1. Introduction

This coursework assignment carries 30% of the total of 100% for this Module. It comprises one requirement with one task. It is an individual not a group-based assignment. The task/requirement is detailed in point 5 below.

Please take careful note of the flowing points:
- The focus of this assignment is:
o The identification and supporting justification of an area of research.
o The design of an approach to researching that area.
o A justification of the approach selected.

- The word count is between 3,000 and 3,500 words. You may use less than 3,000 words but in so doing you may be penalizing yourself as it is likely to be challenging to respond to the requirement in less than 3,000 words.
- The upper limit of the word count should not be exceeded - see point 3 below.
- You MUST state an accurate word count (excluding the list of references) on the front page of your submission.
- Note that ALL words/numbers, excluding the references list, will count towards to the total word count. You may use foot notes, illustrations, charts, diagrams, tables but they will all count towards the total word count.
- The submission deadline is Monday 26th September 2016 by 1pm (1300 hours) UTC.
- Any work received after the submission deadline will receive a recorded mark of zero.
- It is recommended that that you cite references using the Harvard referencing system (https://accountancy.elearning.london.ac.uk/mod/lesson/view.php?id=3808). If you use another referencing system state the name of that other system on the front page of your submission and be consistent in its usage across all of your references.
- No appendices (other than the list of references) are allowed.
- Submitted coursework assignments are subject to a range of quality control and scrutiny checks including, as appropriate, double marking and/or moderation and/or scrutiny by the module's Internal and/or External Examiners. All submitted coursework assignments are subject to Turnitin checking for plagiarism (see point 2 below). All results when first published are provisional until confirmed by the Examination Board (to be held in January 2017).
- Assessment criteria are referred to in point 4/Appendix A.

Tasks and requirements

This coursework assignment contributes a maximum of 30% of the total marks available for this module.

Required

There is one requirement in this section. The focus is the design of a research study. Your response to the requirement must be between 3,000 and 3,500 words. Penalties apply for exceeding the word count. No formal penalties apply for using fewer than 3,000 words but in so doing you may be penalizing yourself as it is likely to be challenging to respond to the requirement in less than 3,000 words. Each page should display a page number in the bottom right-hand corner. Note that ALL words/numbers, excluding the references list, will count towards to the total word count. You may use foot notes, illustrations, charts, diagrams, tables but they will all count towards the total word count.

Context

This assignment focuses on your own personal area of interest. This area is likely to be work related but the choice of another area of focus is not excluded but should be justified in your assignment. If you decide to select an area not work-related ensure that the area is of substance and is not ‘light-weight'. The task is to design a research study appropriate for your chosen topic area and write it up in the form of a comprehensive research proposal.

Thus far in this module's materials you have been introduced to and considered the methodological underpinning of a number of aspects of the nature and logistics of, amongst others:

- The nature of research: ‘what research is'.
- Research objectives, hypotheses, and questions.
- Research paradigms.
- Literature reviews.
- Research designs.
- The nature of and approaches to qualitative research.
- The nature of and approaches to quantitative research
- The nature of and approaches to mixed methods research.

Task
You are required to construct a research proposal which captures and articulates a research design for your chosen area of interest. You should have already started to think about research areas as part of the activities in the earlier weeks/topics of the module, some of which you may have shared with your peers. You may use your initial considerations and develop them for this coursework. Alternatively, you may choose a different research area if you have decided that your initial considerations are not suitable/feasible in light of further considerations of module materials and activities.

It should include:

1. An introduction which sets out a concise account of the background to and rationale for the research proposal, which:
o draws on relevant literature to show why your study is important, and
o articulates the relevance and significance of existing research in the field.

2. Your research aims and objectives, and associated hypotheses or questions.

3. The selection of a methodological approach, supported by discussion and justification of your selection of approach, with reference to the research methods literature.

4. The selection of an appropriate research design, with an accompanying description, supported by a justification. In this part of the proposal you should set out and justify:
o the case(s) and/or setting(s) and/or population(s) that will be the focus for data collection;

o the nature of the data you will be collecting;
o how you will, if necessary, negotiate access to data from institutions and/or individuals;
o your sampling strategy;
o the methods you will use to collect and analyse your data.

5. A consideration of any ethical issues that might arise in the course of the research and how you will address them.

6. A relevant reference list

There is no formal guidance relating to the word count for individual sections of your proposal. Any one proposal may vary from another. You must decide how to allocate the 3,000 to 3,500 words yourself.