MSc Project Management PRISM2 Assignment 2019-2020 Weight 80%
This assignment has one artifact A justified research methodology proposal of 2,500 words
Learning Outcomes
1. Select and use appropriate structured project analysis and research approaches to identify, justify, analyze and diagnose a research problem and develop a research question.
2. Evaluate existing literature to appreciate existing results and methods to identify suitable research methods and their effectiveness for investigating a chosen research topic.
3. Situate a research problem within a wider strategic project management context to demonstrate the significance of the research question.
4. Synthesize project methods and research methods together as a detailed research proposal that justifies the choice and significance of a research topic and the methods available for contributing towards a solution
This assignment weight is 80% of the overall unit mark.
Submit a 2,500 word detailed research proposal fully justified.
In this coursework, you need to choose a research topic and then develop a research proposal
Choosing a research topic for your coursework. Clearly, you are approaching the stage of needing to think about your dissertation. You are therefore strongly advised to base this coursework on your forthcoming dissertation topic that must in the project management context. Design a succinct research proposal for your chosen topic using appropriate methodology and justification of your choices. Going down through each layer of Saunders et al.’s (2016 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a justification and critical evaluation of your research proposal (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature).
Having chosen a research topic, you should complete the following parts:
1. Introduction a. Provide a title and background • Background: a brief overview of the topic or problem, including your motivation for selection of this research topic, a brief literature review, drawing on some key pieces of topic-related literature, explain why researching the topic or problem is important using knowledge and understanding of key theories/models from Project Management or related domains. OPTIONAL (For grades 70 and above): In addition to this you can provide a table in the Appendix summarizing at least 7-10 sources that your research will draw on to justify your research context and design decisions. The table should have columns for aims/objectives of paper, topics discussed and any areas identified for future research. Based on this table, you can present the possible area that your research will face based on a gap or suggestion in existing literature. An example is in enclosed in the folder
b. Overall research question(s), aim(s) and objective(s): these should be clear, succinct and specific. They should also be related to Project Management. A diagram of the conceptual or theoretical framework which shows the relationship between concepts.
2. Methodology a. Philosophical position b. Methodology (survey, case study …) and the reason why this methodology is suitable for this research c. A clear and suitable sampling method. d. A clear and suitable data collection method (including administration, including instrument design and a list of interview questions or an example of a questionnaire). e. A clear and suitable explanation of how the data will be analysed.
3. Critical evaluation Going down through each layer of Saunders et al.’s (2019 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a critical evaluation of your research proposal developed (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature). As a result you should state based on your critique, why your approach is the most suitable approach for your chosen research topic and why other approach(es) are NOT suitable. This may be the quantitative or qualitative approach, you must decide and defend your choice. Remember you need to justify all the steps, eg. why have you chosen this specific methodology and data collection tool? Why they are appropriate for addressing your research question and research problem? PRISM1 asked for a general indication of your method, so this is the opportunity to give a detailed justification and demonstrate your application of deeper levels of critical ability applied to research design.
N.B. For parts 3 & 4 you should use between 5 – 7 research method sources.
Important note: you must NOT actually collect or analyze any data for this coursework.
– this is just the proposal stage where you set out how you plan to collect and analyze the data.
The general guidelines for marking this piece are given below – this will give you an indication of the weighting applied to each part (which will also guide you in terms of the word count for each part).
Additional information
1. The maximum word count is 2,500 words. This is a maximum, not a target.
2. Structure your report. Include a title page with the unit title, report title, your student ID number. Use clear, numbered section headings. Include your student ID number and page number on each page. Include a title for every table or figure, along with a source (if you have not originally developed it). Ensure any figures or tables are clearly legible.
3. References must be given using the APA 6 style every time you mention a theory, or another person’s idea(s) – refer to and follow the School’s referencing guide. Be selective and only include material that is relevant to your case. Avoid (over) reliance on websites for your sources as they are rarely peer-reviewed and often contain errors. The reference list (ie. not a bibliography) should be sorted alphabetically by first author surname, do not separate out different types of sources (books, journals, etc) into different lists.
