You have been introduced to various methods and techniques involved in research design throughout the past several weeks. The main objective of this assignment is for you to determine and then outline the approaches and techniques that you will be using to develop your final business project according to the following instructions:
- Review the research methods readings, which were assigned in Units 1 - 6.
- Refer to these readings as you complete this assignment.
- Reflect on the findings of your literature review.
- Begin by responding to the following queries, which will guide you through the initial process of determining your research methods and strategies before you create your outline:
1. Review/restate your statement of purpose, e.g., the primary intent of your plan or study.
2. Examine the purpose of your plan or study within the context of your experiences or expertise, e.g., I am creating a plan for an accounting consultant business based on my degree in accounting and work experience in the field for the past three years.
3. Discuss any examples/concepts from your experiences that you could use to support your proposed plan/study. Identify data/information/rationale that is missing that would validate your perceptions.
4. Discuss examples/concepts from related, substantive resources (articles, texts, key personnel interviews, documents, etc.,) that you might consider using to support/validate your perceptions.
5. Explain how you will utilize the resources you described in Item 4. Note if you have access to these resources and if not, discuss how you can gain access.
6. Identify if the strategies and techniques that you described in Items 4 & 5 are within the scope of your study/plan. Discuss whether or not you will be able to conduct the research within the limits of your study/plan and the time constraints of the coursework and program.
Answers to these questions are simply designed to get your creative juices flowing. They are not to be submitted as a part of this assignment.
Next, identify the type of methods/strategies you will use to validate your study/business plan and the rationale of your research design and methods in an outline format that addresses the following concepts:
- Research design- Identify your use of an experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal, case study, comparative, or combination approach. Identify the purpose of your design. Explain your rationale. [Hint: these responses should be based on the purpose of your study/plan.]
- Research methods-Identify if your research will be quantitative or qualitative or a combination of both. Explain your rationale.
- Research techniques- identify how you will gather data. Note if you will analyze secondary data, conduct informational interviews, complete a field study, or something else. Connect these techniques to the literature review.
- Identify how your research supports your purpose.