Posted: April 24th, 2025

MBA512 Research Proposal

 The Research Proposal will be the foundation of the research work. The Proposal will be approx. 1500 words; the distribution of word count for each section is given below against each section title. The research plan, annotated bibliography, timelines and the references will not be included in the word count.  

RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORM – ABERTAY MBA PROGRAM

Student Name:

Supervisor Name:

Date:

Note:

The Research Proposal will be the foundation of the research work being undertaken by the student. The Proposal will be approx. 1500 words; the distribution of word count for each section is given below against each section title.
The research plan, annotated bibliography, timelines and the references will not be included in the word count.

You will write your answers in this given sheet itself.

1.
Project (research topic) Title

Provide a concise and clear title of the research project work being undertaken by you.

2.

Introduction (300 words)

Provide a brief introduction to your research topic, giving out the business company/ industry overview, including the issues/ problems prevalent in the organization/ concerned industry/ sector.

(a) Give out the aim of the research project, objectives and the research questions of your project work.

3.
Background and Purpose of the Research
(600 words)

A research background is the context and background information that provides a basis for understanding the research problem. It includes the history of the topic, related research, and other relevant information that helps to explain why the research is being conducted. You must refer to at least 10-12 good sources of literature, out of which at least 6-8 or more should be references from recognized academic publications found in peer reviewed articles/ journals.

4.
Research question (or statement of the problem for consultancy-based projects)

A 
research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your 

research paper

in the right direction.

5.
Overview of the Research Design (400 words)

(a) Give out your research philosophy, research approaches and the methodology you will follow to conduct the research.

(b) Give out the methods of collecting your primary data, discuss the population and sampling methods you will use, by justifying the same.

(c) Discuss ethics, reliability and validity measures you are going to adopt in your research work.

6.
Limitations of the research design (200 words)

The 
limitations in research are the constraints in design, methods or even researchers’ limitations that affect and influence the interpretation of your research’s ultimate findings. 

Appendix to the Research Proposal

1.
Research plan and timelines of thesis submission

(a) Please provide a plan of stages of your research development and thesis writing, with a timeline of proposed goals for your program.

(b) Your timelines should include your plan right from the preparatory stage, to writing the various chapters of the dissertation, to the final write up and submission of the project.

(c) The timelines

should be put in tabular form and a Gantt chart made for the same
thereafter.

2.

Annotated Bibliography of planned reading

(a) Please provide references/ bibliography as per the Harvard Referencing System format.

(b) It must contain good quality references from at least 10-12 journals/ articles and other credible sources.

3.
Consents/ Ethical Approval

Attach the approved Ethical Approval form.

image1

image2

Ethics Approval Form (Westford University College)

A: Applicant Information

Full Name:

Student Number:

Email Address:

Name Of Programme (if applicable): e.g., Master of Business Administration

Module Code:

Module Name:

Is this a revised resubmission? Yes/No

Supervisor Email Address:

B: Project Details

Project title:

Start Date:

End Date:

Will your research be conducted online? If not please indicate the location:

Select the nature of your research:

· Reviewing existing non-ethically sensitive literature

· Reviewing existing literature which may be considered ethically sensitive.

· No

n-ethically sensitive practical research

· Ethically sensitive practical research

Advice notes:

Ethically sensitive research: anything involving humans, including surveys, interviews and samples; collection of data deemed ‘sensitive’ according to GDPR rules; animal subjects requiring Home Office license; genetic modification; computer “hacking” on anything other than your own systems or those provided specifically for that purpose (such as Hacklab systems).

Practical research: all research involving observations and measurements, including practical work, experiments, surveys, fieldwork, interviews, etc. NB any research project that is not based exclusively on analysing previously published data is defined as a ‘practical’ project.

C: External Projects (If Applicable)

Name of External Body: None

Status of External Application (if applicable):

· Not yet applied for

· Approved

· Pending

· Declined

· External ethical approval not required.

External ethics application reference:

Date approved (if applicable):

D: Studies involving humans

Does the project involve human participants in any way including surveys?

· Yes

· No

E: Studies with human participants (tick all that apply)

· E1. You will describe the main experimental procedures to participants in advance, so that they are informed about what to expect.

· E2. You will inform participants that their participation is voluntary.

· E3. You will obtain explicit informed consent for participation.

· E4. If the research is observational, you will ask participants for their consent to being observed.

· E5. You will tell participants that they may withdraw from the research at any time and for any reason.

· E6. With questionnaires you will give participants the option of omitting questions they do not want to answer

· E7. You will tell participants their data will be treated with full confidentiality and that, if published, it will not be identifiable as theirs unless they explicitly consent to be identified.

· E8. You will comply with all GDPR requirements outlined in the Universities policy document.

· E9. You will debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give them a brief explanation of the study)

· E10. You will NOT deliberately mislead participants in any way.

· E11. Your study will NOT involve a significant risk of participants or researchers experiencing either physical or psychological distress or discomfort.

