Management Introduction to Research Skills

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Singapore Institute of Management Introduction to Research Skills, 2017

Assignment The Research Skills assignment is an opportunity to start thinking about your ideas for the final year dissertation. The objective of the assessment is for you to develop a research proposal that can be used as a guide to help you structure and manage your final year research activities. Please note that this assignment does NOT require you to define a final topic for your final year dissertation. It serves as an exercise, and you can change your final year dissertation topic afterwards. The word limit for the assignment is 2500 words (10% leeway) not including charts, diagrams and list of references or appendices. This is an individual assignment and it will count towards 100% of the module assessment. The due date for the assignment is 04/09/2017 by 12 noon (UK time). Details of the Assignment – Research Proposal You are expected to develop a research proposal. A research proposal provides the background, the issues (research problems and questions), the theoretical base, the methodology and the timeline of the research. In this assignment you are required to focus on the general concept of ‘customer satisfaction’ in the Singapore context. (Please note that in your final year dissertation you may choose a different topic and context; this topic and context have been chosen purely for the purpose of this assessment). For this assessment your discussion must include:  An introduction that sets the scene and informs the reader of the specific topic

within customer satisfaction to be addressed in your discussion.

 Some background information of the context, for example information about a specific field (e.g. hotel, restaurant, transport, theme park etc.) in Singapore, including statistics. Use databases like the Marketline/Mintel to access such reports on the industry.

 A brief literature review should be presented; this should highlight the main theories and concepts associated with this topic. The literature should be clearly linked to the critical issues under discussion. Highlight the main debates and gaps around the issue of customer satisfaction, clearly indicating how your study would address these gaps. Your discussion must clearly identify a specific issue that your study will be addressing concerning customer satisfaction and justify why this issue is pertinent and worth researching further. Credit will be given for

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originality of the research idea and clearly defined scope and research boundaries

 You are required to read peer reviewed academic journals and other similar resources to identify the theoretical debates and gaps around customer satisfaction. Some useful journal articles have been listed in the module outline; do ensure that you read these as well as other relevant ones.

 Once you have clearly identified the gaps in the literature you must clearly state the research objectives and the research questions that will be addressed by your study (3-5 of them). These must be clearly derived from the gaps noted in the literature.

 You must also provide suggested potential theoretical contributions that could

emerge from your study, based on the gaps that you are addressing. Ensure that the significance and rationale for the research is clearly explained and there is evidence of originality in developing a potential research topic. Also indicate the significance of your study to other stakeholders; for example why is your study important for managers or policy makers?

 You also need to suggest the research method (s) that would be used for the

study, and clearly justify why you choose them, and then conclude the assignment.

 You are required to devise a timeline showing the research activities with a

reasonable period of time. This timeline can be in various forms, e.g. a table or a Gantt chart.

 The Harvard referencing style must be used throughout the paper, and a list of all

the references used provided at the end of the paper. Poor referencing will be penalized.

 You may include an appendices section to provide any supporting information

you find pertinent, such as data/charts/statistics. However appendices must not exceed 3 pages at the most.

Suggested Format and Weighting  Title (Clear and concise)  An introduction detailing the specific topic to be addressed (10%)  Contextual background (15%)  Literature debates and gaps related to a specific theoretical framework (20%)  Outline of research question(s), aims and objectives (10%)  Potential contribution of the research to literature and management practice

(15%)  Potential methods and conclusion (20%)  Timeline of the research (10%)  References

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Specific Assessment Guidelines

1. Assignments should be submitted in Times New Roman size 12 font, with double line spacing.

2. All readings should be clearly referenced using the ‘Harvard Style’. Poor referencing will be penalized.

3. Ensure that you refer to the UoB ‘plagiarism’ guidelines and adhere to these when developing your assignment

https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/studentservices/conduct/plagiarism/index.aspx

4. Any assignments submitted after the deadline will be penalised 5. Papers that exceed the 2,500 (+ or – 10%) word count will also be penalized. 6. Please note that the lecturer will not read any sections or drafts of any student’s paper beforehand. All papers will be read only when submitted in September 2017.

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University of Birmingham General assessment criteria for undergraduate coursework and examinations

80+ An outstanding piece of work, showing total mastery of concepts and theories associated with social science and business research and a highly developed mature ability to analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge and concepts. The work is well structured, with objectives clearly expressed. All objectives of the work set are covered, the work is free of errors with a very high level of technical competence, and ideas are expressed with fluency. There is evidence of critical reflection; the work demonstrates originality of thought and the ability to tackle questions and issues not previously encountered.

70-79 An excellent piece of work showing a high degree of mastery of the concepts and theories associated with and social science and business research and a well developed ability to analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge and concepts. The work is well structured, with objectives clearly expressed. All major objectives of the work set are covered and the work is free of all but very minor errors with a high level of technical competence. There is evidence of critical reflection and of some ability to tackle questions and issues not previously encountered. Ideas are expressed clearly; only the originality required for an 80+ mark is absent.

60-69 A good piece of work showing a sound and thorough grasp of the concepts and theories associated with social science and business research, though lacking the breadth and depth for a first-class mark. A good attempt at analysis, synthesis and application of knowledge and concepts but more limited in scope than that required for a mark of 70+. The work is well structured, with objectives clearly expressed. Most objectives of the work set are covered; the work is generally technically competent but there may be a few gaps leading to some errors. Some evidence of critical reflection and a reasonable ability to tackle questions and issues not previously encountered. Ideas are generally expressed with clarity, with some minor exceptions.

50-59 A fair piece of work showing grasp of the major element of the concepts and theories associated with social science and business research but with some gaps or areas of confusion. Only the basic requirements of the work set are covered; the attempt at analysis, synthesis and application of knowledge and concepts is superficial with a heavy reliance on course materials. Work contains some errors and technical competence is at a routine level. Ability to tackle questions and issues not previously encountered is limited, there is little critical reflection, and some confusion and immaturity in expression of ideas.

40-49 A poor piece of work showing some familiarity with the concepts and theories associated with social science and business research but with major gaps or misconceptions. Only some of the basic requirements of the work set are achieved, there is little or no attempt at analysis, synthesis or application of knowledge and a low level of technical competence with many errors. Difficulty in beginning to address questions and issues not previously encountered, an inability to reflect critically on an argument or viewpoint. There is almost a total reliance on course material with little evidence of additional reading. Ideas are poorly expressed and structured; the students would apparently find it difficult to study the topic at a higher

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level.

30-39 Work not of passable standard with serious gaps in knowledge of the subject-matter and many areas of confusion. Few or none of the basic requirements of the work set are covered and there is an inability to apply knowledge; technical competence is poor with many serious errors. Students rely on a ‘common sense’ analysis with little consideration of concepts relevant to the work. Little or no additional reading is evident and there is a heavy reliance on course materials. The students find it impossible to begin to address questions and issues not previously encountered. The level of expression and structure is inadequate, and the group would apparently not be capable of studying the topic at a higher level.

Below 30

A very poor piece of work showing that the student has failed to engage seriously with any of the subject-matter involved, and/or demonstrates total confusion over the requirements of the work set. The students would be required to undertake a large amount of additional work to reach a level that would be considered passable.