Last updated by Hazel Hall, 20 June 2007

Below is a dummy dissertation/project proposal. Although some of the detail is fictional, it is based on a real undergraduate dissertation actually completed in 1999.

Check with your supervisor (or module co-ordinator up until the point that supervisors are allocated) if you are unsure about any aspect of the process of putting together your own proposal.

Please note that this proposal follows a general format. You should pay close attention to the specification that you have been advised to use when writing your own proposal. The specifics differ depending on your level of study and where you are based as a student. Normally your proposal is developed from an initial idea that has been approved by the member of staff who co-ordinates dissertation/project work for your group. If you are a student in the School of Computing at Napier University you should be using the following as the main resource for your project/dissertation:

Undergraduates: SoC Honours projects page
Postgraduates: SoC Masters dissertations page

Submitted by: Jane Knight
BA (Hons) Business Information Management

Supervised by: Professor Elisabeth Davenport

25 November 2002

1. Introduction to the proposed area of study

SMEs account for 58% of UK employment (DTI, n.d.). The support for SMEs is therefore important to the UK economy. Such support includes the provision of business information. Barber (2002) demonstrates the annual growth in the business information market. This increase is not reflected in the numbers attending Scotland's largest business information collection, BizHelp, which have dropped in recent years. BizHelp staff are concerned about this and are interested in discovering the reasons for the decline in attendance.

Since the publication of Planning business information provision for Scotland (Mercury Consultants, 1999) there has been limited research on how Scottish business information needs are being met. A study of the use of the main business information agencies within Scotland by SMEs will help to bridge the gap in the current literature. In the process, the study will also reveal the position and role of BizHelp in serving the business information needs of Scottish SMEs.

2. Aims of the research project

The main aims of the research project are to:

• provide an evaluative summary of the literature on SMEs and business information use (through the provision of a literature review)
• present a picture of SMEs' perception of BizHelp relative to the other business information agencies
• explain why there has been a decline in numbers attending BizHelp over recent years
• make recommendations to BizHelp on how to encourage SMEs to make best use of the information resources offered by BizHelp

Personal aims include:

• completion of the compulsory component for the award of an Honours degree in Business Information Management
• preparation for employment in business information services

The main objectives of the research project are to discover:

• the business information needs of Scottish SMEs
• Scottish SMEs' awareness of the existence of the business information agencies
• Scottish SMEs' usage of the business information agencies
• Scottish SMEs' perception of the marketing efforts of the business information agencies
• the means by which SMEs prefer to obtain business information
• whether SMEs feel that they suffer from information overload
• SMEs' use of the Internet as a source of business information

A further objective will be to complete a review of the literature related to SMEs' use of business information.

The research will provide the opportunity for the meeting of personal objectives:

• to extend knowledge regarding business information provision in Scotland
• to gain skills in conducting research
• to develop contacts made during the placement period

4. Methodology and methods

4.1 Literature search and review
Secondary data will be accessed through Napier University Library and Information Service using a selection of tertiary and secondary information sources such as the library OPAC, commercial bibliographic databases and Internet search engines and directories. Sources accessed and retrieved will be used to write the literature review.

4.2 Data collection and sample
A largely qualitative methodology will be adopted for primary data collection. A survey conducted by e-mail questionnaire will be the main tool. A systematic random sample of SMEs will be drawn from Scottish business registers (Dun and Bradstreet, 2002).

4.3 Data analysis
Since this will be a small-scale study the data will be analysed by manual methods using a "data preparation grid" (Munn and Drever, 1990). The utilisation of structured grids will allow specific responses to be located with relative ease and facilitate the identification of emerging patterns.

5. Scope and limitations of the study

The literature search will aim to be comprehensive, but restricted access to primary literature, for example due to the remote location of material sought, will exclude consideration of some sources in the actual literature review. The collection of primary data will be based on a survey of 100 Scottish SMEs, the number in the sample limited due to the restrictions of time to complete the project and resources to support it. As a piece of undergraduate work the project may not be executed to the standards of professional, contracted research.

6. Resources

Computing and library facilities at Napier University will be used extensively in support of the project. No specialist resources will be required.

7. Timetable

Week	Activity
09	Prepare dissertation proposal
10	Literature searching
11	Literature searching

Christmas vacation: write preliminary literature review; start bibliography listing.

12	Submission of preliminary literature review (version 1) to supervisor
13	Reading on methodology
14	Submission of proposed methodology
15	Revision of literature review and proposed methodology (due to receipt of new material and supervisor's comments
16	Devise questionnaire and submit to supervisor for comments
17	Select sample; devise e-mail to go with questionnaire
18	Revise questionnaire following supervisor's comments
19	Send questionnaires; submit version 2 of literature review and methodology
20	Revise version 2 of literature review and methodology
21	Chase questionnaires; start writing up results
22	Submission of draft of literature review, methodology chapter and results to supervisor
23	Revisions of draft

Easter vacation: write up final draft of dissertation.

24	Submission of final draft (all chapters)
25	Revisions and submission of dissertation

8. Proposed chapter headings

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Business information provision and SMEs - a literature review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Research findings and discussion
Chapter 5: Conclusions

References

Barber, C. (2002). News from the business front. Business Newsletter, 13(2), 19.

DTI (n.d.). How small firms contribute [Online]. Retrieved 18 October, 2002 from http://www.dti.gov.uk/small_firms/ contrib.html

Dun and Bradstreet. (2002). Dun and Bradstreet business register: Scotland: North 2: Lothians, Fife, Tayside, Grampian, Central, Highlands and Islands. High Wycombe: Dun and Bradstreet.

Mercury Consultants. (1993). Planning business information provision for Scotland Glasgow: Scottish Enterprise.

Munn, P. & Drever, E. (1990). Using questionnaires in small-scale research: a teacher's guide. Loanhead: Macdonald Lindsay Pinder.

Dissertation/project hints resources

• Dummy proposal
• Literature searching
• Proposal writing
• Self-organisation
• Writing up your dissertation/project
• SoC Honours projects page
• SoC Masters dissertations page