E12. Will the project involve members of any special groups listed below, or another vulnerable group? (Tick all that apply)

· Children (under 16 years of age)

· Schoolchildren of all ages

· Any person who may have difficulty understanding information provided to them.

· Patients

· People in custody

· People engaged in illegal activities (e.g., drug taking)

· Other, please specify:

G Details of proposed research

G1 Aims of study and rationale.

Advice notes:

Provide an overview of why the research is being suggested, what the researchers aim to achieve, and what impact this may have (max 300 words). Write this as a summary for non-expert readers.

G2 External Partners

List any organisations or partner groups to be involved in the proposed project (max 300 words).

G3 Expertise

Advice notes:

Where appropriate make a statement about the qualifications/expertise of the researcher (or planned training) (max 300 words). For example, if the researcher is providing counselling, using clinical psychometrics, taking blood, working with samples, working with vulnerable groups etc.

G4 Participants

Advice notes:

Where applicable state the number of participants you intend to recruit (max 300 words). Provide a description of the participants, including recruitment methods, age, exclusion/inclusion criteria, and any other relevant demographic information.

G5 Materials and Apparatus

Advice Notes:

Describe the materials & apparatus that you need to conduct your study (max 300 words). You should name any specific tests, questionnaires, etc. that you are using. If conducting interviews either an indicative list of questions or themes that will be discussed must be provided. Write this as an outline for non-expert readers, please do NOT give technical details of any apparatus used (except where of ethical relevance).

G6 Procedure

Advice notes:

Describe each stage of how your proposed study will be carried out (max 300 words). Remember to list your chosen methodology or methodologies. Write this as a summary for non-expert readers.

H. Ethical Issues

What ethical issues (if any) does your project raise? How will you mitigate these ethical issues? – Max 400 words

Confirmation/Declaration

I Confirm that: (tick boxes)

· I am aware I need to submit a Risk Assessment and will do so before commencing the proposed study. Note, all studies except Literature Reviews must complete an appropriate risk assessment prior to commencing the study. (Note: you must follow whatever procedures your university and/or School have in place for the review and approval of risk assessment. Students should seek advice from their supervisor).

· I have read and understood Westford University College policy on research ethics and any equivalent School Policy.

· For each working location (including university facilities and my home), I will identify what to do and who to contact in case of emergency, and will make myself aware of any existing safety, First Aid, or emergency procedures.

· Any data collected from experiments will be stored securely within a week in Westford University College facilities following the guidance set out in the University’s Data Storage Policy.

· I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure compliance with any relevant regulatory or legal requirements (such as data protection legislation, stored tissue regulations, animal experimentation licensing, etc).

· The proposed study will not discriminate against participants on the grounds of race, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, marriage, and civil partnership, and/or age.

· I have completed all sections of this form fully and accurately.

· I understand that should I receive an Approval with Specific Conditions, I will need to comply with the Conditions set out in the Decision email

· I understand that should my application not be Approved, I will not be permitted to conduct any work on my proposed project. (In such circumstances a revised or alternative application should be submitted.)

· I understand that should I subsequently amend my study after approval has been given I will inform the ethics committee of the change, and that changes that materially affect the study may require a further submission for ethical approval.

· Please confirm that:

· Your supervisor will approve any materials that you provide to human participants before use (e.g., consent forms, questionnaires, interview questions).

· The supervisor will be sent a copy of this form to approve before further processing.

Things to include with your application (attach only the ones that apply to your research)

· Consent Form

· Debrief Form

· Proof of any external permissions (if needed)

· Recruitment advertisements (if needed)

· Risk Assessment (as necessary)

Student Signature & Name: Date:

Supervisor Signature & Name: Date:

Reviewer 1 Signature & Name: Date:

Reviewer 2 Signature & Name: Date:

image1

image2

Research Proposal

Module Learning Outcomes
Create a suitable project plan and secure necessary permissions
Produce an effective project proposal for either a consultancy or theoretical project
Identify how you will critically analyse and interpret primary/secondary research data quantitative and/ or qualitative), testing for validity and reliability of the results within your project

Project Proposal Format
Your proposal should contain the following sections:
Title & Introduction
Background & Purpose of the research
Research question (or statement of the problem for consultancy-based projects)
Overview of research design
Limitations of the research design

It should be no more than 1,500 words long and will contain appendices that will not be counted in the above word count

Title & Introduction

Title of your research paper should be clear, concise, describe your study and ideally should be between 7-15 words long.
An introduction of a research project is a brief overview of the project that outlines its purpose. It should provide readers with a general idea of what the project is about and why it is important.

Background & Purpose of the research

The following elements should all be included in the background and purpose of study:
A general overview of the topic and why it is important (overlaps with establishing the “importance of the topic” in the Introduction)
The current state of the research on the topic or on related topics in the field
Controversies about current knowledge or specific past studies that undergird your research methodology
Any claims or assumptions that have been made by researchers, institutions, or politicians that might need to be clarified
Methods and techniques used in the study or from which your study deviated in some way

Research question/Problem statement
A research question is a question that a study or research project aims to answer.
This question often addresses an issue or a problem, which, through analysis and interpretation of data, is answered in the study’s conclusion.
In most studies, the research question is written so that it outlines various aspects of the study, including the population and variables to be studied and the problem the study addresses.

