The Effect of Social Media on FacetoFace Communication
The Effect of Social Media on FacetoFace Communication
End of Module Assignment requires you to engage with the Business and Management
Research Methods tools typically employed to plan for a proposed piece of original research.
You should select your own research topic and prepare an individual Business Research
Proposal.
Suggested Structure:
1. Research Proposal Title
The title should reflect as accurately as possible the content of your chosen topic.
2. Abstract
This is a brief statement of what you are intending to research. It should be no more than 1-
2 paragraphs. This needs to concisely summarise the proposal’s key content.
3. Introduction
• Relevance of the proposed research to business research
• Justification of the chosen topic
• Value of this research
4. Research Question(s) and Research Objectives
• The research question(s) can be one overall question or a number of questions that the
research process will address.
• Research objectives must be clear statements that identify what the research process
seeks to achieve.
• Both research questions and research objectives must relate to the literature review.
2
5. Literature Review
This chapter should provide a synthesized overview of the existing body of knowledge in
your chosen topic area. Please carefully select the literature included in this chapter – only
those which are directly related and most relevant to your research topic should be
reviewed.
6. Methodology
This section should relate to your research questions and research objectives and shows
how you will achieve them. Your method consists of two parts:
• Research design – relates to the research opinion (philosophies, approaches,
strategies, choices, time horizon). You are expected to make strong justifications in
support of your chosen research design.
• Data collection – relates to the last phase of the research onion (techniques and
procedures). Identify how specifically the data will be collected (i.e. questionnaire,
interview, focus group, etc…). You are expected to provide the advantages and
disadvantages of the various data collection methods and select the most
appropriate data collection method(s).
7. Preliminary Findings
• You are required to conduct a pilot research for your proposed research. You will use
the research instrument(s) you designed and the proposed research methods to collect
a small sample of primary data.
• This chapter should present the preliminary findings from the pilot research.
8. Research Ethics
A brief, critical evaluation of potential ethical issues and risks associated with your proposed
research.
9. Timescale
Present a feasible and realistic timescale, showing the planning of the preliminary research
stages of your proposed research.
10. References
A complete reference list using the CU Harvard Referencing Style is required.
11. Appendix
The research instruments, i.e. the proposed questionnaire or semi/unstructured interview
questions should be presented as part of the appendices. A covering letter to explain the
purpose of the questionnaire and the research ethics form should also be presented.
Presenting Assignments for Marking
Your assignment should include in-text citations and be supported with a full List of References.
You are expected to use the CU Harvard Referencing Style. Please refer to the CU referencing
guide (available on the module page).
3
Assignments are suggested to be presented in the following format:
• Word-processed in Arial font, 12 pitch and double-spaced.
• Margins must be as follows: Top; 1.0 inch (2.5cm), Bottom; 1.0 inch (2.5 cm), Left;
1.25 inches (3.2 cm), Right; 1.25 inches (3.2 cm).
• All pages must be numbered.
• All tables and figures must be labelled.
• Make sure you have cover page with the following information:
ü Your full name
ü Your student ID number
ü The module title and code
ü Your tutor’s name
ü Your research topic
ü Date of submission
ü Word count
Please also remember that your submission can be enhanced or damaged through layout, for
example placing all tables and drawings in Appendices can hamper the flow of discussion.
Decisions therefore need to be made about the most appropriate place to use tables etc to
support your case.
Word Limit:
2,500 words, using the standard format described above. Please note that you will lose marks if
you exceed this word limit by more than 10%. The specified word count refers to the main body
of the report and does not include front cover, title page, contents page, abstract, tables and
figures, references, or appendices (however no more than four pages of appendices).
