Reflective Report: Experiences and Learnings from MBA Research Project

This report provides a detailed reflection on the experience of undertaking a business research project as part of an MBA program. The author outlines the entire process, from topic selection, problem definition, and literature review to research methodology, data analysis, and interpretation. The report highlights the collaborative nature of the project, emphasizing teamwork and the delegation of tasks. The author discusses personal contributions, including writing the topic approval submission, literature review sections, and parts of the research methodology. Challenges encountered, such as conflicting research data and issues with statistical interpretation, are also discussed. The report concludes with a positive assessment of the project's impact on the author's professional and personal development, emphasizing the acquisition of valuable skills and knowledge. The author reflects on the research process, including the selection of a relevant and valid research topic, the importance of teamwork, and the challenges of data analysis and interpretation. The report also highlights the importance of effective research skills and the utilization of various sources to procure data. The report also includes the author's personal reflection on the project, including the challenges and successes encountered during the process. This report is a valuable resource for students seeking insights into the practical application of MBA skills and the challenges of conducting a business research project.

Business Research Project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
The process of completing a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) course
instils an individual with various professional skills and provides them with new business
experiences. This is a reflective journal report through which I summarise my
endeavours and experiences of undertaking a business research project as part of my
MBA course.
MAIN BODY
My team and I were tasked by our teachers to undertake a business research
project in order for us to apply the MBA skills we had acquired towards a high quality
research project. For this we were tasked with collectively selecting a topic that the
business research project was to be based on. In order to select a valid, relevant topic
for out business research project, me and my team mates effectively researched upon
various topics that in addition to being interesting to us, would also provide us with
significant learning opportunities and contribute towards our collective professional
development. During this phase, I also consulted my seniors and superiors in order to
glean information as to which topic would be most relevant in the current times while
also being interesting and beneficial for myself. After considering a host of selection
topics, me and my team members collectively negotiated and agreed upon the final
topic of our business research project (Graham and Walton, 2018). After collectively
agreeing upon the topic of the business research project, we also collectively came up
with all the research questions, problem definition and team charter. While my team
mates were delegating how to divide the jobs between each member of the team in the
team charter, I was tasked with writing the topic approval submission that was to be
submitted to our teacher in order for the selected topic to get approved and the
business research project to start. In this phase I realised and learned the importance of
choosing a topic for research that is relevant and valid to the current times. I also
learned just how troublesome delegating tasks amongst various team members can be.
After effectively selecting the topic for our business research project and defining
the problem, goals, research questions, team charter etc. for our project, we moved on
to writing the literature review part of our business research project. This was a
completely new learning experience for me as although I had undertaken some

researching operations prior, I had never researched for a topic what was this immense
in scale and size. As part of the team, all members were assigned themes of literature
review for which they were responsible, with the final literature review being compiled
from all the individual pieces (Cottrell, 2017). For my literature review theme, I first took
guidance and help from my superiors in relation to which sources I should consider in
order to procure relevant data needed for the business research project. After this I
consulted various libraries and the internet through ICT devices in order to procure a lot
of valid and reliable secondary data. Though initially I was hesitant of all the research I
had to undertake, ended up learning a lot about how to effectively conduct research
during this phase and the sources that need to be considered in order to procure a lot of
valid and relevant data. After procuring all the research data, I structured the writing of
my literature review and wrote it, without encountering any additional problems.
After completing writing and compiling all the individual literature reviews, the
team moved on to the research methodology part of the business research project. This
part of the business research project had us distribute roles between various individual
attributes that come to comprise the research methodology part of the business
research project. These included sampling, questionnaire designing, data collection,
data analysis and interpretation. Through collective agreement, I undertook the data
analysis and interpretation task with another member of the team helping me, while the
other team members looked after the data collection, questionnaire design and
sampling operations that were required to be conducted during the research
methodology part of our business research project (Baldwin, 2016). Though I was not
allocated to the questionnaire designing part, as one of the team members became sick
during crucial period of completing this task, I volunteered and also took part in the
questionnaire designing part of the research methodology. For this me and my team
partner analysed a lot questions that were required to be answered by our sampled
group in order for us to collect a lot of valid and relevant primary data. After analysis, we
filtered out the redundant questions and finalised the questionnaire that would be able
to collect lots of relevant data while also restraining from asking too many or vague
questions to our sample size.

After this, the team moved on to the research and analysis phase of the business
research project. During this we again delegated tasks between members with my other
team members taking the dedicated questionnaires from the sample group, while I in
combination with other team members, was assigned to the interpreting and analysing
all the collected primary data in order to come to relevant and reliable conclusions for
the purposes of the business research project. I found this phase of the business
research project to be quite challenging as though the questions the team had created
for our questionnaire were valid and relevant, some of the research participants
involved in answering the questionnaires gave conflicting answers, which me and my
team members had significant trouble analysing and interpreting (Lozano and Escrich,
2017). Apart from this I also faced issues in interpreting the various graphs of the data
analysis, which showcased to me that I need to improve upon my skills with statistics
and histograms. But through the help of my team members, we were able to analyse
and interpret all the primary data that was collected for the purposes of the business
research project and reach required, relevant conclusions.
For this business research project, although I worked as part of a team, there
were several sections of the research project that I wrote personally, without the help or
interference of any of my team members. The first thing that I was delegated to write on
my own was the selection topic approval submission. Then for the business research
project, I personally wrote the second theme of our literature review, for which I
personally conducted all the required research and also structured the literature review
all by myself. Then for the research methodology part of the business research project, I
was assigned with personally writing the data analysis and interpretation sections, while
I also wrote the questionnaire as a volunteer as part of the team. In addition, I also
wrote significant parts of the next section of the report relating to the data analysis and
interpretation of our collected research, but this work was shared with by the members
of my team (Mao, 2018). Although undertaking this prior business research project put
significant pressure on me personally as I had never undertaken on a project of this
scope and magnitude, I ended up learning quite a lot and was also able to effectively
apply the various skills that I had procured and learned from my MBA course.

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of my personal reflection of the experience of undertaking
a business research project as part of my MBA course, I can conclude that the project
was an immensely positive learning experience for me and effectively added to my own
personal and professional development. This report reflects on my personal
experiences during various phases of undertaking the business research project.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baldwin, M., 2016. Social work, critical reflection and the learning organization.
Routledge.
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Graham, E. and Walton, H., 2018. Theological reflection: methods. scm Press.
Lozano, J.F. and Escrich, T., 2017. Cultural diversity in business: A critical reflection on
the ideology of tolerance. Journal of Business Ethics. 142(4). pp.679-696.
Mao, J.Y., 2018. Forty years of business research in China: a critical reflection and
projection. Frontiers of Business Research in China. 12(1). p.24.
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