Chapter 1
Introduction 1750 Words
1.1 Introduction to the topic and issues – this should be written in prose and framed through a contemporary discussion of the issues or situation.
1.2 Rationale – why is the research important? What is the need for the research? Who will benefit from the research?
1.3 Research Aim and Objectives
1.4 Research Questions – identify the key question that the research is trying to answer
1.5 Structure of the project (each chapter description)
Chapter 2
Background / context 1250 words
2.1 Introduction – introduce the reader to the chapter and explain what it covers
2.2 Overview of the organisation and/or the business environment that the research is set within
2.3 Contextual discussion of the situation or issue in rele=ation to the business operations of the
firm and/or the market conditions
2.4 Summary – sum up the key points from the chapter
Chapter 3
Literature Review 4000 words
3.1 Introduction – introduce the reader to the Lit Review, explain what a Lit Review is and use APA direct quotations and references to evidence this discussion. Provide an overview of the key theories that your Lit review will discuss
3.2 Critical review of the underlying concepts and models that influence or impact on the issue / situation. Use sub-headings to structure the sections and arguments
3.3 Summary – by the end of the Lit Review y should have identified the gaps in the current research or have created a framework that you are going to use to apply within your methodology. Now you need to draw this together so that the reader can see the relevance of the literature that you have critiqued and the gaps / framework that you have created.
Chapter 4
Methodology – 2750 words
4.0 Introduction – introduce the reader to the methodology, explain what a methodology is and use some direct quotations and references to evidence this discussion. Provide an overview of the chapter (data collection, sampling, data analysing methods)
4.1 Critical discussion of research design – detailed explanation showing how the research is structure, needs to cover:
4.1.1. Research Philosophy – ontology & epistemology
4.1.2 Research Approach – inductive, deductive or abductive
4.1.3 Research design – exploratory, explanatory or descriptive
4.2 Methods – a detailed explanation of the specific methods used in the research i.e. interviews, focus groups, observations, surveys, ethnography
4.2.1 Explanation and justification of the methods
4.2.2 Detailed explanation of the construction of the method, i.e. explaining the interview / survey questions
4.2.3 Detailed plan for the delivery of the research method such as how and where will the survey be distributed, what date range and time will the interviews take place, when and where will the observations be conducted etc.
4.2.4 Piloting – explanation of any testing (piloting) of the research questions and the adjustments made
4.3 Population & Sample – explanation about who the intended target audience is i.e. everyone in the company or all of the marketing & sales team and an explanation of the smaller sample (if applicable) that the research will target
4.3.1 Population
4.3.2 Sample (if applicable) – if the population is small then the research group might be the whole population.
4.3.3 Sampling Techniques (if applicable) – explanation about how the sample will be selected
4.4 Data Analysis – critical and detailed discussion explaining how the data will be analysed, should include a discussion of process and tools.
4.5 Validity & Reliability – critical discussion detailing the methods to ensure (as much as possible) the reliability of the data gathered.
4.6 Limitation of the research Design – critical review of the research choices and discussion of any immediately obvious issues that could prevent the research from generating the data sought, i.e. lack of access to key personnel, company policy, GDPR etc. Needs to include a plan for how to mitigate against these issues
Chapter 5
Findings 1750 Words
5.1 Detailed presentation of the findings gathered from the research methods – show the results in full and contextualise them
5.2 Summary – sum up the key points of the chapter
Chapter 6
Discussion – 1750 words
6.1 Critical Discussion of the findings in the contrast to the methods and concepts in 3.2
6.2 Summary – sum up the key points of the chapter
Chapter 7
Conclusion & recommendations 1750 Words
7.1 Conclusion – not a summary of the project – needs to develop and extend the key arguments for the discussion (4.2) to demonstrate the potential impact of these. Needs to demonstrate how the Aim, Objectives and Research Questions have been addressed or not by the research.
7.2 LImitations – critical review of any limitations of the research – similar to 4.6 but this post project and other issues may have emerged
7.3 Recommendations – two aspects – first identify recommendations for further research to extend the project and discover deeper learning; second, make a recommendations (if applicable) for the company – note this is not a “soap box” and the recommendations must be linked to the findings.