Finding your research topic for your business
assignment
Like any assignment or thesis, a business
assignment needs first and foremost to be original. Before you even begin, you
should spend some time reading widely in your topic of interest and then
identify, if you can, areas that have not been fully developed this will help
you to find a research topic for your research proposal. This kind of detailed
Literature Review is essential in a assignment or thesis and will form part of
your final assignment.
When you are reading, try to examine
critically the arguments being produced and find perspectives that you might be
able to develop in your thesis. Remember to keep a record of all your reading
so that you can:
Use it later in your bibliography
Use it as a source to place your
research in context.
You will notice that it is suggested
here that originality in approach can be just as acceptable to a research
committee as the basis of a thesis proposal as an idea that is entirely new.
In fact, it is usually in the angle or
methodology that assignment or thesis in any subject, including business, is
most likely because being completely original on any topic is extremely
difficult. In a business assignment this will probably be focused primarily on
the methodology because of the nature of the subject.
Remember before you make your final
choice of research topic that it has to be sufficiently strong to sustain
in-depth investigation and writing over a long period.
BUSINESS ASSIGNMENT EXAMPLES
Structuring your business assignment
proposal
When you have decided on your thesis
statement, i.e. your assignment topic, you will need to write your assignment
proposal. This is the basic layout that you will use to persuade the research
committee of your college or university that your assignment or thesis is worth
further investigation.
As has been stated, the main purpose is
to show that your assignment thesis will be original in either substance or
approach. In a business assignment, it is wise to center your focus of
originality upon methodology as this is where you will find most scope for
originality.
The basic layout of assignment proposal
is as follows:
The title page (it need only be a
working title at this stage) you should also include on this page your name,
the academic institution at which you are applying to study and the degree for
which the assignment or thesis is being entered.
A contents page.
The abstract – a brief summary of what
will be contained within the assignment as a whole.
The introduction – giving the thesis
statement and expanding on it.
The methodology to be applied
throughout (especially important in a business assignment). Include reference
to timescale.
Summary and number of chapters with
working titles (the usual number of chapters runs from three to five depending
on the length of the thesis).
The conclusion – giving a summation and
synthesis of thinking so far and any problems you foresee at this stage.
Bibliography – containing a list of
your reading thus far, subdivided into primary and secondary texts. This must
be in the required referencing style of your college or university.
Appendices – whether you intend to
include them (usually essential in a business assignment) and how.
Researching and structuring your business
assignment
You will have made a good start on this
with the reading for your proposal but now you must dig deeper, finding
evidence either to support or conflict with your thesis statement and keeping
up to date in your reading to ensure that your research has not been
pre-empted.
In a business assignment, it is at this
stage that you will apply the proposed methodology to accumulate data to
support or quantify your research.
Remember to keep a record, in the
required referencing style, of all sources you consult, whether you actually
cite them in the assignment or not. You will probably find it useful to
separate the sources into primary and secondary texts.
The structure of the assignment will be
very similar to that of the proposal i.e.:
The title page, it must be final by
this stage, and again you should also include on this page your name, the
academic institution to which you are submitting the assignment and the degree
for which the assignment or thesis is being entered.
A contents page with full details of
the contents and page numbers.
The abstract – a one-page summary of
what is contained within the assignment as a whole.
The preface – where you acknowledge
help received, especially from your supervisor.
The introduction – giving the thesis
statement and expanding on it, developing the central idea and leading into the
main body of the assignment.
A detailed list of chapters with titles
for each. (Remember that though each chapter is a separate facet of the assignment,
they should be linked both with each other and the central argument, all
supported by evidence, correctly cited.)
The conclusion, more important than you
may think, particularly as you should include the limitations of the present
work and possible future research.
Bibliography – containing a complete
list of your reading, subdivided into primary and secondary texts. This must be
in the required referencing style of your college or university.
Appendices – these are usually
essential in a business assignment and you need to say how you have used them
and what is contained within them, usually supplementary data which is referred
to within the assignment.
Final tips on writing your business assignment
Structure your work carefully, if you
have a good idea, you will want to ensure that it is presented properly.
Proof-read your final draft carefully
to ensure that you have not made careless errors in spelling, punctuation or
grammar.
Redraft your thesis until both you and
your supervisor are happy with it.
Ensure that your bibliography and all
referencing are completed in the style required by your academic institution.
