Please read these directions carefully, and ask clarifying questions early and often. There is no such thing as a bad question. Although you may have not yet learned some of the terminology used here, each of you should fully understand the task relatively early in the semester. Overview You will work as part of a team to develop a real research proposal for an organization, as well as a final presentation. We will randomly assign students to teams of 3-4. Throughout the semester, teams are expected to work together via email, Google Docs, Skype or Zoom, phone, etc. to produce: 1. A team written research proposal (approximately 5-pages single-spaced or 10 pages double-spaced; excluding reference section and appendices) AND 2. A team VoiceThread presentation using PowerPoint slides (approximately 15-20 minutes total of voice comments). Teams may decide how they want to assign the speaking roles. Please be concise.
Georgetown Values
As a Georgetown University student, you are part of a distinctive community that promotes values such as People for Others, Faith and Justice, and Community in Diversity. We encourage each team to consider how their research proposal might, if possible and authentic to your setting, contribute to these values. For example, we have seen proposals that have examined increasing diversity in the workplace, improving work-life balance, and implementing family-friendly policies (e.g. parental leave programs and onsite-childcare). Key Components The goal of the proposal and the presentation is to demonstrate an understanding of research design and implementation. Your proposal should include the following components: 1. A research topic, which can be a real or hypothetical human resource challenge facing an organization, or a research project conducted in a business setting. Ideally you will create a proposal that a team member can actually use in his or her work. 2. 1-3 research questions to address the challenge, including proposed goals of the research (i.e., what new knowledge will the proposed research generate) 3. 2-6 hypotheses to more specifically answer the research questions a. Make sure you specify the expected direction of change (e.g., the intervention will increase employee efficiency, which will increase revenue) 4. Approximately 1-3 of each of the following variables to be studied (4-12 variables in total): a. Predictor/Independent Variable (IV) b. Mediator variables (variables acting as outcomes and predictors) c. Outcome/Dependent Variable (DV) d. Moderator or Control variables (i.e., other variables to be measured that could tell us if the intervention worked for some groups of individuals but not others)
5. Operationalization of each variable (i.e., how exactly you will measure each): a. If you propose a qualitative data collection technique (e.g., interviews, focus groups, direct observation, etc.), you should provide the protocol for that technique in the appendix of your paper. The appendix will not count as a part of the recommended five pages. b. If you propose a quantitative data collection technique (e.g., surveys, tests, etc.), you should provide the instructions, survey/test questions, and response options (e.g., agree, disagree, etc.) for that technique in the appendix of your paper. c. Remember to look to the literature for preexisting measures/protocols before starting from scratch! If you decide to write your own survey or test questions, you do not have to generate a large number of questions usually 3-4 questions per construct is enough. d. Describe how the data gathered by each technique will be summarized (e.g., an average score across all survey questions; the frequency of times a topic was mentioned in a focus group; etc.). e. Reliability and (construct) validity of each measure, particularly quantitative measures 6. Description of the study design, to include: a. Population the study findings should generalize to (e.g., everyone in the organization or only a particular subgroup of employees) b. Expected or Target Sample (i.e., the number of participants and approximate demographics, such as X% in sales, X% in marketing, X% in North America, X% in Asia Pacific, etc.) c. Design and methods (i.e., how you would collect data from the participants, such as random selection, random assignment, control group, number of times employees are observed or complete a measure, etc.) d. Why you made each study design decision 7. An evaluation of the study design and justification that the methods would demonstrate adequate internal and external validity 8. A description of how the knowledge gained from your study has practical and/or scientific merithow could companies use the information from this study? 9. An APA-style reference section of any literature cited a. Note: Neither the reference section nor appendices count towards the 5-page limit Please read the Team Research Proposal Grading Rubric now to understand how your project will be graded. I recommend you continuously review the rubric as you develop your project.
Turning In Drafts
You will turn in drafts of the research proposal throughout the course (in modules 5, 10 and 13) so that you may give and receive peer and instructor feedback on your work. You will not be graded on the quality of your proposal until the end of the course. This provides you with time to incorporate the feedback into your work and turn in an excellent, client-ready product. Be advised that turning in drafts late will result in a 10% penalty to the final project grade for each draft turned in late. Draft #1 You will turn in Draft #1 by the end of module 5. Draft #1 should include draft materials of Key Components 1-4. At this point, you do not need to operationalize or develop specific measures (Key Component 5). Draft #2 You will turn in Draft #2 by the end of module 10. Draft #2 should include revised materials from Draft #1, as well as draft materials of Key Components 5-6. For Key Component 5, you will need to describe how you will operationalize (or measure) your variables, however, you do not need to develop specific measures (e.g. survey or interview questions).
Draft #3 You will turn in Draft #3 by the end of module 13. Draft #3 should include revised materials from Drafts #1 and 2, as well as draft materials of Key Components 7 & 8. In addition, you will need to develop draft materials of specific measures (e.g. survey or interview questions) for Key Component 5.
The paper now is unclear and missing lots of required part.
1. Currently, the paper is unclear in introducing the research topic and background information. Please look at the classmate paper then develop a real clear research topic, background information, and research question. The current paper also do not have literature review part to support the research topic. Please add the literature review part right after the research questions, follow what the group 2 did for the paper. Currently the hypothesis are unclear and there are no information that were described for hypotheses
2. And according to the paper proposal guideline, there should be 2-6 hypotheses, please write four hypothesis. You need to write four hypothesis and if needed please change the current ones and add new ones. Please follow the group2 in identifying 1234 outlined. And identified clear variables for each hypothesis. Make sure to look for mediator and moderator variables.
3. Operationalization part should be revised upon your changes to the current hypothesis and variables.
Operationalization of each variable (i.e., how exactly you will measure each):
a. If you propose a qualitative data collection technique (e.g., interviews, focus groups, direct observation, etc.), you should provide the protocol for that technique in the appendix of your paper. The appendix will not count as a part of the recommended five pages.
b. If you propose a quantitative data collection technique (e.g., surveys, tests, etc.), you should provide the instructions, survey/test questions, and response options (e.g., agree, disagree, etc.) for that technique in the appendix of your paper. c. Remember to look to the literature for preexisting measures/protocols before starting from scratch! If you
decide to write your own survey or test questions, you do not have to generate a large number of questionsusually 3-4 questions per construct is enough.
d. Describe how the data gathered by each technique will be summarized (e.g., an average score across all
survey questions; the frequency of times a topic was mentioned in a focus group; etc.).
e. Reliability and (construct) validity of each measure, particularly quantitative measures
Please follow these instructions here and write any appendix as required, so please choose whether use qualitative data collection technique or quantitative data collection technique , please make sure add this part to the paper.
4. The current paper have a the study design and please change it with the revised hypothesis and variables and also change if needed for the evalutions.
