College of Business

In partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

Doctor of Business Administration

Insert Name Here

Month Year

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the entire proposal, typically ranging from 150 to 250 words. The APA manual notes the type of information that should be included in abstracts for different types of studies. In general, the abstract outlines the major headings: the research question, theoretical framework, research design, sampling method, instrumentation, and data and analysis procedures. In a final dissertation, the abstract also outlines key findings and interpretations. A reader should gain a high-level understanding of the entire document from its abstract. Do not add any information in the abstract that is not discussed throughout the proposal. Because it highlights the entire proposal, researchers often write the abstract after the remainder of the document. Writing an abstract is an important skill requiring the ability to be concise. In publications, the abstract is often the first thing potential readers review to determine whether to continue reading your work.

THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL BUS8105/BUS8110 2

The table of contents outlines your study for the reader. The easiest way to create the table of contents is to use the levels of heading feature in Microsoft Word. For example, this template has already been set up using headings (in Microsoft Word editing utilities) for the major portions of the outline. Subsequently, Microsoft Word will automatically create the table of contents, which has been started below, by using the Table of Contents feature in the references tab of Word (although note, different versions of Word sometimes locate options in different places).

Table of Contents Abstract 2 Chapter 1 – Introduction 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Statement of the Problem 6 Definition of Terms 6 Theoretical Framework 6 Research Questions and Hypotheses 6 Scope of the Study 7 Significance of the Study 7 Summary 7 Chapter 2 – Literature Review 9 1st Heading 11 1st Subheading 11 2nd Subheading 11 2nd Heading 12 Summary 12 Chapter 3 – Methodology 13 Research Design 13 Population and Sample 13 Instrumentation 14 Instrument #1 14 Instrument #2 14 Research Procedures 15 Data Analysis 15 Protection of Human Rights 15 Delimitations and Limitations 16 Assumptions, Risks and Biases 16 Significance of the Study 16 Summary 16 References 18

The chapter one draft submitted at the end of BUS8100 should already contain an introduction. For BUS8105 and BUS8110 you will update and add to your introduction based upon the work you complete for chapters 2 and 3 for your dissertation proposal. Remember, every APA document includes an introduction in the first paragraphs following the title. An APA introduction briefly answers three key questions: What is the topic? Why is it important? What are the key ideas that will be discussed? After reading the introduction, the reader should understand why the researcher is conducting the study and how this research contributes to the academic community and to professional practice. In summary, the proposal introduction should grab the reader’s attention, introduce the topic at hand, and provide a brief outline of the theory and method of the study. After reading your introduction, your audience should know what you are asking (umbrella research question), why you are asking it (problem, gap, purpose), why it is important (significance), the key theories, the research questions or hypotheses, and a summary of the method to be used. For a final draft of the dissertation, the introduction may also briefly report key findings of the study.

You should already have a clear purpose section from your work in BUS8100. You may need to update and add to your purpose statement based upon your work in chapters two and three. Specifically, you should also summarize the specific inquiry methods to be used. For example, a summary methods statement like the following can offer the reader a snapshot of where your research is headed: to make the determination about the intrinsic motivation relationship with job satisfaction, the research will use a cross-sectional, self-report survey of 100 employees in a small, Midwestern manufacturing facility. You won’t include a lot of detail about method in this section. Rather, just enough to provide a glimpse of your research process.

You should already have a strong statement of the problem based upon your work in BUS8100. However, as you have conducted a fuller review of the literature for chapter two of your dissertation, you may have revised your understanding of the problem and the key literature. Make the necessary updates for your work for BUS8105 and BUS8110.

Continue to add to the definition of key terms section. Clarify any terminology that may be confusing. If you are using any terms in ways that are contrary to the discipline’s body of knowledge provide a very brief justification for the alternative usage in the definitions. Provide a fuller justification in the body of your work.

