London School of Business & Finance (LSBF)

Masters in Business Administration MSc in Marketing MSc in Finance

Module
Assignment Title Type of Assignment Word Limit Weighting Student Cohort Issue Date Submission Date Feedback Date Issued by (Assessor) Internal Verifier Plagiarism

Business Research Methods Assignment Briefing Sheet 2012

Harvard Referencing Learning Outcomes

The Harvard Referencing System must be used. The Wikipedia website must not be referenced in your work. On successful completion of this assignment you will be able to: Analyse critical components of research methods, from design, techniques, values and methods; Identify research methods for producing empirical data analysis, qualitative research outputs; Demonstrate critical evaluation of a research proposal and appreciate the limitations of research; Evaluate the quality of research designs when commissioning research; Work towards and complete a successful Master level research project. Before you start your research you need to have at least some idea of what you want to do. Without being clear about what you are going to research it is difficult to plan how you are going to research it (Saunders et al, 2003). The quote below illustrates the above points: This is part of Alices conversation with the Cheshire Cat. In this Alice asks the cat (Carroll, 1989:63-4): Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here? That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, said the Cat. I dont much care where, said Alice. Then it doesnt matter which way you walk, said the Cat. (Saunders et al, 2003) Formulating and clarifying the research topic is the starting point of your research project (Ghauri & Gronhaug, 2002; Smith and Dainty, 1991). Once you are clear about this you will be able to choose the most appropriate research strategy and data collection and analysis techniques. The formulating and clarifying process is time consuming and will probably take you up blind alleys (Saunders and Lewis, 1997). However, without spending time on this stage you are far less likely to achieve a successful project (Raimond, 1993)

Introduction

Tasks

Your research proposal must be written and presented in the format outlined below: Title Background Industry Background Research aim, research questions or hypotheses and objectives Research Methodology Timescale Resources References

Guidelines

Please read carefully or you could end up penalising yourself. Below are some points to consider for your research proposal. Background section: Review of Literature (no more than 2000 words) - Why is research that you are planning worth the effort? - Use of academic journals - Identify your area of research - Demonstrate your knowledge of the relevant literature - Clarify where your proposal fits into the debate in the literature - Identify gaps in existing literature - Show a clear link between the previous work that has been done in your field of research interest and the content of your proposal etc - Identify relevant academic theory, models, frameworks and concepts Industry Background (no more than 250 words) - Place the research into context. - This should clarify further why the research is being done, under what conditions it is being done and what its impact is hoped to be. Research aim, research questions or hypotheses and objectives - What does this research aim to explore/find out? - Research questions (no more than two) - Hypotheses (no more than two) - Objectives (Minimum 3 & Maximum 4) Research Methodology (no more than 1500 words) - This section will detail how you intend to go about achieving your research objectives - It will explain your choice of research philosophy - It will also justify your choice of method in the light of these objectives - It will also clarify where you intend to carry out the research - It will also detail which sectors of the market you have chosen to research and why you chose these sectors - It will explain how your research will ensure validity and reliability - Justify the relationship between your research aim, research questions, research objectives and research methods - Discuss the appropriateness of triangulation to your research Timescale - This section needs to be very detailed and realistic - You must produce a detailed schedule that illustrates weekly activities and allows time for unexpected delays

Resources - What resources do you need - Will you be able to access the data that you need to conduct your research References - Must be written carefully using the Harvard Referencing System

NB: Marks will be awarded for proper referencing and originality of work. Also note that plagiarism is a serious offence and your submission will be electronically checked. Proper referencing means a) that for every citation in the text there is an entry in the List of References at the end of the text, b) for every entry in the List of References there is at least one citation in the text. Your research proposal must be handed in electronically no later than the date stated on this assignment brief. Please note that lecturers and students are not allowed to negotiate individual extensions. Formatting Your assignment should be submitted in the format of a research proposal Use 12pt font size Arial, with 2.5cm margins all around and double-spacing. References, table of contents, and tables/figures/graphs may be single-spaced with a font size 10. Deviations from the set formatting guidelines will severely affect your grade, regardless of report content. This is to ensure optimal length consistency and fairness for all submitted student reports.

Submission procedures
FORMAT All submissions must now be made as soft (electronic) copies and submitted online. Submissions must be saved to one of the following file formats: [MS Word (.doc, .docx), PostScript, HTML, WordPerfect (wpd), RTF (Rich Text format), plain text or Portable Document Format (.pdf). Please be aware that no other formats will be accepted]. Each page of your assignment should have a header with your assignment title and footer giving your full name, student ID and page number.

ADDRESS TO SEND YOUR ASSIGNMENTS TO Assignments must be sent to the correct email address for each module. These are as follows: Module RMthd E-mail address

[email protected]

CONTENT OF YOUR EMAIL SUBJECT of the email should read: (Student ID) (Module Code) (Student Name) Example: A40XXXXX, SP, John Matthew Make sure you clearly state the following on your submission email: Student ID number: Full name: Intake and group number: Module Name: Assignment Type: (i.e. Individual Assignment / Group Assignment / Presentation) Please also fill out the online cover sheet as directed and attach it to the email separately from the main body of your assignment.

IMPORTANT No emails should contain more than 10 MB of data (because this will not reach the mail box) hence if your work is in excess of 10mb you will need to split it into two emails. In this instance it should be clearly indicated in the first email that there is a second to be expected. Please also keep all file names under 50 characters. Assignments must be received no later midnight (24:00) on the day of the submission deadline. Assignments received in the 24 hours following deadline will be capped at 40%. After 24 hours the paper will not be graded. Please note it is also the responsibility of the student to ensure that assignments are correctly attached when you send your email. If for whatever reason you neglect to do this, no allowance can be made after the submission deadline and your grade will be adversely affected. IT IS STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT ALL SUBMISSIONS COMPLY WITH THE CRITERIA SPECIFIED ABOVE.