Business Research Project

Introduction
Business Research project helps you to design and develop an empirical investigation on a specific, current business issue, within an organisation and make cost effective recommendations sensitive to the chosen organisation

Module summary content and aims
This module is aimed to consolidate the learning from across the course in an applied format to enable students to demonstrate in-depth understanding of theories, frameworks, models and concepts relevant to a specific business issue. The module is designed to be an applied equivalent of a more traditional dissertation module. Instead of writing an academic dissertations based on original research, students will be conducting applied research on a specific company, market, or business opportunity and write up their results in the format of a consulting project, industry analysis or business plan. Thus, the module will help students develop an advanced mastery of analysis and synthesis of data in a practical context. Through guided research they will demonstrate the ability critically to evaluate evidence pertaining to a specific business issue in a practical context and present conclusions and recommendations.

This module also provides opportunities for students to synthesise and apply their knowledge and experiences from their whole course. It helps students to successfully negotiate the transition to the next stage of their career, whether to the workplace or further study. Students will be expected to introduce the context and the issue; to write a methodology; to include an appropriate and current concise review of the literature; to show appropriate data collection, presentation and analysis, based on sound research; draw relevant conclusions; make realistic and cost-effective recommendations; and to give clear references and where appropriate a bibliography. The recommended word count will be 4000 (excluding references and appendices). All students will be provided with four workshops (3hrs * 4); as part of guidance in completing the Research project.

A key part of your learning will be preparation for your summative assessment. Youwill be provided feedback on your formative assessments, and this will help you to better understand what is required of you when you submit your summative assessment. Please see below guidance on your formative assessment and how to access your feedback.
Whilst the structure of Management Research Reports may vary according to the nature of the subject matter, the following represents a typical structure of a Research Report which you may find useful to consider. A typical structure is likely to consist of the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Methodology
4. Research and Findings
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations
7. References
8. Appendices
A typical framework of a Research Report designed to meet the University's requirements is as follows:

1. Introduction
This need not be long (around one page, confirm with your Topic Lead), but it performs several important functions regarding the Report as a whole.
Introduction should cover the following:
• Clear statement of aims for the research
• Brief but relevant background about the organisational context (further detail can go into the Appendices), with the business rationale for selecting the topic (i.e. the need for the investigation) ‘thoroughly critiqued'
• A set of clear research questions (commencing why?, what?, etc.) or research objectives (commencing with an active verb e.g. ‘to investigate' or ‘to evaluate', etc.).
• A summary of the overall structure to be employed in the report.
The specification of your research questions/objectives is particularly critical. You may initially select these based on your perceptions of the organisational issues. These initial perceptions may, however, change once you have completed your Literature Review and you may wish to revisit and refine your research questions/objectives as part of an iterative and reflexive process that synthesises concepts and practice. The specification of research questions/objectives is also important because they ‘drive' and give coherence to the remainder of your report. How you plan to research empirically your research questions/objectives will also feature in your Methodology chapter. Each of your research questions/objectives will also form the basis of your research and will be revisited in your Conclusions and addressed in your Recommendations.
2. Literature review
The usual practice in most research projects is to commence with a literature review: this is known as a ‘deductive' approach in which the researcher uses theories, concepts, etc. to structure their primary research. It is also possible to adopt an ‘inductive' approach which reverses this process i.e. primary data are gathered first and then the literature is used to contextualise and integrate the results of the primary research. The latter approach is less frequently used in management research and carries considerable challenges for the researcher: you are strongly advised to discuss the latter option with your allocated topic lead.
The starting point for investigating an issue is to carry out a review of the literature relevant to the topic in hand.
Some of the broad aims of the literature review may be summarised as follows:
• Helps you to refine your research questions
• Increases your knowledge/expertise in your chosen topic area • Locates your research in the context of what is already known,
• Aims to ensure that your knowledge on the topic area is up to date
• Helps to identify current trends, issues, and debates in your chosen topic area
• Helps to identify thinking about ‘best practice'
• Helps to identify relevant theories, models, and key concepts for application to your topic area and the leading authors associated with them
• May generate themes which will be followed in both the literature review and throughout the rest of the report
Students sometimes ask how many literature sources should be referred to in a Management Research Report. There is no definitive answer to this, since it will depend (amongst other things) on how extensive the literature is in each field. However, a minimum number of is likely to be in the range of 20-30 in order to do some justice to the literature in your chosen subject area, but a more thorough exploration of the literature in a high quality Management Research Report might refer to over 30.
3. Methodology
Methodology is defined by Jankowicz (2005: 387) as "the analysis of and rationale for the particular [research] method(s) used in a project".
The writing of the methodology chapter requires you to read relevant texts on business and social science research methods, weigh and discuss what is contained in these sources about alternative research methods and apply these to the decisions made about your selected methods, their strengths and weaknesses and why certain methods were selected and others rejected, thus providing a rationale for the methods used. More details about this section will be provided by the tutor during the workshops.
4. Research and Findings
Typically, a good findings chapter is likely to:
• Be closely structured around the research questions/objectives
• Report findings clearly, possibly (where appropriate) using tables, charts, or other pictorial devices • Provide a written interpretation and analysis of the findings (i.e. not allow tables, charts, etc. to speak for themselves)
• Report all findings faithfully (and not consign important data to Appendices)
• Provide integrating reference to the literature
5. Conclusions
It is important to note that conclusions precede recommendations, not the other way round. The conclusions should specifically address each of your research questions/objectives, providing a summary analysis of what has been found out from the research, with integrated reflections on how the findings either compliment or differ from those reported in the literature. Conclusions also provide a logical bridge between the body of the report and any recommendations. It is important to note that conclusions (and recommendations) should not contain any material or ideas, either from the literature or primary research, which have not already been presented in the body of the report. If you find it necessary to raise something of significance in your conclusions not already discussed in the body, then the body of the report needs adjusting to take account of this: no ideas should appear ‘out of the blue' at this stage of your report. Your conclusions need not be long, but they should do justice to all the important points raised in the body of the report.
6. Recommendations
Research Reports should finish with recommendations for action. Ensure they are clear, precise, and pragmatic, with, at minimum some cost implications.
Research Reports should finish with recommendations for action. Ensure they are clear, precise, and pragmatic, with, at minimum some cost implications. Recommendations need to address all the issues identified in the conclusions, unless they are thought to be impractical or unfeasible in the current organisational context (and if this is the case, this needs to be stated, since it may represent a limitation to what might ideally be achievable). Logically, the recommendations should address the research questions/objectives that have been the drivers of the report. Recommendations should contain a clear action plan, stating what should be done, in what timescale (if appropriate) and, if further investigation is thought necessary, this should be explicitly stated. Recommendations should contain some cost and, ideally, some estimates of potential cost benefits (although it is recognised that the latter may not always be possible). In many organisations, proposals without costs are unlikely to be acceptable. It is also important to note that recommendations never appear ‘out of the blue'. Only issues specifically addressed, and data specifically generated in the research and summarised in the conclusions can legitimately appear in the recommendations.

