KU Enhancing Construction Tendering and Contracts MBA Research Proposal

I need a research proposal for MBA procurement. It should preferably be related to tendering, or contracts administration, in construction or oil & gas industry in Uganda. Any other topic in business procurement or management is fine. The format for the proposal should be as below;

1 Title/Topic

The title of the research proposal should accurately reflect the scope and content of the study. In addition, it should be concise, simple and catchy in not more than 20 words. The title should be informative/descriptive yet discrete and contain the key words of the proposal. Terms like “Research into…”, “A Study of…”, etc., reflect poor design of the research topic/title and are discouraged from being used. The title/topic may contain constructs/variables^[1] that the research/study is focusing on.

The title/topic normally appears on what is referred to as the “front page or title page” of the synopsis, which, in addition to the title/topic, includes the following:

• Title/Topic: which should contain and provide sufficient information to the reader to enable him/her make well-informed judgment about the topic, level of study and what will be/was researched on.
• Author’s (researcher’s) name
• Author’s (researcher’s) registration number
• Author’s (researcher’s) previous qualification(s) (optional)
• A partial fulfillment requirement statement.

2 Introduction

The introduction briefly overviews what the chapter contains and creates interest for reading further. It further discusses the sector/industry the study/research is focusing on. The sector could be banking or may focus on the social services in the country, etc. The introduction section should provide evidence and conditions of the existing situations to make the reader feel the urgency of the problem and the need to study it, in order solve it.

The introduction section may have any number of paragraphs but should not exceed 1 page. The first paragraph shall normally give an overview of what the chapter contains and the second paragraph should discuss the sector/industry^[2] the research is focusing on.

3 Background to the Study

This section provides evidence and conditions of the existing situations highlighting the gap(s) to make the reader feel the urgency of the problem, the need to study it in order to solve the problem or contribute to its solution. The background gives rationale of the study and briefly interweaves this with some reviews of previous work that has been done on the topic and its current status as research and conceptual problems. If a case has been selected (e.g., company or organization, etc.), the background should be situated within this case in view of the problem being investigated. The background should also focus on the constructs/variables of your study which are in the title of your study, where, and if, this is applicable.

4 Research Problem/Problem Statement/Statement of the Problem

The problem statement is the focal point of the research and is usually stated in one sentence with a number of paragraphs that give more details or elaboration. In the problem statement you state: something missing in the knowledge-base, something that is wrong, something that needs to be investigated, or existing methods that no longer seem to be working and need to be re-defined, etc..

The problem statement:

1. Presents the reason behind the study/research, i.e. what will change when this research

is done or what would happen if the research is not done.

1. Is an existing negative state not absence of a solution.

1. Refers to what has been detected and needs a solution in the practical or

theoretical world.

1. Should clearly state the nature of the problem and its known or estimated magnitude / extent.

1. Should be concise and brief (not more than 1 page).

5 General Objective/Aim/Purpose

The objective refers to the general intention/goal of carrying out the study. The research objectives may be split into:

• General Objective, and
• Specific Objectives.

The general objective may be a general statement which explains what the research intends to accomplish. That is, it refers to the general intention or goal of the research and should spell out what the research is supposed to accomplish. Normally, the general objective has a relationship with the title of the research.

Where the general objectives is too broad, it may be split into sub-objectives (or specific objectives) arising directly from the general objective/purpose/aim of the study.

The general format of an objective (general or specific) is as follows:

The goal of this research is:

To analyze………

To evaluate …….

To establish……..

To determine……

To design……….

6 Research Questions/Hypotheses

These are investigative questions or assumptions which guide the study. Research questions are stated to realize the general objective and specific objectives. For each stated objective there should be a corresponding research question. This means that a research question can be split into:

• General Research Question, and
• Specific Research Questions

In case of hypotheses, they should be testable. (Hypothesis is usually null or alternate, whichever poses the investigative question). Although hypotheses can come immediately after Literature Review, they normally come after the Specific Objectives.

7 Significance/Importance/Relevance/Justification/Contribution

This refers to the relevance of study in terms of academic contributions and practical use that might be made of the findings. It should reflect on knowledge creation, technological or socio-economic value to the community.

The significance of the study answers the questions:

Why is your study important?
To whom is it important?
What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?

8 Theoretical / Conceptual Framework

a. Theoretical Framework

This is an examination of existing or self-formulated theories in relation to the researcher’s objectives. It is also a group of related ideas that provides guidance to a research project or business endeavor. The appropriateness of a theoretical framework that a marketing department is using to promote its corporate and product image to the consuming public can be an important determinant of its ultimate success. The theoretical framework is based on the theories which were advanced by scholars.

A theoretical framework provides theories or concepts that will guide the study. It provides the theoretical underpinning of the study. A theoretical framework or model comes from the existing literature and normally has been proved to work and/or hold.

Or

1. Conceptual Framework

This is a scheme of concepts (constructs/variables with associated attributes) which a researcher will operationalize in the study in order to achieve the set objectives. The framework is normally presented graphically (diagrammatically). The conceptual framework should predict positive results and not negative.

A conceptual framework contains the researcher’s constructs that are being investigated, their relationships and or (inter-) dependencies (cause-effect relationships). It normally builds on the theoretical framework. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks may be presented graphically.

9 Scope

The scope provides for the boundary of the research in terms of depth of investigation, content, and sample size, geographical, time frame and theoretical coverage.

The scope may be split into:

• Content/Subject/Academic Area Scope
• Geographical Scope
• Time Scope