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good day I have a business research activity i need assistance thank you stay safe:) hprm440_1_jan_june2020_sa1_llg_v3_04112019.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES Academic Year 2020: January - June Summative Assessment 1: Business Research (HPRM440-1) NQF Level, Credit: 8, 16 Weighting: 30\% Assessment Type: Research Proposal Educator: Dr L Geldenhuys Examiner: Methodology Mr G Delport Due date: 9 June 2020 Total 100 Marks Instructions 1. The research proposal must be typed, using the following type settings only: • Font: Arial • Font Size: 12 • Line Spacing: Multiple at 1.5 2. To obtain maximum results, please consult the rubric included in this brief to ensure that you adhere to and meet all the given criteria. 3. Please make sure you have read and adhere to the Harvard Method of Referencing: A Beginner’s Guide, available in the HE Library module on ColCampus, as well as The Beginners Guide to Plagiarism, available in the HE Student Information module, also on ColCampus. 4. This assessment has a sub-minimum requirement of 50\%. For the student to successfully complete this specific module, he / she must obtain a grade of 50\% or higher for this specific assignment. 1 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 5. The Plagiarism Declaration, included in this brief, must be signed and attached to the front of your assignment. Refer to the Plagiarism Information Sheet in your Course Outline for further information Question: Research Proposal (100 marks) As the culmination of the Business Research Methodology module, you are tasked to write a 12 -15 page research proposal, based on the specifications of the IMRAD model. The content knowledge and quantitative analysis skills that you have acquired in this module will assist you to successfully write a quantitative research proposal. You are required to consult a minimum of seven (7) literature references. Assessment criteria and mark allocation for each proposal section is discussed in the assessment rubric below. This should serve as a guide for the possible layout of your proposal. Plagiarism A Unicheck-verification report will be issued via ColCampus once the proposal has been submitted. Remember to include your list of references (sources used in the preceding text). If the verification report indicates that a 30\% similarity rating has been exceeded, a mark of zero will be awarded. The following Learning Outcomes are assessed in this question: • • • • • 2 Generate ideas for research projects Develop research questions / statement, research hypotheses, define and refine them Provide a sample literate review for a research proposal Outline a methodological framework for a research proposal Write a research proposal HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 ASSESSMENT RUBRIC: Proposal Section Title Page: • Proposed title for the research study • ”Completed as requirement in partial fulfilment of Post-Graduate Diploma” • Candidate’s details • Supervisor details • Submission date Keywords Introduction and Background • Introduction and Background of Research: o Purpose of the study 3 Assessment Criteria Comments • Students to receive full credit for including all aspects as indicated. • Subtract marks for each element not included on the title page • Keywords and brief definition to be included (done on separate page in research proposal for full marks). Introduction and Background Purpose: • The purpose of the study is to… (2 lines) (Full marks if the stated purpose is clearly spelled out). • Marker discretion to be used – example of purpose statement: e.g. ‘The purpose of the research HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 Marks Awarded (100) (3) (2) (30) 4 is to investigate the buyer experience of customers visiting a retail outlet of Company ABC in Pretoria’. o Context of the study Context of the study: • Student must describe the background to the planned study. • The probable reader (i.e. the marker, other students, industry stakeholders) must be informed of the industry within which the problem is found – explaining the research context is thus essential. (Context refers to the background, environment, framework, setting, or situation surrounding an event; understanding the context of research is therefore essential for the probable reader to understand). • Credit student for using the funnelling approach – starting from a broad and general description of the broader industry, then moving towards a more specific and narrower discussion of the company in question. • REFERENCING all statements that are made (according to the Harvard referencing style). Include recent references, especially 4 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 3 when describing the current situation / context for the research. • Include a description of the business or management problem or gap in knowledge or practice to be addressed. (For example, if the topic is about the effects of social media on consumer behaviour, provide details on how social media has become more important, which forms of social media are popular, and how this might impact on management). o  5 Problem Statement Main problem Main Problem: • The problem statement must have a verb at or near the beginning of the statement and should be in a statement and not question form. • The statement must be broken up into logical sections to create research questions. • The research problem statement is a statement of how the business problem will be addressed. • The business problem is NOT the same as the research problem. Make sure