BUSINESS STUDIES

Section 1 – Introduction

• Introduction: describe the general topic area (example – international management) and provide the reader with evidence as to why this is an important topic for research.
• What is the specific research question(s) and/or the issue(s) addressed in the research (examples: A) What role does Corporate Social Responsibility play in maximising profits? or; B) What are the best practices for recruiting selection in international HR; and why is it an important question?
• Briefly outline the structure/contents of the paper.

Section 2 – Literature Review

• What do we know about the topic/issue? What have researchers discovered about this research topic/issue? What do industry leaders/experts say? This is NOT an article-by-article summary: it IS an overview of what is known about the topic; what YOUR understanding of the topic is after reading the various articles or source materials. This may be the hardest part of the paper. This is the ‘data’ section of your paper and it should outline the information that you have to work with.
• Has there been a change in our understanding over the last few years? If so – explain why and what and how. If not – explain why you think our understanding has remained “stable” and unchanged.

Section 3 –Analysis

• Present information about the current situation in which the issue you are researching exists. Describe the context – laws/regulations, elements of the competitive environment that affect the issue, the nature of the industry(ies), the economic situation, and so forth – in which the issue being researched exists. Include a brief description of the history of the issue: how did this issue come to be important now?