A problem statement is an explanation in research that describes the issue that is in need of study.
What problem is the research attempting to address?
Having a Problem Statement allows the reader to quickly understand the purpose and intent of the research.

https://research.com/research/how-to-write-a-research-question
https://scientific-publishing.webshop.elsevier.com/research-process/what-problem-statement-examples/
6

Overview of research design

Research design is a blueprint of a scientific study. It includes research methodologies, tools, and techniques to conduct the research. It helps to identify and address the problem that may rise during the process of research and analysis.
Here are some steps of a sound research design:
Identifies the research approach and philosophy
Specifies hypothesis (Not compulsory)
Describes sources of data (Secondary/Primary)
Data collection methods – (quantitative/qualitative/mixed)
Defines how data will be interpreted

Limitations of the research design

The limitations in research are the constraints in design, methods or even researchers’ limitations that affect and influence the interpretation of your research’s ultimate findings.
Examples of limitations
Sample size
Lack of available or reliable data
Lack of prior research on the subject
Lack of prior research on the subject
Time constraints
Access to respondents

Appendices
An appendix** comes at the end (after the reference list) of a proposal, research project, or dissertation and contains any additional information such as raw data or interview transcripts etc.
Your Research Proposal Appendix will compulsorily contain the following in addition to any other items you may want to attach:
Annotated Bibliography
Project Plan (Gantt Chart)
Approved Ethical Approval Form
Company Approval in case of consultancy research

Annotated Bibliography
Identify 1-3 themes that are most important for your project and create an annotated bibliography of 10 -15 items, organised by themes. The annotation should show how the literature would support the analysis or focus of the research design.
Each annotation could be around 150 words.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?
“An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited” (guides.library.cornell.edu).

1: Summary
Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.
Sentence starters:
The main idea of this article is…….
The topics covered in this article are…….
The author’s point of view in this article is……

Assessment
Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is it credible? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

Sentence Starters:
The author of this piece is/is not credible because……
The author knows a lot about this topic because….
From this piece, the author wants you to………….
 

Reflection
Reflect: Once you’ve summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Sentence Starters:
This article supports my ideas because…..
This article was helpful to me because….
This article added to my knowledge about this topic because….

Sample of Annotated Bibliography – APA Style
Bryant, A. (2015). The impact of social media on society. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 3(1), 1-12. This article examines the impact of social media on society, focusing on how it has changed communication, the spread of information, and the way people interact with each other. (SUMMARY). The author provides an overview of the history of social media, its current usage, and its potential future implications. The article also discusses the potential risks associated with social media, such as cyberbullying and privacy concerns. The author concludes that while social media has had a positive impact on society, it is important to be aware of the potential risks and take steps to mitigate them.(ASSESSMENT) This article provides an in-depth look at the impact of social media on society and is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding how social media has changed our lives. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the history and current usage of social media, as well as its potential future implications. The article also discusses the potential risks associated with social media, making it a useful resource for anyone looking to understand the potential dangers of using social media.(REFLECTION)

15

Project Plan

Risk Assessment in Research

The risk assessment process is a careful examination of what could cause harm, who/what could be harmed and how.

Typical risks that need to be considered as part of research ethics are:

Social risks: disclosures that could affect participants standing in the community, in their family, and their job.

Legal risks: activities that could result in the participant, researchers and / or University committing an offence; activities that might lead to a participant disclosing criminal activity to a researcher which would necessitate reporting to enforcement authorities; activities that could result in a civil claim for compensation.

Economic harm: financial harm to participant, researcher and / or University through disclosure or other event.

Risk Assessment in Research

Reputational risk: damage to public perception of University or the University/researchers’ reputation in the eyes of funders, the research community and / or the general public. 

Safeguarding risks:  Risk to young people, vulnerable adults and / or researcher from improper behaviour, abuse or exploitation. Risk to researcher of being in a comprising situation, in which there might be accusations of improper behaviour.

Health and safety risks: risks of harm to health, physical injury or psychological harm to participants or the researcher.

Carrying out initial risk assessments as part of the planning process will help you identify whether existing resources and facilities are adequate to ensure risk control, or if the project needs to be altered accordingly.

It will also help you to identify potential costs that need to be considered as part of the funding bid.

Once the project is approved, research specific risk assessments need to be carried out before work starts.

IMPORTANT DATES
& DEADLINES

DESCRIPTIONS
DATES

Research Methods Exam
24th February 2024

Topic Submission
8th February 2024

Ethical Form Submission
15th February 2024

Research Proposal Submission
29th February 2024

Management Investigation Project Submission
20th April 2024

VIVA
26th April &/or 27th April 2024

image2

image3

image1