you include relevant, searchable key words. HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 2  Research Questions o Significance of the Study Research Questions: • Particularly for inductive, exploratory research, where there is little prior research, students should formulate research questions that their research aims to address, and which will be addressed in the Discussion/Conclusions at the end of the study. • The research questions offer a further break down of the Research Problem (ideally 2 – 5 research questions) 3 Significance of the study: 2 The study fills a gap in that . . . • A description and explanation of the gap in the theory that might be filled by the study, should be included • Justification of the reason for the above statement your reasoning and REFERENCE your sources. You need to ensure that you highlight the contribution your study will have to the body of knowledge. The study will provide guidance to… Describe the aspects of management or business practice that the study is 6 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 intended to be of value to. Describe who may benefit from the study and how it is hoped they will benefit. o Research Objectives Research objectives: o Theoretical perspective Theoretical perspectives: • Proposal to contain brief overview of the underpinning theoretical perspective to be used in the study. • Should contain reference to specific theoretical models / views / approaches and briefly state how these are linked to the research problem and research objectives. 7 • Research objectives must be formulated according to the SMART philosophy – o Specific (objectives are clear, to the point, not vague) o Measurable (do the objectives make it possible to obtain data that can be analysed?) o Achievable (objectives must be realistic and attainable) o Relevant (the objectives should be clear on why the study needs to be done) o Time-related (must contain reference to how long the study will take to complete; needs to be appropriate and realistic). HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 3 3 o Limitations and Delimitation of Study Limitations and Delimitation of the Study • • o Overview of Research Design and Methods • o Ethics 8 Delimitations are used to narrow the scope of the study. Proposal should state what will be included and what will be excluded, e.g. your research topic may focus on a specific market sector, organisation type, level of employees in an organisation, methodology, etc. Reference to sampling should not be included here, but in the methodology section. Research design and methods • 2 Proposal to inform the reader what kind of design is planned and how the data will be obtained Example: A quantitative exploratory study is planned, and data will be obtained by means of a questionnaire consisting of three sub-sections. Ethics • This section must provide evidence that possible ethical implications were considered. • Ethical clearance is required for conducting research, particularly HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 3 3 where data will be obtained from respondents. o Division of Chapters Division of Chapters: Proposal to provide a brief overview of the different chapters to be included in the final report 1 o Conclusion Conclusion: • To include a short summary of the first chapter reminding the reader of the problem statement and what is to follow in the next chapter. 1 Literature Review • Introduction o Definition of Topic or Background Discussion 9 Introduction • This section must introduce the literature review and describe briefly the structure and contents of the review by each topic in turn. • Linking the above to the research problem is required. • Introduction to include definition of key terms as well as justification for why they will be included in the study. Topic Definition • This section must include a broad working definition of the concept(s) that will form part of the planned study. HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 (30) 3 4 • o Overview of Main Theories  Discussion of Theory / Theories 10 Must be linked to the research objectives. Main Theories – Overview and Discussion • This section should discuss the theoretical basis that underpins the planned study. • This section must include a discussion of theories, how these can be applied, and the reasons for choosing a specific theoretical basis for the study. • Theories must be named and properly referenced. Discussion of Theory / Theories • The literature review should include a detailed discussion of previously completed research. • It must include the major studies on the topic, with discussion and deductions from this research, finding similarities and differences in findings, naming possible gaps, ideas for further research, other points of view, and the like. • It is not sufficient to simply restate findings from previous studies. • The literature review should create a golden thread (linking main arguments from one section to the next) in the proposal. • Proper referencing is needed. HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 5 12 o Integration of Theories Integration of Theories: • The theoretical discussions must be integrated in this section – the reader should be able to see how the theoretical points of view are related and how they are linked to the problem statement. o Conclusion Conclusion: • This section must include a summary and conclusion of literature review – it must link the research title and research problem to the research questions. Research design and methodology Research Design and Methodology • Introduction 