Research Proposal on a Business Management Issue in South Africa

SECTION A (50 MARKS)

Develop an individual research proposal on a relevant business or management issue of your choice.
Clearly state your research question, engage critically with academic literature, and outline an appropriate methodology.
In-text references should be done correctly according to the APA referencing method.

Your proposal should be between 2 500 and 3 000 words (excluding references) and must adhere to the structure outlined below. This task constitutes the summative component of your research training in this module and accounts for 45% of your final module grade.

The proposal structure is as follows:

Introduction and problem statement
- A literature review
- A research methodology
- Practical Considerations and Feasibility
- Conclusion
- Reference list

Formatting and submission guidelines

Submit in Word format via Turnitin on Canvas.
Include a cover page, headings for each section, and a reference list with at least 10 academic sources (peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or scholarly chapters).
Referencing should be according to the APA referencing style.
Use 1.5 spacing, 12pt font, and standard margins.
Use a clear structure and professional, coherent academic writing.

Question 1 (10 marks)

Introduction and Research Problem (300 – 400 words)

Introduce your research topic and contextualise it within a relevant business or management issue.
Clearly articulate the research problem and provide a rationale for its significance.
State the primary research question and, if relevant, supporting sub- questions.

Question 2 (12 marks)

Literature Review (800 – 1000 words)

Define key terms and concepts using scholarly sources.
Critically discuss at least three key themes or bodies of literature relevant to your research question.
Demonstrate critical synthesis by comparing and contrasting sources.
Identify a gap in the literature that your research will aim to address.

Question 3 (15 marks)

Research Methodology (800 – 1000 words)

Present and justify your research design (e.g., exploratory, descriptive, explanatory).
Discuss your methodological choice (quantitative, qualitative, or multi-

/mixed methods) and justify it.

Discuss your sampling strategy, including your population, sampling method, and sample size.
Discuss data collection methods and tools (e.g., surveys, interviews, case studies).
Briefly describe how you plan to analyse your data.
Address ethical considerations relevant to your research.

Question 4 (5 marks)

Practical Considerations and Feasibility (300-400 words)

Comment on the feasibility of your study in terms of time, access, and resources.

Outline potential limitations and how you plan to manage them.
Indicate a basic timeline or plan and budget for completing the research project.

Question 5 (4 marks)

Conclusion (300-400 words)

Summarise the significance of your research.
Reflect briefly on the potential contribution of your study to business knowledge or practice.

Question 6 (4 marks)

Language, and Referencing

Correct use of APA referencing throughout.
Reference at least 10 academic sources (peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or scholarly chapters).

Research Proposal Answers: Expert Proposal on a Business Issue

Topic Selected: How remote work has affected employee productivity and engagement in South African corporates?

Background

The working dynamics is significantly affected because of Covid 19 as many businesses have considered remote work as a part of their business strategy. There are many organisations in South Africa that have continued to support the hybrid models, while some others question this format of remote work arrangement. The productivity of employees and their engagement are the crucial factors especially in a remote working environment. This research is aimed at investigating the impact of remote work on the productivity and engagement of employees in South African corporations. This management issue on employee productivity and engagement is highly reliable because studies suggest that there is an improvement in productivity level in remote working environments because of fewer workplace distractions but it also leads to reduced engagement because of isolation and lack of supervision. This results in a significant management dilemma especially among the HR and operational leaders.

Research Question

The research question that given research intends to focus on is “how does remote work impact employee productivity and engagement in South African organisations?”

Disclaimer: This answer is a model for study and reference purposes only. Please do not submit it as your own work.