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LO1: Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the process for framing research questions.

AVIATION INDUSTRY

1.3 Learning outcomes to be assessed

LO1: Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the process for framing research questions.

LO2: Critically examines relationships between theory and practice in undertaking research.

LO3: Compare and contrast the different research methodologies.

LO4: Analyse the limitations of primary information acquired by observation, questionnaire and interview, and that of secondary information in electronic and print formats.

LOS: Critically identifies the methodological approaches that are suitable to investigate different types of research questions and hypotheses

LOG: Reflect upon their own ideas regarding the value of research in the workplace.

LOT: Present a written research proposal and/or project.

Assessment Two - Research Proposal -60% weighting

This assessment with address the module leaming outcome 3,4,5,6 and 7.

It is possible to do one of two types of Research Proposals:

1. The Standard Research Proposal

2. The Work Based Research Proposal

The Standard Proposal

This is research that is on a topic that usually relates to a wide number of people or organisations and what you find out would be of interest to a sector of the Research or to some of the people within it. So, for example, if you wanted to find out the extent of a particular practice you would need to perhaps send out a questionnaire to a large number of companies in order to find out what is happening or what attitudes are prevalent.

Any methods (or mix of methods) can be used (questionnaires, interviews, observations, case studies etc.) as long as you can argue and support from literature that they are the most appropriate method(s) to answer your research questions.

The point is that your conclusions will be of interest to a wider group of people. The advantage with this type of Research Project is that you would have potential access to a wide number of people who could help you with your research.

The Work Based Research Proposal

This is applied research or problem-solving research that looks at any issue for a particular organisation and this would normally be the organisation where you currently work. The idea here is that you take an issue for the organisation/company and, using a rigorous research process, come up with conclusions and recommendations that will be useful to the company.

For this type of research, you would use a case study approach which may involve using questionnaires/interviews/observations etc, but these would all be focused within the chosen organisation/company. LO1: Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the process for framing research questions.. The advantage of this approach is that you can work within your own company, and this may make good use of your time and knowledge.

However, there are some disadvantages. Data may not always be forthcoming in spite of earlier promises, and you are reliant on the good will of your senior managers for the success of your project. For this reason, we require certain safeguards and assurances from your employer before you start your research and if we are not satisfied that appropriate support will be forthcoming then we will insist you carry out a standard Research Project as above.

Content of the research proposal (1,500 words)

The proposals for the two different types of research require more or less the same information and are the same length. The content is detailed below:

Title Page

• The Title of your proposed Research Project
• Your student number and Course

Introduction (word guide 150 words)

This is an introduction to the topic and a rationale for it being of interest and worthy of study. This should set the scene. It will either focus on why the research is of interest to the wider community (Standard Research Project) or to the company (Work Based Research Project).

At the end of this section state the word count, but it should be no more than 200 words.

The research aim, objectives, and research questions (or hypotheses) (word quide 150 words)

This section is a very important section and may be the most important in terms of judging whether your proposal will be accepted. This is where the focus of your research will be apparent, and it is probably the most difficult section to write as it requires you to have thought very carefully about exactly what it is that you will be doing.

You need to state the overall purpose of your particular research (the aim) and develop this idea through more detailed statements (your objectives). From these you then develop your research questions. These can then be reworded and become your main and subsidiary research questions. An alternative to having research questions is to have hypotheses.

It is fairly easy to choose a topic and read around it. It is much harder to identify research questions that you are trying to answer or define specific hypotheses that you will test.

It is likely these will be developed further as your research progresses, but we will still be looking for evidence that you can define the focus of your study at this early stage and will have a clear direction to follow. You may have just one research question, or it may stretch to two or three. If there are any more it is likely that you are not sufficiently focused.

Do not confuse the core research question(s) with the questions you may want to ask in your primary data collection - the core research question(s) will be the overall, `big` question(s) you are trying to answer by doing the whole Research Project.

At the end of this section state the word count, but it should be no more than 200 words.

Literature Review (word guide 800 words)

This should be an integrated essay style section and will discuss the key points of relevant literature that you have found on the topic identified in your title. Your supervisor will be looking for evidence that you have found some key and relevant texts in the topic area, have read them, identified some key themes and issues and can discuss them with a level of understanding.

You should include key concepts/theories/models that will underpin your research and give a brief explanation of how these are relevant and how they will be used. This will form the basis for your eventual literature review and it is important for all research that you can carry out your research within an appropriate theoretical framework.

At the end of this section state the word count, but it should be no more than 1,000 words.

Data Collection (word guide 400 words)

Present and discuss the methods you will use, and the people involved. You should include:

• Method(s) of research to be used (e.g. questionnaires/interviews). For each method the following should be given:
• The target population (e.g. front office managers in 4* London hotels, travel agents in Ealing, etc.).
• Sampling method to be used (e.g. simple random sampling, stratified sampling etc.). Sample size (e.g. 100 questionnaires, 8 interviews etc.).
• Any potential access difficulties or ethical challenges and how these will be overcome.

At the end of this section state the word count, but it should be no more than 450 words.

Time Plan (Chart no word count)

You should put in a time-plan for your work which should start with the handing in of the proposal and finish with the handing in of the Dissertation. It should cover all the things you have to do in between. It should take account of deadlines for drafts and include meetings with your supervisor and what you will produce at each stage. It should be done on a weekly basis with dates but not on a day-to-day basis! A table or Gantt chart (if you know how to draw one) can be used.

