Assessment One - Business Research Report Proposal: Initial Research Proposal

The initial research proposal will consist of the following SIX (6) items:

1. Identify a business research topic

2. Define the research questions for the identified problem or opportunity

3. Select the appropriate research methodologies and techniques to use for the research project

4. Describe the research process

5. Describe data collection and analysis methods

6. Describe expected research outcomes

Here are some questions to help you develop your business research proposal:

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

What exactly do I want to find out?

What is a researchable problem?

THEORY, ASSUMPTIONS, BACKGROUND LITERATURE:

What does the relevant literature in the field indicate about this problem?

VARIABLES AND HYPOTHESES:

What will I take as given in the environment i.e. what is the starting point?

Which are the independent and which are the dependent variables?

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS AND MEASUREMENT:

Does the problem need scoping/simplifying to make it achievable?

What and how will the variables be measured?

What degree of error in the findings is tolerable?

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY:

What is my overall strategy for doing this research?

Will this design permit me to answer the research question?

What constraints will the approach place on the work?

INSTRUMENTATION/SAMPLING:

How will I get the data I need to test my hypothesis?

What tools or devices will I use to make or record observations?

How will I choose the sample?

What degree of accuracy or level of confidence can I guarantee?

 DATA ANALYSIS:

What combinations of analytical and statistical process will be applied to the data?

Which of these will allow me to accept or reject my hypotheses?

CONCLUSIONS, INTERPRETATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS:

Was my initial hypothesis supported or rejected? Why?

What are the implications of my findings for the theory base, for the background assumptions, or relevant literature?

What recommendations result from the work?

What suggestions can I make for further research on this topic?

Assessment Three - Business Research Report Proposal: FINAL Research Proposal

The FINAL research proposal will consist of the following NINE (9) items:

1. A business research topic.

Strengthen and improve initial proposal.

2. A brief literature review of the research topic

Produce 2 to 3 pages on background information on your research topic.

3. Research questions for the identified problem or opportunity

Strengthen and improve initial proposal

4. Appropriate research methodologies and techniques to use for the research project

Strengthen and improve initial proposal

5. A project plan using a Gantt Chart and clearly defined milestones (if in a group with clearly defined individual tasks, contributions and milestones)

Use Microsoft Project or other software to produce the Gantt Chart.

Your milestones for HI6008 are:

Week 6: Literature Review due.

Week 10: Data Collection and Analysis Report due.

Week 14: Final Business Research (Capstone) Thesis due.

6. Description of the research process

Strengthen and improve initial proposal

7. Description of data collection and analysis methods

Strengthen and improve initial proposal

8. Description of expected research outcomes

Strengthen and improve initial proposal

9. A completed Ethics Checklist.

Complete and sign ethics checklist below and attach with FINAL research project proposal.

All students will need to pass the final research proposal submitted in week 12 to be able to start the capstone research proposal in HI6008 the following semester.

Submit hard copy of FINAL research report to Holmes by 4pm on Friday of Week 12.

ETHICS CHECKLIST FOR STUDENT RESEARCHERS

Please circle your answers:

1) Will the human subjects be informed of the nature of their involvement in the collection of data and of features of the research that reasonably might be expected to influence willingness to participate?

Yes/No

2) Will the human subjects be told that they can discontinue their participation at any time?

Yes/No

3) Will the human subjects in your study be aware that they are the targets of research?

Yes/No

4) If the subjects are underage, will their guardians be asked to sign the consent form?

Yes/No

5) Is the confidentiality of the human subject's identity positively ensured?

Yes/No

6) In cases where there is a possibility that the human subject's identity can be deduced by someone other than the researcher, is the subject's right to withdraw his/her data respected?

Yes/No

7) Will the researcher fulfil all the promises made to the human subjects including providing the summary of the findings upon request?

Yes/No

8) Will all necessary measures be taken to protect the physical safety of the human subjects from dangers such as faulty electrical equipment, poor grounding, lack of oxygen, falls, traffic & industrial accidents, possibility of hearing or vision loss etc.?

Yes/No

9) Will the human subject be debriefed (told the true nature of the study) after the data has been collected?

Yes/No

10) In cases in which the human subject is dissatisfied or a complaint about the researcher or    procedure, will the researcher explain to the human subject that he or she may express this complaint to the Subject Coordinator?

Yes/No

11) Does the study involve concealment from and/or deception of the human subject?

Yes/No

12) Will deception be used in order to obtain agreement to participate?

Yes/No

13) Will the study involve human subjects who are legally or otherwise not in a position to give their valid consent to participate such as children, prison inmates, mental patients?

Yes/No

14) Will information on your human subjects be obtained from third parties?

Yes/No

15) Will any coercion be exerted upon subjects to participate?

Yes/No

16) Will the study involve physical stress to the human subjects such as might result from heat, noise, electric shock, pain, sleep loss, deprivation of  food and drink, drugs, alcohol?

Yes/No

17) Will the study cause any mental discomfort to the human subjects such as fear, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, shame, guilt, embarrassment etc.?

Yes/No

18) Could publication of the research results possibly interfere with strict confidentiality?

Yes/No

19) Could publication of the research results possibly harm the human subject - either directly or through identification with his/her membership group?

Yes/No

20) Are there other aspects of the study that may interfere with the protection of the well-being of the human subjects?

Yes/No

If you have selected NO for any of the questions 1 to 10 and/or you have selected YES for any of the questions 11 o 20, please provide comments to clarify your choice (use additional pages if necessary).