Reference no: EM132821697

Assessment - Research Proposal Brief and Feasibility

Assessment 1 Details

Students develop the Research Proposal across the trimester by working and submitting several individual assignment tasks. The first of these is the Research Proposal Brief and its Feasibility.

A Research Proposal Brief, early in the trimester, is to receive feedback about the suitability of the topic so that it informs others of a proposed research project and its significance.

This is the first stage of preparing a Research Proposal that could be used as part of an application to undertake a research degree or to apply for funding to conduct the study.

For this assignment, students are required to consult an Industry Representative / Consultant or other approved person (this may include an academic staff member), to discuss their research project's significance and feasibility. They will therefore, revise their proposal or research question on the basis of the feedback. This assignment has two assessable components: the submission of a written Research Proposal Brief and its Feasibility Report, in academic format (1500 words), and a viva -voce oral PowerPoint presentation (7-10 minutes).

This assignment is aimed at ensuring that the research project is important, realistic and manageable, and that the research question is appropriate and can be answered with the proposed methodology. It is crucial that the students can complete the research tasks in a timely manner and apply the relevant project management and research tools and techniques. Students can use a Gantt chart to keep track of their schedule for all assigned assessment tasks, and therefore, minimize risks.

The feasibility analysis may result in feedback that suggests changes to the research approach and these can be incorporated in the Research Proposal. The reflection is important to show that feedback has been considered and acted upon, for example, by revising the scope of the topic, research question or methodology. This is equivalent to the acceptance of the project charter for which the students have studied in their course.

For the Research Proposal Brief you need to prepare an outline of your proposed research topic and research plan using the template below. The recommended lengths of each section are approximate, and will vary depending on the research question you are proposing to investigate and the methodology you are proposing to use in your research proposal.

1. Project Title: This is a brief descriptive summary of the proposed research topic. For ideas on how a project title should look, look at articles in Project Management journals
such as the International Journal of Project Management
2. Research Overview and Justification: This is a brief summary of the research topic that describes the topic and why it is important for a research study to be conducted to investigate the topic
3. Condensed Literature Review (at least three research-based sources). Discuss the objectives, methodologies and findings of relevant previous research that provides a background for your research topic. The aim is to provide a critique of existing work and
identify gaps in knowledge and / or methodological weaknesses in existing research.
4. Research Objectives, Research question and Sub-questions. Linking back to
sections (2) and (3), present and justify the question that your research project will be designed to answer.
5. Methodology (which type- Comparative, Descriptive, Action, Ethnographic, Explanatory, Exploratory). Think about how you would answer your research question (e.g., by reviewing trends in national / international statistics, by conducting a survey of consumers, by undertaking interviews with employers) and start to consider any advantages, disadvantages, materials needed or practical limitations of the methodology. You do not have to actually be able to carry out the study, but you need to think about what you would need to carry out a study to answer your research question.
6. Significance of the research of the project. This is a final summary of all of the sections above ending with a statement of why it is important to conduct the research
using the methodology proposed.
7. Describe the role of the Industry Representative / Consultant and their years working in the industry (do not identify the person by name)
8. Summary of the questions presented to the Industry Representative / Consultant based on the following main questions:
* "Please comment on the importance of this research topic for the industry?"
* "Please comment on how convincing you found the justification for the research?"
* "Please comment on the feasibility of the proposed methodology for answering the research question?"
* "Do you think the findings of a study like this can have industry applications?"
9. Summary of Feedback / Recommendations from Industry Representative / Consultant organized by questions
10. Your reflection on the Feedback / Recommendations from Part 3 above. How might you need to modify your Research Proposal to improve it in the areas of:
* Justifying the topic and question?
* Importance to Industry?
* Feasibility?

Assessment 2: Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

Prepare a 2000 word submission which will be incorporated in your research proposal for your chosen research topic. There is a proposed structure and a recommendation for how long each section should be below. The recommended lengths of each section are approximate, and will vary depending on the research question you are proposing to investigate and the methodology you are proposing to use in your hypothetical research proposal. The submission must concentrate on the literature review and your conceptual framework.
Guideline for Preparing the Assignment
1. Abstract / Overview of the project. Point out the importance of the project, why it is being conducted, what the results are expected to show, and the significance of the findings. (~300 words, not included in word count, write it at the end)

2. With reference to evidence, describe the research objectives and research question(s). (~200 words)

3. Critically evaluate the literature. Describe and evaluate the evidence concerning the research topic. The aim is to provide a critique of existing work and identify gaps in knowledge and / or methodological weaknesses in existing research. You have limited space, and so are not expected to provide a comprehensive critique, but to evaluate a small number of appropriate, recent, peer reviewed studies to demonstrate your skills in identifying and evaluating appropriate evidence.
(~1000 words)

4. Describe your research study to answer the research question or test the research hypothesis. You do not have to actually be able to carry out the study, but you need to think about what you would need to carry out a study to answer your research question or test your hypothesis. (~800 words in total, with sections as notedbelow).

• Design / Methodology. This section includes details of the research methodology to be used. Will this be a randomized controlled trial? A quasi-experimental design? A cross-sectional survey? A longitudinal design? A qualitative research study using focus groups? A qualitative research study using semi-structured interviews? A combination of these or something else entirely? In this section the aim is to describe the characteristics of a research design / methodology that is capable of answering the research question / testing the hypothesis posed. You must provide a conceptual framework model that is not flawed (~500 words).

