28205 Research Skills Individual Assignment

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 (NO 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 TBC

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 ‘technology adoption’ 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  technology adoption to be addressed in your discussion. 

► Some background information of the context, for example information about a specific field (e.g. hotels, universities, hospitals, supermarkets, transport, banks, theme parks 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  technology adoption, clearly indicating how your study would address these gaps. Your  discussion must clearly identify a specific issue that your study will be addressing  concerning technology adoption and justify why this issue is pertinent and worth  researching further. Credit will be given for 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 technology adoption. 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 

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 2021.

You must download the Cover Sheet and paste it at the front of your assignment. Make sure you complete the details accurately. Please upload either a Word or PDF  document as your main assignment (including coversheet). Please do not use Google Docs.  The recommended format is Harvard Referencing. Please refer to  

https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/referencing/icite/index.aspx  for descriptions of reference styles. 

If you are having technical problems submitting please see our help page: Submitting Your  Assignment. 

Module Learning Outcomes: 

In this assessment the following learning outcomes will be covered: 

LO1. Demonstrate systematic knowledge and understanding of the various stages of the  market research process and be capable of applying them to real-life cases 

LO2. Critically appraise the value and use of secondary data from various sources, and be  able to use it to construct a literature review 

LO3. Use the literature gathered from various sources to identify future research problems

LO4. Compare and contrast research paradigms and select and justify appropriate  methodology for a research project 

LO5. Analyse both qualitative and quantitative data and provide insights from the analysis 

LO6. Demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of the ethical issues that encompass  the research process. 

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  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 

Plagiarism: 

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. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand correct referencing practices. You are expected to use appropriate references and keep carefully detailed notes of all your information sources, including any material downloaded from the Internet. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are not vulnerable to any alleged breaches of the  assessment regulations. More information is available at https://intranet.birmingh am.ac.uk/as/studentservices/conduct/misconduct/plagiarism/index.aspx.