(1) Technical
report writing:
• Starting your
report
• Research
Proposal
ACTIVITY:
How do you
intend to
start?
Answer: How do you intend to start?
6 practical tips for starting your report
1. Engage with the subject as soon as possible
2. Allocate a substantial period of time to carry out
initial reading around your subject
3. Clear the desks
4. Start note-making
5. Work through the rough patches – some days will
be good, others not
6. Make sure you are keeping on track –
i) What went well?
ii) Am I keeping up with my timetable?
iii) What do I need to do next?
Choosing a research topic
Deciding on a theme for your report:
Closed option list / Semi- closed list
In many cases, you may find that the research
topic/ project work is prescribed (Restricted) to
you.
Academics may provide broad topic but leave the
student to choose the detailed perspective that
they wish to pursue.
Constraints of a given
topic
You may feel
restrictive because
you do
not know the details
of the
topic outlined.
Closed option list/ Semi closed list
These
topics are designed to provide you with a
degree of freedom within parameters
controlled.
Your own topic
If you have a specific topic in mind that is NOT on
a prescribed list of research project options, you
could try approaching a potential supervisor and
asking whether it might be considered.
If you do this, be prepared to answer searching
questions about its viability as a research theme.
This may require some detailed research.
Approval of your topic
Where approval on the topic or perspective is
required, you may need to present a written
proposal that outlines the question and the
method of approach to be adopted.
This may involve presenting a reasoned argument
justifying the research topic and approach.
This then goes to the supervising academic or a
panel of academics for consideration and approval.
Make your decision with speed but not haste
If a list of research options is presented, find out
about it as quickly as possible.
Why?
There may be competition for specific topics.
Make sure you take all relevant factors into account in
a deliberate decision – making process rather than
hastily choose under pressure
Activity
Question:
What are the
possible
factors that
will influence
your decision
(on your
topic)?
Answer: 6 possible factors
1) Potential research approaches:
• Is it possible for you to identify the approach
that might be required?
• How exactly will you set about researching the
topic?
2) Time aspects:
• Do you have enough time to demonstrate through
your written work?
• Do you have enough time to read, analyse, or
present the material?
• If you spend too much time on this research paper,
how will this affect your other course work?
3) Availability of resources or experimental material:
• Will you run into difficulty because it is not possible
to obtain the material required to carry out the
work
• How can you find out what sources are available?
4) Depth
Do you have sufficient depth to allow you to show off
your skills?
Is your ability to think critically through analysis and
evaluation evident?
Avoid choosing a well-worked area, or even one likely
to provide easy results (this will not allow you to
demonstrate advanced skills)
5) Extent of support and supervision
You need to be clear from the beginning about what
you can expect in terms of this support
In some cases, supervision is mapped onto the research
/ writing process with regular student – supervisor
meetings.
Be sure that you reach an understanding with your
supervisor about the extent to which you can expect
them to review and provide feedback on your written
work. Often this will NOT extend to reading your whole
report.
6) Impact on your CV and career options
• Although this is rarely the primary aspect to
consider, it is a factor to bear in mind.
• Take into account specific skills you might gain that
will be of interest to an employer.
Writing a
research
proposal
How to
structure a
successful
research
proposal
How long should the research
proposal be?
Research proposal can be
from 4 to 7 pages depending
on the length of your report.
The 10 elements of the research proposal
i) Proposed Research Topic
Provide a brief description or a descriptive
title or a research question
ii) Purpose
Expand on the
topic/question by
describing what you
hope to accomplish, and
the desired outcomes
(especially the practical
or theoretical benefits to
be gained)
Example - Alvesson (1996) claims that a situational approach enables
leadership to be viewed and studied as “a practical accomplishment” (p. 476)
rather than starting with a conceptualisation of leadership as whatever the
appointed leader does. (1. expand broadly) This approach seems particularly
well suited to self-managing teams (SMTs), in which leadership is presumably
shared. (2. narrow down) In this project, I will explore how members of a
self-managing team enact leadership in their regular team meetings. In
particular, I will focus on how SMT members influence the direction of the
team as well as the relationships and identities of individual members and
the identity of the team as a unit, and how their interaction is enabled and
constrained by social and cultural influences (eg, organisational culture,
national/ethnic culture, and gender). (3. what you hope to accomplish) Such
a study should give insights into the workings of SMTs, an organisational form
that is rapidly gaining in popularity and acceptance. Also, the study will test
the usefulness of a perspective (the situational approach) that is
underdeveloped in the leadership literature. (4. practical or theoretical
benefits to be gained)
iii) Background
Describe the context
of the proposed
research, making it
clear how this context
will allow you to
accomplish your
stated purposes
Example - Background:
I will conduct my study in a team that is within the Roadworks
Division within the Hamilton City Council. Roadworks has 12
SMTs, each of which is responsible for maintenance of roads
within one geographical section of Hamilton. This particular
team includes four men and a woman. Three of the men are in
their thirties and one in his early 50s; the woman is in her
thirties. They are assigned to an area around Chartwell. They
start each day with a brief (15-45 minute meeting) on an agreed
upon site, often just gathering around the back of a truck for
their meeting. I will attend these three mornings a week for four
weeks, and will stay on to observe their work for approximately
20 hours during the four week period. My primary focus will be
on their interaction in meetings, although I will also observe (and
perhaps enquires about) interactions during their other work.
