TASK 1

The first stage of research is to identify problems or issues in business and management (or in the learner’s field of study) and to justify the need for research. To this end, you are required to choose a research topic in a field of study that is of interest to you. Then, you need to formulate the problem statement related to the chosen topic. To ensure that the problem that you have identified exists and it is significant, you need to provide actual facts and figures to support it. You are also required to determine the research questions and objectives suitable to the research problem. Finally, you must explain why it is important to do the research.   Your report for Task 1 should include the following:

1. Introduction and Research Background
2. Problem Statement, Research Question(s), and Research Objectives
3. Significance of Research

TASK 2

Based on your research topic chosen in Task 1,  review some research articles relevant to the topic and write a literature review.  From the literature review, identify the potential study variables and develop the conceptual framework.  Finally, write the research methodology.  Your report for Task 2 should include the following:

1. Literature Review
2. Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses
3. Research Methodology

To guide you through the research proposal, ensure that you answer the following questions that carry a specified weightage of the marks:

1. What is the research background and why is the research significant?
2. State your problem statement and construct the possible research question(s) and research objective(s). (15%)

Review some literature on your chosen topic. Based on the literature, identify and define the variables of your research and develop a conceptual framework and construct the possible hypotheses. You need to refer to at least  EIGHT (8) recent published articles on your chosen topic.  Use APA format for in-text citations and references. (30%)

1. Suggest a particular research design and your justification for choosing it. (15%)
2. Detail your sampling design and the possible statistical analysis that you will use. (12%)

1. List down all your references. (3%)

Part II 

ONLINE CLASS PARTICIPATION 

Discuss the following topic(s) in the forum and submit proof of your participation in the online discussions:

1. Discuss the characteristics of good scientific research.
2. What are the systematic steps of conducting scientific research?

• Discuss the differences between quantitative and qualitative research.

1. Why is it important to have a good sampling design and what is the most commonly used sampling method in a quantitative study?
2. What are the various types of data collection methods?