Research Project Proposal for Capstone Research Project

You are expected to write an essay in form of a research project proposal of no more than.

All submissions must be presented in typescript (MS Word format),Note that late submissions will not be accepted unless full details of extenuating circumstances are provided. For details of extenuating circumstances please see the link in Moodle. If you have any query about extenuation please contact Academic Services (Gateway Building, 3rd floor).

Please read the additional notes below carefully

For this individual assignment, you are expected to write a full research proposal as preparation for your Capstone Research Project in year 3. The detailed structure with guiding points for sections in the proposal is suggested as follows. 

Title of the research project   

Outline the research project. Use around  here to summarise the whole project. Key information to be included:  

• What format will you be following (dissertation, consultancy report, etc.)
• What would be the central research question and its significance?
• How you will be approaching the topic, including the type of primary and/or secondary source materials required?

Rationale for the research This is the part where you explain:  

• What is your research idea?
• How did you come up with the research idea and what drives you into conducting this research?
• How do different modules in your programme contribute to your understanding of this research idea and provide the foundation (and confident) for you to explore your research project further?
• Why do you think that your research will be an interesting one to explore in terms of its novelty and value?
• Insert an explicit research question and some research objectives

Research context

Providing a detailed context including the understandings of the particular product, industry sector, location, institutional environment, etc.

Highlight the unique characteristics that may leads to differences from a more conventionally studied context.    

Identify the streams of literature that are crucial to your research question

Explain how the learning from different modules help you understand the different streams of literature contributing to your research question.

Explain how the learning from your modules then further drives you into further enquiries of what else is available within the existing literature.

Proposed method and data

What will be your chosen research methodology?

Drawing from your knowledge acquired in BE218 Business Research Method, what are the main advantages of using the chosen research approach over other methods?

What are the main limitations of using this particular research approach for your research and how do you intend to minimise these them?

What are the sources of information collected? How will you be collecting your data, and who are the respondents (people, managers from firm, experts of particular industry sector, etc.) targeted? How collecting the information would help you to answer your research question?

How will you be analysing the data?  

Provide a sample questionnaire/ interview questions in your appendix (note: this part in the Appendix does not counted towards your final wordcount)

Utilising a visual timetable, illustrate when will you be starting and completing your:

Research analysis

If you are planning to use primary data, provide a sample questionnaire/ interview questions in your appendix (note: this part in the Appendix does not count towards your final wordcount). Suggested: at least five questions.

Important information:

• Please note this is your research project/coursework. It is not a ‘paper’. I recommend you address it as a coursework or research project.
• Pages will have numbers.
• If you want to include a figure or a table, these will have a caption (number and title).
• Content included in a table/figure will NOT be counted towards your final count.
• The reference style will be the Harvard or American Psychological Association (APA) 7^thedition style. It is also recommended to use a software such as Endnote or Mendeley.
• An executive summary or abstract is not essential, however if you want to have one, this will count towards your final count).
• It is highly recommended to consider, study and incorporate in your coursework the learning resources available on Moodle.

The module’s learning objectives

• Develop critical understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry in the context of the business environment
• Demonstrate appropriate skills in research techniques for effective problem solving, in-depth investigation of key issues, and use of relevant learning materials
• Become aware of research methods for producing empirical data analysis, quantitative and qualitative research outputs
• Develop critical understanding of research methods, research design and instruments and their application in various business contexts