Factors That Contribute to the Process of Research Project Selection - Assignment Example

Project Research Name Date Course Task 1 Research project outline specifications The research project outline specifications will be composed of the following: Aims and objectives. Hypothesis. Literature review. Methodology for data collection. Analysis. Possible outcomes. Factors that contribute to the process of research project selection Various factors contribute to the process of research project selection. However the main factors include the following: Scope of the project. Limitations of the project. Implications of the project. Ethical factors regarding the project. Availability of resources used to carry out the project. Key references During the research, the key references will include books, journals and the internet. The books play an essential role in providing more information about the research. In most cases, the books provide credible sources of information that enhances the quality of the research. However, it is important to ensure that the books are recent as information regarding projects usually change at a fast rate. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the authors of the books should be well known so as to ensure that the information used is credible (Bell, 2010). The journals should also be from well known publishing houses so as to ensure that it is credible. It is also important to use recent journals so as to obtain the latest information regarding the project. The journals are however considered as credible sources of information. The internet provides wide range o information. In most cases, it is difficult to verify the credibility of the information from the internet sources (Loulakis, 2013). It is therefore important to ensure that the information used is from well known sites. The internet is however not a credible source of information regarding the project since its level of reliability and accuracy is low. Research project specification Aims and objectives To ensure that the company is able to come up wit a new product. To ensure that the demands of the customers are met. To ensure that the new product is innovative and it meets the needs of the customers. To ensure that the new product developed is cost effective and competitive in the market. To enhance the performance of the company through the development of the new products. Hypothesis The company is committed to high safety and standards of its products. The new products developed will ensure that the demands of the customers are met. Justification The demands and expectations of the customers are usually high with regards to the products and services that are offered by an organization. The customers always expect that the products of the company are of high standards so to ensure it meets the value for their money. This means that the organization has to ensure that it enhances its products and services in order to meet the demands of the customers. The use of innovative technologies is important in ensuring that an organization is able to meet the demands of the customers. Innovations within the organization will play an essential role in ensuring that the products of the company are competitive in the market (Howard, 2012). This is because most of the organizations are currently utilizing the innovative techniques for the purposes of developing new products. Meeting the demands of the customers requires the development of products that are innovative and can be used over a long period of time. The innovativeness in the industry is also responsible for the trends that are responsible for the changes that are taking place in the industry. On the other hand, it is also important to note that innovative products attract customers and hence creating a competitive advantage (Creswell, 2013). The creation of the new products by the company will therefore be important in enhancing the customer experience and hence impacting positively on the competitiveness of the company. Methodology The collection of the primary data is important for the development of the new products. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the new product meets the demands of the customers. The primary data mainly involves own data that is collected directly from the respondents (Östlund, 2011). During the process of collecting the primary data, interviews, questionnaires and surveys will be conducted. The interviews will be conducted with the customers in order to obtain information regarding the perceptions of the customers. Face to face interviews will be conducted at random with the customers. The questionnaires will involve the use of open ended questions in order to obtain information from the customers. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the use of emails will be important in administering the questionnaires to the customers. This will play an essential role in ensuring that a high number of customers participate in the data collection process. Market survey will also be conducted in order to obtain information from the customers regarding its products. The collection primary data will be conducted in an ethical manner in order to ensure that the process is credible and accurate. The accuracy of the information will be useful to the company in terms of developing the new products. The analysis of the data will be carried out through statistical means. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the data analysis will be carried out in an ethical manner. The ethical considerations will play an essential role in ensuring that the research is of high quality. The confidentiality of the participants will be upheld during the data collection process. On the other hand, the storage of the data will be in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the data storage. The participants will also be fully informed of the data collection process in order to ensure that they are aware of the process. The codes of practice regarding the data collection process will also be observed. Plan and procedure The plan and procedure will be used for the purpose of ensuring that the project is completed within the allocated time. Timeline Activities Week 1 Assembling and briefing of the team members. Obtaining the necessary materials for conducting the project. Informing the participants of the process and requesting for their participation. Week 2 Developing the hypothesis. Conducting a literature review from credible