QSO 500 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

The final project for this course is the creation of a research report.

Overview

Problem solving is the heart blood of any organization. In today’s world, data metrics are used extensively for accountability and performance measures. These demands require a specialized form of problem solving, but there are many ways to approach data-driven problem-solving. Using action research is a very powerful tool for identifying, analyzing, and explaining problems by using the evidence from the data analysis to guide decisions.

In this final project, you will create a research report based on the application of action research processes for developing problem solving strategies. In designing the report, you will follow the best practices for ethical research. You will utilize the research process to inform decisions in your professional life and as a framework for approaching research projects in other courses in your program. The final product will be a comprehensive research report using the five-step research process (identify the problem; understand the theoretical framework of the problem; design the research study; collect, explain, and analyze the data; report the results; and make conclusions and recommendations).

You will refer to the given case study and choose a research problem that has (or could have) real business or organizational applications. You will explore the theoretical foundation of the problem by integrating information from a variety of quality sources. Then you will apply basic quantitative analysis as a part of this process and use this analysis to propose a recommendation for action. The finished research report will serve as a deliverable to a decision maker as seamless and cogent analysis of the research problem, including the evidence for resolution.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final submission is due in Module Nine.

In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Analyze data-driven business problems using action research
• Determine the theoretical foundation of business problems through the analysis of relevant, quality sources
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data using primary and secondary sources to generate meaningful results
• Apply ethical reasoning that complies with legal and professional standards of practice to the research enterprise
• Present the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of research studies through the effective integration of written and analytical skills

                                                             Prompt

Create a research report based on your application of action research to research a specific business problem present in the given case study Maruti Suzuki India: Defending Market Leadership in the A-Segment.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed in your research report:

1. Business Problem: Refer to the given case study and select a data-driven business problem that can be addressed using action research to be the basis for your research report.
   1. Describe the research problem, including the context in which it exists. In other words, what caused or precipitated this problem? What has already been done to address it?
   2. Describe the key stakeholders (or potential stakeholders) of your business problem. In other words, who are the people who have the most to gain or lose from a decision?
2. Explain the research objective. How would it benefit the stakeholder to know the results?
3. Develop a research question based on the research objective that clearly and concisely articulates in one sentence the purpose of the study.
   1. Discuss the key real or potential ethical issues or challenges of the study. Consider the following: How will data be collected and protected? How will human subjects be used, treated, and protected?

1. Literature Review: Prepare a comprehensive literature review that carefully and thoughtfully examines the research problem from a scholarly perspective using a minimum of seven quality sources. A minimum of three of the sources must be selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. Other quality sources can be professional publications or magazines, internal corporate publications such as annual reports or white papers, or established news sources.
   1. Explain the theories that best ground your organizational problem. Support your explanation with specific examples. These theories might be management, behavioral, social, and/or business related.
2. Discuss the bias and limitations present in the relevant literature and the potential impact these may have on your research.
   1. Summarize at least one other research study that has faced this challenge that could potentially be replicated and applied to your research study.
   2. From the literature, analyze at least one other organization that has faced similar problems, explaining what they have done to address the problem.

1. Research Design: Explain how you will carry out your research. Remember that your business problem should be able to be addressed using action research.
2. Explain the research design and methods you will use, justifying why they are appropriate for your research study.
3. Describe the key variables from primary and/or secondary data sources that you will use to analyze your research problem.
   1. Explain the key dependent and independent variables. In other words, how would the independent variables predict, explain, or prove the dependent variable?
4. Explain the key ethical considerations for using these data sources, including how they meet legal and professional standards.

1. Data Analysis: After you have collected your data, analyze it using descriptive and inferential statistics.
2. Accurately analyze the data using the appropriate descriptive statistics.
   1. Construct appropriate tables or graphs to accurately display the results of the data analysis. Include explanations of the meaning of the information presented.
3. Accurately analyze the data using the appropriate inferential statistics. Be sure to include the output.
   1. Explain the meaning of the results of your data analysis in practical terms (e.g., what were the results? What results were expected? What results were unexpected? What results were unsettling?).
   2. Discuss the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly. What safeguards did you put in place to ensure the integrity of the study?

V.            Conclusions and Recommendations for Action

1. Summarize your research findings succinctly for stakeholders.
   1. Explain how the research problem can be addressed by incorporating the results from your literature review and data analysis. In other words, what do you now know about your research problem that you did not know or understand before?
2. Based on the conclusion, make recommendations to address the research problem that are actionable, feasible, and realistic.
3. Recommend appropriate strategies for handling any potential questions and concerns of stakeholders.
4. Based on your study, make appropriate recommendations for additional research that would improve the organization’s effectiveness.

Milestone One: Draft of Business Problem and Literature Review

Milestones

In Module Three, you will submit a draft of your business problem and literature review. Using the problem you identified in your Module One journal and the feedback you received, describe the research problem including the context in which it exists. Using the problem statement, describe the stakeholders and research objective. Based on the research objective, develop a research question that clearly and concisely articulates in one sentence the purpose of the study. Consider the key real or potential ethical issues or challenges of the study.

After describing your business problem and research question, prepare a comprehensive literature review that carefully and thoughtfully examines the research problem from a scholarly perspective using a minimum of seven quality sources. A minimum of three of the sources must be selected from scholarly, peer- reviewed journals. Other quality sources can be professional publications or magazines, internal corporate publications such as annual reports or white papers, or established news sources. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Draft of Research Design

In Module Five, you will submit a draft of your research design. Explain the research design and methods that will be used to address the business problem you identified in Milestone One, justifying why they are appropriate for your research study. To support your research design, describe the methods you will use, the key variables, and ethical considerations involved in using the research design. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Draft of Data Analysis and Conclusions and Recommendations for Action

In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of your data analysis and conclusions and recommendations for action. Analyze the data provided for your problem using descriptive and inferential statistics. You will explain the meaning of the results of your data analysis in practical terms and consider the ethics of analyzing data to ensure it is fair, objective, and scholarly. Using all of your research and your data analysis, you will develop the concluding section of your research report: conclusions and recommendations for action. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Submission: Research Report

In Module Nine, you will submit your research report. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This final submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric.