Develop a research proposal evaluating the impact of leadership and culture on the sustainable development of the 21st century organizations.
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How to write a good postgraduate research proposal
General Rules
Contents:
Be clear, objective and realistic in your
objectives
Ask yourself why this research is important
State and justify your objectives clearly
Make sure you answer the questions: how will the research benefit the wider society
or contribute to the research community?
Styles:
Provide a ‘catchy’ title
Structure your text
Present the information in short paragraphs rather than a solid block of text
Write short sentences
If allowed, provide images/charts/diagrams which may help break up the text
Structure for a Research Proposal
1. Title
2. Abstract (summary of the proposed researched 100-200 words)
3. Introduction (background information/brief summary of existing literature)
4. Hypothesis and main objectives
5. Methodology, research design, participants, procedure, material, analysis
6. Summary and conclusion
7. References
8. Appendices
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Writing the Proposal
Important Components
Title:
Well-presented and clearly written proposals are more likely to stick in people’s mind. Avoid
long and convoluted titles. You will get an opportunity to give more detail in your
introduction
Plagiarism:
Make sure that you acknowledge the authors of ALL publications you use to write your
proposal. Failure to do so will be considered as plagiarism. Do not copy word to word what
an author has said. It is best to analyse and re-write all borrowed information in your own
words. If you absolutely have to quote an author, and then make sure that you use quotations
marks.
Abstract:
An abstract is a brief summary written in the same style as the rest of our proposal. It will
provide your reader with the main points and conclusions of your proposal.
Introduction and Literature Review:
A well-written introduction is the most efficient way to ‘hook’ your reader and set the context
of your proposed research. Get the reader’s attention early on and do no waste space with
obvious and general statements. The introduction is your opportunity to demonstrate that
your research has not been done before and that the proposed project will really add
something new to the existing body of literature. Your proposal does not have to
extraordinary, but it has to be based on sound hypotheses and reasoning.
You will have to provide background information in the form of a literature review which
helps you set the context for your research, to help the reader understand the questions and
objectives. You will also be expected to show that you have a good knowledge of the body of
literature, the wider context in which your research belongs and that you have awareness of
methodologies, theories and conflicting evidence in your chosen
field.
Choose key research papers or public documents and explain clearly how your research will
either fill a gap, complete or follow on from previous research even if it is a relatively new
field.
Methodology:
The methodology identifies the data collection and analytical techniques that you intend to
use. You should propose a quantitative study.
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For quantitative studies, the method section typically consists of the following sections:
Study design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kind of
design do you choose (descriptive, cross-sectional, case-control)?
Selection of research location
Subjects or participants – Who will take part in your study? What kind of sampling
method / procedure do you use? You will need to decide on the inclusion and
exclusion criteria
Sample size – you need to calculate your sample size based on the type of study you
are conducting. There are several formulas for sample size calculation.
Study instruments – What kind of measuring instruments or questionnaires do you
use? Why do you choose them? Are they valid and reliable?
Data collection – How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are
involved? How long does it take?
Data analysis and interpretation – this includes plans for processing and coding data,
computer software to be used (eg Statistical Package for Social Sciences / SPSS, EPI-
INFO, etc), choice of statistical methods, significance levels etc.
Ethical considerations – It is necessary to identify any ethical components especially
if you are using invasive procedures for human subjects. For instance:
o Consent forms (which state overall purpose and any risks or benefits of
participating).
o Potential risks that could be involved in any questioning (emotional distress,
dignity).
o Confidentiality of participants (anonymity).
o Feedback of results to participants.
Important Note:
o Make sure the research design or approach is appropriate for the stated
objectives
o Do not assume the reviewers are familiar with techniques to be used in your
study
o Provide a brief description of the study location, study design and flow of
activities
Summary and Conclusions:
Present an indication on how you envisage your research will contribute to debates and
discussions in your particular subject area. Will it make an original contribution? How might
it fill gaps in existing work or extend understanding of particular topics? Which are the
expected results? Summarize the research proposal’s main points.
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For more information, please see the links below:
http://www.studygs.net/proposal.htm
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/writingAPA
http://www.studygs.net/proposal.htm
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/writingAPA
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Assignment 2 Guidelines
Assignment Two: 50% of module marks
Research Proposal Assignment 2
Title: Develop a research proposal evaluating the impact of leadership and culture on the
sustainable development of the 21
st
century organizations.
Word Limit: 3000 words (absolute max 3500)
Assessment Point No: 2 (2 out of 2) 50% of final module mark
Online Submission: End of week 7 (Sunday)
Time: By 11:59 p.m. (23:59 hours) UTC time at the latest.
Important Note: If you miss the deadline, UNICAF rules on late submission/non-submission will
come into effect.
