Course Project Phase I
- Due Saturday, September 9, 2023
Project: Business-Related Research Proposal
This is the concluding project for this Graduate Business Analytics and Research Methods course. It offers students the opportunity to show mastery of all key elements of Research Design, Research Methods, Analytics, and mastery of designing and executing a business-related research proposal. The big picture is for students to assume the position of a research analyst for a corporation or being an independent research analyst, tasked to understand a corporate problem and offer solution(s) via a professionally conducted proposal that would mitigate or alleviate the problem or issue. Three phases fulfill this project: weeks 3, 5, and 7 (Phase III is a combination of all phases to make a full document). Therefore phase content scoring less than 75 percent will result in a redo of some parts of the phase or complete phase.
For Phase I:
Identify a preliminary topic (problem) for your business research proposal. This topic should be the product of your investigation on your part but will be subject to change and refinement, and will inform the development of your business-related research proposal, this must include:
- Introduction to your paper… Since the first paragraph or section of a document is assumed to be the introduction of the paper, the word 'Introduction' is not needed. Do not begin a paper with the word 'Introduction' as a heading (APA, 2020, p. 47). The paper’s title should be the first heading above the first body paragraph of your paper and must be bolded – Check Sample Student paper (APA, 2020, pp. 61-67)
- The Company or The Corporation or The organization (introduce your company)
- Problem (define the problem or issue – chapter 3)… What is the research problem you are trying to solve? (In the case of a business-related problem, it is a situation that, left untreated, produces a negative consequence for a company, institution, government, organization, etc.). Some questions to ask yourself: What makes it a problem? For whom? Who says so?
- Background of Problem (full background details of the problem – chapter 4 19)… The background information should indicate the root of the problem being studied, appropriate context of the problem in relation to theory, research, and/or practice, its scope, and the extent to which previous studies have successfully investigated the problem, noting, in particular, where gaps exist that your study
- Research Objectives (full details – chapters 1-4, & 19)…Conveys intent or objective of the study in one sentence or a few sentences – Why is this study being conducted? Present a concise, one-paragraph statement on the overall purpose or intention of the study, which serves as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study. a) In quantitative studies, state what needs to be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and a conjectured relationship among them related to the identified gap or problem. b) In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem. c) In mixed-methods studies, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study.
- Summary for Phase I and projection of Phase II
The paper must have a minimum of 5 references and in APA format