Competencies

• Develop research strategy skills for business analysis.
• Examine the use of qualitative and quantitative studies for business research.
• Explore problem-solving skills for business analysis.
• Propose business strategies based on research and analysis using relevant information sources.
• Create professional documents for presenting research, analysis, and business strategy recommendations.
• Explore techniques, tools, and approaches to design and produce an effective professional presentation for an appropriate business audience.

Scenario

You are a new manager in a research and development department at an agricultural chemical company. Your department engages in high-level scientific research for new product development and improvement upon existing products. Your department also engages in business research to support your sales and marketing teams. While both types of research employ the scientific method, the approach differs.

Company policy dictates that business research documents be formatted in a specific way and include the following elements: research strategies, research methods, data analysis, and business strategies based on findings. There is also an expectation that the research results will be presented in settings outside of the R&D department. This may be in the form of a summary document or a presentation.

You have decided to prepare a manual for your entry level business research analysts that provides a guide for the format and presentation of their final research project. The manual will be a step-by-step reference guide for the completion and presentation of a research project. The manual will include direction on the elements described above.

Write a manual in Microsoft Word for business analysts that will assist them with the completion and presentation of a research project.

• Section one should be titled Research Strategies and should include the following subsections:   
  • Problem statement – Define what a problem statement is and how that evolves into a research question.
  • Research Objectives – Define what research objectives are and how they are related to the research problem.
  • Literature Review – Define what a literature review is, its purpose, and the type of information that will be included.
  • Ethics in Research – Explain ethics in research and why they are important.
• Section two should be titled Research Methods and should include the following subsections:   
  • Sampling Design – Define what a sample is in business research and how to determine strategies for a choice of sample.
  • Research Design – Define what research design is and the various methods used to collect and analyze data.
  • Data Analysis – Define data analysis and the various approaches to display data.
  • Limitations – Define limitations and how they can affect research results.
• Section three should be titled Business Strategies and should include the following subsections:   
  • Conclusion – You will explain what should be included in the conclusion of a business research report.
  • Recommendations – Describe how recommendations are developed based on a business research report.
• Section four should be titled Presentation and should include the following subsections:   
  • Executive Summary – Explain what an executive summary is and how to effectively present data in this type of document.
  • Presentation – Describe the elements of an effective presentation and visualization tools that can be employed to ensure success.

Resources