PRJ5106 Research Methodology and Data Analysis Report 4 Sample
Assessment Detail
This assessment requires students to develop a final research proposal based on the previous three assessments which should also include research ethics and proposed time frame. It is expected that students progressing to the MPMB will use this proposal as a base to further develop their Capstone research project (Applied Research Project) such as PRJ6001. Students are recommended to develop their assessment in the following order:
1. Introduction (Problem definition & objective): State the research problem clearly (research questions), provide motivation for undertaking the research; provide succinct, clear, logical description of the objectives and plan of action.
2. Background (Literature and Previous Work): Discuss the objectives, methodologies and findings of relevant previous research that provides a background for your research topic. The aim is to provide a critique of existing work and identify gaps in knowledge and / or methodological weaknesses in existing research.
3. Significance & Broader Impact (Impact of Proposed Research): Discuss the potential value of solution or contribution to the research problem within and outside the area/field of study. Also discuss broader implications of the proposed research. Broader impacts may include social, economic, technical, ethical, translational, clinical, pharmaceutical, technological, or business aspects.
4. Research Design and Methods (Proposed Methodology): Discuss research methods/tools suitable for use to solve the defined problem. This should include the type of data to be used,how data will be collected and analysed, possible ethical issues and how these will be addressed. In addition, discuss why the methodology and methods you have selected is suitable to address the research question(s).
5. Results & Communication (Expected outcomes): Discuss what are the potential output of the proposed research and how the same will be disseminated to wider audience.
6. Conclusion: Summarize the key points from your proposal and reiterate the significance of the proposed research, why it is worth undertaking and what benefits it would have. End this with positive note so that your proposal will be considered for research.
7. Timeline: Present the tentative timeline for completing your research project. You should focus on completing your research work within 10 teaching weeks.
8. References: Include bibliographic detail of all in-text citations in APIC Harvard Style. Websites, blogs, personal communications are generally not viewed as a trusted source of reference.
Solution
1. Introduction
1.1 Research Problem
Business is dynamic in nature and rapidly changing since the past few decades. Global markets were previously considered as the playing field for mainly multinational corporations (MNCs) with no participation from the local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (Dabi?, et al., 2020). However, increased globalisation has removed trade barriers and resulted in various technological advances in transportation, manufacturing and communications. This has made it possible for SMEs and international entrepreneurs in gaining access to these global markets. These SMEs and entrepreneurs are now contributing significantly towards economic growth and innovation, thereby giving rise to both opportunities and challenges in the global arena (Dabi?, et al., 2020).
1.2 Research Rationale
In the past few decades, scholarly interest has grown in the internationalisation of SMEs because of their potential being recognised in undertaking international business. SMEs internationalisation gets extensively influenced by various contexts, such as, targeted foreign countries, its home economy and firm characteristics (Child, Karmowska and Shenkar, 2022). This is because often these SMEs need external support because of their small size and inadequate resources regarding financial funds and detailed market information. SMEs depend heavily on such external resource providers for their internationalisation, thus, making this process extremely context-dependent for them. This makes it essential to understand how different factors influence internationalisation of these SMEs in the global market.
1.3 Research Objective and Questions
The primary aim or objective of the research study is to identify and analyse various factors influencing the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the global market.
The research questions that will be addressed in the main dissertation are as follows:
1. Why has internationalisation process become essential for SMEs in the global market?
2. What are various motivational drivers for SMEs to engage in internationalisation process?
3. Which factors generate significant influence on the internationalisation of SMEs in the global market?
4. What are some potential barriers to internationalisation for SMEs and how can they overcome them?
1.4 Plan of Action
The entire research study will be carried out in various steps, starting from stating research aims, objectives and questions and continuing till submitting the project. The first step will involve formulating research objectives, providing research rationale and significance and context of the research. The second step will involve carrying out background research and review on existing literature, followed by the third step of devising research design and methods for collecting, measuring and analysing data. The fourth step will include presenting findings and conducting data analysis followed by a discussion. The last step will involve making concluding remarks and providing suitable recommendations based on findings .
