Assignment:
How would Catalonia becoming independent affect the Spanish economy?
You will decide on a topic for your Research Project. The Research must be related to your Major: i.e. some aspect of Business/Management or Economics. It is usual for Research to start with a question to be answered or a hypothesis to be tested.
Generating research ideas
Ideally, choose a topic you find engaging and one in which you already have some academic knowledge. Previous projects can be a good starting point to consider topics that capture your interest and that you can develop further (be aware that this can also lead to plagiarism!). A good starting point is to search for topics through an initial literature search.
The Research Proposal serves a number of purposes: It forms a coherent statement of intent, which entails expressing exactly what you are planning on investigating. The proposal also serves to convince audiences that your research is worthwhile and achievable within the constraints of time and available resources. In a professional context, a proposal is the evidence of a contractual obligation by two parties: the researcher and the client.
The main points to cover when approaching a Research Proposal
• Choice of research idea: Develop a topic you are interested in within the business world by researching facts and news reports from either international or national sources.
• Elaborate a research question: Justify which aspect of your research idea you would like to investigate further. Indicate the novelty of your question and how it is similar or different from other research questions in the same area.
• Proposed Methods: Examine the methodology you propose to use in your research, and why that methodology might be the most appropriate.
• Critical literature review: Analysis of the main literature sources and explanation of inclusion using appropriate referencing.
• How your Research Proposal contributes to your Research Project: How your research proposal will provide a foundation to develop the entire project.
Content of a Research Proposal (maximum 1,000 words):
• Title
• Background/Problem Statement
• Research Question and Objectives
• Critical literature review
• Methodology (research design and data collection)
• Timescale
• Resources
• Ethical statement
• Bibliography
2. Please note that particular emphasis is placed on your critical understanding of the information rather than the mere amalgamation of it.
Format:
The written Proposal must not exceed 1,000 words (+/- 10%), include a cover page, a list of contents and a bibliography. The reference style is Harvard. The word count has to be given on the front page of the paper. The bibliography is essential and by definition a list of all the works used as sources.