MBA 7101 Research Methods and Academic Skills Assignment Guide

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Research Proposal Portfolio Assessment

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO1: Demonstrate effective academic study skills at Master’s level in relation to academic writing, presentations, referencing, plagiarism avoidance strategies and research

LO2: Develop and justify a research aim/question and objectives for an original research project in a strategic business or management area

LO3: Devise a research strategy to underpin the achievement of the proposed research aim/question and objectives which takes ethical considerations into account

Assessment Brief

The first component of the digital portfolio is a research proposal that outlines your research aims and objectives, rationale, research plan, and the underlying research strategy. The second part of the portfolio consists of a self-reflection report that demonstrates your academic and research skills. Additionally, the portfolio will include ethical considerations and the Research Ethics (RE1) form (while the ethics form will be submitted separately)

Your electronic portfolio will contain the evidence to prove you have the appropriate level of Research and Academic Skills to proceed to your Dissertation.

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Your electronic portfolio should contain the following:

Part 1 – Research Proposal

(LO2, LO3) 2000 words

Task:

Develop a comprehensive research proposal for your Master’s dissertation on a relevant business or management problem. Your proposal should demonstrate the feasibility of the research and include the following sections:

1. Proposal

1.1. Title

Provide a clear and concise title that reflects your research topic.

1.2. Introduction

Give a brief introduction to the topic, explaining why it is important and relevant.

1.3. Research Background

Discuss the background of your research topic. Provide context by summarising existing research, reports, or studies related to your problem, using sources like academic books, peer-reviewed journals, periodicals, white papers, and dissertation papers (e.g., from the University of Bolton e-Library). This section should help explain why the research is necessary.

1.4. Problem Statement

State the specific problem you will address in your research.

Focus: Provide an in-depth discussion of the problem, its implications, and its significance.

Literature Review: Identify the problem using research from books, journals, and other credible sources to highlight relevant concepts and issues.

1.5. Research Aim, Objectives, and Questions

Research Aim: Clearly define what your research seeks to achieve.

Objectives: Outline specific, measurable objectives that will help you reach your aim.

Research Questions: Develop clear research questions to guide your investigation and problem-solving.

1.6. Significance of Research / Research Rationale / Research Gap

Explain why your research is significant, including:

The value of solving the problem.

The Research Gap: What is missing in existing research?

Justify why you have chosen this topic and how your research contributes to the field.

1.7. Research Methodology Overview

Outline your research methodology, including:

Research Philosophy: Explain your underlying approach (e.g., qualitative, quantitative).

Research Strategy: Describe your overall strategy, such as case studies, surveys, or experiments.

Methods: Explain how you will collect data (e.g., interviews, questionnaires).

Sample Size: Provide a tentative size for your sample group.

1.8. Research Limitation

Discuss the limitations of your research.

What factors might prevent you from covering all aspects of the topic?

How will you manage these limitations?

1.9. Ethical Considerations

Identify any potential ethical issues related to your research.

How will you ensure your research follows ethical guidelines?

Include strategies to address any ethical challenges.

1.10. Project Plan

Create a tentative project plan.

List key activities and milestones.

Provide a timeline or schedule for completing the project.

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Part 2 Reflective Report Task: Demonstrating Academic Study Skills

(LO1) (about 500-750 words)

To achieve LO1 – Students will be asked to compile a list of academic sources related to their research proposal in the REFERENCING LIST. These sources may include:

  • Academic journals
  • Books
  • Conference papers
  • Reports
  • Other credible academic material (e.g., white papers, government reports)

For each source, students must provide a full citation in the Harvard referencing style

Write a short reflective report in the appendix section (about 500-750 words) on how you’ve developed key academic study skills during this module. Use the following table format to organise your reflection

 

Section

 

Explanation

1. Introduction Briefly explain that the purpose of this reflection is to review your development in academic study skills, focusing on: – Academic writing – Referencing – Research skills – Plagiarism avoidance.
2. Academic Writing – Before the module: How confident were you in writing academic essays or reports? – Challenges: What difficulties did you face (e.g., organising ideas, using academic language)? – Improvements: How has your writing improved? What new writing techniques have you learned? – Example: Mention an assignment where you applied these skills.

 

3. Referencing and Plagiarism Avoidance – Before the module: Did you know how to properly reference sources or avoid plagiarism? – Challenges: Did you struggle with citing sources or understanding plagiarism rules? – Improvements: How did you improve your referencing and plagiarism avoidance? What strategies did you learn? – Example: Mention a task where you improved your referencing.
4. Research Skills Before the module: How confident were you in finding academic sources or doing research? – Challenges: Did you face any problems (e.g., finding reliable sources, organizing research)? – Improvements: How did you improve your research skills? What methods or tools did you learn? – Example: Mention a research project where you applied these skills.
5. Conclusion Overall Progress: Summarise how your study skills have improved overall. – Future Goals: Describe how you plan to continue developing these skills in your future studies.

Part 3. Ethics Form for your Research Proposal (RE1)

(Your supervisor will provide you with the template and instructions on how to fill/upload it. This must be approved by the supervisor.)

Proposal Structure

Cover page

Table of contents

1. Proposal

1.1 Title

1.2 Introduction

1.3 Research background

1.4 Problem statement (with in-depth focus on research problem and its implications)

1.5 Research Aim, Objectives and Questions

1.6 Significance of Research / Research Rationale/Research Gap

1.7 Research Methodology Overview – This should include research philosophy, strategy, methods and tentative sample size.

1.8 Research Limitation

1.9 Ethical considerations – All potential/relevant ethical issues should be proactively highlighted here along with propositions on how you will overcome them as a researcher

1.10 Incorporate a Project Plan with a tentative list of activities and milestones.

Referencing list