Reference no: EM132002299

Research topic - "How does organizational transition and management accounting perspective lead to organizational success"

Citing and referencing according to Harvard style. ( it has to be at least 20 references)
- The writing style has to be academically matched with the level of Master degree.
- Table of content for the project. ( title each element in table of content )

Unit 5: Finalising Your Management Research Proposal

So far, you have thought through and written out all the necessary steps involved in creating and developing a research proposal:

Selecting a research topic
Conducting a Critical Literature Review
Choosing a research question and approach
Selecting data collection tools and methods
Choosing an approach to data analysis

Each component is critical in the construction of a research proposal. Additionally, each step builds on the previous ones to achieve the goal of answering a research question.

In this unit, you will finalize and submit your Research Proposal, to include required ethical approval documentation. You will also discuss practical considerations and plan to overcome common challenges that you may face in completing your Management Research Project.

Completing Your Management Research Project

Completing a master's-level research project is a lengthy, time-consuming process that requires great commitment, attention to detail and perseverance. Consider the following best practices to help you as you move into this final phase of your master's programme:

Get feedback from your supervisor.

As soon as you finalise a chapter, update the version control of the document, and share it with your supervisor. Students receiving feedback early in the process will benefit more from the supervisor's guidance. It is very important to make sure there are no substantial or unexpected content or form changes required at the very last minute when time becomes short.

Confirm by email, with your Faculty, for your Research Supervisor assignment.

Provide your supervisor with your final approved Management Research Project proposal as soon as assigned, along with your ethics response form from the University of Roehampton and all supporting documentation, such as Informed Consent forms (ICF), Participant Information Sheets (PIS), debriefing forms (if indicated), research permission letter and local ethics approval documentation from all organisations, where you will conduct your research for your Research Project.

Create the document structure of the Research Project early in the process.

Another suggestion is to create the document structure of your Research Project as early in the process as possible. Use the templates and samples provided in Unit 1, of this module, as a guide.

Stick to your project plan and be disciplined.

In terms of your overall planning, make your best effort to be to be disciplined. Develop a clear project plan and timelines, and do your best to stick to these because - depending on the size of your Research Project - allowing one task to slip has an immediate impact on subsequent tasks. Discipline is made of many factors. Some examples are the following:

Reserve appropriate time. Continue to allocate at least the same amount of time to your project that you spent per week on your regular coursework. The fact that you are now working independently, without the regular 2-week schedule of the regular modules, should not lead you to procrastinate. Try not to leave unfinished topics for the next day. Clear your to-do lists every day.

Secure an appropriate learning environment, where you will not be disturbed.

Receiving a lot of support from your partner is essential. It might not be possible to complete your Research Project without the support of your spouse, family members, friends or co-workers.

Above all, keep in touch with the colleagues with whom you have worked throughout your programme and in the Research Methods module. Share your progress, your challenges and your concerns as you work on your Research Project, and help one another stay focused and motivated to overcome any barriers you encounter.

Learning Objectives

Students will:
Buildup the multiple research proposal components based on contributions and feedback on the content

Integrate the relationship between research question, methodology and data collection methods
Make sense of data analysis and data interpretation
Finalise the ethical considerations for completing a research project
Finalise their research proposal

Learn
One important purpose of the Research Methods module has been to help you develop and practice the knowledge and skills you will need to finalise your research proposal.

Completing your proposal
The Unit 5 Project is your Formal Research Proposal. You must have an advisor assigned, and your proposal approved, before you can move on to the Management Research Project.

In this final unit, use what you have learned throughout the module, and review the feedback you have received to complete your research proposal. Be sure to review the assessment criteria that will be used to evaluate your completed proposal.

When you take an exam, you want to know the results. You want to know if you were successful in your studies or if you will have to repeat the exam for a higher score. Similarly, when you distribute a survey, conduct interviews or make extensive observations, you want to know the results and whether you found an answer to your research question. Once you have analysed and interpreted your findings, you want to present them to interested colleagues, your organisation or other stakeholders. Moreover, you want to convince others that your research was valid and helped you answer an important question.

Presenting your results
Your presentation of your results carries a substantial proportion of your Final Grade for your Management Research Project, as this is where you demonstrate the value of your research and how it contributes to management knowledge or practice. Some of the key considerations in presenting your results in the next module include the following:

The quality of the results - this is the most important aspect of your work, as it is the target that you aimed for when starting the project. Quality results are expected, as this was the impetus for the research. Did you deliver what you set up in the proposal?