sources regarding the new products and customer requirements. Week 3 Carrying out the actual data collection process through the use of interviews, questionnaires and survey. Week 4 Data analysis process Week 5 Presentation. Task 2 Match resources The resources of the research were aligned with the hypothesis so as to ensure that the aims and objectives of the research are met. Terms of references were also developed during the research in order to match the resources to the hypothesis. This played an essential role in ensuring that the research does not deviate from its main aims and objectives. On the other hand, experts were involved in some of the stages of the project for the purposes of ensuring that its concepts and aspects are improved. The team members had to use their expertise during the project process which played an essential role in improving on the credibility of the research. Implementation The approved research plan and procedures were used during the implementation process. This played an essential role in ensuring that the research is able to meet its goals and objectives within the required timeline. The pilot research plans developed were used during the implementation in order to achieve the desired results. The estimates for reliability were also used during the implementation process in order to ensure that the desired outcomes were achieved during the implementation process. The implementation process was crucial to the project and it was conducted with the help o expertise at every stage. A part from the plans and procedures used, a checklist was also developed for enhancing the implementation process. Data collection The selection of participants played an essential role in determining the outcome of the research. The participants were selected at random due to the nature of the data that was required during the process. On the other hand, it is also important to note that all the participants had to meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria required that the regular customers are involved in the process with less than 5% of the new customers being allowed to participate in the process. Appropriate tools were selected for the purposes of collecting the data. This involved the interview questions, questionnaires and systematic recording of data where appropriate. Bias was eliminated during the process of data collection by ensuring that the participants were not influenced to answer the questions in a particular way. Validity and reliability checks were also be performed in order to ensure that the data is credible. The data collection process was effective due to the measures that were put in place. Task 3 Evaluation of outcomes This process involved determining the success or failures of the research. The aims and objectives were achieved which is an indication that the project was successful. On the other hand, the difficulties that were encountered during the process were limited and it only involved logistical problems. Sources of errors were identified in order to determine the reliability of the data collected. Most of the errors that were noted were typographical which were easily corrected. Validity tests were conducted for the purposes of checking on the validity of the data collected. The outcome of the project was in accordance to the justifications. Data analysis and interpretation The statistical analysis was used for the purposes of analyzing the data collected. The results of the research indicated that the new product that is innovative in the market and meets the demands of the customers. It also has the potential of attracting more customers and hence improving on the credibility and reputation of the company. The following data was collected during the research. Concepts Percentage (%) Customers trust on the new and innovative products 90 Customers belief that new products enhances their experience 85 New product is cost effective 80 New product is reliable 86 New products improves on the image of the company 90 New product is in line with the customer expectations 84 Recommendations Although the data obtained during the research were sufficient to address the problem, it is recommended that further research be conducted in future. This is for the purposes of establishing the changing trends of the products in the market. This will play an essential role in addition more information wit regards to the product lifecycle. It is also recommended that the company should ensure that the experts are involved in every step of the research so as to improve on the credibility of the research. More resources should also be allocated to the future research in order to accommodate a high number of respondents. Task 4 The presentation of the report will involve the use of an appropriate professional media and format. This is will be aimed at ensuring that the research is well understood by the audience. An oral presentation of the results will be carried out in order to offer explanations regarding the findings. It is also important to note that the oral presentation will ensure that all the results are well explained to the audiences and hence improving on the credibility of the research. The audience will be allowed to ask questions in relation to the findings of the results. The interaction with the audience will thus positively influence the presentation of the research. A written report will also be available for the audience for the purposes of future use and storage of the information. The use of both the written and oral presentation will be useful to the organization and the audience. Academic referencing will also be carried out where appropriate. There will be literature review of the written report. The use of academic referencing will be aimed at ensuring that the results of the presentation are credible (Flick, 2014). References Bell, J, 2010, Doing your research project, McGraw-Hill International. Loulakis, M, 2013, Implementation Guidelines: Volume I: Strategies for Implementing Performance Specifications: A Guide for Executives and Project Managers, SHRP 2 Report. Howard, K, 2012, The management of a student research project. Gower Publishing, Ltd. Creswell, J, 2013, Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, Sage. Östlund, U, 2011, Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: a methodological review, International journal of nursing studies, 48(3), 369-383. Flick, U, 2014, An introduction to qualitative research, Sage. Read More