Although your work in BUS8100 developed a theoretical framework for your study, an important principle is to let the literature speak. While completing the chapter one draft for BUS8100, the research typically reviews 20 – 25 sources. However, the exhaustive literature review for chapter two of the dissertation will review 75 or more sources. Because researchers should approach the literature with openness, it is possible that information will surface questioning the need for the research you are proposing or suggesting substantial revisions to the direction you are heading. Accordingly, after completing your full literature review, you may need to make substantive modifications to every section, including the theoretical frame, of the chapter one draft you completed.

Similar to previous sections, your research questions and hypotheses may need updating. As you completed a more exhaustive review of the literature, you may have found answers to some of your questions, discovered new gaps or questions, located different variables and hypothesized relationships, or even changed the direction of your research completely. Revise this section of chapter one accordingly.

Remember that delimitations narrow the focus of the study. They are the choices made by the researcher that establish the boundaries for what is being done, what is not being done, what is being studied, what is not being studied, and why. Because you have made design decisions as part of constructing chapter three, you should now have more information to detail in this section of chapter one.

Also recall that limitations are conditions or influences that the researcher cannot control. They might include naturally occurring phenomena, circumstances, or other conditions that place restrictions on the study’s methodology, thus potentially impacting conclusions. The conceptual insights and design decisions you have made as you worked on chapters two and three will likely clarify limitations to include in chapter one. For both delimitations and limitations, summarize the key items in chapter one. You will have a fuller discussion of them in chapter three.

Update the significance of the study that emerged as you developed your research proposal. The significance of the study focuses on the implications and outcomes of the proposed study. Write this section with the focus on how the study’s results will benefit others. Discuss the implications of the study affecting practice, policy, and scholarly/future research.

Frequent inclusion of summary sections can help guide the reader through your work. As you close your introductory chapter, what are the most important takeaways of the work? How do we answer “so what?” Dissertations contain a fair amount of redundancy. Chapter one, in particular, will contain succinctly re-stated material from other sections of the dissertation. However, if you write your chapter one well, you may be able to use it as the basis for a published article in a journal. Update the summary based upon development of the full dissertation proposal.

The literature review provides the background for the research problem and illustrates to the reader that the researcher is knowledgeable about the scope of the theory pertaining to the proposed research. The umbrella research question should give guidance on the topics to be reviewed in the scholarly literature. Begin sorting the literature into themes, categories, variables, relationships and other relevant organizing motifs. Your initial research will help you sharpen your umbrella question, identify the potential gap in the literature, and shape your problem and purpose statements. Your ongoing review will continue to refine your question, gap, problem, and purpose as well as lead to a theoretical framework, research questions, variables, or hypotheses. For chapter 1 of the dissertation, the literature review is an abridged version. It provides the key pieces of literature that support the need for your research and serve as the foundation of your theoretical framework. The literature review that you provide in chapter 2 of the dissertation will be more exhaustive.

The term literature review can be used in different ways. For example, if you are completing a review for a class assignment, you might review 10 to 12 relevant articles. The review is focused on the assignment. If you are completing a review for a published article, you will likely do a more comprehensive review that could include 20 to 25 sources or more. In contrast, a dissertation is exhaustive. It is not much of a stretch to suggest that one should read nearly every scholarly work published on the relevant topics of the dissertation as one conducts the research. Practically, a dissertation may review 50 sources or more. Your abridged version for dissertation chapter one may be the 20-25 source variety. Your chapter two literature review should be an exhaustive review ot the literature. You should work with your committee to determine the appropriate number of sources necessary to complete an exhaustive review of the literature provided that a minimum of 30 or or more sources are used.

A key component of the literature review is presentation of the researched sources. Many ways of organizing the material are possible. For example, some dissertations start by presenting a historical background. More than just a chronology, the historical background reviews the major issues, substantive controversies, and development of relevant variables of your study. Next, the literature review provides the theory relevant to the research. In other words, it provides the clear basis for your research problem (gap) and purpose. Finally, the review clarifies the current literature relevant to the research questions and hypotheses. For a study with hypotheses, the final section provides literature for each specific variable as well as literature pertaining to the hypothesized relationships of variables.

