Reference no: EM132410019

Business Research Project - Reflective Journal

Assessment - Business Research Design and Methodology

Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping) The purpose of this assessment is to ensure each student is able to contribute to the construction of a written report demonstrating their understanding of the business research paradigm, appropriate methodology, and required (proposed) data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Assignment Specifications

Purpose:

This unit aims to give you an opportunity to combine many facets of your acquired MBA skills into the production of a high-quality research report.

Assignment 3 - the Research Design and Methodology - is to ensure each student is able to contribute to the construction of a written report demonstrating their understanding of the business research paradigm, appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis and interpretation.

You will ideally work in a group of up to 3 persons. Your respective contributions will be governed by your Team Charter, which you produced at the same time as your Topic Approval submission. Additionally, you are required to append to this report a statement indicating ‘who wrote which sections'.

This assessment builds upon your Literature Review (assessment 2) in that you are now aware of what additional data is needed to lead you to the answer to your research question(s) (as defined in Topic Approval (assessment 1). To discover the required data may require you to search for additional secondary data, and will most probably also require the collection of primary data, by applying qualitative or quantitative methods. In this assessment you will document what your team has decided as the most appropriate way forward. If you choose a quantitative approach, you will go ahead and state your hypothesis, how you intend to verify it, what data you need, how it can be collected and analysed. [Note that you are NOT required to actually obtain primary data]. If you choose a qualitative approach, you will go ahead and decide which method is appropriate, how you would design the questionnaire (include a few example questions), and state how you would collate and interpret your data. [Note that you are NOT required to actually obtain primary data].

Your lecturer will LEAD and FACILITATE you through the process, week by week. The learning will be progressive, so for best results you will need to be in weekly contact with your lecturer during class time at your campus.

Only if you were requested to revise and resubmit your Literature Review should you append it to this submission.

This submission does require an appendix in which it is stated which members of the group actually wrote which sections of the Business Research Design and Methodology.

Assignment Structure should be as the following:

1. Introduction (an edited and adjusted version of your topic approval) including a justification for your research question(s).
2. A detailed research methodology addressing the qualitative-quantitative debate, hypothesis (if appropriate), additional secondary data, proposed primary data sample size and sampling approach, questionnaire design factors (include some sample questions), data collection method, envisaged analysis and interpretation.
3. A summary of your findings OR what you would expect to find
4. A conclusion (relating back to your original research problem and question(s))
5. The appended statement of ‘Who wrote What'

Note: You may request your lecturer to allow you to undertake a business project, company-specific consultancy, or business planning project. Permission may be granted by the lecturer to this effect in consultation with the Unit Coordinator and Degree Convenor. In that case the Assignment Structure and Marking Criteria may differ, as directed by the lecturer.