1 Research Methodology Workshop – 1 Introduction to Writing Research Proposal by Binam Ghimire

1

Research Methodology Workshop – 1Introduction to Writing Research

Proposalby Binam Ghimire

Learning Objectives

Understand research proposal Basic skills for generating research ideas, title,

aim, research questions and research objectives Convert an area of research into a research title Be familiar with the contents of a research

proposal Prepare Gantt Chart using Microsoft Project/

Excel

2

Welcome

Venue/ Timetable

3

Dates

Room NoFour sessions of ………. hrs each (total …. hours)

4

Submission

…………Email: ………

5

Proposal

This is part of Alice’s 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 don’t much care where, ‘said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,’ said

the Cat. (Saunders et al, 2003)

Proposal: What is it?

The Proposal is

A brief document! The first stage of your dissertation Requires some reading and thought but NOT

intended to be a stumbling block Ensures you start with a realistic and feasible

dissertation topic Helps you plan your work and visualise what your

research project will look like A work in progress –your plans will probably

evolve as you work on your dissertation

The Proposal is

Good when it is a …………… work

Proposal

An investigation into the causes of the global financial crisis and the sub-prime crisis and the after-effects

Proposal

Above was an example of what is not doable

Proposal Headings

Title Background Industry Background Research aim, research questions or hypotheses

and objectives Research Methodology Timescale Resources References

Title

Title

Areas of interest Title/ Topic same here What do you think this book is about?: War and

Peace

Title

MINIER, J. 2009. Opening a Stock Exchange. Journal of …………………, 90, 1, 135-143.

What do you think the above article is about?

Title

A large body of theoretical and empirical literature has established a positive relationship between levels of stock market development and economic growth. However, previous empirical work has been based on samples of approximately 40 countries with the most highly developed financial systems. Since 1950, over 70 countries have opened their first national stock exchanges. Can such exchanges increase economic growth? I present a data set of my construction that describes the exchange openings that occurred between 1960 and 1998, and find that these exchanges have generated increases in growth during their first 5 years of existence, although the longer-term results are ambiguous.

Title

Corporate Social Responsibility at Tescos/BP/Shell etc.

A Case Study of BP’s Oil Crisis in 2010 An examination of the use of Facebook in

marketing campaigns for teenage clothes The Causes of the Global Banking Crisis Delivering the 2012 Olympics on Time and in

Budget A study of stock market performance or A study

of employee performance

Title

Topic: An empirical study on Capital Structure and Profitability Relationship and its Impact on the Value of Firm

What do you think about the above?

Title

Title

Feedback on title: “Title could be worded better”

Title

A similar work in a journal The Research on the effects of Capital Structure

on Firm Performance and Evidence from the Non-Financial Industry of Taiwan 50 and Taiwan Mid-Cap 100 from 1987 to 2007

Title

Redefining the title An empirical study on Capital Structure and

Profitability Relationship and its Impact on the Value of Firm: Evidence from large non-finance companies listed in FTSE 100

Title

Flying High? The evolution of British Airways corporate strategy 2000-2010

Shopping Around: Credit Card Switching Behaviour in the UK 2000-2010

Supply Chain Management in the UK Clothing Business: Next Plc’s future strategy

Also note the use of ?, :

Title

Budgeting and Budgetary Control System as a Management Control Tool: A case study of footwear retail sector of Pakistan

A Critical Evaluation of Budgeting as a Tool for Management control: A case study of footwear retail sector of Pakistan

Title

The Implementation of Principles of Sound Corporate Governance in Emerging countries

An investigation into the nature of corporate governance and its affect to major stakeholders with reference to companies in UAE.

An investigation into the nature of corporate governance and its relationship to firm performance with reference to 50 listed companies in UAE

Title

MYERS, S. C. (1984) The capital structure puzzle. Journal of Finance, 39, 34, 575 - 592.

What do you think the above article is about?

Title

Attributes of a good dissertation title/topic

Title

Need for research Amenable to research methods Achievable in a reasonable time Symmetry of potential outcomes The research topic should match both your

interests and capabilities Area for professional development Contribution to knowledge Attractive for funding

Title

Key words may be useful – ‘a critical evaluation’, ‘a case study’, ‘a longitudinal study’

Title

Should be explanatory, short and snappy colons are useful look at book or journal article titles for ideas

“Born to buy: the commercialised child and the new consumer culture” by Juliet Schor (2004)

Title

Finance, Firm Size, and Growth Finance, Inequality and the Poor Stock Markets, Banks, and Economic Growth

Title

Financial Intermediation and Growth: Causality and Causes

Internal Finance and Growth: Microeconometric Evidence on Chinese Firms.

Financial Development and Economic Growth: International Evidence

Modern Economic Growth: Rate, Structure and Spread

Bank-Based or Market-Based Financial Systems: Which is Better?

Productivity Growth, Convergence, and Welfare: What the Long-Run Data Show

Stock Markets, Banks, and Growth: Panel Evidence

Title

Topic is not too topical, but has been explored Not set in stone – it may change as the research

progresses Remember a subject area (or a couple of key

words) is not a topic! Related to your course

Background

Need for research Background section: Review of Literature (no

more than 2000 words)

Background

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.