iv) Scope
What exactly are you looking for when you
conduct your interviews etc.
Details on specific areas you are going to cover
during the allocated timings discussed in the
background earlier.
Example- Scope:
I will engage in participant-observation over a sixweek period, from 8 October to 22 December for
approximately four hours per week. I will typically
observe the morning meetings and stay for an hour
or so to observe their other work. On some days I
may come at other times of the day for
comparison. I will not schedule structured
interviews, but will interview team members
informally, as needed to clarify and provide insight
into specific conversations.
v) Theoretical
framework:
Briefly identify and
explain the theoretical
framework you will use
to guide your
investigation, how it fits
your purpose and its
implications for the
research methods.
Example- I will be guided most generally by the interpretive
perspective, and more specifically by Alvesson’s (1996)
situational approach. The interpretive perspective places
the focus on interpreting the meanings and perspectives of
cultural members, and how these meanings are negotiated
(Trujillo, 1992). I am exploring the meanings the sales staff
and customers have for themselves as individuals and for
their relationships, as well as the meanings sales staff have
for the organisation, group, and profession of which they
are members. The situational approach directs me to
choose one or a few specific interactions to explore in
depth. Thus, an appropriate means of investigating the
topic from this perspective is observation of conversation,
plus interviewing the interactants to understand the
meanings they have for their symbolic interactions.
vi) Method
Describe in detail
the steps you will
take in attempting
to answer your
research question
Example- Method (part 1):
1. Conduct a literature review on leadership and
communication in SMTs.
2. Observe the group four hours per week for six weeks,
focusing mostly on conversations at team meetings,
especially those conversations in which the group
addresses changes to their work processes and issues of
team relationships and identity (ies).
Example- Method(part 2)
3. Interview team members to clarify and provide insight into
conversations. I will attempt to conduct these interviews
shortly after conversations of interest. While the interviews will
not be formal or structured, the kinds of questions I will ask
include the following. The general strategy for the interviews is
to start off with broad questions and follow up on the
interviewee’s responses, to capture her or his meanings and to
avoid imposing my meanings on the interviewee.
a. Tell me about the conversation you just had with X.
b. What were you thinking during the conversation?
c. What do you think she/he was thinking?
d. What do you think she/he was trying to do (or accomplish) in
the conversation?
Example- Method (part 3)
4. Undertake a situational analysis of the field notes
and interview notes, guided by Alvesson’s theory.
5. Write a research report that combines my
understanding of the relevant theory and previous
research with the results of my empirical research.
vii) Timetable:
Prepare proposal by
23rd September 2014
Complete literature review by: __________ (date?)
Complete fieldwork by
:______________(date?)
Complete analysis by
:______________ (date?)
Give presentation on
:______________(date?)
Complete final report by :______________date?)
viii) Limitations:
Describe conditions
beyond your
control that place
restrictions on what
you can do and the
conclusions you
may be able to
draw
Example - limitations
Time constraints of the semester require less time than may be
ideal for an ethnographic study. By being in the organisation
for only four hours a week for five weeks, there are bound to
be aspects of leadership practice, organisational culture and
team communication that will not be revealed during my
observations. Being an outsider may also limit what is
revealed to me. The team members may be guarded in their
conversations around me, especially in my initial observations.
ix) Delimitations:
Describe the
boundaries of the
study that you
determine
Example - Delimitations
I am choosing not to observe multiple teams, even though
such comparisons might be valuable, in order to allow
more depth of understanding regarding the group on
which I will focus. Additionally, I will not use structured
interviews in order to minimise my obtrusiveness and my
influence on the team members.
x) References:
List all references
cited that are not
on the course
reading list
THE END