Business Research Project

Learning outcome 1:

Research topics that students should choose from will be uploaded on blackboard. These topics will cover:
• International Business
• Human Resource Management
• Marketing
• Entrepreneurship

Title:
Critically evaluate the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and organisational competitiveness.
Problem Statement:
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been an important issue in business management since decades. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been touted as an effective management tool to strengthen the organisations' performance through a better image in stakeholder's mind and because of their responsible behaviour toward society and environment.
Intense competition has in many markets decreased the prospects for differentiation in terms of technology and product/service quality. For this reason, CSR becomes an important attribute that can enhance a company's image. Business organisations face the constant struggle for market differentiation and increased profitability, as well as in attracting both consumers and the necessary top talent for employment. A central element on those efforts comes from corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes that attempt to align the business elements of the organization with social and environmental aspects of significance for its customers and stakeholders.

Tasks
The following tasks should be determined:

1.To identify the significance of CSR practices within International businesses and critically examine the theoretical frameworks in relation to CSR.

2. To highlight the relationship between CSR practices and organisational competitiveness and to identify the major challenges in implementing CSR practices

3. To analyse one of the CSR report provided to you and identify the key approaches John Lewis Partnership in managing its key stakeholders ultimately leading to organisational competitiveness.

The Key Research Parametersto consider are:
1) Provide clear understanding of the term corporate social responsibility (CSR), its growing significance within International Business
2) Provide theoretical frameworks in relation to CSR (for example stakeholder theory of CSR, Triple Bottom line etc).
3) How organisations within international business have adopted CSR led practices (you may choose any international business of your choice).
4) Explain what organisational competitiveness and any specific concepts in relation to that is.
5) Identify and establish if they are any links between CSR practices and organisational competitiveness (support your analysis using relevant articles)
6) Barriers in implementing CSR practices
7) futuristic role of CSR in managing organisational competitiveness.

Analysis:

As part of the data analysis, I have provided with two CSR reports from one of the leading UK Business; John Lewis Partnership (JLP) , you are expected to go through one of the CSR report and provide the following below,

1) who are the key stakeholders?

2) Identify and evaluate the three approaches (mentioned under separate Sub--headings) in managing stakeholder expectations.
Analysis of the data can be both quantitative and qualitive no regression lines are needed nor T-tests. Descriptive statistics (for example, bar charts pie charts) can be used to analyse the data.Analysis of the descriptive data should be along- side with the analysis of the qualitative data.

This project can be completed using secondary data and critical literature review. Please discuss with your subject lead for further details. The topics that you should choose from and the lecturers leading each of these topics will be provided on Blackboard.

LO1 Identify, define, and justify a business issue that is of strategic relevance to the chosen organisation.

LO2 Critically analyse and discuss existing literature, contemporary business policies and practices relevant to the chosen issue.
LO3 Evaluate and select appropriate theories/frameworks based on the chosen issue
LO4 Critically evaluate different research methods and apply appropriate research method and design for their Business project
LO5 Undertake a systematic analysis of quantitative and/or qualitative information and present the results in a clear and consistent format
LO6 Draw realistic and appropriate conclusions and make recommendations supported by cost implications and ethical considerations
LO7 Develop and present a persuasive and coherent business research project