| Course | BUS 700 Introduction to Business Administration in Doctoral Study (BUS/700) |
|---|---|
| Week | 7 |
| Paper type | Doctoral research problem statement |
| Length | about 1,158 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | DBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 700 Week 7
From a Workplace Worry to a Researchable Problem: Defining a Doctoral Research Problem About Branch Closures and Digital Banking
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
BUS/700: Introduction to Business Administration in Doctoral Study
Week 7 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The doctoral student, Buckeye Valley Bank and all data are composites written for a model paper.
Over six weeks, Marcus Bell, the composite bank leader at the center of this course, has read research, practiced scholarly writing, applied critical thinking and examined theories. His recurring concern is what happens to older small business owners when their local branch closes. This week he must turn that concern into a research problem. A worry becomes a research problem when it can be stated precisely, shown with evidence, located in what is already known and framed as questions that a study could answer. This paper defines Marcus's research problem.
Business Problem Versus Research Problem
A business problem is a practical difficulty: Buckeye Valley is losing small business customers in towns where branches closed. A research problem is a gap in knowledge relevant to such difficulties: what is not yet understood about how these customers adapt. Research problems should matter beyond one organization, so that answering them helps other banks and adds to what scholars know.
Documenting the Business Problem
Bank data show that small business accounts in the eight towns that lost branches declined 14 percent in two years, compared with 6 percent in other towns. Among owners aged 55 and older, only 22 percent use the bank's mobile app for business transactions, compared with 61 percent of younger owners. Several departing customers moved to credit unions or community banks with nearby branches, according to exit notes recorded by bank staff, suggesting that proximity still mattered to them.
What Research Shows
Nguyen (2019) found that branch closings lead to lasting declines in local small business lending, suggesting that proximity and relationships matter. Technology acceptance research ties adoption mainly to whether a tool seems helpful and easy (Davis, 1989), with age moderating some relationships (Venkatesh et al., 2003).
What Research Does Not Show
Little research examines how older small business owners experience branch closures, how they adapt their banking practices and what role digital tools and remaining bank staff play in that adaptation. Lending studies use aggregate data and cannot reveal owners' reasoning; technology acceptance studies focus mainly on employees or consumers, not small business owners facing a loss of local service.
Questioning Assumptions
Alvesson and Sandberg (2011) encouraged researchers to generate questions by challenging assumptions in existing work. A common assumption is that digital channels substitute for branches. Marcus's problem questions this assumption for a group whose banking relationships were built in person.
The Problem Statement
At the broadest level, bank branch closures reduce access to relationship-based banking for small businesses. More specifically, little is known about how small business owners aged 55 and older in communities that lost a branch adapt their banking practices, including whether and how they adopt digital banking, leaving banks without evidence to design effective transitions.
The Purpose
This qualitative study will explore how small business owners aged 55 and older in Ohio communities that lost a bank branch describe their adaptation of banking practices and the role of digital tools and bank staff in that adaptation.
Research Questions
First, how do small business owners aged 55 and older describe changes in their banking practices after a local branch closure? Second, what factors do these owners identify as helping or hindering their use of digital banking for business transactions?
How the Problem Was Narrowed
Marcus's first version asked how banks can keep small business customers after closures, a question too broad and too close to consulting. A second version asked whether mobile banking adoption differs by age, answerable with existing data but adding little beyond prior research. The final version focuses on how older owners experience and adapt to closures, a question that existing aggregate studies cannot answer and that matters for practice. Each revision moved the question closer to a gap and further from a sales goal.
Possible Theoretical Framework
Technology acceptance theory offers a framework for the second research question, guiding interview topics about usefulness, ease of use, social influence and support. The resource-based view, examined in Week 5, helps interpret what owners lose when relationships with local staff end. Using a framework shapes interviews without forcing answers into predetermined categories.
Potential Participants and Data
Participants will be identified through chambers of commerce, business associations and bank customer lists, with 20 to 25 interviews planned across four or five communities. Interviews will last about an hour and be recorded with consent. Bank records, where available and permitted, can provide context such as account changes and digital usage.
Why a Qualitative Approach
Because the goal is to understand experiences and reasoning not captured in aggregate data, interviews are suited to the questions. A later quantitative study could test patterns that emerge, using a survey of a larger sample of owners across several states.
Scope and Delimitations
The study will focus on owners of businesses with fewer than 20 employees in Ohio towns that lost a branch within the past three years, including customers of several banks to reduce the influence of Marcus's employer.
Feasibility and Ethics
Marcus has access to communities and can recruit through local chambers of commerce. To avoid conflicts, he will include customers of other banks, use an independent interviewer for Buckeye Valley customers and protect confidentiality. Institutional review board approval will be required.
