Format for GSCM Research Project[1]
The following is a guideline to be used when
writing your GSCM Research Project. Remember
that as you develop the project you should be building upon what was already
done and making the connections between sections clear to the reader. It is expected that proper citation form will
be used throughout the project when referencing the research of other authors.
Title Page:
The title page should include the title of the project along with
the name of the organization that was interviewed. Also included on the title page should be the
name of the author of the research project along with all pertinent information.
Executive Summary: The executive summary should be a one to
two page overview of the information contained in the research project. It should give the reader an easy reference,
in very brief form, to the important information contained in the project and
explained in more detail in the body of the project. People attending a presentation of research
or reading the project will use this section as a reference during
presentations and as a synopsis of the research done.
Introduction: The introduction should contain a brief
overview of the problem being addressed and the background information needed
for the reader to understand the work being done and the reasoning behind it. Your
research questions also need to be clearly stated in this section. After reading the introduction, the
reader should know exactly what the project is about, why the research was
conducted, and how this research adds to the knowledge that the reader may have
about the topic.
Literature Review (Academic Research): This section will contain all of the
information that was collected through the review of existing information. Peer reviewed journals are the preferred (and
expected) sources of information while peer reviewed “trade journals” are
considered to be adequate sources of information. Books are also considered to be adequate
sources of information. The importance
of the literature review as it pertains to each of the research questions must
be made clear to the reader. Conclusions
should be drawn in a logical fashion and insight into how these conclusions
will be used throughout the rest of the research agenda should be provided.
Qualitative Research (Empirical
Research): This section should
contain all information regarding any interviews that were conducted as part of
the research project. This section
should begin with an explanation of why this research is needed or beneficial. Other information provided should include:
- An
overview of the issues that were included in this research - Why these
issues were salient - How the
discussion guide (interview questions list) was developed - A
description of the interviewee and the company being researched - Discussion
of the information collected (using quotes to highlight important points) - Conclusions
based on the collected information - Clear
explanation of how the conclusions are based on the research done - How these
conclusions will contribute to the rest of the research project
Findings:
The findings are the actual results of your research. Your findings should consist of a detailed
presentation of your interpretation of the results found when comparing the
writings from the literature review to the qualitative research (How well does the real
world compare to the academic world?).
Figures are encouraged when it is helpful to allow the reader to
more easily understand the work being presented. The findings section should include the
following:
- Findings
based only on results of the research, not speculation - In-depth
explanation of all major findings - Clear
presentation of support for the findings - Clear
answers to each of the research questions
Limitations: Recognize that even the best research work is
not perfect and open to questioning. In
this section, briefly discuss the factors that may have influenced your
findings but were outside of your control.
Some of the limitations may be time constraints, budget constraints,
market changes, certain procedural errors, and other events. Admit that your research is not perfect but
discuss the degree of accuracy with which your results can be accepted. In this section, suggestions can be offered
to correct these limitations in future research.
Conclusions and Recommendations: Conclusions are broad generalizations that
focus on addressing the research questions for which the project was
conducted. Recommendations are your
choices for strategies or tactics based on the conclusions that you have
drawn. Quite often authors are tempted
to speculate on outcomes that cannot be supported by the research
findings. Do not draw any conclusions or
make any recommendations that your research cannot clearly support.
References: This section should be a listing of all
existing information sources used in the research project. It is important to allow the reader to see
all of the sources used and enable the reader to further explore those sources
to verify the information presented.
Appendices: This section should include all supporting
information from the research project that was not included in the body of the
project. The information presented in
this section is important to support the work presented in the body of the
project but would make it more difficult to read and understand if presented
within the body of the project. Don’t
simply fill this section with graphs, charts, brochures, pamphlets or any other
information that was not referred to in the body of the project.
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