BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL GUIDE FOR STUDENT

Transcription

1 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL GUIDE FOR STUDENT 1

2 GENERAL GUIDE 1. Students are required to prepare a research proposal in ENGLISH. 2. The report should be pages (excluding references and appendices). 3. The report should be typed on one side of answer sheets only, using Arial font size 11, and double-spaced. 4. References in APA style must be included and taken from reliable sources such as books or journals. Refer to: to view the details and samples of APA style. 5. Plagiarism, copying and cheating will NOT be awarded any mark, and disciplinary actions will be taken instead. 6. The cover of the assignment should include details as in Appendix The assignment has to be submitted on or before 21 st July Develop your full research proposal based on the guideline given in Appendix 2. The details presented cover all the chapters HOWEVER you are ONLY required to submit till CHAPTER 3 (which is your proposal). 9. The marking assessments are as shown in Appendix 3. 2

3 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Appendix 1 UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Name Matric No Date of Submission Lecturer s name 3

4 Appendix 2 THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND RESEARCH REPORT RESEARCH OUTLINE CONVENTIONAL PARTS OF A RESEARCH Title Preliminaries Title Page Acknowledgements Copyright Abstract Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background of the Study 1.3 Problem Statement 1.4 Research Objectives 1.5 Research Questions 1.6 Scope of the Study 1.7 Significance of the Study 1.8 Definition of Key Terms Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Review of Related Literature 2.3 Underlying/Underpinning Theory 2.4 Research Model/Framework 2.5 Hypotheses Development Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY Introduction 3.2 Research Design 3.3 Population 3.4 The Sampling Technique

5 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.5 Data Collection Procedures 3.6 Research Instruments 3.7 Statistical Methods Chapter 4 FINDINGS 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Overview of Data Collected Response Rate 4.3 Profile of Respondents 4.4 Goodness of Measures Construct Validity Results of Exploratory Factor Analysis Reliability Test 4.5 Descriptive Analyses Major Variables (Mean, Standard Deviation) 4.6 Correlation Analysis 4.7 Major Findings (Hypotheses Testing) 4.8 Summary of Findings References Appendices Chapter 5 DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 5.1 Discussion 5.2 Recommendations 5.3 Conclusions 5

6 Proposal Research Report Substantive Chapter 1 to 5 Include all chapters Chapter 1 is a what chapter (Describe what you are going to research) Chapter 2 is the foundation chapter (Review the literature that relates to & supports the research) Chapter 3 is a how chapter (Describe how you are going to conduct the research) Chapter 4 is Finding / Data Analysis Chapter 5 is Discussion, Recommendation and Conclusion Describes: Procedure of data collection and data analysis techniques Reports: Procedure undertaken Report results Analyzes data collected Mechanics Tense : Present or future Past (except direct reading Table/data reading) EXAMPLE: Title/Topic Should accurately reflect the scope and content of the study in not more than 20 words. TOPIC Example : Determinants of Job Performance Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction Purpose to provide a general introduction to the problem area, but not necessarily to the specific problem to be addressed. After reading this section, supervisor should have a general idea of what you are planning to investigate. This section usually contains: A presentation of the problem to be investigated in broad terms and A presentation of some supporting literature. (This section is typically 2-4 pages) 6

7 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1.2 Background of the study Purpose to indicate why the study is a problem and why it should be addressed (you may have put a bit of this in the problem statement section and that is okay, because here you will expand that thinking). Here you explicate the problem further with information from the literature. By referring to the literature, you demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the stated problem and some idea of what other research has been conducted. You will also advance your readers knowledge of the problem. You may want to provide some idea of the breadth and depth of the problem. Perhaps the problem has never been researched or never been researched in the way you want to do it perhaps you want to address the problem in a different context than it has previously been addressed. The problem may relate to a social condition that needs rectified. It may also relate to a situation in your workplace that needs to be addressed. Whatever, your rationale for why the problem needs to be studied, you need to defend it as worthy of study. (Typically 2-3 pages) 1.3 Problem Statement It is important that the problem be stated clearly. The essence of the problem can be stated in a sentence or two, but it should stand alone in the section. Statements that describe the area of the problem, conditions that relate to it or a bit of background can be included to support the problem statement. After reading the problem statement, supervisor should know clearly what you are studying and can examine that in terms of the proposed methodology. A properly stated problem should: a. State possible relationships between two or more variables. b. Identify a question to be addressed. c. Have the possibility of being measured in some acceptable manner. (Should be concise and brief not more than 2 pages) 1.4 Research Objectives The objective is the purpose of the research and not the purpose of the researcher. The research objective explicitly states what the study wants to accomplish. Example: To examine the direct relationship between psychological capital (selfefficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) and job performance. 1.5 Research Questions This constitutes the crucial part of research What basic question would you like the research to provide? The research question/s constitutes the basic area of interest in the study. This provides the direction for the study. The question/s must correspond with the objective. Example: Do psychological capital (self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) have direct relationship with job performance? 7

