BA590 Research Proposal

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The ability to write clearly and succinctly is essential for success at Upper Iowa University. Learners should expect that every course will involve writing assignments. Your competence in writing will be further demonstrated through the Research Proposal (ID 498), which is the capstone project intended to integrate the general education learning outcomes with the learning outcomes in the major demonstrating an MBA-level achievement. Your writing assignments in each course will help you in preparing for successful completion of the Research Proposal. Any learner taking an online class who needs assistance in developing research and writing skills in any course, or at the Research Proposal level, can work with Smarthinking.com for additional help.

Each student is responsible for researching a topic and preparing a Research Proposal. The Research Proposal should be prepared as a set of written assignments (Research Topic, Context of the Problem, Statement of the Problem, Research Questions, Significance of the Study, Research Design and Methodology, Organization of the Study, Final Proposal and PowerPoint Presentation), and submitted for review according to the course schedule. The intent of this assignment is to develop your skills in assimilating research data into a report format and to allow you to supplement the basic management information addressed in class with independent research in a topic area of specific interest to you personally and/or professionally. This is an individual assignment; students are expected to work independently.

The Research Proposal should be 15 double-spaced type-written pages, including the List of References and the cover page. The Research Proposal and the PowerPoint Presentation should also be turned in.

The Research Proposal should be organized as follows:

The Context of the Problem: This section should include the history of the problem, why it is a problem, where it is a problem, and for whom it is a problem. Peer reviewed journal articles should be used as references and in-text citations to back up your claims.

Statement of the Problem: This is the second section to your APA final formatted paper. It should consist of three to four sentences where you describe what the problem is. The first sentence is a general sentence about the problem. The second is a more specific description, and the third an even more specific description, leading to the fourth which transitions the reader to what you plan on doing about the problem in your paper. The sentence starts with, “Therefore, this proposal will….”

Research Questions: This is the third section to your APA final formatted paper. These questions are going to guide your research. They are going to be all the questions from which the answers will help you solve, educate others about, or further explore your problem. All of them should be guiding questions that are open questions, not yes or no questions but questions that when asked and answered will help you figure out a solution to your problem.

Research Question/Hypothesis: The research question is derived from the statement of the problem. This provides a clear basis for the research to be done. The research question or hypothesis can be broken into applicable manageable sub questions or sub hypotheses.

Significance of the Study: This is where you show your passion about the topic. Why is it important to you? This section is also the researcher’s opportunity to explain why it is a significant research problem under study in theory and/or practice.

Research Design and Methodology Section: Explain your research design and how/why it will be useful as a means to help you answer your research questions.

List of References: List all relevant references used in your proposal. Ensure that they are properly quoted throughout the proposal using the APA format. At least ten peer-reviewed research references should be used, including the textbook.

Presentation: Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to outline all important aspects of your Research Proposal and submit it along with the Research Proposal.