The implications of research methods mapping in theoretical framework level 1c, in ALRA for housing studies

The implications of research methods mapping in theoretical framework level 1c, in the agile literature review approach (ALRA) for housing studies:

[In the theoretical framework level 1c, as in level 1a, the academic ideas should possess the one or more of the values for research project work: (i) explanatory, clarifying and evaluative power, (ii) useful research practice and problem solving advices, and (iii) empirically observed patterns in social reality with actionable value].

By mapping research methods onto theoretical framework level 1a to produce theoretical level 1c, the student indicates the following 3-points research methodological position:

1. the full set of research methods to be used in the dissertation project within an encompassing intellectual response scaffolding that is housing-concerns driven (re: theoretical framework level 0);

2. the purpose of each of the research methods to be used: i.e. to conduct investigation on a specific research objective [or a number of research objectives]. Specifically, to use a specific research method to to gather and analyse data to produce knowledge so as to achieve a targeted research objective [or a number of research objectives];

3. an explicit recognition that certain chosen academic ideas [re: theoretical framework level 1a] are employed to inform the research method design, e.g. interview research questions formulation, and subsequently, the theory-driven analysis on the research method findings. In this regard, the research methods design is explicitly informed by the literature review findings [re: chapter 2 of the dissertation report of housing studies].

With the research method architecture made explicit in the form of of a diagram, the student can then describe, evaluate and justify the research methodology of his/her dissertation project with a clear blueprint; this written work is done in chapter 3 of the dissertation report. At the same time, his/her dissertation project supervisor can more easily monitor and provide feedback on the dissertation project research methodology.

How to make management-concerns item formulation more concise and precise: 2 illustrative examples

How to make management-concerns item formulation more concise and precise, with reference to the agile literature review approach: illustrative examples:

Example 1: an item located in zone 1 (from a student's management-concerns diagram:

Zone 1 (environmental drivers)

The original management-concerns item: "Concerned about the decreasing circulating capital in IT department of ABC Bus Service which afftected by the overall impact of rising fuel cost during a period of the decreased passenger traffic".

Zone 1 (environmental drivers)

Revised to become: "Concerned about the tighter supply of external financial capital to finance the increasing operational cost of for IT department of ABC Bus Service" 

There could be other ways to refine this management-concerns item; this example is to illustrate how to make the item formulation more concise and precise. Some of the details filtered out could be presented in the description of the management-concerns diagram in the dissertation report writing.

Example 2 an item located in zone 2 (from a student's management-concerns diagram:

Zone 2 (organizational capabilities)

The original management-concerns item: "Must calculate the cost of available fund in IT department for ABC Bus Service"

Zone 2 (organizational capabilities)

Revised to become: "Concerned about the difficulty by the Accounting and Finance Dept to calculate cost of fund available to the IT Dept of ABC Bus Service".

With the revised management-concern item from me, it is then up to research methods student to pick up the idea of concise and precise formulation to work out his/ her own formulation to capture his/her true thinking. 

On proposal and progress review paper report requirements for Housing Dissertation Projects 2022

On proposal and progress review paper report structures for Housing Dissertation Projects 2022

A. Proposal (about 1,500 words) [10% of overall mark]

1. title and research area: 

 ▪Is there a working title?

▪ Has the research area been clearly identified and explained?

▪ Are the specific aims of the proposed research clear?

▪ Has the relevance of the topic to human geography/planning been made clear?

▪ Has reference been made to literature in the field?

2. research questions:

▪ Are the provisional research questions clear?

▪ Are they appropriate?

▪ Are they realistic?

3. research methods:

▪ Have these been clearly set out (notwithstanding that they are only provisional at this stage)?

▪ Has the choice of methods been adequately justified?

▪ Do they seem realistic?

4. sources of information

▪ Are these appropriate?

▪ Is there sufficient identification of relevant academic literature?

▪ Has their relevance been explained?

5. timetable for research:

▪ Is the timetable clear?

▪ Is it realistic?

6. list of references:

▪ Does it include all references?

▪ Have references been formatted correctly in Harvard style

7. overall

▪ Has it been clearly and accurately written?

▪ Overall comments

B. Progress review paper (about 2,000 words) [10% of overall mark]

1. title: 

▪ Is the working title clear?

2. research questions: 

▪ Has the research area been clearly set out and in sufficient depth?

▪ Have aims and objectives been clearly set out?

▪ Have research questions been provided? Are they clear? Are they appropriate? Are they realistic?

3. discussion of relevant literature:

▪ Is there a discussion of relevant literature?

▪ Is it sufficiently broad?

▪ Does it demonstrate clear understanding of main arguments and opinions?

▪ Has it been made clear where the proposed research fits within the existing literature?

4. methodology

▪ Has an overarching methodological approach been identified?

▪ Have the research methods been clearly set out and in sufficient detail?

▪ Has the choice of methods been justified?

▪ Are they realistic?

▪ Have ethical issues been identified?

▪ Has ethical approval been sought?

▪ Have the limitations of the methodology been identified and discussed?

▪ Has the planned structure of the dissertation been outlined?