8 1.6 Significance of the Study In this section, you indicate why the study is important in terms of who might benefit from the results. How might the results be used to improve something? How might the results add information to an existing data base? The significance of the study is in terms of theoretical and practical contribution. (Typically 1-3 pages) 1.7 Definition of Key Terms Define the key terms and variables (operational) adopted in the study. Define terms that are technical that readers may not understand. Define professional jargon. Define terms that you are using in a way they are not normally used and terms that have multiple meanings. Sometime there is a tendency to define too many terms. When you are trying to decide if a term should be defined, ask yourself if the people who are likely to read the dissertation are likely to know the term. The length of the definitions section can vary considerable if a number of terms need to be defined. (Typically, the section is no more than 2 pages) 1.1 Organization of Remaining Chapters -In final report Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Include a brief introduction in the section. 2.2 Review of Related Literature The term related indicates that the theories, principles, and concepts including findings of studies cited must be related with the major variables under investigation and the relationships expected from such investigation. Example of review of literature for the topic: The effect of psychological capital and social support on job performance. 2.1 Definitions and conceptualization of job performance 2.2 Multidimensionality of job performance Task performance Contextual performance 2.3 Variables Related to this Study Psychological Capital Social support *Synthesis of the Literature Reviewed o Commonalities o Points of Differences o Implications to present study 8

9 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Depends on the complexity of the research and the amount of literature on the topic. If the topic is limited properly, it is likely that a pages review will be sufficient) 2.3 Underlying/Underpinning Theory Theory is defined as an explanation of a phenomenon or an abstract generalization that systematically explains the relationship among study variables or phenomenon, for purposes of explaining, predicting and controlling such phenomenon. The theoretical framework consists of theories that seem to be interrelated. Example of Theories: Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory Social Exchange Theory 2.4 Research Framework/Theoretical Framework Is there existing theory, construct or considered opinion on which the study can be theoretically or conceptually based? Is there a logic that supports the study? Sometimes it is necessary to use more than one theoretical construct to support the study. For example, if you were studying job performance, you may want to partially support with Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory and you may want to support with Social Exchange Theory. This may be presented by a. Schematic Diagram or b. A statistical Model -The model must be explained -The expected relationships must be stated Example: Independent Variables Dependent Variable Psychological Capital Self-efficacy Optimism Hope Resilience Job Performance Social Support Supervisor Support Co-worker Support Figure 2.1 Theoretical Framework 9

10 2.5 Hypotheses development State what will be measured or the questions to be answered. You are more likely to use hypotheses in a quantitative study when you are going to statistically analyze the data to determine if there is a statistical relationship between variables. Generally, researchers address two types of hypotheses. The first is the researcher s hypothesis (sometimes called the alternative hypothesis) which is a statement of the relationship between two or more variables and is stated in positive form. The null or the statistical hypothesis states that there will not be a relationship. The test of statistical significance is conducted to attempt to refute the null hypothesis. Hypotheses can be stated as difference statements, if-then statements, continuous statements or mathematical statements. Probably the most common way of stating hypotheses is the difference statement. In both if-then statements and continuous statements, a direction is stated. When using a difference statement, you are not specifying a direction. (Typically 1 page or less) Example: H1: Psychological capital (self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) is positively and significantly related to job performance. H1a: H1b: H1c: H1d: Self-efficacy is positively and significantly related to job performance. Optimism is positively and significantly related to job performance Hope is positively and significantly related to job performance Resilience is positively and significantly related to job performance Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction Include a brief introduction in the section. 3.2 Research Design Research design is all about how the research is being conducted, the type of research to be conducted and the approaches used for the study. A research design basically provides the basic directions or recipe for carrying out the project. A researcher should choose a research design that: Will provide relevant information on the research questions/hypotheses. Will complete the job most efficiently. 10

