Demonstrate a competent understanding of research methods,

Each Group should collect primary data of at least 50 respondents and the data should be analyzed using Excel statistical software.

1. Learning Objectives

The GPR of this assessment is designed to assess your ability to:

 Demonstrate a competent understanding of research methods, and methodological and philosophical underpinnings, applicable to researching within the broad field of business and management;

 Undertake a critical review of recent and relevant research appropriate to the development of the field of business and management understanding;

 Plan and produce an organized and logically planned and executed research approach to contributing to business and management theory and, where appropriate, practice;

 Write a final report that presents an authoritative account of your research;

 Plan and design an oral presentation of your report.

1. Proposed Structure of the Written Proposal

The GPR must contain the following components:

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Literature review
4. Theoretical Framework
5. Research Methodology
6. Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusions
9. References
10. Appendices

An outline of the purpose and content of each section is provided below:

1. Abstract – The abstract is probably the most important part of your report because it may be the only part that some will read. It is a short summary of the complete content of the project report. This enables those who are not sure whether they wish to read the complete report to make an informed decision. For those who intend to read the whole report the abstract prepares them for what is to come. It should contain four short paragraphs with the answers to the following questions:
2. What were my research questions, and why were these important?
3. How did I go about answering the research questions?
4. What did I find out in response to my research questions?
5. What conclusions do I draw regarding my research questions?

The academic publisher, Emerald, gives below advice to potential academic authors on how to compile an abstract. This is shown

 Advice on the preparation of an abstract for publication

Abstracts should contain no more than 250 words. Write concisely and clearly. The abstract should reflect only what appears in the original paper.

 Purpose of this paper

What are the reason(s) for writing the paper or the aims of the research?

 Design/methodology/approach

How are the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What is the approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper?

 Findings

What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results.

 Research limitations/implications

If research is reported on in the paper, this section must be completed and should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.

 Practical implications (if applicable)

What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified? Not all papers will have practical implications but most will. What changes to practice should be made as a result of this research/paper?

 What is original/value of paper

What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.

Source: From Emerald Group Publishing (2008) ‘How to . . . write an abstract’. From The Emerald website, http://info.emeraldinsight.com/ authors/guides/abstracts.htm.

2. Introduction – The introduction should give the reader a clear idea about the central issue of concern in your research and why you thought that this was worth studying. It should also include:

2.1 A statement of the problem: This is a general introduction to the topic.

2.2 The significance of the problem: Comment on why this question merits investigation.

2.3 A statement of the research questions or hypothesis: What specific research questions are being addressed in this study?

3. Literature Review – The main purposes of your literature review are to summarize the major published literature in the field of your study and to set your study within its wider context and to show the reader how your study supplements the work that has already been done on your topic. The literature review, therefore, may inform directly your research questions and any specific hypotheses that your research is designed to test.

4. DoE Framework – A theoretical framework is a collection of interrelated concepts, like a theory but not necessarily so well worked-out. A theoretical framework guides your research, determining what things you will measure, and what statistical relationships you will look for

5. Design of Experiment – This should be a detailed chapter giving the reader sufficient information to make an estimate of the reliability and validity of your methods. The table below provides a useful checklist of the points that you should include in the method chapter.

There are five important points to bear in mind when outlining the research process carried out and writing your results.

1. You have to describe the research design and procedures used: completely explain step-by-step what was done.
2. You should to refer the sources of data: give complete information about who, what, when, where, and how the data was collected.

iii. You have to explain the sampling procedures: explain how the data was limited to the amount which was gathered. If all of the available data were not utilized, how was a representative sample achieved?

1. You have to present the methods and instruments of data gathering: explain the procedures for obtaining the data, also describe the manner in which data was recorded.
2. Last but not least, you should describe the statistical treatment: explain the complete mathematical/statistical procedures used in analyzing the data and determining the significance of the results.

Proposed Methodology

 Research Philosophy

 Research Design and Approach

 Population

 Sampling Technique

 Data Collection and Analysis

 Limitations and Ethical Considerations

6. Results – The results chapter or chapters are probably the most straightforward to write. It is your opportunity to report the major findings that your research discovered. This is where you will include such tables and graphs that will illustrate your findings (do not put these in the appendices). The chapter may also contain verbatim quotes from interviewees, or sections of narrative account that illustrate periods of unstructured observation. This is a particularly powerful way in which you can convey the richness of your data. It is the qualitative equivalent of tables and graphs. Often, a short verbatim quote can convey with penetrating simplicity a particularly difficult concept that you are trying to explain.