11 Introduction: • This section must describe the methodology, which will be used to address the research questions outlined in the previous two chapters. • For each sub-section, describe the theory AND how your own research fits the theory, or where it does not and how you are going to overcome the shortcomings. • Outline how the section is structured and what it aims to achieve. HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 3 3 (25) 2 • Research Design and Approach Approach (Paradigm) • This section must state the method to be used (qualitative, quantitative or mixed) and refer to the general approach to be used (inductive or deductive, exploratory/descriptive/explanatory (causal) research) that is deemed appropriate for the study • An explanation of why this methodology has been selected must be included here. Research design • The selected methodological approach must be explained • Must state if a case study, interviews, survey, will be used and why this is appropriate for the study • Must explain the advantages and disadvantages of the selected method. • Population and Sample o Population Population: • The population must be defined. o Sampling Frame and Sampling Method Sampling Frame and Sampling Method • Sample and sampling method must be explained • Specific form of sampling must be explained (e.g. random, convenience, purposive, snowballing, etc.), 12 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 2 2 2 2 • • • Sample size and reason for this number must be included and explained Indicate how many interviews or questionnaire respondents will be obtained and how these individuals will be asked to participate Should not contain specific details that might identify the respondents • Data-gathering instrument Data-gathering instrument • Research instrument must be described • Specific details to be included (e.g. what kind of questionnaire, interview schedule, etc.) • The actual instrument must be included as an appendix, with a covering letter to the potential respondent motivating them to participate. • Data-gathering Procedure Data-gathering Procedure • Explanation of how the data will be gathered by referring to the instrument discussed earlier. • Data Analysis Techniques Data Analysis Techniques • Proposal must explain how data will be analysed. • Define / explain and properly reference the selected methods. 13 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 2 2 2 • Validity and Reliability Validity and Reliability • Discussion of how these apply to the planned study must be included • Definitions must be referenced appropriately. 2 o Internal Validity Internal Validity • Definition needed and brief statement of how it applies to the planned study. 2 o External Validity External Validity 2 • Definition needed and brief statement of how it applies to the planned study. o Reliability Reliability • Definition needed and brief statement of how it applies to the planned study. 2 o Conclusion Conclusion • This section of the proposal must contain a short conclusion that summarises the methodological approach (2 – 3 lines maximum). 1 Planning Scheduling Planning Scheduling: • The proposal must contain a planning schedule – should include start date, planned dates for completion of each proposal chapter; submission date; etc. (2) 14 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 Template for Internal Consistency Template for Internal Consistency • A consistency matrix is a powerful tool in assisting you to align your sub-problems, the references that you used to investigate each subproblem in turn and the hypothesis or proposition or research question that resulted from the literature that you reviewed. It also lists the analysis method you will use to analyse the data. • It is also a process model – you carry out each step of your research in the sequence shown in the consistency matrix, which is shown on the next page (2) Technical Aspects Technical Aspects • Including Table of Contents; Referencing; List of References, List of Figures / Tables, Appendix / Spelling (4) Appendix • Data-gathering Instrument o Quantitative: e.g. Survey / Questionnaire / Scale o Ethics documentation Appendix • Student to be credited if the datagathering instrument is included as an appendix (2) 15 TOTAL: ___ / 100 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 DECLARATION ON PLAGIARISM NAME…………………………………………………. SURNAME……………………………………………. STUDENT NUMBER………………………………… SUPPORT CENTRE……………………………….... MODULE CODE……………………………………… TITLE OF ESSAY:…………………………………………………………………….……… ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. This Form should be completed by the student and appended to any piece of work that is submitted for summative assessment. The following defines plagiarism: “Plagiarism” occurs when a student misrepresents, as his/her own work, the work, written or otherwise, of any other person (including another student) or of any institution and includes the deliberate and detailed presentation of another’s concept as one’s own.” “Another’s work” covers all material, including, for example, written work, diagrams, designs, charts, musical compositions and pictures, from all sources, including, for example, the internet, journals, textbooks and essays. STUDENT DECLARATION: I confirm that I have read and understood the above definitions of plagiarism. I confirm that I have not committed plagiarism when completing the attached piece of work. I confirm that this is my own work. SIGNATURE……………………………………………DATE……………………………… 16 HPRM440-1-Jan-June2020-SA1-LLG-V3-04112019 ... 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