5. list of references:

▪ Does it bring together all the references in the paper?

▪ Does the list of references conform to the Harvard system?

▪ Are online sources referenced correctly?

6. overall

▪ Has it been clearly and accurately written?

▪ Overall comments

** also study the note on the dissertation report template 

Notice: about Facebook ac: Joseph KK Ho

Dissertation project background: a note for proposal preparation (housing studies)

Dissertation project background: a note for proposal preparation (housing studies):

A. (Real-world) housing-concerns related [housing-concerns contextualization] {especially relevant to housing-concerns-oriented project type}

1. when?

2. where?

3. who?

4. how serious? how complicated? how urgent?

B. Academic-related [academic-oriented contextualization] {especially relevant to academic-oriented project type}

1. any academic research gaps?

2. knowledge gap? controversy of topics and issues? a new academic topic at the exploratory stage?

C. Personal-consideration of the researcher [personal-oriented contextualization]

1. arising from personal lived experience

2. interested in the topic as related to personal social network

3. arising from personal academic interest/ intellectual curiosity

4. arising from personal professional/ career interest.

Dissertation proposal elements for Housing Studies: a list

Dissertation proposal elements for Housing Studies: a list

Proposal element 1: project title

Proposal element 2: project background

Proposal element 3: project (housing-) concerns

Proposal element 4: research objectives

Proposal element 5: preliminary literature review findings

Proposal element 6: preliminary research design and research methods

Proposal element 7: project plan

Proposal element 8: preliminary reference list

Proposal element 9: word count figure of the proposal

Proposal element 10: proposal submission date

** the agile literature review approach, notably its diagrams, is very useful to help addressing these proposal elements.

Some associated evaluation considerations:

1. How is the proposal informed by the agile literature review approach?

2. What are the quality criteria of dissertation proposal?

The legitimate reasons why items in a housing-concerns diagram are fewer than that in the theoretical framework (ALRA)

 The legitimate reasons why items in a housing-concerns diagram are fewer than that in the theoretical framework (ALRA) in housing studies dissertation works:

In the agile literature review approach (ALRA), the housing-concerns diagram takes stock of a set of related housing concerns items as a co-created output of the researcher and a few stakeholders in a case study. These housing concerns are the ones to be responded to intellectually as depicted in the corresponding theoretical framework (starting from level-0). The question is, what can be the legitimate reasons that the corresponding theoretical framework has fewer items that that of the housing-concerns diagram. Here, I offer two legitimate reasons: 

Reason 1. If two housing-concerns items belong to the same housing studies topic (e.g. deteriorating economic trends affecting the housing market), then the two housing-concerns items can be consolidated (maybe also with the expansionism rationale) to become one theoretical framework item. 

An example:

Housing-concern 1 [hc1]: concerned about the impact of increasing interest rate on the housing affordability situation facing the middle-class in Hong Kong

Housing-concern 2 [hc2]: concerned about the impact of increasing unemployment rate on the housing affordability situation facing the middle-class in Hong Kong

A corresponding consolidated theoretical framework item (item 2): to evaluate the worsening economic trend on the housing affordability situation facing the middle-class in Hong Kong. [note: in this example, the economic trend covers interest rate and unemployment rate trends, among others].

Reason 2: the housing concerns item (a clarifying housing-concerns item [chci]) appears in the housing-concerns diagram mainly to further clarify the nature of another significant housing-concerns item (a significant housing-concerns item [shci]). In this case the chci itself will not be directly transformed into a theoretical framework item in the theoretical framework.

An example:

Housing concern 1[hc1] [chci]: concerned about the impact of the weakening HKD on the interest rate movement in Hong Kong

Housing concern 2 [hc2] [shci]: concerned about the impact of the interest rate movement on the housing affordability situation facing the middle-class in Hong Kong.

In this case, HC1 [a chci] is not to be considered to produce a corresponding theoretical framework item for the theoretical framework level-0. HC1 mainly serves to  clarify the nature of HC2 in the housing-concerns diagram.

The legitimate reasons why items in a management-concerns diagram are fewer than that in the theoretical framework (ALRA)

The legitimate reasons why items in a management-concerns diagram are fewer than that in the theoretical framework (ALRA) in MBA dissertation works:

In the agile literature review approach (ALRA), the management-concerns diagram takes stock of a set of related management concerns items as a co-created output of the researcher and a few stakeholders in a case study. These management concerns are the ones to be responded to intellectually as depicted in the corresponding theoretical framework (starting from level-0). The question is, what can be the legitimate reasons that the corresponding theoretical framework has fewer items that that of the management-concerns diagram. Here, I offer two legitimate reasons: 

Reason 1. If two management-concerns items belong to the same management topic (e.g. challenges arising from the deteriorating supply chain landscape), then the two management-concerns items can be consolidated (maybe also with the expansionism rationale) to become one theoretical framework item. 

Reason 2: the management-concerns item (a clarifying management-concerns item [cmci]) appears in the management-concerns diagram mainly to further clarify the nature of another significant management-concerns item (a significant management-concerns item [smci]). In this case the cmci itself will not be directly transformed into a theoretical framework item in the theoretical framework.