THE PROJECT PROPOSAL (Un-graded but Compulsory)
Successful completion of an acceptable Project Proposal is necessary for effective progress onto Module MGT4131 / MGT4151. Guidelines for the preparation of the Project Proposal will be presented to you. This section, therefore, merely repeats the detail from these guidelines.

3.1 Introduction
Aside from developing learning outcomes in terms of Knowledge and Skills, your participation in your core and elective modules, in conjunction with the Management research training sessions that are a part of the MGT4131/4151 module, will have provided you with an opportunity to identify a) a suitable topic or theme for your dissertation and b) the appropriate methodological approach to undertake this 留學生dissertation網project. Having established a theme and chosen a methodology, you now need to prepare a project proposal.

This proposal must be about 2000 words in length (plus or minus 20%), conform to the structure laid out below in Section 3.2 of this document, and should be submitted by the date specified.

3.2 The Structure of the Proposal
The purpose of this section is to indicate to you both the information your supervisor will be looking for in a project proposal, as well as a checklist of fundamental elements of the proposal that you need to consider and include in your finished project. Aspects of the proposal may change over the duration of the project, but essentially decisions taken at this stage will shape the success of your project, so please give them your fullest consideration

A Draft Title
The title must seek to convey the nature of your project and should be fully explanatory when standing alone. Avoid excessively long titles. The recommended title length is about 8 to 10 words. Students may suggest a supervisor if appropriate but only with the member of staff having given prior consent.

Background
Sets the scene and the context of your project. Provides commentary on the setting, environment and hence the origin of your project or the topic you are dealing with. The section clarifies where your proposal fits into the debate. In addition and if appropriate you may clarify where your proposal fits into the debate in the literature. In short, where your project fits in the broader context. This must not form a major part of your proposal and should not exceed around 250 words.

Initial Review of the Literature and Key References
The project seeks to make a contribution to existing knowledge, by solving an outstanding problem, testing an existing managerial concept or theory, or by extending an existing debate. All of the above require a knowledge of the wider academic literature. You should include a short review of the literature featuring at least ten key references (you may have already referred to more than one of these in the Background section), in addition to indicating the literature sources that will need to be examined in greater detail during the main course of the study. Ensure that you cite these sources correctly and list them in the references at the end of your proposal. Only include references that you have cited.#p#分頁標題#e#

Research questions
The section should provide a clear indication of what your research seeks to achieve. It should begin with a general focus research question or AIM, that then provides a base from which you write a set of research objectives.
? Overall AIM
? Specific Research OBJECTIVES

Contribution (and Expected Outcomes)
This section should provide justification for the selection of the topic and hence the research question(s) that the project is addressing.

It should explain:

? Your reason for selecting the topic
? Why the topic is of particular interest to you
? Whether the topic addresses a real management problem existing within your organization or of which you have previous experience or knowledge
? The (broad) expected outcomes of the project
? Why you feel the research that you are planning is worth the effort - why is it important? (The importance of "doing the study now" may be emphasised.)

Moreover, it is where you will (start to) demonstrate your grasp of the existing knowledge in the particular field of interest. It will build on what you have written in the background section by showing a clear link between the previous work that has been done in the field of research and the content of your proposal.

In essence the section should explain and substantiate that the research project would improve understanding of a particular business or management problem and why/how the findings would be of practical relevance and value to the associated stakeholders.

Detailed Proposed Methodology
You need to indicate the nature of your research design, emphasizing:

? Your chosen methodological approach, and the merits of this particular approach given the nature of the chosen research problem.
? Your arguments against selecting alternate methodological approaches.
? The appropriate sources of data and/or information.
? Your strategy for gaining access to the sources of data, whether primary or secondary - this should include the data sets you are seeking to access, key persons who may provide you with access for the purposes of interviews or surveys et cetera.

Timetable of Key Activities
Management of time is a crucial task for the successful completion of your project, and developing a plan of when you expect key activities to occur by is important.

It is recommended that you plot the key activities using a Gantt chart, indicating the timing of key milestones. However, a simple clear list of the start and finish dates for each of the key activities is acceptable. This is also much easier to construct within a word processed document.

Resources
This section will provide a clear indication of the resource implications of the proposed project and associated methodology. As such it provides an indication of the viability of your proposal in terms of finance, data access, equipment and any other logistical consideration e.g. running a survey to collect primary data.#p#分頁標題#e#

Evaluation
This last section provides a critical evaluation/reflection on the proposed research described in the preceding sections. This evaluation should address:
? The topical interest/value and acceptability of the proposed project (i.e. including in relation to the Business and Management broad topic areas identified in Appendix I):
? The practicability and feasibility of the proposed project:
? any risks or vulnerability inherent in the design of the proposed project which could potentially undermine successful completion (where appropriate including a statement of the contingencies/steps that may be taken to minimise any vulnerability).

3.3 The Next Stage
Your project proposal will be used to identify a suitable supervisor for you from within the Middlesex University Business School. You may wish to suggest a member of faculty; please indicate this suggestion within your proposal, see Draft Title section previously. This is especially relevant if you wish to follow a research topic already taught to you on your current Master's Programme by that member of staff. The ultimate decision, however, will be taken by the module leader in consultation with academic colleagues. Submission of an acceptable project proposal is required for you to progress to undertake your dissertation research project.

You will be notified who your supervisor is by e-mail and you will be expected to have made an appointment to see or speak to your allocated supervisor as quickly as possible following this notification - by the end of June 2010 at the very latest.

CAUTION - IMPORTANT NOTE
Overall, your Project Proposal should present the details of a research investigation proposition that can be completed and submitted by the stipulated submission deadline. Your proposal will be reviewed by the module leader and appointed supervisor soon after its submission. In the event that the nature of the proposition is such that there is doubt that it would be feasible to complete the research and submit the dissertation by the stipulated hand-in date, then you may be required to choose another topic that would be feasible within the timescale or be much more focused within the current proposal. Alternatively, it may be necessary to alter the research design and nature of the research so that the project can be completed on the basis of secondary (literature based) research that does not rely on potentially vulnerable primary data collection exercise(s) in terms of the timescales involved.

It is therefore extremely important at this Project Proposal development stage that you are realistic in your project development plans and give due consideration to its likely feasibility and its potential vulnerabilities.

Appendix I: Staff Interests in the Business and Management Group

General interests of the Business and Management group include the following:

Business and the Environment Organisational theory
Business Strategy Project Management#p#分頁標題#e#
Change Management Public Sector Management and Service
Corporate Culture Quality
Corporate and Community Governance Quality Management and Systems
Cross-Cultural Management (incl. TQM)
Enterprise and Economic Development Regulatory Policy and Compliance /
Ethics and values in management (CSR) Enforcement
Innovation and Organisational Learning Retailing Management
Management Education Small Business Start-up & Management
Management of Change Social Enterprise
Management of Diversity Strategic Management
Management of Equal Opportunities Supply Chain Management
Management of New Technology Tourism
Management Systems
http://www.ttc-switch.com/Thesis_Tips/Not-for-Profit / Third / Voluntary sector
Management and Service Quality
Operations Management

Please avoid specialist technical topics unless these focus on business and / or management issues. Also, please avoid Marketing, Financial and Banking related topics unless you have already identified a suitable supervisor for your project.