2. Background Literature
SMEs have been gaining widespread attention in the last few decades because of their ability of contributing significantly towards economic growth and expansion. They now constitute a significant percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) of many nations. Despite this, their internationalisation has remained limited as compared to the large multinational corporations (MNCs) in the global market. Here, the literature review section has reviewed existing scholarly articles for discussing about various factors affecting SME internationalisation.
2.1 Importance of SME’s Internationalisation
SMEs have become capable of improving their flexibility, performing based on international quality standards, exceeding customer satisfaction levels and competing in the global business environment (Ribau, Moreira and Raposo, 2018). This is because internationalisation process has become an important factor for ensuring survival, sustainability and growth of these SMEs for University assignment help.However, SMEs are required to consider several aspects before internationalisation process. These include their limited resources and capabilities, general management limitations, financial restrictions, inadequate language and cultural knowledge and lack of international strategies awareness (Ribau, Moreira and Raposo, 2018). Thus, internationalisation is not an easy or simple process for the SMEs.
2.2 Motives of Internationalisation
Internationalisation of SMEs is often driven by various interactive, push and pull factors. Out of these, some of the primary motives of these small and medium firms for engaging in internationalisation are increased returns on investment, utilisation of human capital and advancement in technology absent in the parent country of the firm (Ngoma, 2016). Furthermore, some proactive motives of internationalisation of SMEs are managerial urge, profit advantage, economies of scale, technological advantages, unique products, exclusive market information and foreign market opportunities. Besides, reactive motives involve proximity to customers, competitive pressures, excess capacity, overproduction, saturated domestic market and declining domestic sales (Bowen, 2020). Moreover, various other drivers or factors of SME internationalisation are also present, which can be firm-related factors, industry-related factors and location-related factors. These factors determine the intent of SME’s willingness in engaging in internationalisation (Ribau, Moreira and Raposo, 2017). Thus, these driving factors can also generate significant influence on the internationalisation of SMEs.
2.3 Factors Influencing Internationalisation
As pointed out by Kim (2017), entrepreneurial orientation and investment in employee human capital are considered as critical factors for explaining the internationalisation process by taking case study examples of South Korean SMEs. Apart from these, technological capabilities, technology turbulence, market similarity and degree of internationalisation are also identified as essential factors influencing internationalisation.
Internationalisation has become important for SMEs to gain competitive advantage, which makes it essential to managing this process and identify factors affecting the same. In this regard, Costa, Soares and De Sousa (2016) have opined that information and knowledge are considered as key resources for enhancing the internationalisation process of SMEs. Here, the effectiveness of internationalisation processes has direct link with the way SMEs can manage internationalisation-related information, create collaborative networks and learn and use knowledge related to internationalisation process. Thus, information, knowledge and collaboration management are essential factors influencing SME internationalisation.
Furthermore, Bose (2016) has pointed out various critical success factors affecting the process of internationalisation in SMEs. These are network, alliance or clusters, capacity building, government policy, innovation capability, benefits and barriers, future prospects, timing of internationalisation, modes of internationalisation, operational decisions and destinations of internationalisation. This shows that SMEs need to consider all these factors before engaging in the internationalisation strategy and process. On the contrary, Alinasab, et al. (2022) has pointed out various factors influencing the decision-making of SMEs about their internationalisation strategy. These include information scarcity, characteristics linked to leadership and environmental interpretation, structure of hybrid governance, alignment of business models with partners, knowledge and previous experience and social and business networks.
2.4 Barriers to SME Internationalisation
SMEs also face various challenges and barriers that can influence their internationalisation strategy in the global market. Morais and Ferreira (2020) have categorised such barriers as internal and external. The internal barriers include lack of competitive pricing, inadequate financial resources, costs of beginning the process, lack of SME dimension, inadequate management international experience, lack of knowledge about international market and human resource limitations. On the other hand, external barriers include lack of infrastructure, cultural differences, custom barriers, high competitiveness and high bureaucracy in international markets (Morais and Ferreira, 2020). On the contrary, Reza, et al. (2021) has categorised the challenges under four types, namely, knowledge-related challenges, exogenous challenges, resource-based challenges and procedural challenges.