Alternatively, a literature review may be more topically oriented and integrate various aspects (e.g., historical, theory) into each section of the review. Regardless of the organizational motif for your review, keep the umbrella question, problem, and purpose in mind. In the review, present the literature strategically to make the case for your research. Your review should not just report what existing research says. Rather, every source or every section needs to connect clearly to the need for (problem and purpose) and theory framing your study. Your literature review needs to develop any sub-research questions. In a quantitative study, it needs to clarify variables and hypothesized relationships.

To best organize your review, it is wise to organize the themes or sections by using headings and subheadings. The centered, bold, title-casing headings that have been used thus far in the template document are “Level one headings.” When sub-categories exist underneath a specific level one heading, you can use “Level two subheadings” in APA style. These subheadings are formatted just like Level one headings, but they are aligned left. See the subheadings below for an example.

By now, you should recognize that the research proposal writing process is highly iterative. In other words, it is likely that you will revise various parts (e.g., problem or purpose) multiple times as you learn more during your literature review. Researching and writing is a creative process. Enjoy the journey of discovering new knowledge.

Choose one evident theme or perspective that became apparent when researching the theory. Briefly share the results of the various studies, including the most pertinent information such as the studies’ hypotheses, population, methodology, and results. Relate the study to an ongoing dialogue of the literature pertaining to the research topic. This means that each study one lists should relate to the new, proposed study in some way. Report the studies sequentially if possible, building upon the findings of prior studies. Remember to separate each category of studies with a new heading. Do this as many times as needed. In other words, create your theoretical frame step by step and piece by piece in your literature review.

Some topics in your literature review may be complex, with multiple subtopics or components. For clarity, you may need to separate those components with subtopics. In such cases, the paragraph(s) immediately below the heading (e.g., 1st Heading above) may be introductory, providing a brief summary of the larger discussion and introducing the individual aspects. Then, the discussion beneath each subheading provides detailed analysis of the component.

An important principle in the use of APA subheadings is the minimum number required. The general idea is “more than one.” In other words, if you decide to use a level two heading beneath a level one heading, you must use at least two of them. APA subheadings indicate the discussion needs to be broken down into smaller units for analysis. The use of just one level two subheading beneath a level one subheading does not break the conversation down. Similarly, if the discussion beneath a level two subheading needs to be organized into smaller units, one can use level three headings. Again, more than one is required in the section.

Headings provide a roadmap for your reader. They are the outline of your document. A reader should be able to scan your headings and understand the flow of your work. Accordingly, choose the verbiage of your headings and subheadings with strategic thought. Also remember to leverage the heading level styles utility in Microsoft Word. You may find that the number (e.g., heading 2, heading 3) in Word does not correspond to APA headings of the same number. However, with some editing, you can make things work, and it will greatly simplify creation of your table of contents.

As part of clear writing, the judicious use of summary paragraphs is helpful. Even the best-written literature reviews and research can lose connection or flow with the reader. Periodic summary statements that clarify the key points or findings of a section can help keep the reader informed and engaged. Additionally, your literature review must clearly demonstrate how you devised your research questions or hypotheses. The scholarly audience cannot be “surprised” by their appearance in your methods section. Rather, you need to demonstrate step-by-step how you arrived at them through your literature review. In other words, as you organize your literature review, you need to defend development of questions and hypotheses.

The “Methodology” section details each step the researcher will take in order to conduct his or her study. When a doctoral candidate defends a dissertation proposal, one key inquiry by the investigative committee is whether or not the candidate demonstrates knowledge and control over the research project. Thus, this section discusses what measures the researcher will take in order to test the study’s hypothesis or answer the study’s questions. In chapter one, the methodology is summarized to provide a succinct presentation of how the study will collect data to answer the research question. In chapter three of the dissertation, the methods section will be expanded.

In the methodology section, it is vital to delineate several other items in addition to the paradigm and method. You will need to clarify who you will study, what data you will gather, how you will gather the data, how you will analyze the data, and any risks, biases, limitations, and delimitations that exist.

Include the proposed research design of the study, whether it is a survey, experiment, observation, secondary data analysis, etc. Argue for why the design is appropriate for your study. Then, explain how this design will derive results.

