Applied Research and Development 2019 - Assignment Final - Comments EF

ASSESSMENT AND INTERNAL VERIFICATION FRONT SHEET (Individual Criteria)

Course Title Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration – Applied Research and Development

Unit Number & Title

Applied Research and Development
Assignment:
Assignment Number,
Title / Type
Developing a Research Proposal
Presentation and Take-Home Assignment
26th September, 2019 – Presentation
Date Set 11th Sep 2019 Deadline Date
4th October, 2019 – Take Home Assignment
Class /
Student Name ID Number
Group

Student’s declaration prior to handing-in of assignment:

 I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and that I have read and understood the College
Plagiarism Policy (Doc 032 Foundation and Technical College / Doc 099 University College)
Student’s declaration on assessment special arrangements (Tick only if applicable)
 I certify that adequate support was given to me during the assignment through the Institute and/or the Inclusive
Education Unit.
 I declare that I refused the special support offered by the Institute.

Student Signature: Date:

Maximum Mark
Assessment Criteria Mark Achieved

K&U 1 – Identify the stages that are required to complete as part of the research
5
process.
K&U 2 – Describe the main ethical issues relating to choice of research. 5

K&U 3 – Formulate and clarify the attributes of the research topic. 5

K&U 4 – Describe the differences between the quantitative and qualitative data
5
collection.
K&U 5 – Outline the philosophical assumptions/research paradigms and state your
5
position.
K&U 6 – State own position as researcher relating to research paradigms. 5
K&U 7 – Identify the main issues relating to quantitative and/or qualitative data for
5
analysis.
A&A 1 – Place the research project on a basic-applied continuum according to its
7
purpose and context.
A&A 2 – Generate ideas that help in the selection of a suitable research topic. 7

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MCAST Controlled and approved document Unauthorised copying or communication strictly prohibited
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 Applied Research and Development 2019 - Assignment Final - Comments EF

A&A 3 – Use project planning tools to plan your research project. 7

A&A 4 – Examine the research methods that are suitable for the research project. 7

A&A 5 – Reflect on the issues that emanate from this research project. 7

S&E 1 – Transform research ideas into a research project that has valid research
10
question(s) and objectives.
S&E 2 – Critically review the literature on the selected research topic. 10

S&E 3 – Evaluate the implications of research findings on stakeholders. 10

Total Mark 100

Assessor’s feedback to student

(If necessary, use reverse side of page for IV feedback on assignment brief / sample of assessment decisions)

Name & Surname Signature Date

Ms Lorleen Farrugia
Lecturer / Assessor 11/09/2019

Internal Verifier:
Mr Eric Flask 11/09/2019
Approval of assignment brief
Internal Verifier:
Approval of assessment decisions
(Sample)

Learner’s signature upon collection of corrected assignment.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MCAST Controlled and approved document Unauthorised copying or communication strictly prohibited
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Aim
Business Managers need a good understanding of the main concepts in applied research and
development methods.
The aim of this assignment is for Business Administration students to develop a research
proposal and show they can plan, implement and analyse the research process with the aim
of collecting and analysing data to answer a research question.

Requirements
For this assignment, students are required to choose one of the scenarios presented and
prepare a research proposal based on the assigned tasks.

IMPORTANT: Cases of plagiarism as defined in the MCAST ‘Plagiarism Policy will be dealt
with severely as per procedure outlined in the same document.

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Scenario 1:
You are the Human Resources Manager of a manufacturing company. You have been assigned
the task of developing a research plan to study the effectiveness of the training programme
given to new employees.

Scenario 2:
As Marketing Manager of an organic foods brand, you have been assigned the task of
developing a research plan to study mothers’ attitudes towards organic food for children to
help you better market your products.

Scenario 3:
You are an Accommodation Manager in a four-star hotel. You have been assigned the task of
developing a research plan to study customer satisfaction of clients who stay for more than
7 days during the months between June and September.

Choose one of these 3 scenarios.

Present your idea (see Part 1).

Then you are to write an assignment where you develop a research project based on the
scenario you choose (1, 2 or 3). You are required to present the background to the study,
present a literature review, develop the methodology, plan the data analysis and reflect on
the implications of the study. Present proper citations and references.

Your Research Proposal should be properly organised and presented in professional format as
follows:
a) Front Page
b) Contents page
c) Background to the Study (Part 1)
d) Literature Review (Part 2)
e) Methodology (Part 3)
f) Data Analysis (Part 4)
g) Implications of the Study (Part 5)
h) References
i) Appendices (including any tools designed for data collection)

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Part 1 – Presenting a Background to your Research Proposal

 Outline the context where the research is going to be carried out and describe the
purpose of the research (A&A 1 – 7 marks).
 Generate 3 ideas how you could go about the research (A&A 2 – 7 marks).
 Identify which one you are choosing, then formulate and clarify the attributes of the
research project (K&U 3 - 5 marks).
 Design a research question and specify your research objectives/hypothesis (S&E 1 –
10 marks).
 Identify the different stages required for the research (K&U 1 – 5 marks).
 Use a Gantt chart to plan your research project. Present this chart and Part 1 of this
assignment. (A&A 3 – 7 marks).

Part 2 – Literature Review

The Literature Review helps you identify the issues that are important to your research topic
and what kind of research has been carried out before in the same area.
 Conduct a literature review about the topic that includes a critical review of the
literature (S&E 2 – 10 marks).

Part 3 – Methodology

 Describe the differences between qualitative and quantitative research and explain
which one of the two you have chosen and why (K&U 4 – 5 marks).
 Describe the different philosophical assumptions and main research paradigms (K&U 5
– 5 marks).
 Explain which paradigm you are adopting and why (K&U 6 – 5 marks).
 Outline the research methods are you using. Explain your choice of sample, the
research tool and the data collection method (A&A 4 – 7 marks).
 Describe the ethical issues related to the research (K&U 2 – 5 marks).

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Part 4 – Data Analysis

 Identify the main issues related to the analysis of your qualitative or quantitative
data. How will you analyse the data? Focus on the strengths and weaknesses of your
methodology, possible biases and how you can overcome them. (K&U 7 – 5 marks).

Part 5 – Implications of the Study

 What are the possible issues that this research brings about? (A&A 5 – 7 marks).
 Outline and evaluate how your findings can impact your stakeholders (S&E 3 – 10
marks).

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