• Proposed Data Collection and Analysis. Describe the proposed data collection method and data analysis strategy, briefly. (~200 words).

• Ethical issues. Provide a brief statement that clearly shows whether or not ethics approvals would be required for the research project. (~100 words).

5. References (not included in the word count)

When preparing your research proposal please keep in mind that you are being assessed as a level 9 AQF student. This means that your report must:
(a) Follow the accepted conventions for writing academic reports in terms of writing style and referencing;
(b) Demonstrate your ability to critically review evidence and draw conclusions based on your evaluation.

Assessment 3: Research Design

Prepare a 2000 word research design report for your chosen research topic. There is a proposed structure and a recommendation for how long each section should be below. The recommended lengths of each section are approximate, and will vary depending on the research question you are proposing to investigate and the methodology you are proposing to use in your hypothetical research proposal.

Describe and justify your research design for your research question(s) associated with your research study. You may include sub-questions, however, this is not mandatory. It is important that you clearly outline the rationale of your research design, and in addition, provide a clear description of your theoretical or conceptual framework. For example, you may choose a descriptive, exploratory, experimental or quasi-experimental design. Another, but more complex design may be appropriate for your research project, such as a time-series design. You must ensure your design is not flawed; you should discuss it with your tutor and use the industry expert's feedback. Furthermore, you should consider whether or not your study intends to investigate causes, such as scheduled delays associated with highly complex projects or relationships between variables. A qualitative methodology might be more appropriate for exploring how people carry out teamwork tasks in projects or a business scenario.

Discuss your methodology and its appropriateness to answer the research question. For example, you might consider how the question could be answered using a quasi-experimental, time- series and qualitative methodology. In your answer you need to indicate for the chosen methodology:
• Type of data to be collected and / or analysed (e.g., self-report questionnaires, structured interviews, existing data set)
• Description of sample required to answer the question (number of people, relevant demographic characteristics)
• Data collection instrument- questionnaire design, summary of literature for content analysis, or other specific tool
• Proposed data analysis and hypothesis testing, if required (for quantitative research design)
• Advantages
• Discussion of quality criteria, such as validity, reliability, transferability (for qualitative research design) and so on
• Limitations
• Ethical considerations in using the methodology

It is recommended that you start on the assignment early and develop it throughout the trimester, thinking about how you could apply each of the topics that are considered in the unit to the question.

Assessment 4: Final Research Proposal and Presentation

Clear identification of research topic or field, evidence of systemic literature review and critical appraisal of techniques in the final submission:
Design of research using appropriate methods and techniques:

Clear description and design of proposed data collection and data analysis including proposed data collection instrument:
Proposed data analysis, tools and techniques appropriate to research question:
Completeness, quality and delivery of the presentation (PowerPoint slides and Poster):

Guidelines for the final submission of the Research Proposal

Prepare a 4000 word research proposal to address your chosen research topic. There is a proposed structure and a recommendation for how long each section should be as shown below. The recommended lengths of each section are approximate, and will vary depending on the research question you are proposing to investigate and the methodology you are proposing to use in your research proposal.

Guideline for Preparing the Assignment

1. Abstract / Overview of the project. Point out the importance of the project, why it is being conducted, what the results are expected to show, and the significance of the findings. (~300 words, not included in word count, write it at the end)

2. With reference to evidence, describe the research objectives. (~700 words)

3. Critically evaluate evidence. Describe and evaluate the evidence concerning the research topic. The aim is to provide a critique of existing work and identify gaps in knowledge and / or methodological weaknesses in existing research. You have limited space, and so are not expected to provide a comprehensive critique, but to evaluate a small number of appropriate, recent, peer reviewed studies to demonstrate your skills in identifying and evaluating appropriate evidence. (~1000 words)

4. Identify and justify an area that requires further research. Based on your critical review, identify and justify an area that requires further research. (~300 words).

5. Pose a research question or a research hypothesis. This will be closely related to the content of your section on further research. The principal variables or issues being examined should be identified (~200 words).

6. Describe a research study to answer the research question or test the research hypothesis. You do not have to actually be able to carry out the study, but you need to think about what you would need to carry out a study to answer your research question / test your hypothesis. (~1800 words in total, with sections as notedbelow).

a. Design / Methodology. This section includes details of the research methodology to be used. Will this be a randomized controlled trial? A quasi-experimental design? A cross- sectional survey? A longitudinal design? A qualitative research study using focus groups? A qualitative research study using semi-structured interviews? A combination of these or something else entirely? In this section the aim is to accurately describe the characteristics of a research design / methodology that is capable of answering the research question / testing the hypothesis posed. (~500 words).

b. Details of participants. How many people will participate? What are their characteristics? Any inclusion / exclusion criteria? How will the sample be recruited? Identify the sampling method. (~300 words).

c. Description of materials / measures. This may include tests, surveys, questions to be used in a semi-structured interview, or many other things. The measures need to be consistent with the methodology described at 6(a). (~500 words).

d. Data Analysis. Describe the proposed analysis strategy, briefly. (~250words).
e. Ethical issues. This section describes the ethical issues that need to be considered in the research. For example, how you would ensure that participation is voluntary and that people who participate provide informed consent? (~250 words).

7. References. (not included in the word count)

Note: Need Only Assessment 1: Research Proposal Brief and Feasibility

Attachment:- Assessment_Brief.rar