BUSINESS RESEARCH PAPER

6500 — 7500 words!!

This requires a deep literature review and the development and evaluation of an appropriate a

research design. Since you will not be executing the actual data collection, you can develop a

methodology based on any justified approach. This can involve any approach to data collection

including primary data and case studies or applied company projects.

You are required to :-

• Define your research aim or problem, explaining the motivation for your choice of research topic

and its relevance/importance to management theory and practice. Introduce the research setting:

that is the context in which you envisage the research could take place.

• Undertake a critical review of the literature related to your research topic. This should involve an

extensive reading of the academic theory and empirical studies related to your research topic. The

writing up of this review should demonstrate a critical examination of this literature and the

conclusions that you draw from this critique for your research aim that lead to academically-valid

research questions or hypotheses.

• An explanation and justification of the research methodology and the approach you would have

intended to adopt toward achieving your research aim: this should be considered from both

philosophical and practical perspectives. Explain the data collection and sample constructs and

the form of analysis you would have intended to undertake. Discuss ethical issues relating to the

data, participants, personal safety and research execution and the measures you would have

undertaken to address them.

For qualitative methods: explain your choice of technique (e.g. survey) and include the research

instrument (e.g. questionnaire) you would have intended to use. Link the investigative questions

(to respondents) to the research questions derived from your literature review. Discuss the

trustworthiness and bias in the data and how you would attempt to mitigate these issues.

For quantitative methods: justify and explain your choice of technique, the derivation of the

model, its variables and data sources. Discuss the statistical approach to analysis, validity, and

significance that you would have intended to undertake.

For mixed methods, company projects, and case studies: a relevant combination or extract of the

above.

• Provide a self-reflection of your experience of undertaking the above requirement including, if

you so wish, the personal impact of change in lifestyle caused by Covid-19.