Steps of the research project:

1. Develop the research goal
2. Justify the research problem
3. Conduct the literature review
4. Design the methods (methodology)
5. Collect data
6. Analyze data
7. Prepare the final research report

Note that the aim of this research project is to mimic the process of the diploma thesis, taking into consideration all the steps needed. Therefore, the expected length and the structure of the paper should be the following:

• Introduction (3 to 5 pages)
• Literature review (20 to 25 pages)
• Methodology (3 to 5 pages)
• Analysis and results (8 to 10 pages)
• Discussion and implications (20 to 25 pages)
• Concluding remarks (5 pages)

The total length should be a minimum of 60 pages. Be considerate not to overuse graphics and visual elements throughout the text, as its extensive usage may be penalized.

Important: Free-riding is strictly forbidden and in case of it, the respective student will receive 0 points (even retroactively). Therefore, we urge you to work and cooperate among yourselves during the semester - it is in your own interest.

Please mind the topics, team numeration, and mentors. (MM - Mikhail Monashev, AZ - Ahad Zareravasan; DM - Dušan Mladenović; PK - Prateek Kalia)

I Block Presentation #1

By 01.10.2023, you must create teams of 4 students and enroll in the individual topic provided in IS.

By 06.10.2023 you are supposed to upload a brief research proposal (research aims, ‘why should it matter to managers, and rough research design) in Word file format. Your research proposal should relate to the selected topic. In other words, your research project should elaborate on one problem (an aspect) within the given theme/domain. The two-page text will cover

• the research aim and its justification (why such a question is (or might be) important to the company or entrepreneur). The justification needs to be backed by an initial literature review.
• a rough research design (a preliminary description of the intended data sources, data collection, and analysis methods).

Please use the following folder to submit your text.

On 09.10. 2023 is Presentation number 1. You are supposed to present your brief research proposal using Powerpoint. The aim is to give your research plan and discuss it with the tutors and other students. It is expected that your further work will reflect the feedback and advice you get.

II Block Presentation #2

By 24.10.2023 you will upload the text (Word file) for Presentation no. 2 - a text (around 25-30 pages) containing the following sections:

• Justification of the marketing research objective and questions. Explanation of why this is important to entrepreneurs or companies.
• Literature review and analysis of secondary data - i.e. compilation and analysis of a variety of credible information relevant to the research problem (resources include academic books and journals, newspapers, databases, statistics/ survey results/market overviews, expert opinions in specific cases). If you do not get enough information from secondary sources or consider it appropriate, you can carry out simple qualitative research - interviews, observations, and focus groups.
• Definition of the hypotheses you will test or the research questions you will answer.
• Design of the questionnaire/structured interview.
• An indication of the methods for data analysis
• Definition of the respondents (research sample) and how you will contact the respondents

Please use the following folder to submit your text.

Students feedback:

On 24.10.2023 you will send your to the other team for peer review as defined in Table 2 below:

Table 2 Overview of the peer-to-peer evaluation (who you are supposed to send your work and until when)

Team (who sends text)	Team (to whom); send until 24.10.2023	Team (to whom); send until 05.12.2023
Team 1	Team 2	Team 3
Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
Team 3	Team 4	Team 1
Team 4	Team 1	Team 2

By 26.10.2023 you will submit the annotated project of another team you received earlier in the week (Round 1). Your feedback should include both the partial and conceptual notes - substantive and technical/formal - on the weaknesses and strengths of the project. You can use comments or red-typed text in the appropriate places. Please use the following folder to submit your peer evaluations:

The purpose of this assignment is to use your knowledge to identify errors or weaknesses in someone else’s text/project idea. Providing feedback will help you to see the mistakes in your text better. At the same time, you will provide additional feedback to your colleagues. The quality of the feedback provided will enter into the assessment of your final project in the range of 5 %. Failure to feedback quality, or only a formal delivery, means you have not met the requirements for passing the course.

On 30.10.2023 is Presentation number 2. The setup of the event is the same as in Presentation Number 1.

The exam test

On 20.11.2023 compulsory participation in a knowledge test at the time of the seminars. The resit examination will be held according to the Schedule.

III Block #3 Final Project Evaluation

By 05.12.2023 you will upload your complete research report (in text form in WORD) to the IS, covering:

• The results of the pilot survey and resulting suggestions for modifying the questionnaire (i.e. wording of questions)
• Information about the data collection and the structure of the study sample
• Analysis of the data collected
• Interpretation of the results of the hypotheses or research questions and, in particular, the aim of the research
• Discussion - a reflection on the validity of results (i.e. research limitations) or a broader reflection on the results
• An indication of authorship - which team member worked on which part or contributed the most. As this is a team effort, the assessment will apply to the whole team. Only if it appears that the involvement of some individuals was significantly lower than the rest of the team will the evaluation be dealt with individually.
• The dataset based on which you performed your analyses

Additionally, please send your work for peer evaluation to the other team (as per Table 2). 

Please use the following folder to submit your text.

By 07.12.2023, you will submit comments on another team’s project (Round 2), as you did in Presentation 2. The comments will include a suggested rating of 0-100%, including a brief elaboration on your decision. The quality of the feedback provided in this way will enter into evaluating your final project in the range of 5 %. Please upload your peer evaluation of the team you were supposed to evaluate in the following folder.

On 11.12.2023 are the Project Presentation and Evaluation. During this week, you will present the most relevant outcomes and experiences of your research. A presentation or a poster with infographics can be created. You will also be here to defend any comments on the work that your supervisor raises and to learn the evaluation of your research. We will also set out requirements for you to complete the final version in some cases. The deadline for delivery of the completed thesis will be determined individually, taking into account the extent of the changes required.

Remark: Please mind that not adhering to the respective deadlines will be penalized with minus points (-5 for each team member). In case of repetitive not-adherence, the negative points will accumulate (-10, -15, etc.) Therefore, we urge you to start working on time and escalate immediately what is not clear.