Writing style - Master's dissertations are typically written using the past tense, third-person singular and avoid using I, me, my, you etc. There are cases in which you would want to write up your research in the first person; for example, if you have conducted a first-person action research study. In this case, consult with your advisor on the appropriate voice. Pay careful attention to clarity by using simply constructed sentences rather than complex and elaborate ones. Double-check all of your writing for spelling, grammar, usage, tone and clarity.

Data presentation - you might need to include graphs, equations, pictures, forms and other data presentation in your document. You can use various software applications, including Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint, to create tables and graphs and then insert them into your document.

Referencing - you should be familiar by now with the Harvard citation system that is used at the University. Use of appropriate citation and referencing to ensure academic integrity is compulsory.

Ethical approval
In this unit, you will submit the final version of your Ethics Response Form with all supporting research documents, including informed consent form and patient information sheet, along with your research proposal, to the Final Ethics Application Forum. If applicable, you should include any research permission letters from organisations where you will be conducting your research. Remember, you are required to seek written permission from an appropriate authority within an organisation to conduct research in that context. You should contact local ethics committees regarding the process for applying for local ethical approval, and the identify process and resources/documents required. If this is applicable, you should detail the procedure you need to follow to obtain local ethical approval, and outline the steps and timelines to achieve ethics approval. It is important to ascertain how long local ethical approval might take, as often this can be source of considerable delay. You will need to obtain all necessary research permission/local ethics approval documentation prior to starting the data collection phase of your study.

Dig Deeper
Core Module Text
To access your module core text eBook use the ‘Module Home' link below, then click on the textbook icon.
If you do not already have one, enter your Roehampton Online email address to create a VitalSource bookshelf account.

You can now access the book whenever you want to read it.
Read books offline by downloading the VitalSource bookshelf app for to your computer or mobile device HERE
To access module core text eBook, click on the icon in the ‘Bookshelf by VitalSource' module on your class home page

To access Module Home, click here.

Read
The following readings are provided for you to dig deeper into the subject area.

Required
Textbook Chapters

Easterby-Smith, M., R. Thorpe, & P. Jackson, (2012) Management Research, 4th edition, London: SAGE Publications

Chapter 7, ‘Framing Qualitative Data'
Chapter 9, ‘Summarising and Making Inferences From Quantitative Data'
Chapter 11, ‘Writing Management and Business Research'
Use the ‘Bookshelf' by VitalSource link on the Blackboard Module Home to access this text.

Recommended
You are encouraged to complete the following skills unit, between Module 7 and Module 8, to help with practical approaches to managing your time during your Research Project.

Optional
Textbook Chapters

Easterby-Smith, M., R. Thorpe, & P. Jackson, (2012) Management Research, 4th edition, London: SAGE Publications

Chapter 10, ‘Multivariate Analysis'.
Demonstrate
Use the instructions below to complete Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of your Project. Make sure that all chapters read as one research proposal, and submit them as one file.

Unit 5 Project: Finalising Your Research Proposal
This fifth unit offers one assessment - a ‘Project', which is to be submitted by the end of the unit. This is worth 50% of the overall module grade.

You also have to submit your approved Ethics Form by the end of this module. Your supervisor will communicate about it with you but be sure to stay on top, and in charge, of getting the full Ethics Form approved.

It is now your turn to finalise your research proposal and expand your research literature - and fully develop your plan for analysing and presenting the data for your research proposal. You have had the opportunity to examine other researchers' choices for data analysis and presentation, and you have discussed your thoughts about your own project with your classmates.

Keep in mind you are writing a proposal, so make sure to stay on a high level. However, please consider the larger picture. Visualise how you will use and start working from Chapters 1, 2 and 3, in your next module, your full Management Research, in which you will refine and expand your work.