This section should include an expanded discussion of the participants. First, discuss the population under consideration. From where will participants be selected? What are their expected demographic characteristics? Why are they a suitable population for conducting the research? What approvals are needed to use the population? Who has given that approval?

Second, give the sampling method to be used. Which specific sampling method will be used to select participants? What are the strengths and weaknesses of that method? What is the size of the sample needed? How was the size need determined? For a qualitative study, you may discuss this section as the participants in your study.

In this paragraph, briefly outline the instruments that will be used in the study, including any and all surveys, interviews, or observation grids. If the study is qualitative, make a case for the questions you will ask. Why are they appropriate for answering the research questions? If the study is quantitative, discuss how the instrument(s) will measure the study’s independent and dependent variables. A key concept here is operationalization. Previously, the quantitative proposal articulated research hypotheses. You now need to operationalize the concepts into measurable constructs. In other words, the research hypotheses become statistical hypotheses. The internal validity of a study is largely determined by whether or not you are actually measuring the things you say you are measuring. The concepts for your study must become constructs. That is, they become measurable variables. Your instruments need to measure those constructs in a valid and reliable way. Each instrument should be discussed below in more detail under separate subheadings.

List the first instrument that will be used in the study using an APA level 3 heading. For this paragraph in particular, include why the instrument is considered to be valid and/or reliable as well as how it will be useful for the proposed study. You must also include any required permissions for using the instrument. The actual instrument and permissions may be included as appendices to the proposal. Repeat the same procedure for all other instruments.

List the second instrument that will be used in the study using an APA level 3 heading. For this paragraph in particular, include why the instrument is considered to be valid and/or reliable as well as how it will be useful for the proposed study. You must also include any required permissions for using the instrument. The actual instrument and permissions may be included as appendices to the proposal. Repeat the same procedure for all other instruments.

If the study is qualitative, explain the plan for how data will be collected and a letter of consent will be administered. Include any survey, interview, or observation procedures, and identify any incentives for participants in the study. Be sure to discuss mechanisms for securing data. Discuss processes for building credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability into the research. Create a step by step procedure for how data analysis will occur.

If the study is quantitative, explain the plan for how the data will be collected and a letter of consent will be administered. Include any survey or intervention procedures, and identify any incentives for participants in the study. Be sure to discuss mechanisms for securing data.

Discuss what statistics or analytical tools will be used for analyzing the data, such as ANOVA, SPSS, or SAS, if applicable. Select the specific statistical tests you will use. Clarify why the selected statistical tests are appropriate, including how you will assess whether the statistical assumptions for using the tests are satisfied (e.g., normality of distribution).

Discuss what efforts will be taken to protect human subjects. Reiterate that subjects’ participation is voluntary and that they can choose to withdraw from the study at any time. Describe how the subjects’ confidentiality will be protected and how they may receive a copy of the study when it is finished. Of special note, your proposed research will need to be reviewed and approved by the South University Institutional Review Board (IRB). You may need to include a sample of consent letters or forms as an appendix to your dissertation.

Discuss the delimitations and limitations to the study. Delimitations narrow the focus of the study. They are the choices made by the researcher that establish the boundaries for what is being done, what is not being done, what is being studied, what is not being studied, and why.

Limitations are conditions or influences that the researcher cannot control. They might include naturally occurring phenomena, circumstances, or other conditions that place restrictions on the study’s methodology, thus potentially impacting conclusions.

Discuss the assumptions, risks and biases that might affect the study. An assumption is something that is taken to be true even though direct evidence of it being true is either absent or limited. Risks describe potential, negative impacts that could occur as a result of the research process. Biases reflect perspectives by the researcher or participants that could influence the data and conclusions.

Significance of the study focuses on the implications of the proposed study. Write this section with the focus on how the study’s results will benefit others. Identify any weaknesses to the proposed study and why they were not addressed. Address how well the study will do in terms of internal and external validity. Discuss the implications of the study affecting practice, policy, and scholarly/future research. When the proposal is finished, be sure to include a reference list for all sources used at the end of the proposal.

Frequent inclusion of summary sections can help guide the reader through your work. As you close your introductory chapter, what are the most important takeaways of the work?