Significance for Theory
The study may extend technology acceptance research to small business owners in a context of lost local service and add individual-level understanding to economic research on branch closures. Whetten (1989) argued that theoretical contributions explain what, how and why, and the study aims to explain how and why adaptation occurs.
Limitations Anticipated
A qualitative study of 20 to 25 owners in Ohio cannot measure how common particular experiences are or prove causes. Participants who agree to interviews may differ from those who decline, and owners who already left their banks may be harder to reach. Marcus will describe these limits openly and suggest how a later survey could test patterns across a larger, more representative sample.
What the Study Will Not Do
The study will not evaluate Buckeye Valley's closure decisions or recommend specific products, which would blur the line between research and consulting. Its aim is understanding, which banks can then apply to their own decisions.
Significance for Practice
Banks planning closures could use findings to design transitions, such as staff outreach, training and tools that help owners shift to digital banking or remote relationships, reducing customer loss and supporting local businesses.
Alignment
The problem, purpose, questions and qualitative approach align: each concerns understanding older owners' adaptation after closures, and interviews suit the exploratory questions.
Conclusion
Marcus has moved from a workplace worry to a defined research problem: little is known about how older small business owners adapt their banking after branch closures. Documented business evidence, a literature gap, a clear purpose, focused questions and attention to feasibility and ethics give him a foundation for the dissertation plan in Week 8.
References
Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2011). Generating research questions through problematization. Academy of Management Review, 36(2), 247-271. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0188
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Nguyen, H.-L. Q. (2019). Are credit markets still local? Evidence from bank branch closings. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 11(1), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20170543
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
Whetten, D. A. (1989). What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 490-495. https://doi.org/10.2307/258554
What the BUS 700 Week 7 instructions ask
Week 7 of BUS 700 calls for a clearly stated research problem drawn from the student's practice. Common requirements include describing a business problem with evidence, connecting it to scholarly literature, identifying a gap or unresolved question, writing a problem statement, stating a purpose, drafting research questions, considering scope, feasibility and ethics and explaining significance for theory and practice. Many prompts require specific problem statement elements. Use evidence for the business problem, cite research for the gap, keep questions answerable and list every source in APA format. Trace how the problem was narrowed from a broad concern, since that path shows the reasoning behind the final statement.
How this BUS 700 Week 7 example is built
A bank director worried that branch closures are pushing older small business customers away must turn that worry into a problem research can address, and the paper shows the steps. The business problem is documented: customers in towns that lost a branch left at twice the rate of others, and few use the mobile app. Research shows that closures reduce local small business lending and that perceived usefulness drives technology adoption, but little is known about how older owners adapt their banking after closures. The paper writes a problem statement, a purpose for a qualitative study, two research questions, scope and feasibility notes and significance for theory and practice.
BUS 700 Week 7 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong research problem papers move clearly from a documented business problem to a researchable gap and specific questions. Faculty credit evidence that the problem exists and matters, accurate use of literature to show what is known and unknown, a concise problem statement, a purpose aligned with the questions and appropriate method, answerable questions and attention to feasibility and ethics. Explaining significance for both scholarship and practice reflects the DBA's aims. Clear alignment among problem, purpose and questions is the hallmark of a strong submission, supported by correct APA citations. Faculty also notice whether the writer guards against bias when studying a familiar setting, for example by including customers of other banks, and whether the study's scope is realistic for a working professional's time and access.
BUS 700 Week 7 help: mistakes to avoid
Students often present a topic or an opinion as a problem. Show evidence that something is wrong or unknown and why it matters. Another frequent gap is a gap claimed without literature support; show what research covers and where it stops. Students also write questions too broad to answer. Narrow population, context and focus. Avoid questions with yes or no answers. Align purpose, questions and method. Consider access, time and ethics. Finally, explain significance in specific terms, naming who would use the findings and how. Test each question by asking whether a study could answer it within the program's time and with the data you can reach.
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BUS 700 Week 7 questions, answered
What does BUS 700 Week 7 usually cover?
It usually covers identifying a research problem: documenting a business problem, connecting it to literature, identifying a gap, writing a problem statement and purpose, drafting research questions and considering scope, feasibility and significance.
Where can I find a free BUS 700 Week 7 sample paper?
A complete research problem paper on branch closures and digital banking, with notes on each element, is on this page. Share your workplace concern and a complimentary draft of the problem statement can be prepared.
What is the difference between a business problem and a research problem?
A business problem is a practical difficulty an organization faces. A research problem is a gap or unresolved question in knowledge that, if answered, would help explain or address such problems.
What makes a good research question?
It is clear, focused, answerable with available methods and data, aligned with the purpose and significant for theory or practice, avoiding simple yes or no answers.
What is alignment in a research proposal?
Consistency among the problem, purpose, research questions, theoretical framework and methods, so that each element supports the others.
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