Case Scenario:
You are a research analyst with a large research and development firm, Akron Research. Your firm performs studies and analysis for companies that need product, process improvement, manufacturing, and consulting research services.
You have been assigned to develop a comprehensive research strategy and plan and develop a proposal outline for a customer-driven project. After you complete your review of the project, you will have to pick a topic and decide the research methodology that will be applied. Then you will have to develop the research design to include the topic, purpose statement, literature review, research question and hypothesis, and the analysis and report writing format. Finally, you will have to present the research proposal outline for customer approval. Since you may or may not be the one actually conducting the research, you must have a detailed research design plan that can walk a researcher or team through the entire research process for this project.
- Discuss how research topics are selected.
- Discuss the importance of the purpose statement.
- Explain how the research questions and hypothesis are developed. These should be succinct, yet as detailed as possible.
- Discuss the null and alternative hypothesis and how they support the research effort.
- Discuss how the research effort will be measured and analyzed.
- Include a discussion of the various research report formats and the documentation that will be needed for each of the research methods. (Qualitative, Quantitative, Mixed, Action)
- Explain how to conduct a literature review to support the research effort. Discuss how to develop an annotated bibliography and how it can be applied to effectively support the research effort.
- Explain the importance ethical and legal responsibilities in the research project.