11 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY There are two approaches to run a research, a quantitative approaches and qualitative approaches. But business research is a discipline that uses statistic therefore quantitative approaches should be practiced. There are three types of research design and as a researcher; you should be able to identify the current issue you are researching falls under which category of research. The three types of research design are as follow: Exploratory research Descriptive research Causal research A research design is best describe with a single line statement such as following: This research is an exploratory research which looks onto the possible factor resulting..the researcher uses quantitative methods of analysis to study the outcome. This research is a causal research which intends to identify the main cause of. The researcher uses quantitative methods to test the variable and analyze the outcome. 3.3 Population Provide details about the population used in your study. What sector labor force, organizations, industry or groups the population is from What are the characteristic of the population Usually, just one sentence is necessary to define the population. Examples: The population for this study is defined as all adult customers who make a purchase in our store during the sampling time frame. The population for this study is defined as all potential consumer of our product Sample While the population can usually be defined by a single statement, the sampling procedure needs to be described in extensive detail. There are numerous sampling methods from which to choose. Describe in minute detail, how you will select the sample. Use specific names, place, times, etc. Do not omit any details. This is extremely important because the reader of the paper must decide if your sample will sufficiently represent the population. 11

12 Examples: What sectors of the labor force, organizations, industry or groups is the sample drawn? What are the characteristics of the population sample? What are the strong points and limitation of the sample? What is the justification of choosing such sample? Can the findings be generalized to the populations? 3.4 The Sampling Technique Describe and explain the sampling technique used in sample selection, whether it is a simple random sampling, convenient sampling, stratified sampling or quota sampling. 3.5 Data Collection Procedure Describe step by step procedure in the collection of the data. Include stages from requests to conduct study until the actual collection of data. Indicate response rate. Include period of time covered for data collection. 3.6 Research Instruments Detailed description of the instrument/s Table of item distribution by variable Includes the various items used as measures Scales of measurements used As for scale type used, there is few scaling method that can be used to design a questionnaire. Common scaling system used is Likert scaling. Identify clearly the type of scaling used the either rate, rank or sort the answer selection for the questionnaire. Describe in detail the scaling methods used and the reason for choosing the respective scaling method. Example: Table 3 : Summary of measurements adapted in the study Variables Items Reliability Source of Scale Job Performance (41) Task Performance Contextual Performance Greenslade & Jimmieson (2007) Personal Resources Psychological Capital (34) Self-efficacy Optimism Hope Resilience Jones (1986) Scheier & Carver (1985) Snyder et al. (1996) Block & Kremen (1996) & Klonhlen (1996) 12

13 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Validation of Instruments 1. A pilot test is necessary to determine the validity and the reliability of the instrument for the following. a. Self-constructed items/instruments b. Translated versions of the instrument 2. Possibilities - Content & construct validity; Reliability of instrument 3.7 Statistical Methods Describe the statistical methods to be used in analyzing your results. (The SPSS package is commonly used). The research question should be addressed one at a time followed by a description of the type of statistical tests that will be performed to answer that research question. Be specific. State what variables will be included in the analysis and identify the independent variable and dependent variable if such relationship exists. Examples: To test the relationship between.and., the ANOVA test from SPSS is being executed. We use One-sample T-test analysis to determine if there is a significant difference between. (For 3.2 to 3.7, typically about 3-4 pages) Chapter Four FINDINGS 4.1 Introductory Statement States the purpose of the research and what are expected to be investigated 4.2 Overview of Data Collected Response Rate 4.3 Profile of Respondents 4.4 Goodness of Measures Construct validity Results of Exploratory Factor Analysis Reliability Test 4.5 Descriptive Analyses Major Variables (Mean, Standard Deviation) 13