2.5 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework
Glodowska, Pera and Wach (2019) have used the Uppsala model for explaining the internationalisation process of SMEs. Based on this model, SMEs often engage in an orderly internationalisation process by starting with exporting strategy to their neighbouring countries and eventually expanding into further or well-distant marketplaces. With firms gaining better understanding and expertise in the foreign markets, this Uppsala model further helps in analysing the importance of investigation about the internationalisation process.
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Fig 1; Conceptual Framework for Factors Influencing SMEs for Internationalisation
The above figure demonstrates the conceptual framework developed after reviewing various articles for guiding the actual research study. It has considered some critical factors such as competitive advantage, management attitude, firm size and international knowledge and experience as significant for influencing the internationalisation process of the SMEs.
2.6 Literature Gap
After reviewing existing scholarly and academic articles, various types of factors have been identified as influencing internationalisation process of SMEs. While some scholars have identified push, pull, proactive, reactive and other drivers, some other academicians have determined barriers or challenges as having significant influence on this process. Information, knowledge, innovation, firm-specific and market-specific factors have also been identified. However, there have been no similarity or consensus regarding these factors influencing internationalisation. This has increased the existing gaps about which factors generate the maximum influence on the SMEs. Thus, it has further increased the absence of adequate knowledge regarding how such factors can impact internationalisation of SMEs.
3. Significance and Broader Impact
3.1 Contribution to Research Problem
This research study will add value to the existing knowledge. There are various SMEs across the world who have focused on expanding their business operations beyond domestic boundaries. This research study will discuss about factors or motives behind internationalisation. Thus, it will focus on establishing a relationship between chosen variables (Johnson, et.al., 2020). Moreover, a strong conceptual framework will enhance knowledge of readers and scholars. They can further leverage these existing theories to develop new frameworks and hypothesis. In addition to this, policymakers can gain knowledge from this research study and change existing policies in order to allow entry of different SMEs from foreign countries. Flexible policies can further increase the rates mergers and acquisitions. Finally, business leaders who are trying to expand their business operations can gain knowledge about factors that can motivate them to develop such strategy. They can also become aware of relevant barriers that might have a negative impact on their international expansions.
3.2 Broader Implications
A research study has several implications on their readers. It not only provides in-depth analysis of a chosen topic but also have significant impact on several external environmental factors. In this study, readers can get insightful information about factors that are influencing internationalisation strategy. Such broader understanding can help business leaders to expand their business operations. This will not only improve performances of SMEs but can also contribute to the development of global economy. This is how the rate of employment can be increased which will further reduce economic fluctuations. Internationalisation will enhance understanding of cross-cultural nuances. This can further enhance global competitiveness. Finally, internationalisation will lead to amalgamation of diverse minds. People from different parts will come together and work together. This is how innovation can be fostered within the workplace by leveraging technological advancements.
4. Proposed Methodology: Research Design and Methods
4.1 Research Philosophy
The belief of a researcher that enables them to collect, analyse and interpret data is known as research philosophy. There are two different research paradigms that are used by researchers across the world. They are positivism and interpretivism. In this study, the researcher will choose positivism philosophy to analyse the collected data. A positivist search for knowledge that are objective (Abu-Alhaija, 2019). The chosen philosophy will be used to analyse the patterns of various social factors that are responsible for influencing internationalisation of SMEs. The factual knowledge that will be gained by observing these patterns will be tested to address the research problem. This philosophy helps in establishing a causal relationship between two variables (Park, et.al., 2020). The researchers will use positivism philosophy to address factors that are causing or influencing internationalisation. Finally, this philosophy will be used over interpretivism because it will help the researcher to follow a well-defined structure. This will further make the process of analysis simple.
4.2 Research Approach
The procedure that is selected for interpreting the collected data and addressing the research problem is known as research approach. There are two different types of research approaches. They are deductive and inductive approach. In this study, the researcher will choose deductive method. According to this approach, a theory or hypothesis are tested through observations and data collection. Thus, it can be concluded that in deductive reasoning a general rule is chosen and a specific case is inferred from the chosen rule (Okoli, 2023). In this study, the researchers will choose few factors that influence internationalisation of SMEs. These factors will be observed and researched thoroughly to find out whether they have solid impact on internationalisation strategies of SMEs. This approach will be chosen by the researcher over inductive approach because it will develop a cause-effect relationships between relevant factors and internationalisation of SMEs. It also reduces time and focus directly on the research problem.
