GUIDE TO UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT WRITING

UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT

WRITING

A quick guide to Chapter One

Contents of Chapter One

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

1.2 Statement of the Problem

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.4 Relevant Research Questions

1.5 Statement of Hypotheses

1.6 Scope of the Study

1.7 Limitation of the Research

1.8 Significance of the Research

1.9 Definition of Unfamiliar Terms

References

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This is your introductory part and you must:

Create readers interest here

Establish the areas of the research. This may

contain:

i. The general and specific description of the

topic, and

ii. A brief preview of the topic or/and the

foundation of the problem.

Background of the study Example….

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

“The debate for or against organizations engaging in societal

improvement is no more the bane of contention. Much of the

discourse amongst organizations has shifted from the mere levels of

“should we?” or “should we not?” to more pressing demand of how

fair and true is the information supplied to financial accounting users in

line with best global practices and how such financial details

transparently inform stakeholders of the organizations dealings with

the society?”………..

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This provides the context for the research study and the questions

which the research hopes to answer. A problem statement articulates

the issue to be addressed and indicates the need for the study.

A good problem Statement should “tickle the fancy" of the reader

in a persuasive way.

It is advisable to keep your statement as concise as possible

…..between (100-250words), but with enough information to

convince readers that the research is feasible, appropriate and

worthwhile.

The statement should concisely include the research gap you hope

to close

To achieve this you must attempt to observe the following keys to a

good statement of problem:

Keys to good Statements

What is the relevance of the topic to Accounting?

How current is the issue?

Will the problem likely to continue into the

future?

Does the problem have theoretical importance

and support?

What is the effect of the problem on a larger

population?

Will your study substantially revise or extend

existing knowledge?

Statement of the Problem…Example

………The problem is that conventional reporting is inadequate to

completely convey all the details of firms involved in corporate

social accounting. Corporate neglect and avoidance of vital details

creates gap in financial information reporting. There is no

completeness and correctness of fair view to users of financial

information, such as shareholders, rating agencies, government

and investors due to failure to report in transparent formats.

Utama (2010) acknowledging this gap affirms that companies,

especially large companies, report their Corporate Social

Responsibility activities in varying and difficult to evaluate manner.

Hartani, (2003), argues that businesses should not be expected to

voluntarily disclose their negative reports. Thus, only choice details

are made available for public consumption given a

freehand……………



Objectives of the Study

The objectives of your research should summarize what

you hope to achieve by the end of the study. As a

standard rule your objectives should be related to the

research problem stated in 1.2 above.

It is possible to make a general statement of what you

hope to accomplish (General Objective). However it is

advisable to break them down into logically smaller

parts (Specific Objectives).

The Specific objectives are used to systematically

address the various research questions.

Benefits of Objectives

Minimizes a wild-goose chase.

Keeps you Focused on the key aspects of the

study.

Reduces the temptation of accumulated

unwanted data.

Helps to align your conclusion at the end of

the research.

Stating your Objectives

Be simple, straight forward and avoid ambiguous

statements and as much as possible.

Use only action verbs that are specific enough to be

evaluated. Below are standard action verbs used in

objective statements: To

i. Determine;

ii. Compare;

iii. Verify;

iv. Calculate;

v. Describe, and

vi. Establish.

Objectives of the study……example

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of

transparency of Corporate Social Accounting practices

in Nigerian quoted companies. The specific objectives

include:

1.Determine the degree of Corporate Social

Responsibility Disclosure of quoted firms in Nigeria;

2.Determine how Corporate Social Responsibility

expenses are accounted for in financial statements

by Nigerian firms;

3.Determine whether corporate social Responsibility

is avenue for increased profitability in Nigeria or

not……….

Relevant Research Questions

These are the specific queries you want to

answer in addressing your research problem.

It is advisable that your relevant research

questions are stated in specific order to the

objectives of your study.....

Relevant Research Questions….Example

Aligning with the objectives stated in 1.3. above

the below questions are made:

1.What is the degree of Corporate Social

Responsibility disclosure amongst quoted firms

in Nigeria?

2.Are Corporate Social Responsibility expenses

tracked independently of other operating

expenditure?

3.Is social responsibility an avenue for quoted

firms in Nigeria to increase profitability?

Statement of hypotheses

A hypothesis is simply a statement that can be proved

or disproved. It is very possible for a research question

to be developed into a hypothesis by changing it into a

statement.

When you make specific predictions regarding

answers to a research question posed, then you are

building a hypothesis that can be tested empirically.

Its is advisable to make at least three of such

statements to confirm your findings.

The Null Hypothesis

A null hypothesis (H0) is the hypothesis to be disproved.

A working null hypothesis is simply developed by adding

“not” or making it a “negative statement”.

Example……..

“The degree of Corporate Social Responsibility disclosure

amongst quoted firms in Nigeria is not significant”.

Or

“There is no significant relationship between Corporate

Social Responsibility disclosure and quoted firms

performance in Nigeria”

The Alternative Hypothesis

This is what you hope will be accepted based on the

literature. It is denoted as (H1). The alternative

hypothesis is a positive statement or the reverse of the

Null.

Example……..

“The degree of Corporate Social Responsibility disclosure

amongst quoted firms in Nigeria is significant”.

Or

“There is a significant relationship between Corporate

Social Responsibility disclosure and quoted firms

performance in Nigeria”

Scope of the study

This is an outline of what your study will cover. It

should define the parameters of the study such

as the time period, object, theory, process or

activity area to be covered.

It is advisable you use the scope to define

specific boundaries in which the study will be

operating in.

Scope of the Study……Example

“The area of this study covers all industries

within the Nigerian economy as long as the

company is listed on the stock exchange.

However, the study is specifically focused on the

public limited companies that are quoted and

whose shares are traded on the floors on the

Nigerian stock exchange for the period of 2000-

2011”.

Limitation of the Research

The limitation of your study are those

characteristics of design that can influence the

interpretation of the results of your study.

Remember, these must be the constraints you

could not avoid in the process of the study. They

are basically outside your control, at least during

the period of the study.

Limitation of the Research… Example

Though good effort has been made to put up an empirical

research however the following factors have been unavoidable

absent as a result of their critical limiting factors for this study:

1.The most recent Annual Reports of some quoted companies

and

2.Financial Statements for the estimated sample size included

only the companies which are listed in the Nigeria Stock

Exchange market (NSE) whose annual reports are statutorily

published and made available to the general public. The

research was limited by information about companies which

are not public quoted companies since they are not required

statutorily to make available to the public their annual

reports.

Significance of the Research/Study

The significance of your research simply

explains the importance of the proposed

study and its relevance. The significance

should be able to show how the study will

contribution to knowledge.

You must also specifically state the

beneficiaries of the study and how they stand

to gain from the finding of the research.

Significance of the Research…Example

..This study will be greatly beneficial to a number of

groups in Nigeria. Companies Stakeholders rank amongst

the top beneficiaries of this study on corporate social

responsibility

Another set of interest group that will benefit from the

findings of this research will be the community and society

from where companies operate.

The last set of beneficiary of this study is the international

community- particularly in the area of urgent significance in

the uniformity and standardization of the reporting formats

for entities involved in Corporate Social

Responsibility……

Definition of Unfamiliar Terms

This is the definition of terms or words used

outside of their universal meaning or

application.

References

These are works from authors and materials

consulted in this first chapter.

Look out for details on referencing in the nearest

future.

Please note the followings:

1. APA fifth edition is the recommended style for

use.

2. It is advisable to use the available referencing

application on Microsoft word 2007 or 2010.

I strongly believe these tips helps. Good luck!

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