Project report

Executive Summary

Put your Executive Summary here (do this last).

State the purpose of this progress report.

Summarise all areas of this progress report – background, management problem, research question and objectives, literature review, methods and data analysis plans

Table of Contents

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…i

List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...iii

List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….iv

List of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..v

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1

1.1 Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1

1.2 Background and significance………………………………………………………………………………………….1

1.3 Management problem, research question and objectives …………………………………………..…1

1.4 Research boundaries…………………………………………………...………………………………………………….1

1.5 Report outline……………………………………………………………….………………………………………………..1

2. Literature Review/Theoretical Framework…………………………………………….…………………..2

2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2

2.2 Topic 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

2.3 Topic 2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

2.4 Topic 3……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

2.5 Implications (research gap and conceptual framework)…………………..…..………………………3

3. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

3.2 Rationale for method and justification……………………………………………….…………………………4

3.3 Details of specific data collection techniques………………………………………………………………..4

4. Proposed Analysis of Results……………………………………………………………..…………………………5

References…………………………………………………………………….…...……………………………………………………7

Appendices…………………………………………………………………….…...…………………………………………………..8

Appendix A: Numbered and labelled …………………………………………………………………..……….8

List of Figures

Numbered and labelled

List of Tables

Numbered and labelled

List of Abbreviations

ii

Name and Student ID number ii

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

Clearly state the purpose of this progress report.

1.2 Background and significance

Provide a brief background to the management problem.

Briefly explain the circumstances/issues/factors that have led to the immediate management problem. Why does it matter? Why is it worthy of investigation? What are the expected benefits? What will be the consequences of not addressing the problem?

End with a very clear statement of the management problem

1.3 Research question and objectives

Clearly state the overarching research question you are addressing.

State your specific research objectives for addressing the research question.

1.4 Research boundaries

Note any boundaries of your topic e.g. only looking at a specific product/organisation /employee or customer group. . May also be a geographic boundary e.g. only looking at a certain state or province.

1.5 Report outline

Briefly explain the scope of what is to be covered in each section of this progress report.

2. Literature Review/Theoretical Framework

The literature review should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the theoretical domains and secondary sources underpinning your research and provide arguments to support the focus of the study.

The literature review needs to:

Critically evaluate the literature rather than merely describe previous literature

Synthesise the literature (bring together different perspectives) – who says what and why and who thinks differently and why? The discussion needs to be integrated rather than being more like an annotated bibliography.

Identify key authors (previous research) and the key works in the area.

Present and support an argument.

Clearly identify the gap in the literature (what is not known) and therefore what is being addressed by your research question.

Use the funnel approach, commencing with the broader context of the study, then discuss the main academic discipline or domain underpinning the study, and then moving to the specific theoretical domains that are relevant for your study.

Each literature review will be different, as each managerial problem is different. You need to identify the relevant theory and secondary sources that provide a foundation for your study and help to explain the phenomenon you are focusing on. You need to discuss what studies and research has already been conducted on this topic, what have other researchers and authors have discovered, and how their findings inform your research.

2.1 Introduction

Start with an overview of the literature review by outlining the main topics to be discussed. For example:

This section will review literature on the following topics: Topic 1 (Section 2.2) [briefly describe the topic]; Topic 2 (Section 2.3) [briefly describe the topic]; and Topic 3 (Section 2.4) [briefly describe the topic]. Section 2.4 highlights the implications from the literature – the gap in the research impacting on this study.

2.2 Topic 1

Present and discuss your first topic.

2.3 Topic 2

Present and discuss your second topic.

2.4 Topic 3

Present and discuss your third topic.

2.5 Implications – the research gap

Discuss the implications from the literature for your study – what is not known – what is the research gap? What is the theoretical framework for your study? What will you be focusing on to address your research objectives? Consider using a diagram to illustrate what you will be investigating and links between those elements (a conceptual diagram).

3. Methodology

This section of the report should outline the design and methodology of your project. The basis for the choice of research method should be about how and why it will help you answer your research question.

3.1 Introduction

Provide an overview of what is to be included in this section. For example:

This section describes the design adopted by this study to achieve the aims and address the research objectives as stated in Section 1.3. Section 3.2 discusses the methodology to be used in the study …….

3.2 Research approach and justification

Discuss and justify the methodology you will use in your study. Your method must be suited to your research question and research objectives.

For example, are you using both primary and secondary data sources, or are secondary sources adequate to address the research question and address your research objectives?

If you are collecting primary data, will you use a qualitative or quantitative method? Why?

If you will be collecting primary date, who will be the participants in your study (sampling plan – who will be included, sampling technique and sample size). You must justify each decision.

Do not just describe your method, make sure you provide a clear justification for your choice. For example, what method have other researchers used to address a similar problem? Is the work exploratory – has the problem been addressed before in other contexts? If it is exploratory and the issues are not known, then this may lead to a qualitative study. However, if it has been studied in other contexts and the key issues are known, then this may lead to a quantitative study.

If there is already adequate data and information on the topic, then you may be able to answer the research question and address the research objectives, based solely on relevant, up to date secondary data sources. Fully justify why you think secondary data collection is the best method.

3.3 Details of specific data collection techniques

In this section, provide a detailed discussion of your data collection methods.

If you are collecting secondary data, how will you search for the data and what sources will you be using? How will these sources allow you to address the research question and objectives? If you are only using secondary data sources, you will need to state what these are and why you consider them to be appropriate and adequate. If you are using primary data, you will still need to identify relevant secondary sources which are being used to inform your research.

If you are collecting primary data, what data collection method will you use? If you are conducting a qualitative study you may be using interviews, focus groups or an ethnographic approach (e.g. observation or respondent diaries). You must fully explain what you will do, with whom (participants), when (dates) and where (venue), and how (approach) and for how long (e.g. length of interviews). You must justify your data collection method.

Provide a copy of your interview or focus group protocol (explaining what you will do, what you will say, what questions you will ask as well as details re dates, venues etc.) in the appendices.

If you are conducting a quantitative study, you will most likely be developing and administering a survey. You must provide a copy of the questionnaire in the appendices.

Explain how you have developed the questions? They should be based on the literature – it is best to use and if necessary modify existing, pre-validated scales – that is questions and items that other researchers have used to study the same or a similar management problem. You can add some new questions (items) or modify existing questions (items) to suit the context of your study. You must provide a justification for the questions asked. How will the questions allow you to address the research objective.

It may be useful to present a table as per the example provided below.

Provide a timeline for the data collection. Use a Gannt chart.

4. Proposed Analysis of Results

In this progress report you need to outline your proposed analysis of the data.

How will you analyse the data collection from each method you will be using?

If you are doing a qualitative study, you will most likely be undertaking thematic analysis – identifying key themes/issues arising from the data that will allow you to address the research objectives.

If you are conducting a quantitative study, then what statistics will you be calculating. At the very least you will need to conduct some descriptive tests for frequencies and percentages, etc. If you are researching differences across groups (e.g. gender, age, income, education level, etc.) then you may conduct some tests of difference or look at correlations.

You must choose the relevant techniques to allow you to address each research objective and then answer the research question.

Indicate how you will present the results/findings – provide examples of dummy tables or charts or figures that you will use to present the data in your final report (the PowerPoint presentation)

References

[Use Harvard style. Make sure all sources used in the progress report are listed here]

Appendices

Appendix A: TITLE

If you are collecting primary data, your interview or focus group protocol or a copy of you survey must be provided here.

If you are using secondary sources – a list of sources to be used must be listed here.

Name and Student ID number 1

Name and Student ID number 2