Background

This also requires knowledge on how to review the literature

The section on Review of literature will be explained separately

Industry Background

No more than 250 words

Industry Background

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? Hypotheses Objectives Research questions

1, 2, 3 – 4, 1-2

Research aim, research questions or hypotheses and objectives

Research Ideas – Title – Aim – Hypotheses – Questions – Objectives

Visit and refine as needed

Research Ideas

Generating Research Ideas (Saunders et al, 2007):Examining own strengths and interestsLooking at past project titlesDiscussionSearching the literatureKeeping a notebook of ideasExploring personal preferences using projectsRelevance treesBrainstorming

Turning Research Ideas into Research Projects

Writing Research Questions Writing Research Objectives

Research Questions

Research Questions

Writing Research Questions

Research Questions

One or a maximum of two general focus research question

The question(s) may lead to several more detailed questions (or the definition of research objectives)

Research Questions

Beware of questions that are too easy to answer and avoid the difficult ones (Saunders, 2007)

Research Questions

What is the proportion of graduates entering the civil service who attended the old established UK universities?

Research Questions

Why are graduates from old-established UK universities more likely to enter the civil service than graduates from other universities

Research Questions

Saunders et al (2007): Unofficial processes that go on at staff selection

which may favour one type of candidate over another.

Over-reaching yourself in the definition of research questions is a danger

Research Questions

Clough and Nutbrown (2002): Goldilocks testToo bigToo smallToo hot

Research Questions

Clough and Nutbrown (2002): Goldilocks testJust right

Research Questions

Match: Too big, too small, too hot, just the right

with the followings

insufficient, sensitivities that may be aroused as a result of doing the research, investigation at this time by this researcher and in this setting, funding problem

Research Questions

Research idea into research questions

Research Questions:Research Idea – Research Question

Research idea:Volatility in stock market


Research Question:Why does stock market volatility change over

time? (Schwert, 1989)


Research ideaDeveloped countries developed stock market

and developed intermediaries


Research Question:Do countries with well-developed stock

markets also have well-developed banks and nonbank financial intermediaries? (Kunt and Levine, 1996)


Turn the following research ideas into research questionsAdvertising and share pricesJob recruitment via the internetThe use of aroma as a marketing deviceThe use of internet bankingThe use of mobile banking


Advertising and share pricesHow does the running of a TV advertising

campaign designed to boost the image of a company affect its share price?


Job recruitment via the internetHow effective is recruiting for new staff via the

internet in comparison with traditional methods


The use of aromas as a marketing deviceIn what ways does the use of specific aromas

in supermarkets affect buyer behaviour?


The use of internet bankingWhat is the affect of internet banking into the

uses customers had on branch facilitiesWhat is the affect of growth of internet

banking into the uses customers had on branch facilities


The use of mobile bankingWhat is the affect of consumers’ knowledge

about mobile banking into the uses customers had on branch facilities

How does the consumers’ knowledge about mobile banking affect its adoption in XXX?

Research Objectives

Research Objectives

Greater specificity than research questions

Research Objectives:Question –Objective

Example: Why have organisations introduced team

briefing?To identify organisations objectives for team

briefing schemes


Example: How can the effectiveness of team briefing

schemes be measuredTo establish suitable effectiveness criteria for

team briefing schemes


Example: Has team briefing been effective?

To describe the extent to which the effectiveness criteria for team briefing have been met


Objectives are good when they pass the SMART TestSpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTimely

Research Methodology


Longest after Literature Review, but 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 (inductive /deductive)

It will also justify your choice of method in the light of the research objectives

It will also detail which sectors of the market you have chosen to research and why you chose these sectors

It will explain how you will ensure validity and reliability Discuss the appropriateness of triangulation to your

research


Include an explanation of the general way in which you intend to carry out the research.

Will it be based, for example, on questionnaires, interviews, examination of secondary data or use of a combination of data collection techniques?

Explain why you have chosen your approach?


If you are using a survey strategy you should specify your population and sample size

You should also clarify how the survey instrument such as questionnaire will be distributed and how the data will be analysed

If you are using interviews you would explain how many interviews will be conducted, their intended duration, whether they will be audio-recorded and how they will be analysed

But it is not necessary to include precise detail of the method you will employ, for example the questionnarie questions.

Include how you are going to adhere to any ethical guidelines (medical patients and children)


This requires knowledge various methodologies It will not be in the scope of this RM sessions However few more common methodologies will

be explained separately

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.

A GANTT Chart might help!! See separate file on how to make Gantt chart

using Microsoft Project

Resources

What resources do you need Will you be able to access the data that you need

to conduct your research? Do you have the required skills to perform the

analysis Limitations

References

How many? Style?

Writing Proposal: Best suggestion

Sample

Binam’s brief proposal Student work 1 Student work 2

Activity

1. Write down a list of topics associated with your Masters Degree that interest you enough for you to focus on

2. Once you have located your area of interest narrow it down to a central question that you would like to find the answer to or problem that you would like to find the solution to

3. Now write these down as a series of questions that you can try to answer during your research

4. Now try to work out what kinds of methodology you could use to do this

Report your conclusions to your group members

What am I expected

?

What am I expected?

Identification of a field of study; Formulation of research questions; Problem solving; Data collection and analysis; Inference (assumption, conclusion, conjecture,

consequences, deduction, etc.); Proof (confirmation, substantiate); Dissemination (broadcasting, publication),and Communication.

Thank you

?

Documents

1 Research Methodology Workshop – 1 Introduction to Writing Research Proposal by Binam Ghimire