Prepare a research proposal based on the following structure: A) INTRODUCTION
i) Research Background
? Discuss the background of the research that will be conducted. The research must be in your area of interest or study. (do not try to solve a country wide problem)
ii) Problem Statement
? Discuss the research problem that will be investigated.. List down the main problems and FOUR (4) related sub-problems. You need to have references from literature (at least 5 references) to support the problems accordingly. This can be from book, journals or conference proceedings.
? Justify why these problems need to be addressed and what are the consequences of not addressing it.
iii) Research Objectives and the Scope of the Research
? What are the objectives of the proposed research? The discussion of the objectives must be addressing the problem. You need to have between 3 to 5 objectives.
? What is the scope of the proposed research? The scope must be realistic and researchable.
[15 marks] B) LITERATURE REVIEW Provide a CRITICAL REVIEW of the literature (at least 25 related literature is required) in the proposed research areas/topics. Take note that literature review is NOT just recitation of previous research. Outline the weakness of previous research (if there are any) and explain how you propose to overcome them in your research. Develop some propositions based on your preliminary findings and observations.
C) THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Based on the result of your preliminary findings through secondary data analyses, literature review and qualitative research, draw a diagram to identify and show the relationship between the independent, dependent, moderator and/or mediator variables. Students should use proper symbols/arrows when drawing the conceptual framework. Indicate the moderator variables and/or mediator variables if any, by properly locating their position in the diagram. (Please refer to any good academic journal for examples of how this is done).
1. How would you conceptualise variables or elements in the conceptual framework, systems architecture, conceptual model or model?
2. Provide an operational definition for each of the variables or elements.
