Overview
CAPS 699: Capstone (Applied Project) is an applied-research course that bridges theory and practice by applying management concepts to real-world business issues. Using literature reviews, secondary data, case studies, or content analyses, students connect frameworks, models, and theories from the MBA program to a specific business problem, developing practical recommendations.
The course allows students to explore a topic of interest, apply relevant management theories, and analyze secondary data under the guidance of an academic supervisor. Assessment is based on a project proposal, an interim report, and a final paper.
Outline
This course is divided into 3 lessons over the course of 10 weeks:
- Lesson 1 / Week 1: Research Proposal (Milestone 1)
- Lesson 2 / Weeks 2 to 5: Conducting Research – Interim Report (Milestone 2)
- Lesson 3 / Weeks 6 to 10: Finalizing Research – Final Research Paper (Milestone 3)
| Lesson | Topic | Assessment |
| 1 | Research Proposal The student will engage with key research fundamentals and tools, identify and define their research problem, begin the literature review, and plan their research design in preparation for writing their proposal, which must be submitted for approval by the end of Week 1. | Research Proposal (1,000 +/- 10% words) |
| 2 | Conducting Research After the Academic Area Manager approves the proposal and appoints a supervisor, the student will focus on research design and data analysis methods while starting to draft their final paper. By the end of Week 5, the supervisor will evaluate the student’s progress and the feasibility of completing the project on schedule, submitting an interim report accordingly. | Interim Report |
| 3 | Finalizing Research and Writing the Final Paper In the final five weeks, the student will complete their research and finalize their paper, which must be submitted for approval by the end of Week 10. | Final Research Paper (5,000 +/- 10% words) |
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to
- have a good understanding of what conducting applied research implies.
- define a feasible and challenging research project with a clear purpose and research questions.
- introduce their research in terms of the relevant context and importance.
- conduct a thorough academic literature review, identifying theories and frameworks that would suit their research and help address their research questions.
- identify an adequate research methodology that would satisfy their research agenda.
- analyze information and/or data required to answer research questions in a timely and thorough manner.
- discuss results according to the findings of their research in the context of the proposed introduction and academic literature, including recommendations for the respective field.
- use appropriate reference management software and write at an academic level.
Evaluation
To receive a passing grade in this course, students must receive a Pass on all three of the course components below:
| Activity | Weight |
| Research Proposal (Week 1) | Pass/Fail |
| Supervisor’s Interim Report (Week 5) | Pass/Fail |
| Final Research Paper (Week 10) | Pass/Fail |
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Ormrod, J. E. (2024). Practical research: Design and process (13th ed.). Pearson.
All additional materials—including articles on how to write a literature review, write a research proposal, conduct research, and write an academic paper—will be accessed online.