Week 8 – signature assignment: develop a short research plan

The final assignment asks you to develop a short research plan that will become the foundation of your DBA program. This plan will evolve as you proceed in your program. Much of this document will be useful in your dissertation, especially the literature review. The headings for each section are in bold below, followed by what is needed in each section.

Introduction

Provide a short introduction to your research. Often this is a sentence or two that says why there is a problem, what the problem is generally, and what you plan to do. Essentially, this section gives the reader an idea of what they will see in the rest of the document.

Problem Statement

Identify the research topic. Justify that this topic is both a business topic and an applied topic. (Length: about one-half page)

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Identify a theory or conceptual framework that could be used for your study. Justify how it relates to your topic. (Length: one half to one page)

Literature Review

Provide a three-page literature review that covers the following:

• History of your topic. Justify it as a worthwhile topic. What is its impact on business?
• Evolution of your theory. Who came up with it, and how has it evolved?

Methods

Discuss your planned methodology. In future courses, you will explore methodologies in greater detail. At this stage, you are simply exploring options as to how you could study this research topic. It is recommended that you avoid mixed methods research as the time involved is significantly greater than a single method. (Length: one half to one page)

Population/Data Collection

Planned population/data collection. If you plan to do interviews, who will you interview? If you plan to collect data from a source, what will that source be? (Length: one half to one page)

Bridging the Gap

Discuss areas you feel you need additional knowledge to complete your research (e.g., statistics if you plan a quantitative study, how to perform interviews if you plan to do a case study).

Conclusion

Bring the entire study goal to a summation. This should be a short paragraph of what you would like to do, why you would like to do it, and what you will need to learn to do it effectively.

Length:  7-10 pages

References:  Include a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed journals using your citation manager of choice.

Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.