4.3 Research Design
The complete strategy that is chosen by the researcher to accomplish research objectives and address research problem is known as research design. There are 3 different forms of research design. They are descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory. In this study, the researcher will use descriptive research design. When information is obtained systematically in order to define a particular situation or phenomena it is known as descriptive design. Moreover, it also helps a researcher to study one or more than one variable in research (Aggarwal and Ranganathan, 2019). In this study, internationalisation of SMEs is a phenomenon or situation. This phenomenon is understood by analysing factors that are influencing the situation. This design is often chosen by several researchers across the world because it helps them to collect huge volume of data. Such huge data volume will also help researcher to research on complex topics.
4.4 Research Methods
There are techniques that are used by researchers to collect data. These techniques are classified under various types of research methods. In this study, survey will be used to collect data. Survey is grouped under quantitative research method. These are data that will be collected from a set of chosen respondents.
4.5 Data Collection
The process that is chosen by the researcher to collect data for further research study is known as data collection. It is also identified to be a systematic process of gathering, measuring and analysing data. There are two different methods of data collection. They are primary and secondary. In this study, the researcher will choose primary data collection method. The data that are collected first time by a researcher is known as primary data (Mwita, 2022). The researcher will choose this method over secondary data collection because it will help them to gather updated information. A survey will be initiated to collect data from respondents who are associated with SMEs. Survey researchers are responsible for collecting quantitative data using questionnaire method (Creswell and Hirose, 2019). In this study, the researcher will develop close-ended questionnaires. These close-ended questionnaires will be further circulated among chosen respondents. Finally, the collected data will be used for exploring the influence of several factors that are influencing internationalisation of SMEs.
4.6 Data Analysis
The collected data are analysed with the help of data analysis technique. There are two different data analysis techniques. They are qualitative and quantitative analysis. In this study, the researcher will use quantitative analysis technique. Analytical technique that allows numerical representation of the collected data is known as quantitative analysis. Quantitative analysis can further be divided in to various forms. In this study, correlation analysis will be used to establish a correlation between factors and internationalisation of SMEs. Correlation analysis will be chosen by the researcher because it is responsible to quantify the strength of association between two chosen variables (Pandey, 2020). This analytical technique will be used over other techniques because it will help the researcher to present a statistical relationship between variables.
4.6.1 Sampling
The set of respondents will be chosen through purposive sampling technique. The process of choosing respondents who are most likely to provide appropriate information is known as purposive sampling (Campbell, et.al., 2020). The researcher will choose 100 respondents for collecting data with the help of close-ended questions.
4.7 Ethical Issues
The behaviour of a researcher that is ethically questionable and is unacceptable can be identified as an ethical issue (Drolet, et.al., 2023). Thus, if a researcher fails follow research ethics guidelines, then the authenticity of the study becomes questionable. Therefore, in this study, the researcher will develop a consent form. The researcher and the respondents will sign this consent form. This form will prove, voluntary participation of the respondents. Moreover, the collected data will be solely used for the purpose of the study and it will not be shared to any third-party. The researcher will not disclose any personal information of respondents who are participating in the survey. This is how the authenticity and validity of the research study will be maintained.
5. Expected Outcomes and Communication
One of the primary objectives of a research study is to help audiences and influence their course of actions. There is no exception in case of this study. In this complex and dynamic business era, leaders of SMEs often find it difficult to expand their business operations and become a player in the global market. Employees and managers of SMEs who are primarily responsible for making decision related to internationalisation, often find it difficult to determine factors that can motivate their actions. Therefore, this research study can be used in training programs. It will help them to understand the factors influencing internationalisation and how it can add value to the growth and productivity of their firm.
In addition to this, it can help in developing education materials like books, online journals, and scholarly articles. These education materials will be circulated among students and other researchers. This is how the importance of internationalisation can be communicated to fresh graduates and researchers. Researchers will further use these education materials as platforms for their researches. The research findings can further be integrated in various industrial practices.