This Project consists of three chapters:

Chapter 1: Refined Introduction, including research objectives, context, rationale, identified gap in literature, academic and societal relevance (750-1000 words)

Chapter 2: Critically revised and extended literature review (1250-1500 words)

Chapter 3: Extended and developed research design and methods, including data analysis plan and steps to ensure validity and credibility and ethical considerations (1500-1750 words).
Instructions to prepare and complete each chapter are listed below. Make sure that before submitting your Research Project Proposal, you:

Refine your introduction

Expand and refining your Critical Literature Review/theoretical background

Finalise your data analysis and presentation plan

Integrate all paragraphs

Chapter 1: Introduction (750-1000 words)

Chapter 1 contains the Introduction, including research objectives, context, rationale, and high-level literature references. (Note: This is not the literature review, which is the theoretical background coming later.)

To complete your Unit 5 Project Chapter 1:

Chapter 1, your research Introduction, should contain specific paragraphs in which you present and explain the rationale for your research.

Paragraph 1: Introduction: introduce the research problem from a practical point of view and describe your research context.

Paragraph 2: Research Topic: State your research question(s) with your argumentum from the academic literature, discuss your research objectives.

Paragraph 3: Present and include a high-level description of your research environment and the demographics of your research group.

Paragraph 4: Define the academic relevance, as well as the practical relevance of your management research (circle it back into the practical).
Remember to write in a coherent way all paragraphs. The paragraphs should fit together and read as a full story. Take your reader by the hand, integrate your paragraphs. Use connective sentences. Write academically.

Chapter 1 of this Project should be approximately 750-1000 words in length.

Chapter 2: Critical Literature Review (1250-1500 words)
To complete Unit 5 Project Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 includes the Critical Literature Review. In this chapter, you present your theoretical background. Make sure to:

Extend and improve your Critical Literature Review based on feedback from your supervisor.
Contextualise your proposed research in the existing literature. Choose the most relevant studies to frame and contextualise your research aims, methodology and theoretical framework.

Discuss the ongoing debates relevant to your research question(s). At the end of this section, you should clearly identify the gap in knowledge and discuss/provide a rationale for how you intend to address this gap in your proposed research.
Include propositions or hypothesis (build up from argumentations in your literature).
Chapter 2 of this project should be approximately 1250-1500 words in length.

Chapter 3: Proposed Research Design and Methods (1500-1750 words).
In this chapter, you propose your Research Design and Methods sections, including Data Analysis Plan and Steps to Ensure Validity and Reliability, as well as Ethical considerations.

To complete your Unit 5 Project Chapter 3:

The Proposed Research Design and Methods chapter should include all the details of your research design including:

Research Design: Outline your epistemological stance, and justify the design of your choice while referring to the strengths and limitations of your design choice.

Operationalisation of your conceptual research questions: Describe concepts you use in your propositions or hypotheses. If applicable (in quantitative methods), include the validated scales you are using. Describe the research instrument you are building:
Sampling and recruitment strategy: Data collection, data analysis plans
Setting: Description of the geographic setting where research will be conducted (including organisational setting)
Population: Description of your targeted population; if applicable, discussion of any issues with vulnerable populations
Sample: Outline of your sampling strategy, and description of sampling procedures (e.g. who will collect data and procedures for collecting data)
Ethical consideration: Discuss all ethical considerations, including risks/benefits to participant, consenting issues, sampling, recruitment issues, issues around anonymity/confidentiality/privacy and data storage. Clearly state whether research permission letters and/or local ethics approval are required.

Research tools: Describe each of the research tools for data collection (software, if applicable) and analysis you plan to use.
Explain how you plan to collect and analyse your data and discuss issues related to the validity of your analysis.

Data analysis methods: Clearly describe data analysis methods. When performing a qualitative study, lay out your data analysis steps, coding, assessing, concluding and reporting. When performing a quantitative study include descriptive statistics (qualitative/quantitative study designs) and inferential statistics (quantitative study designs). Discuss bias and appropriateness of data analysis methods proposed.
Validity and Reliability: Explain how you will address these issues to ensure that your data is valid and reliable, and how you will minimise any potential biases in your research design.
Chapter 3 of this Project should be approximately 1500-1750 words in length.

Your total submission should be approximately 4,000 words in length.
Advice on word count: Submissions that range from 10% below to 10% above the recommended word count are acceptable. Students should recognise that assignment submissions that fall outside these parameters may be marked down. This restriction encourages the development of a concise writing style, as assignment quality is likely to suffer given the potential for overly verbose submissions. The policy is available to review on page 16 of the University of Roehampton Online Policies document, which can be found here.