Order 1079275: Entrepreneurship - opportunity analysis video game industry in Australia

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9050PROJ Project 5. The project report

5. The project report Learning resources Chapter 9 ‘Summarising and presenting data’ in Bouma, GD 2016, in The research process, 6th edn, Oxford, Melbourne.

1. Components of the project report

The total length of the project report is 4500 words (plus or minus 10%). Please monitor the word limit because you will be penalised if you go over the limit (as detailed in the AIB Assessment Policy available on the website). This word limit does not include your title/cover page, the executive summary, table of contents, list of references, or appendices. Sections of the project report The broad structure and key sections of the project report are: Title page Executive summary Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Literature review 3. Research methodology

3.1 Case study method 3.2 Data collection

4. Presentation of findings 4.1 Analysing the data 4.2 Reflection on findings

5. Implications and recommendations 6. Conclusion References Appendices

Title/topic page The title itself should capture the essence of the project report, perhaps by drawing on parts of the key elements explored or the intended impact of the project. The title should not be too long; 10 words or less is usually quite sufficient.

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9050PROJ Project 5. The project report

Executive summary The executive summary is written after the first draft of the project report is complete. It is usually not more than one page in length and should cover the following:

• a short theme sentence to orient the reader

• a clear statement of the purpose of the report

• a brief overview of the project (research method, data collection and data analysis)

• a brief but accurate summary of results or findings

• implications of your work (for example, what are the recommendations for management practice or for government policy). The implications in the executive summary can often be summarised in one short sentence (for example, that managers in your country or region can use the findings from your project report to improve their practices).

Note that the executive summary should not contain any citations or refer to references. Citations appear only in the body of the report. The executive summary is not included in the word count of your project report. Table of contents The easiest way to ensure you have a complete and accurate table of contents is to use the ‘Table of contents’ functionality in Word. So, make sure you understand how to use it and then make it work in your document. Introduction The introduction consists of several paragraphs and typically up to 1.5 pages of your project report. The introduction should:

• establish the background to the project and briefly introduce the organisation

• state the purpose of the present project and describe its importance (for example, for the organisation)

• outline of the major sections of the project report. In the introduction, clearly establish the context of your project topic.

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9050PROJ Project 5. The project report

Then, clearly state what this project sets out to achieve. For example, a study of how ecotourism is done in Singapore or South Australia, the characteristics of entrepreneurs in a manufacturing industry in Ghana, or how financial statements are used in Vietnam. Establish the importance of your topic. For example, ‘The purpose of this project is to explore how ecotourism in Singapore compares to that in Australia’, or ‘The purpose of this research is to identify the four main characteristics of entrepreneurs in the high tech industry’. And explain why the project matters to you and/or your organisation. The introduction concludes with an outline of the structure of the project report, providing a brief summary of the sections. Literature review First, discuss some general literature about the project’s topic to establish the roots of your discussion. From the examples above, this could be about ecotourism, entrepreneurial characteristics, or financial reports. You provided one or two paragraphs about this in the introduction but here you provide more evidence that you have read the literature, including some journal articles, and sourced reliable information. Demonstrate that you understand the main concepts, relevant principles and theories. This discussion of the literature needs to be succinct. It can include a definition of the core terms followed by a brief description of some of the main themes in the literature, usually starting at a very broad level and then narrowing it down to your topic. For example, if the field was ecotourism, start by defining the term and selecting the definition you prefer for your project report from among the various alternatives. From there, start at a broad level by saying that the term of ecotourism covers a wide range of tourism from reef activities through bushwalking to nature-based attractions like zoos. Finally, describe the narrow aspect of ecotourism explored by your project report, for example, reef activities.

Research methodology This section of the project report consists of the following parts:

Research method Here you describe what research methodology you used to conduct your study. Are you doing an industry case study or are you comparing across industries? On what basis have you selected the organisations or industry to study? How many industries are involved? What secondary data will you use? Give citations (provide references) when discussing your research methodology. Data collection You must provide precise details of the way in which you collected your secondary data and what data you actually used (such as the use of company annual reports, industry magazines

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9050PROJ Project 5. The project report

or industry data). Use references to show that you have learned about the methods and how to apply them correctly.

Presentation of findings In this section, look at the data, analyse it and describe the findings. It is often useful to separate analysis from findings. Please read the chapter by Bouma et al. (2016) as a background for the presentation of your data. Analysing the data When reporting what the data showed, start with the overall picture first and then go into the details. Describe the business analytics methods used and the outcome of your data analysis. What does the data suggest that is going on? What are the activities, processes and events that are happening? Describe your findings based on the data analysis. Use tables and graphs (where appropriate) to summarise information and present the evidence. Reflections on findings Once you have analysed the data and described the findings for your project, sit back and consider what those findings mean for you, for the chosen organisation and, if relevant, for the industry. Reflect on the findings in relation to yourself, your organisation and industry. Note these reflections in this section. Implications and recommendations Look at the implications of your findings that may be applicable to:

• the literature

• managers in the organisation or industry

• other managers, other organisations or other industries.

First, take a step back and explain how your findings relate back to the literature, that is, to the articles that you have cited earlier. Do your findings confirm existing ideas already written about? Did you find something new that could now be explored further by other researchers? Secondly, what do you recommend that managers in your industry(ies) do in the future? What advice do you have based on the findings of your research?

Finally, what are the implications of all that you have done, for managers and for policy makers in your country or region? What can other managers, other organisations, and other industries learn from your findings? These implications for other managers may often be the same as for the managers in the case(s) you investigated, but if the case is in an unusual industry or has an unusual structure or strategy, you may be able to develop some additional recommendations.

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9050PROJ Project 5. The project report

Conclusions In this final section, you should summarise your research process and its findings. Identify the contribution made by your project report and tie up the whole package to show that the purpose of the project report (as set out in the introduction) has been achieved.

Then, you should identify challenges or issues that remain unresolved. Note that apart from the challenges or issues that remain unresolved, there should not be any new concepts or ideas suddenly introduced in the conclusion. The conclusion merely ties everything that has been mentioned before into one concise package. References and appendices

Finally, list your references and include your appendices.

In terms of references, as a guide a 4500 word project report would need approximately 20– 25 relevant references from different sources. These should consist of a large proportion of relevant refereed academic journal articles and references from other credible sources such as books, industry reports and company documents.

In relation to appendices, it is important to note that a reader should not have to look at an appendix to understand the main thrust of the points you are making in your project report. Make sure all your main points are in the body of your project report and then refer the reader to the appendices for detail. Reference Bouma, GD 2016, The research process, 6th edn, Oxford, Melbourne.