1. Identify a general research topic that interests you (Operations management company). Please note that it is imperative that you identify a topic that relates to an aspect or aspects of your discipline area (related to the content of the core modules of your degree). Then narrow down the topic into a specific, suitable title for your research. Focus on creating a very small, manageable research issue. Search journals related to your discipline to see the types of research others have done. You can use Google Scholar and the IIE library resources, including Ebscohost, for this purpose. Conduct a search of local university research output, including the IIE Research Space, in terms of theses and dissertations on topics in your discipline. Note how specific many of the titles of these reports are. You will most likely revise and rework your research title as you work through the assignment. 
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3. A background allows you to contextualize your study. By giving the necessary background and context, you allow the reader to understand the nature of your research topic. You should assume the reader has no prior knowledge about the topic or the context in which the research issue exists. Ensure that you use multiple, credible sources and reference this background information. Formulate a research problem based on the research topic you have identified. You can start with a description of the general problem or the ideal situation. Narrow this down to the specific issue or problem. Once you have indicated what the research problem is, explain why it is a problem and why it needs to be solved. Substantiate your statements with referenced, credible sources. The purpose of the research should be explicitly stated, clearly demarcating the study. You will most likely revise and rework your research problem as you work through the assignment. It is arguably the most important section of a research report. Convince the reader why your research is worth doing. Explain why the problem should be studied and substantiated with evidence. Indicate the practical value – who could use your results? 
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5. Describe the academic value of your research – how will you be adding to the body of knowledge? What academic gap will your research be filling? You must also specify how the research links to your degree. State in a single sentence the main question you seek to answer in your research. This should flow directly from the research problem and title. It should provide focus and clarity. A common error is to make the research question too broad and impractical. The way you word your research question should indicate whether your research is quantitative or qualitative. This section must relate directly to your research question/s formulated in the previous section. 
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7. If your research is quantitative, you will most likely have hypotheses. If your research is qualitative then you will have objectives. If you’re following a mixed-method approach, then you will have hypotheses and objectives. The objectives/hypotheses must be clear and specific and assist in the investigation of the research problem, answering the research question Identify a suitable theory that is related to your research topic. Ensure that it is a significant and well-established theory in the field. You can include more than one theory or model, but at the undergraduate level, this is not necessary. Fully describe the theory in your own words, based on multiple, credible sources. Then provide a justification for the relevance of the theory to your proposed study. The theory must be clearly and consistently related to the research problem in a coherent discussion. Both the explanation of theory and the justification and application of the theory must be clear and well-argued. This is the biggest section of your assignment. Consult at least five academic resources (preferably peer-reviewed academic journals) on your research topic. It is very important that the literature is from a reputable, academic source. Use the IIE library resources or Google Scholar to find journal articles where other researchers report research they have conducted on your general topic. Thus, the sources must relate to, and be relevant to, your topic and research problem. Ensure that you structure your literature review in a logical manner and that you reference the relevant material correctly. Also, make sure that you engage with the sources critically and only use what is relevant to your own study. You will need to demonstrate your ability to synthesize complex information into a coherent whole. This synthesis will require critical thinking and academic writing skills. The most important part you will be assessed on, is how well you have integrated the literature, meaning that you have to combine the information and present it in a unique way. This means you will need to combine different pieces of literature to form a coherent whole. 
8. You will receive marks for your ability to demonstrate independent thinking, to synthesize, to analyze and for your ability to put together a logical argument. This means you cannot simply summarise the literature, nor present each source one by one. By doing a literature review, you clarify how and where your research fits into the debate in the literature. Once you have completed your review of the previous literature, you need to identify and communicate abstract keywords in your study. Develop specific meaning of each concept in your own words based on authoritative sources, so that the reader understands what you mean by these terms. Conceptualization involves specifying the higher-level constructs (often identified from your title) and their related concepts. The concepts must be relevant to your research problem. Try to make your assignment as easy to read for your reader as possible. 
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10. You can do this by using headings and sub-headings, ensuring that each paragraph transitions or flows clearly from one paragraph to the next, that the various sources you are synthesized or combined into a coherent argument, and paraphrasing appropriately. You need to reference throughout the assignment – this adds credibility to your arguments. 
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12. Referencing other sources helps build a foundation on which you can build your own argument so that the reader understands that you have investigated and understand the scope of previous literature on the topic.

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Research Topic Optimization of Inventory Management in Operations Management Research Title Enhancing Inventory Management Practices for Improved Operational Efficiency Research Problem The research a... View the full answer