carrying 50% in-course marks. The details or requirements for this assignment are as below.

2.0 General requirement on Proposals

The assignment must adhere to standard academic documentation standards. (Failure to do so will result in loss of marks in the Format, Citations and References criterion.)

i.              Font size

Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, using a word processor. The letters should be in Times New Roman, size 12 points.

 

ii.             Line Spacing

The body of the text should be double-spaced. Single spacing is only permitted in tables, long quotations, short footnotes, notes, multi-line captions and references.

 

iii.            Pagination

Font size 8 is recommended for page numbers.

Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.) should be used in the preliminary section. All pages are to be numbered at the centre of the bottom.

 

 

iv.           Subdivisions

The text should be divided into chapters, for example, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. Subdivisions can also be used. Content of each chapter may be divided under headings and sub-headings such as 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 and so on. Headings should only be presented at a maximum of three levels.

 

v.            Number of words

The proposal should usually be around 3000-4500 words (excluding references).

 

3.0: Proposal Format

The proposal format must include the following:

 

Title:

The title (topic) of the proposal should ‘accurately’ reflect the scope and content of the study in not more than 15 words. The title should be concise, precise and outline core Issues of study.

 

The parts in the research proposal are as follows:

1.            Introduction

Introduce the topic, the sector of business/industry concerned and how the project relates to it.  Define the context of the problem and identify the research required to solve it.

 

This section includes the following:

1.1          Background

The research topic proposed to be studied is introduced in this section. It should help the reader to acquaint with the topic. This is a broad overview of the topic and this is where you explain the context of your proposal and describe in detail why it's important.

 

1.2          Problem Statement

A research problem is an educational issue or concern that an investigator presents and justifies in a research study. Discuss the issue that you intend to study in a problem statement and show that there is an issue that needs to be addressed or a “gap” in the body of knowledge that you want to fill.

 

1.3          Research Questions

Research questions (RQs) are refined statements of the specific components of the problem. The research questions must be in line with the objectives and should indicate the variables under investigation. They should be clearly and unambiguously framed as they will influence research methodology and the type of data analysis to be conducted.

 

1.4 Objective/Purpose

A specific result that a person or system aims to achieve within a time frame and with available resources.  Ask yourself what you hope to uncover through your research and then say it in a way that the reader will understand.

 

1.5          Significance of study

Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing. Briefly tell the reader the significance of the study (justify doing the study). You can argue the significance of your study from managerial, theoretical and academic perspectives.

 

1.6          Scope

Set the boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide a clear focus. Where appropriate, state not only what you will study, but what is excluded from the study.

 

1.7          Limitations

The limitations of the study refer to elements which are beyond the control of the researcher. Some common limitations faced by researchers are, for example, limitations due to small sample size, measuring instruments, or generalizability of the results. Do not be intimidated by the limitations of the study because it is not possible to expect every research conducted to be perfect. They merely indicate to the reader that you are aware of the limitations and that the findings should be interpreted in light of these limitations. 

 

1.8          Definition of Key Terms

If necessary, provide definitions of key concepts or terms. Provide operational definitions of key terms, especially the variables investigated in the study. You need to define the variables in your study so that readers know exactly what is meant by the terms and so that other researchers can replicate the research. This is only possible if you provide operational definitions of the variables.

 

2.            Literature Review

Generally, this chapter provides a background for the development of your study and brings the reader up to date about research and thinking in the field. This is a review and synthesis of prior studies related to the research problem under investigation. It also gives evidence of your knowledge of the field. The purpose here is to place your project within the larger whole of what is currently being explored, while demonstrating to your readers that your work is original and innovative. Think about what questions other researchers have asked, what methods they have used, and what is your understanding of their findings and, where stated, their recommendations. Assess what you believe is missing and state how previous research has failed to adequately examine the issue that your study addresses.

 

You should avoid an article-by-article presentation but should indicate areas of agreement or disagreement in findings or gaps in existing knowledge. Also, avoid excessive use of quotations. In addition, you should rely more on primary sources for your review. The literature reviewed should also be as recent as possible.

 

For Quantitative and Mixed Method studies, state the hypothesis. A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher.  Often, a hypothesis is a possible answer to the research question.

 

3.            Research Methodology

Detail the methodology to be used in the pursuit of the research. The objective here is to convince the reader that your overall research design and methods of analysis will correctly address the problem and that the methods will provide the means to effectively interpret the potential results. Your design and methods should be unmistakably tied to the specific aims of your study.

 

Be specific about the methodological approaches you plan to undertake to obtain information and the techniques you would use to analyze the data. Consider research philosophy, research approach, research strategy, research choice, sampling method and type of data to be collected. Keep in mind that a methodology is not just a list of tasks; it is an argument as to why these tasks add up to the best way to investigate the research problem.

 

Describes the methodology used in great detail and with justifications of its use over other similar methodologies. For example, you could explain:

•             Why you are using a certain Research philosophy or theory.

•             Why you are using quantitative or qualitative research.

•             Why you are using a survey or case study of a specific kind or other strategy.

•             What is your sampling method and your sample size?

•             How you are proposing to collect the data.

•             How you are proposing to analyze the data.

•             What are the ethical considerations?

 

4.0 References

As with any scholarly research paper, you must cite the sources you used in composing your proposal.

This section should testify to the fact that you did enough preparatory work to make sure the project will complement and not duplicate the efforts of other researchers. Cited works should always use a standard format that follows the writing style advised by the discipline of your course.

 

•             References must be provided in the usual scholarly fashion. It helps to convince your reader that your proposal is worth pursuing if you can identify literature in the field and demonstrate that you understand it.

•             Use the citation style proposed by the APA Referencing.

•             Make sure that all materials cited in the text are also found in the list of references and vice versa. This will reflect your academic honesty in producing the research report.

•             You are encouraged but not limited to use APU E- Databases and Staffordshire E-Databases; obtain the login and password from the university librarians).

•             You must have at least 20 references from sources of authority (i.e. academic journals, academic websites, or textbooks).  However, for students who wish to receive more marks in their assignment, they should strive to go beyond the minimal requirement by looking for more relevant and authoritative sources of information.

•             You should on no account make reference to www.wikipedia.com, www.about.com or the likes as sources for your work. 

 

5.0 Appendices

Include in this section all the relevant support materials especially the research instruments that are to be used in the study. This will indicate to whoever assesses your proposal that you are ready to embark on the intended research.

 

 

6.0 Grading and Distribution of marks

The assignment must adhere to standard academic documentation standards. (Failure to do so will result in loss of marks in the Format, Citations and References criterion.)

 

The grading rubric which is a scoring guide that identifies the standards and criteria for this assignment will be used. 

The objective of using rubrics help you simplify grading and ensure consistency. Using rubrics, the strengths and weaknesses of the paper will be highlighted, and feedback given to students.  The students to understand in advance the criteria by which their performance is to be judged.