“The Ripple Effects of Minimum Wage Hikes: A Study on Small Business Resilience”

1.  Each student will work on an approved appliedresearch topic in economics or business (Management, Marketing, Accounting, Supply Chain & Logistics, Healthcare Management, Production Operations Management, Human Resource Management, etc.). The applied research must include a carefully articulated economic or business theory and appropriately estimated statistical model(s) with empirical results germane to solving business or economic problems or adding new information to clearly defined business or economic issues. Each student is required to complete and submit a research topic selection form (in GaView Assignments) for approval no later than Thursday, January 25, 2024.

2.  The research proposal (Word document, double-spaced in 12-font-size, and APA style) should include:

1. 1. Title (approved)
   2. Abstract
   3. Introduction
   4. Literature Review (Virtual sources of academic journals include Galileo www.galileo.usg.edu and JSTOR www.jstor.org.
   5. Theoretical Model
   6. Data Sources and Analytical Method, and
   7. References

The research proposal must be submitted/uploaded in GaView Assignments for review before Thursday, February 22, 2024. Proposals not submitted/uploaded in GaView in a timely manner will not be reviewed.

3.  Final research paper must include:

1. 1. Title
   2. Abstract
   3. Introduction
   4. Literature Review
   5. Theoretical Model
   6. Data Sources and Analytical Methods
   7. Empirical Results
   8. Conclusions and Study Limitations
   9. Recommendations for Further Study
   10. References

The final research paper must be typed in an MS Word document, 20-25 pages (excluding the title and reference pages), double-spaced in 12-font-size, APA style, and submitted/uploaded in GaView Assignment Submission Folder no later thanThursday, April 18, 2024. Final research papers not submitted/uploaded in the GaView Assignment Submission Folder by the established deadline or final papers with any violation of academic integrity (plagiarism, falsification, etc.) or final papers that are products of any form of academic dishonesty will receive zero.

Students who are making satisfactory progress in the course (passing with a minimum grade of C- in the average score of all HW assignments, dropping the lowest HW score) and need additional time to complete their final research papers may be approved for Incomplete Grade and allowed to extend submission of their final research papers up to June 14, 2024. Requests for final research paper submission extension must be submitted to the instructor in writing (email) no later than Thursday, April 18, 2024. Students approved for Incomplete Grades and extension of submission of final research papers will not be able to submit their research papers in the GaView Assignment Submission Folder earlier than Monday, May 13, 2024. 

4.  Research Writing Guidelines: Students should review the videos posted in the Applied Research Paper Module and note the following general guidelines for applied research:

(a) Title – Choose a topic related to an economic or a business (Management, Marketing, Accounting, Supply Chain and logistics, Healthcare Management, Production Operations Management, Human Resource Management, etc.) problem. You should select a topic you can manage and complete within the academic term. Your research paper’s title should be specific (well-defined) and reflect your topic of interest in economics or business. Hint: You may surf the Internet or peruse some academic journals online or in the library for possible economic problems/titles that might spark your interest.

(b) Abstract – A summary of the paper, highlighting the research purpose, methodology, significance of the research, and its contributions to the existing body of knowledge on the subject. Generally, it should contain a few keywords and not be more than ¼ of a page (single-spaced).

(c) Introduction – This section should provide detailed information on why the topic is essential and how the research differs from previous similar issues. Usually, the research thesis (main idea) is stated here. Hence, the introduction section should contain the general objective of the paper and specific objectives to be accomplished. Your research thesis may change or be modified as you progress with your research and acquire more information (Literature Review). Also, the introduction section should highlight how you intend to accomplish the research objectives. Finally, the introduction section should contain the organization of the research paper and the target audience of the research paper. Hint: While an extensive review of literature related to the topic of interest is needed to write a strong introduction, you should minimize quotations of other researchers here, i.e., you should write the Introduction Section mostly in your own words and quote or paraphrase pertinent previous researchers sparingly. However, plagiarism must be strictly avoided in this section and other sections of the paper. Re: plagiarized papers will be canceled and assigned zero.

(d) Literature Review – This section provides a detailed and extensive write-up (summaries) of pertinent research related to the topic of your interest or the main idea (thesis) of your research that has been documented in academic literature (refereed journals). You need an extensive review of currently published academic journals (2010-2024) online or in the library to document what has been done in the area of your interest. In this section, you should provide detailed and extensive summaries of relevant previous work in your research interest with complete citations. You should examine academic journals in economics for the appropriate style/technique usually employed here. Hint: A good and extensive literature review would enable you to know what has been done and what research questions have not been answered to formulate a good thesis (main idea) for your research without duplicating an existing body of knowledge. Also, you would gain useful insights into applicable economic theory (theoretical model), possible data sources, analytical technique(s), etc., for your research. The relevance of an excellent Literature Review cannot be overemphasized for a good research paper. Hence, you should spend a considerable amount of time on this section. Virtual sources of academic journals include Galileo www.galileo.usg.edu and JSTOR www.jstor.org.

(e) Theoretical Model – In this section, you must identify and discuss an appropriate economic or business theory that undergirds your research thesis (main idea). You should relate the economic theoretical model or principle to your thesis. A pertinent literature review will be helpful here.

(f) Data Sources and Analytical Method: 

Data Sources – In this section, you should identify the data needed for your research and how you would collect them. Data may be obtained by questionnaires (primary data), from existing government/business sources (secondary data), or a combination of both. It is crucial for you to know what data you need and to ensure that pertinent data are available for your analyses. In this section, you should indicate the data needed for each specific objective and their sources. A copy of the questionnaire for primary data collection must be provided as an appendix. Data availability limitations might force you to modify/change your research focus. 

Analytical Method – Here, you must discuss appropriate analytical (statistical) techniques that you will employ for your data analyses. You should indicate how you will address each research objective with a specific analytical method.

(g) Empirical Results – This section is an important part of applied research that should be carefully documented. Students should provide results from their data analyses, usually summarized in Tables. The interpretations of the obtained results should be discussed in detail, including possible limitations of your results. Computer spreadsheets containing data collected and the statistical analyses applied must be provided as an appendix when collected data and the applied analyses are not readily incorporated in the body of the paper.

(h) Conclusions & Study Limitations – In this section, you should discuss significant findings from your research regarding your study’s main objective and each specific objective. Also, possible limitations of your study must be stated to enlighten the readers on how not to misinterpret your results.

(i) Recommendations for Further Study – Here, you will indicate relevant research questions that your research has not answered, i.e., areas of your research topic that need further investigation.

(j) References – A complete listing of all literature reviewed and cited in your study. Papers not mentioned in your research must be excluded. You should review academic journals in economics for acceptable techniques for proper citations of references or bibliography. Your list of references should grow as you progress from your research proposal to the final paper.