PMBA ____________________________________________________________________________ MBA 6503: Capstone Course: Global Strategy and Competitiveness Assignment 2 – Capstone Project Proposal/Outline Time Allowed: 4 weeks (DUE 25th of May, 2017) CL O.s Covered by this Assessment: CLO 4- Demonstrate knowledge gained within the MBA program that can be applied through the development of a comprehensive culminating project. % of Final Grade: 15% Total Marks Available: 100 Student(s) Name(s): Student IDs: _______________________________________ Section #: ________________________________________ Result / 100 HCT Academic Honesty Policy Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated within the HCT. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism (copying) or any other attempt to gain an academic advantage in a dishonest or unfair manner. Breaches of the Academic honesty policy will result in dismissal from HCT. YOUR ASSESSED TASK Write a detailed outline of your project proposal to explain what you research project will cover. The proposal should include the name of the industry and organization, the issue or challenge that you have identified and specifically what you are going to research. You should also include a detailed plan that identifies various tasks to be completed and how you think you will approach the tasks with deadlines. The proposal should be written in HCT report format and referenced using APA format (Times New Roman or Arial, 12 size, double space). This task should be 3-4 pages (excluding attachments) and should be completed and email it to me by Thursday, 25 May before 5pm. You will need to include the following in your proposal: 1. Cover page (Title, student name, instructors name, date) 2. Table of contents 3. Academic honesty statement 4. Introduction including background to the issue and industry/company information, purpose and significance of the study 5. Problem statement, your research question, preliminary objectives and explanation 6. Brief description of methodology (primary and secondary research sources, sampling, level of analysis) 7. Possible limitations of your project and practical implications 8. A plan identifying tasks to be completed, details of how you will approach them and deadlines. 9. References (APA format), RESEARCH DESIGN & PLAN Introduction Shall include a formal statement of the objectives and milestones of a research project. The purpose of this section is to clearly and concisely describe what the proposed research is intended to accomplish. It: Should include specific research objectives Objectives should be obtainable within the proposed timeframe Study should be well-focused rather than broad and diffuse Background and Significance The background and significance section states the research problem including the proposed rationale, current state of knowledge and potential contributions and significance of the research to the field: Thorough background on the company/industry under study Specify existing gaps that the project is intended to fill Discussion should convey the importance and relevance of the research aims Highlight potential policy or practice impacts Research Design and Methods The purpose of the research design and methods section is to describe how the research will be carried out. This section is critical for demonstrating that you have developed a clear, organized and thoughtful study design which: Should provide an overview of the proposed design and conceptual framework Study goals should relate to proposed study hypotheses or research question Include details related to specific methodology; explain why the proposed methods are the best to accomplish study goals Describe any concepts, approaches, tools or techniques Include a summary of relevant primary and secondary resources you will use for the project and how they relate to the achieving your objectives Include details of how data will be collected and results analyzed Include proposed work plan and timeline Consider and discuss potential limitations and alternative approaches to achieve study aims Each research method has strengths and weaknesses. When designing a research study it is important to decide what data is required then select the best methodology to gather that desired information.  Don't feel that you are bound by your planning document. Through the course of the project, you may come to realize that you cannot get the information in the way you expected, or that you require different information. Your final paper and presentation will not be graded on the basis of what you put down as your proposed plan unless you change everything in the project plan. Don’t forget to clearly write down your research question. Time-table of research activities Include dates, times, person(s) conducting interview, method of interview, etc. POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY Cheating on assessments (which includes all forms of assessment) and plagiarism in written assignments, is a very serious offence at HCT. The penalty for cheating is immediate dismissal from HCT and all Federal post-secondary education institutions. A signed Academic Honesty Statement must be included on all submitted assessments (i.e. reports, presentations, projects). ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT: All of the material contained in this assessed assignment is my own work and/or is appropriately sourced and referenced. Student signature: _________________ Date: ______________ Student ID: _______________________ Section: ____________