Formal Research Project: Phases, Question, Literature Review, Methodology, Proposal, Ethics

Learning outcomes assessed:

1. Analyse formal research project phases;

2. Create a professional level research question/hypothesis;

3. Conduct a critical research literature review to support a formal research project;

4. Critically analyse research methods and select an appropriate research methodology to address a specific research question; 

5. Create a formal research proposal;

6. Analyse ethical issues in a proposed formal research project;

7. Create a formal ethics approval application.

Topics

You can select any contemporary business-related topic you like. General discussion of any of the topics selected should be narrowed down to the discussion of a problem/opportunity of applied character (dealing with a specific business decision for specific organisations/industry). In other words, you may start with the topic discussion at a broad level (e.g. existing literature on your topic, general industry trends), but later you must connect this discussion with a specific phenomenon (e.g. high staff turnover in an organisation or in a group of organisations).

You can discuss an organisation that you are currently working for or have worked for in the past. It could be an organisation or organisations/industry in which you are interested and may wish to approach, or you may know someone who works in an organisation with whom you can discuss issues of this organisation. 

In this section, you need to 

1. Briefly present the organisation considered.

2. Introduce the general problem/opportunity. 

3. Explain why your topic is important and why you have selected it.

4. Identify the scope of the review — what aspects of the topic will be discussed/excluded from discussion.

Literature review (40% of the total mark)

In the literature review, you need to

1. Proceed from the general, wider view of the research under review to the specific problem:
a) Identify major concepts and influential studies in relation to your topic. 
b) Discuss at least 15 sources relevant to your topic. When discussing these sources, focus on areas of agreement, disagreements, tensions and contentious issues related to your topic. Explain how sources mentioned are related to the problem/opportunity of a particular organisation. 
c) Provide insight into the relation between the studies discussed and your topic. 
For example, among several types of management discussed in the literature you need to identify (and justify your choice) the one that is more appropriate/relevant to the particular organisation you are considering. 
d) Develop at least two research questions taking into account your literature review findings and the situational analysis of the organisation discussed. 

Research questions must be developed as on outcome of the literature considered. They should be integrated in the discussion, NOT presented as a stand-alone list at the end of the review. Generic questions (e.g. ‘What are the reasons for …?’ ‘What can be done to …”) are not acceptable.   

• Methods (30% of the total mark)
1. What method(s) of data collection will you use and why?
2. What sampling technique(s) will you use and why? 
3. How many participants will be involved and why? How will you recruit participants?
4. Where will you conduct the research?
5. What method(s) of data analysis will you use and why?
6. How long would this research take?
7. How would your research findings be communicated back to the interested parties or participants?
8. What would be potential limitations of your study?

Human Ethics Application

1. What information will be provided to participants prior to them giving consent and how will this be provided 

2. How will participants give consent? 

3. How will confidentiality, anonymity and privacy of participants be assured?

4. Identify any risks to participants and how these will be mitigated

5. Will people be selected as participants on the basis of their ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality and/or in other ways which will target specific collectives? 

If yes What procedures will be used to ensure that involvement in the research is culturally safe and non-offensive for the participants?

6. If your research includes M?ori participants, how will you ensure tikanga is recognised and adhered to?

i. What actual or potential implications for M?ori will this research have?

ii. What advice have you had from M?ori stakeholders or advisors before developing this proposal?  How will M?ori stakeholders have an on-going role in your research?

iii. For research with M?ori, how will respect for intellectual and/or cultural property be addressed

7. Do you have any other relationship with participants (e.g. tutor/student)?  If so how will any power imbalances be addressed?

8. Does your study involve deception or withholding of information from participants? If so, please state how this will be handled.