Learning outcomes assessed:
1. Illustrate the ability to evaluate the existing literature, identify potential gaps and propose a
research which examines the relationship between leadership and culture on the sustain how
you understand your research area
2. Demonstrate knowledge, critical evaluation and practical understanding of leadership.
3. Present critical and evidence-based arguments in written form.
Guidelines:
1. Add in depth evidence of advanced research and theories beyond the core readings which
have been provided in the module.
2. The essay should be reported by using the APA referencing format. Full and detailed
“References” section should be included at the end of the essay.
3. The essay should be within the indicated and appropriate word limit. Assignments that overly
exceed the absolute maximum will not be marked.
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4. Your assignment should be word processed; Arial font size 11 or 12 and double- spaced and
numbered pages.
5. Headings (e.g., Introduction/Discussion/Conclusion) should not be included in your final
essay.
Note: Essential information must be included in the body of the essay and will be counted in the
word count. Extra illustrative information may be included in the appendices.
Your essay will be assessed using the Writing Rubric located at the top of the course shell.
Students will decide on the appropriate structure and content but we would expect to see the
following elements:
Introduction: Typically, research proposals are developed by scholars who aim to be funded
for a research project (or as the initial step for getting approval to develop a dissertation).
Despite this being a course assignment, in your introduction you should have a clear
statement of your idea and an examination of the significance of a research problem:
o What is the central research problem?
o What is the topic of study related to that problem?
o What methods should be used to analyse the research problem?
o Why this is an important research, what is its significance?
Literature review: introduce the area of research, review key publications, identify any gaps
in the knowledge or questions which have to be answered. Note that this section is not an
essay going over everything you have learned about the topic; instead, you must choose what
is relevant to help explain the goals for your study. In addition, you must include your
hypothesis, your aims and objectives, how is the research beneficial and to whom. All the
elements that are included in the assignment must be adequately analysed and supported with
material that is properly cited, paraphrased and referenced from a wide variety of external
sources.
Methodology (Research Design and Methods): The methodology identifies the data
collection and analytical techniques that you intend to use. You should propose a quantitative
study. Propose the research methodology (e.g. techniques, sample size, target populations,
equipment and data analysis) and explain why it is most appropriate to effectively answer the
research question. This section must be organized in a logical manner because you are not
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actually doing the research, yet, your reader has to have confidence that it is worth pursuing.
The reader will not receive an actual a study outcome from which to evaluate whether your
methodological choices were the correct ones. Thus, the objective here is to convince the
reader that your overall research design and methods of analysis will correctly address the
problem.
o Specify the research operations you will undertake and the way you will interpret the
results of these operations in relation to the research problem.
o Anticipate and acknowledge any potential barriers and pitfalls in carrying out your
research design and explain how you plan to address them. No method is perfect so
you need to describe where you believe challenges may exist in obtaining data or
accessing information. It’s always better to acknowledge this than to have it brought
up by your reader.
Results: Just because you don’t have to actually conduct the study and analyse the results, it
doesn’t mean you can skip talking about the analytical process and potential implications.
The purpose of this section is to argue how and in what ways you believe your research will
refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge in the subject area under investigation.
Depending on the aims and objectives of your study, describe how the anticipated results will
impact future scholarly research, theory, practice, or forms of interventions.
Conclusion: bring together your main points; address the main question and adequately
summarize the expected findings of your research. This section should be only one or two
paragraphs long, emphasizing why the research problem is worth investigating, why your
research study is unique, and how it should advance existing knowledge.
Marking criteria:
Element Weight %
Presentation (General Presentation and APA reference system) 10
Research proposal (abstract, background information, hypothesis and
objectives, methodology, research design, procedure, analysis conclusions,
critical analysis) 50
Structure and organization 30
Language clarity and accuracy 10
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The following points should be noted for this part of the assessment:
This is an individual assessment, not a group task.
Literature should be sourced from a range of journal articles and textbooks.
The submission should use cases and examples from a variety of organisations to illustrate
the application of the leadership theory in organizations. This information should be
referenced to reports, websites and other relevant documents to allow tutors to access it.
The word count is 3000 words +/- 10%. This does not include the reference list and any
appendices the assignment may include.
Accurate referencing of sources is crucial in this coursework. The referencing system used
in this module is the APA Reference system. Please make sure you are familiar with this.
Marks will be deducted for inaccurate referencing.
The assessment must be submitted electronically via ‘Turnitin’.
Please familiarise yourself with the regulations on late submission. Last minute accidents
involving the loss of data sticks, corrupted files, faulty laptops and so on can be guarded
against by backing your work up thoroughly and regularly.
Do not put your name on the assignment cover sheet – use your student number for
identification only.
Please note that tutors will not be able to pre-assess draft assignments. We will comment on
short sections if students are concerned about their writing style, and we are happy to advice
on outline structures. Please do not ask tutors to comment on whole draft assignments.
Feedback will be available within twenty working days.