Assignment - Research Methods for Strategic Managers

Prepare a research project report based on a chosen area of study pertaining to any of the management functions like HR, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Logistics, etc. Research report can also be prepared on cross-functional domains or on any of the major contemporary issues of management. You will choose your own company or a company of your choice and actually carry out research based on collection of primary data, as well as secondary data pertaining to the area of your research work. Following structural guidelines must be adhered to, while preparing the research report:

Structural guidelines:

1. The word limit for report should be between 5000-6000, excluding cover pages, references and appendices.

2. The report must contain a cover page with the topic title, table of contents, brief abstract, list of tables, figures and diagrams specifying their numbers and respective page numbers.

3. The report should be concluded with a proper referencing, prepared on Harvard Referencing Style, which must be reflected in in-text citations.

4. The appendices and/or annexures must provide the sample of the questionnaire, interview questions, used to obtain data through feedback for the purpose of the research.

5. The report also must contain logical conclusions and recommendations in the end.

Assignment (Project Report)

Note1. The first chapter must contain a brief Introduction of the chosen company, including selection of aim, objectives and research question(s).

1. The project report should start with the company particulars, leading onto specific issues/ problems the researcher wants to research upon. Draw out the main Aim of your research, give out your main Objectives (approx. 3-4), and also select your Research Questions (one or two).

2. Explain the factors that contribute to the process of successful research question(s) selection.

3. Based on the factors enumerated above in 1.2, justify the choice of the research question(s) selected by you in context of your chosen organisation. (AC 1.3: Justify their choice of research question)

Note 2. The second chapter must contain relevant literature pertinent to the research question(s) and the same should be critically analysed by bringing out clearly the voids/ gaps observed from the available literature and the research work objectives the researcher wants to accomplish, through his/ her basic research question(s).

4. The review of literature should comprise both academic and non-academic literature, and should be a fair combination of literature available from academic sources such as published journals and articles, as well as other non-academic sources like reports, manuscripts, publications, etc. A proper research judgment must be applied by conducting research to find literature relevant to the research question(s). The evaluation should undertake a critical review of the key literature for inclusion in your research proposal.

Note 3. The third chapter of the project will bring out the research methods and methodology chosen by the researcher to justify how these methods and methodology will help him/ her to find answers to their research question(s).

5. Evaluate appropriate research methodologies you could choose to help you find answers to your research question(s), and thereafter choose the most appropriate methodology which will help you to find answers to your research question(s), bringing out clearly the rationale and justification of why have you chosen the said methodology.

Note 4. The fourth chapter of the project on the data collection should reflect the understanding of techniques used which will help you to effectively interpret your data in a research proposal.

6. The process of research for collection of data can be Quantitative and/ or Qualitative. You will carry out both Quantitative and Qualitative process of research during your research work. Evaluate the techniques you will use for acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data in your research proposal. Also, during collection of data, you must justify in terms of fundamental judgments like how will you collect this data, as well as bring out the population involved, sampling method and sample size you intend choosing.

Note 5. The fifth and final chapter of the project requires you to record your findings, critically analyse the quantitative and qualitative data collected by you, and thereby help you to come to firm conclusions and recommendations.

7. Based on the collection of your primary and secondary data, record the findings of your research work with respect to finding answers to your research question(s), the literature review done by you, and the methodology chosen by you. The findings will be recorded and presented with the help of graphs, charts, tables and use of simple statistical tools like percentages, mean, median, etc. The findings must be critically analyzed by highlighting similarities and dissimilarities with the findings of other researches and the literature reviewed. The limitations of the present research, implications of present research should also be highlighted in brief. Summarize the key findings, come to firm conclusions and recommendations.

Attachment:- Assignment Brief.rar