6. Conclusion
Here, a research proposal was developed for conducting research on identifying factors influencing the internationalisation process of SMEs in the global market. It reviewed various existing scholarly articles for gaining theoretical knowledge and creating a conceptual framework. This research proposal also proposed various research methods and techniques that will be used for collected, measuring and analysing data for addressing the research questions. In addition, a possible timeline for completing the entire research study has been provided.
7. Timeline
Here, a Gantt Chart has been provided for carrying out various steps in the main research study.
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8. References
Abu-Alhaija, A.S., 2019. From epistemology to Structural Equation Modeling: An essential guide in understanding the principles of research philosophy in Selecting the Appropriate Methodology. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 13(9), pp.122-128.
Aggarwal, R. and Ranganathan, P., 2019. Study designs: Part 2–descriptive studies. Perspectives in clinical research, 10(1), p.34.
Alinasab, J., Mirahmadi, S.M.R., Ghorbani, H. and Caputo, F., 2022. Discovering knowledge and cognitive based drivers for SMEs internationalization. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, pp.1-29.
Bose, T.K., 2016. Critical success factors of SME internationalization. Journal of small business strategy, 26(2), pp.87-109.
Bowen, R., 2020. Motives to SME internationalisation: A comparative study of export propensity among food and drink SMEs in Wales and Brittany. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 27(1), pp.51-74.
Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., Bywaters, D. and Walker, K., 2020. Purposive sampling: complex or simple? Research case examples. Journal of research in Nursing, 25(8), pp.652-661.
Child, J., Karmowska, J. and Shenkar, O., 2022. The role of context in SME internationalization–A review. Journal of World Business, 57(1), p.101267.
Costa, E., Soares, A.L. and De Sousa, J.P., 2016. Information, knowledge and collaboration management in the internationalisation of SMEs: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Information Management, 36(4), pp.557-569.
Creswell, J.W. and Hirose, M., 2019. Mixed methods and survey research in family medicine and community health. Family medicine and community health, 7(2).
Dabi?, M., Maley, J., Dana, L.P., Novak, I., Pellegrini, M.M. and Caputo, A., 2020. Pathways of SME internationalization: a bibliometric and systematic review. Small Business Economics, 55, pp.705-725.
Drolet, M.J., Rose-Derouin, E., Leblanc, J.C., Ruest, M. and Williams-Jones, B., 2023. Ethical Issues in research: perceptions of researchers, research ethics board members and research ethics experts. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21(2), pp.269-292.
G?odowska, A., Pera, B. and Wach, K., 2019. International strategy as the facilitator of the speed, scope, and scale of firms’ internationalization. Central European Management Journal, 27, pp.55-84.
Johnson, J.L., Adkins, D. and Chauvin, S., 2020. A review of the quality indicators of rigor in qualitative research. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 84(1), p.7120.
Kim, S., 2017. Factors affecting the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea: entrepreneurial orientation, human capital and technological capabilities. International journal of economics and financial issues, 7(5), p.371.
Morais, F. and Ferreira, J.J., 2020. SME internationalisation process: Key issues and contributions, existing gaps and the future research agenda. European Management Journal, 38(1), pp.62-77.
Mwita, K., 2022. Factors to consider when choosing data collection methods. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 11(5), pp.532-538.
Ngoma, M., 2016. Role of Resources in the Internationalisation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Business Management Review, 18(1), pp.1-23.
Okoli, C., 2023. Inductive, abductive and deductive theorising. International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 16(3), pp.302-316.
Pandey, S., 2020. Principles of correlation and regression analysis. Journal of the practice of cardiovascular sciences, 6(1), pp.7-11.
Park, Y.S., Konge, L. and Artino Jr, A.R., 2020. The positivism paradigm of research. Academic medicine, 95(5), pp.690-694.
Reza, S., Mubarik, M.S., Naghavi, N. and Nawaz, R.R., 2021. Internationalisation challenges of SMEs: role of intellectual capital. International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 18(3), pp.252-277.
Ribau, C.P., Moreira, A.C. and Raposo, M., 2017. Export performance and the internationalisation of SMEs. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 30(2), pp.214-240.
Ribau, C.P., Moreira, A.C. and Raposo, M., 2018. Categorising the internationalisation of SMEs with social network analysis. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 35(1), pp.57-80.
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