Time Plan (Chart no word count)

You should put in a time-plan for your work which should start with the handing in of the proposal and finish with the handing in of the Dissertation. It should cover all the things you have to do in between. It should take account of deadlines for drafts and include meetings with your supervisor and what you will produce at each stage. It should be done on a weekly basis with dates but not on a day-to-day basis! A table or Gantt chart (if you know how to draw one) can be used.

Reference list (no word count)

It is not expected that you have done a complete literature search for the proposal but it is expected that you have made a start and read around the subject - you cannot develop your research questions (or hypotheses) and literature review unless you have done this.

Hence the Reference section should be a minimum of 20 references.

This must conform to the Harvard System and be in alphabetical order based on authors` surnames and organisations names with all different sources (books/journals/internet etc.) integrated into one list.

Websites must be fully referenced and not just be the name of a search engines such as Google. Wikipedia is not an appropriate website and should not be used.

You should refer to the booklet on the Harvard System for full details on citations, quotations and constructing a Reference.

Submission of the research proposal

• Submit an e-copy of the research proposal via Turnitin on Blackboard
• The proposal should not have:
  • A picture of any type in the proposal and certainly not at the start.
  • Have a Contents page (the proposal is not long enough).
  • Have each section longer than the word guide (you will be penalised if this is the case).

• Have Double line spacing.
• Include a questionnaire or any other data collection tool.
• Include any data or results.

Marking criteria - Work-based proposal

Your submissions will be marked against the below marking criteria.

Levels of Student Achievement
Attributes The student with research skill...	0-39%	40-49%	50-59%	60-69%	70-100%
Introduction (5%)	Inaccurate and incomplete introduction to the essay	Inaccurate or incomplete introduction to the essay	Accurate and complete introduction to the essay	Accurate, complete and supported introduction to the essay	Accurate, complete and well supported introduction to the essay
Research and use of literature (20%) Determine and critique the degree of credibility of selected sources, information and of data generated, and reflect on the research processes used.	Use of an insufficient number and verity of appropriate sources	Use of limited number and verity of appropriate sources	Use of an educated number of appropriate sources but limited in variety or vice versa	Use of a good number and variety of appropriate sources	Use of an excellent number and appropriate of relevant and appropriate sources
Organization & coherence (20%) Organization information and data to reveal patterns and themes	Extremely limited structure and coherence	Limited the steps around coherence	Used some structure but some incoherence or vice versa	Well structured but some incoherence	Well structured and coherent

Use relevant industry examples to support your answer (10%) Show application of theory to examples within the industry to indicate an understanding.	Use of an insufficient number and variety of appropriate sources	Use of a limited number and variety of appropriate sources	Use of an adequate number of appropriate sources, but limited in variety. or vice versa	Use of a good number and variety of appropriate sources	Use of an excellent number and variety of relevant and appropriate sources
Conclusion to the subject matter, company or organisation discussed (5%) Clarify and determine the structure of the essay and the company concerned	Inaccurate and incomplete conclusion to the essay	Inaccurate or incomplete conclusion to the essay	Accurate and complete conclusion to the essay	Accurate, complete and supported conclusion to the essay	Accurate, complete and well supported conclusion to the essay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketing Criteria –Standard proposal

your submissions will be marked against the below marking criteria.

Title and introduction 10%	The succinct and clear. Clear rationale as to why interest. Context of the research is given. Appropriate writing style. 150-200 words.	Title clear but possible too long. Some rationale as to why of interest Some contexts to the research. Writing style acceptable. About 150-200 words.	Title not clear. No or very limited rational as to why of interest. Little or no context. Poor writing style. Either a lot less than or greater than 150-200 words.
Aim, Objectives and Research questions (or hypotheses) 20%	Aim, Clear written Objectives clear and written appropriately. Research questions are clear and focused or if a hypothesis testable. 150-200 words.	Aim lacking some clarity. Objectives lacking some clarity. Research questions lack sufficient focus or clarity or if hypothesis given not fully testable. About 150-200 words.	No or limited aim. No or limited objectives and if given, incorrectly written. No research questions or if given vague and unachievable. Hypothesis if given is not testable. Either a lot less than or greater than 150-200 words.
Literature Reviews 40%	Written in clear essay style (may have headings). Discusses key points – concept. Citations style correct. Spelling, punctuation and grammar very good.	Written in acceptable essay style but with some description. Partial discussion o underlying concept, theories and models. Citation style has some errors. Some errors in spelling punctuation and grammar. About 800-1000 words.	Writing style not appropriate. Little discussion of key concept or theories. Incorrect citation style. Use of English poor with many errors spelling, punctuation and grammar. Either a lot less than or greater than 800-1000 words.
Primary Data Collection 15%	Fully identifies data collection method, target population, sampling method, samples size and any potential problems. Method is relevant and achievable. 400-500 words.	Incomplete identification of data collecting method, target population Sampling method and size. Some potential problems discussed. Method partially relevant and achievable. About 400-450 words.	Little or no detail in data collection method, target population sampling method. And size. Method not relevant and achievable. Either a lot less than or greater than 400-450 words.
Time Plane 5%	Detailed table or Gantt chart Includes dates for key milestones, drafts. Realistic schedule for meetings with supervisor.	Partial table of Gantt chart Show some milestone but some omissions e.g. date for drafts. Meetings with supervisor.	No or very brief time plane. Not in a table Without dates. Meetings with supervisor not stated.
Reference list 15%	Minimum 20 references. Adhere to Harvard System. Up-to-date and wide range or references.	Less than 20 references. Most adhere to Harvard System. Some up-to-date and reasonable range of references.	Fewer than 20 references Many do not adhere to Harvard System. References not up to date & limited range