4. One of the key abilities developed through your Master’s course is in developing arguments for why other people should agree with your decisions to the point where they can consider it further for adoption. The PRISM assignments are not assessed on what your topic is (since everyone will have a different topic), but they are assessed on criteria such as how your use of evidence, your analysis of literature, and your reflection on your work build convincing and logical reasons to agree with you.
The following table indicates the likely weighting of marks for each section of the coursework.
Content Marks
PART 1: Introduction Provide a clear title, suitable background, relevant but brief coverage of topic-specific literature, identification of a clear research gap, overall research question(s), aim(s) and objective(s) (approximately 400 words) This section needs to be supported by project management sources.
PART 2: Your research proposal methodology
Research methodology/methods: Philosophy approach – explain the philosophy approach you intend to adopt.
Explain what overall research methodology you have chosen. If you have selected quantitative approach, this may require formulating hypothesis (or hypotheses), clearly stated, unambiguous, realistic, symmetrical.
Explain the sampling method and type.
Explain the data collection method(s) and provide a list of appropriate questions (as an Appendix e.g. Interview guide) that you have personally developed. Or Design a questionnaire that you have personally developed (include it as an Appendix). This design should include the measurement scales that you intend to use and where you have sourced them from. You will need to explain how you would administer the questionnaire.
Explain how data will be analyzed and presented in order to address the research question(s)/objectives. For qualitative data, you will need to explain your coding and theme development approach. For quantitative data, you will need to present the statistical techniques that you intend to use to analyze the responses that you will receive.
Fully referenced to a range of suitable research method literature.
(approximately 1500 words) This section needs to be supported by research method sources.
PART 3: Critical evaluation
Critical evaluation of your proposal: clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of your chosen approach, using all layers of the ‘research onion’ (Saunders et al., 2016), development of a reasoned argument for and against. Fully referenced to a range of suitable literature.
Justification of the chosen approach for the research. (approximately 600 words). This section needs to be supported by research method sources.
20
References: suitable range, provide full references using the APA 6 format.
Presentation and language: Correct spelling, grammar, professional presentation (as detailed in the coursework handout).
Make sure you carefully read Postgraduate Grade Descriptor for PRISM 2 that is attached in this folder. The finished essay should be uploaded to Moodle drop box by the above specified date.
Plagiarism: Note well: the Business School has a strict policy regarding academic malpractice, including plagiarism. Beware that this is checked for each assignment. Further details on this topic and how to avoid are in the Module handbook on Moodle. The university has always been very strict about Plagiarism and this year is focusing even more carefully on plagiarism. Assignment support:
Essay structure issues should be addressed to Study Support.
• Word Limit: Please refer to the Module handbook for further details
Word count for the mini proposal is 2,500 words. No additional wording is permitted. For this essay, cover page, table of contents, tables, figures, references list and appendix or attachment are not counted towards your word limit. Tables and figures should not be used to circumvent the word limit but should be developed purposefully, explained, cited and should add value to your text. You should always include the word count at the bottom of the cover page. You will receive mark and feedback via Moodle twenty working days after submission.
You must clearly state the source of the citations in the text of your assignment and provide links to all the resources you have used in your bibliography. The source of your citations must be available (i.e. on a public website) or available through The Portsmouth University library account. The source language MUST be English. Essays Format • Cover page: Should include module code and name, title of the assignment, and your student ID at the bottom of this page and the word count. • Table of Contents: provide the list of the titles and subtitles used in your text with their page numbers on the first page after the cover page. • Referencing: Please refer to the handbook for further details You should use is APA6 (here is the library link for assistance in formatting references: http://referencing.port.ac.uk)
For general guidance on referencing, see the library handout: https://library.port.ac.uk/guides/docs/LG767.pdf
• Citing lecture slides: Lecture slides cannot be referenced unless absolutely necessary. All the slides which you might need to refer to have citation(s) or the related references are given at the end of lecture hand-outs. It is expected that you study and refer to the original references rather than the lecture slides.