14 4.6 Major Findings (Hypothesis/es Testing) 1. This section presents the major findings based on the tests of hypothesis. Meanings of the findings are stated in terms of directions, strengths, and level of significance observed. 2. Generally starts with decisions regarding the hypotheses (acceptance or rejection). 3. Describes direction, strength and level of significance as inferred from the empirical data generated. Example of Regression Analysis: The study found that: The regression tests had presented an inference with R square of.385. Approximately 38.5% variations of job performance were caused by selfefficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience. The adjusted R 2 value is.379. Hypothesis 1 postulated a positive and significant relationship between all dimensions of psychological capital and job performance. Resilience (β =.177, p <.01), hope (β =.193, p <.01), and self-efficacy (β =.125, p <.01) were positively and significantly related to work engagement. In contrast, although optimism (β = -.100, p <.01) was associated with job performance, the relationship was negative. Therefore, hypothesis 1 was partially supported. Table 4 Relationship between psychological capital (optimism, hope, self-efficacy, and resilience) and Job Performance Dependent Variable = Job Performance Std β Independent Variables Resilience.177** Hope.193** Self-efficacy.125** Optimism -.100** R Adjusted R R 2 Change.347 F-Change ** *p<0.05, **p< Summary of Findings Summarize the results of the study. 14

15 BPMN6073 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Chapter Five : DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Discussion of Findings 1. It is usually useful to list the research questions or hypotheses one by one and present the data after each one. 2. Support with literature review for justification of findings Discuss the findings from Chapter 4 and relate the findings to the literature in Chapter 2. Identify if your findings support existing theories. Explain why you think you found what you did. Present plausible reasons why the results might have turned out the way they did. In addition, try to explain the significance and non-significance of your results using available theories, data, facts etc. In addition to that, highlight the contribution on your present study towards the development of knowledge as well as impact on policy makers. Discuss how your study is useful and helpful to address issues that the study is dealing with. 5.2 Recommendation and Suggestion for Future Research Present recommendations based on your findings. Avoid the temptation to present recommendations based on your own beliefs or biases that are not specifically supported by your data. Recommendations fall into two categories. The first is recommendations to the study sponsor. What actions do you recommend they take based upon the data? The second is recommendations to other researchers. There are almost always ways that a study could be improved or refined. What would you change if you were to do your study over again? These are recommendations to other researchers. 5.3 Conclusions Discuss how the objectives and research questions of the study have been met with the research. Highlight the key findings, implications that your research have revealed. REFERENCES List references in APA format alphabetically by author s last name. APPENDIX Include a copy of any actual instruments. If used, include a copy of the informed consent form. Other relevant instruments that can be included in appendix include a copy of questionnaire together with the cover letter. 15

16 Appendix 3 WRITTEN REPORT RUBRIC Student s Name: Lecturer s Name: Matric No.: Course Code: Topic: Organization Content Mechanics Ethical guidelines 1 = Below Basic 2 = Basic 3 = Proficient 4 = Advance Marks Not organized, Some organization, Good organization and Excellent organization discussion makes no discussions jump discussions are logically and discussions are sense around, start and end are ordered. logically ordered. unclear. Poor introduction of Some introduction of Good introduction of In-depth introduction of subject matter subject matter. subject matter. subject matter. Provide little or no information on subject matter. Information is inaccurate or with many errors. Minimal use of supporting detail. Vague or confusing conclusion. Errors are frequent and distracting. Unacceptable appearance. Does not use appropriate font, font size, line spacing and border areas. References are not cited in text, and no references list is provided. Style/format is incorrect. Report handed in more than 5 days late. Insufficient information on subject matter. Some information is accurate, but enough errors are made to be distracting. Some use of supporting detail. Discusses pertinent information on subject matter. Explains significance of topic but some information is inaccurate. Good use of supporting detail. Discusses pertinent information on subject matter. Clearly explains significance of topic. Information is consistently accurate. Insightful and sophisticated use of supporting detail. Weak conclusion. Effective conclusion. Interesting, effective conclusion. Some errors in style or Writing is generally Writing is free of errors grammar occur that they errors free. in grammar, become distracting. punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization and spelling. Appearance is acceptable but a lot could be improved. Few references are cited in text and incomplete reference list. Appearance is generally good; only few elements need to be improved. Most references are cited in text and appropriately provided in references list. Most references use correct style/format. Excellent formatting and appearance. Use appropriate font, font size, line spacing and border areas. Complete references in text and references list. Many references use incorrect style/format. References are in the correct style/format. Up to 5 days late. A day late. Report handed in on time. TOTAL MARKS 16