While collecting data for the research, I faced challenges in all the sections of the research including:
Aim: In this section, I had to come up with a research question. I was given two topics that were totally different and at one point, I could not see a connection and thus, I found if difficult to formulate one single aim.
Literature Review: This was the major section of the research that needed me to explore the possible literature on the use of blockchain technology for food security. When I read a bit about the technology and food insecurity, I found very few articles on the two topics in connection. Some of them explained the use of BCT as the mode of payment in the food supply system while others spoke of the development of the mobile application with the base of BCT. Most studies had to be done separately for the two concepts such that connecting the two was difficult. BCT technology was mostly used in commercial businesses and use of the same in the food chain was difficult to find the literature for. Understanding the concept of food security was also very time consuming as had a lot of data to be explored and a lot of concepts to be discussed.
In the process, I found that food related surveys could use the concept of the block chain so I refined my scope and tried exploring survey as the possible solution for food insecurity. I explored data of UN, from food banks, and Government surveys. I also found a food distribution app called fareshare that could be used by the food systems to make them secure through the use of blockchain technology. However, making a logical connection between the topics found was very challenging. At last I found some logical and streamlined literature on the possibility of building application for connecting all the entities in the food supply chain. So, decided to refine my idea to the possibility of exploring a mobile application for improving the food supply chain system to reduce food insecurity in the country.
Scope: In this section, I was to explore the project scope. During the initial research, I was unable to find the full literature and was struggling to explore how BCT could be used for the reduction of food insecurity. The initial findings were related to the payments but then it got refined to also understanding the concept of food insecurity which also refined my scope. So, the section of scope was actually modified over the duration of the project. Similarly, with modification of the scope, the risks would also change or get added and thus, had to update the section again after finding more literature. I could flip on risks and scope between the use of blockchain for reducing food insecurity by conducting survey or by involving it in payments. I later combined the idea of BCT for payments through an application and also include survey as its part to cover all the related concepts of food insecurity with BCT.
Sources: Collecting journal articles that spoke about the niche subject was difficult. I could find journal articles talking either about BCT or about food insecurity but there was no article whose literature could be used directly for the purpose of this research until I modified the scope and decided to research on the possible mobile application with the payment structure of blockchain model in the food chain. On most popular journals only a few articles were found. Thus, I could not populate many journals in this section.
Ethical, legal, privacy and security issues: When concerning the topic, I found it very difficult to find specific details of these types of issues. I could find some ethical and security concerns but the other issues were difficult to find. I could find some risk categories for survey that was made the part of the application I suggested in the research as the solution while other categories were found for the application. It was very confusing me to populate these ideas in a unified manner.
Interaction for Support
To understand the topic better and keep my research aligned, I tried taking support from my peer students, supervisors and tutors.
Tutor: The tutor helped me refine my topic and decide a methodology for this research. The tutor suggested me the journals and books that I could get from the library to read on the subject. The tutor also guided me through the defining of the project scope and finding the right literature on the subject. I was recommended a few keywords I could use online for searching through the journals and my library. I was also suggested to go through the UN data and the idea of food survey while researching the subject. When I told the tutor about my difficulty in finding the possible use of BCT in the system
Supervisor: The supervisor resolved my issues and challenges that I have already mentioned in the previous section of this critical reflection report. For instance, when I was finding it difficult to find data on use of BCT in food supply chains, the supervisor suggested me to split the two concepts and study them individually and then would be able to understand the subject in depth and discover more keywords to drill down on the research subject. It did help me and I could get my literature done more exhaustively.
Peers: My peers support me with some ideas on keywords immediately while searching and some even helped me with ideas that I could used for research through the online journals. They also encouraged me by motivational talks when I was finding it difficult to explore the topic. At a point, I even though of a possibility of changing it but then one of peers suggested me to take help from the tutor supervisor and not change the topic as it would only increase my efforts. I liked the idea and took support to move ahead with my project. My peers also suggested me to use the past literature on the subject from library which they helped me to find.
Skills required
From the experience of preparing the research proposal, I could figure out a few skills that a researcher needs to have and these include:
Attention to Details: A researcher needs to go through a large number of documents while keeping the focus only on the subject to be studied and the research questions to be answered. Thus, it is important that the researcher has a keen eye for details so that sufficient interpretations can be made and the gaps can be analysed in the research literature. This would help researcher refine the objectives of the research and understand he literature gaps that are needed to be filled by a new research. A proposal usually formalizes on this gap analysis to come up with the idea of a research. I think I have a keen eye for the detail and can easily make observations.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking allows a researcher to understand arguments and build arguments around the same in favour or against it which is important to understand different perspectives on a research topic. A research can either support or question existing hypothesis to come up with a proposal for a new research. Any new research would either provide existing arguments as true or negate them. With critical thinking researcher would be able to explore and understand past literature on any subject and come up with a plan for a new research idea. This would help a researcher understand the implications that the information added can have on the field of study and thus, it is one of the most essential skills needed in a researcher building a proposal. I found myself a little lacking in critical thinking as I was finding it difficult to compare the perspectives of multiple theorists on the same subject and make sound arguments.
Planning and Scheduling: Research proposal writing is a highly formalized and systematic process that is also time bound. Each part of the work can affect the outcome of the research. Thus, it is very important to have a proper planning and scheduling done for the research being proposed. A researcher proposing any researcher needs to have a good idea of what needs to be done in the research and how much time it will take. These factors can affect the outcome of the research, the quality of its results and the cost of conducting research. Every proposal covers a plan and a schedule for the research proposed. Thus, a proposal writer should be good at planning and scheduling research projects. I am not very good at planning and took more time to complete my proposal than expected because I was unable to judge the time requirements of the project and thus, I need to work on this.
Professional development plan
SWOT Analysis
My strengths include:
My weaknesses include:
I can take the following opportunities to learn:
I can face following threats as a researcher:
Objectives and Action plan
Objective 1: develop critical thinking
For developing critical thinking, I would take the following steps:
Objective 2: Improve scheduling and planning skills
For improving my planning, I would take the following steps:
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