Marketing - Research Proposal -

Research Proposal


Research Proposal

What is a research proposal?  
A research proposal sets out the broad topic you would like to research (substance),
what the research would set out to achieve (aims and objectives),
how you would go about researching it (methodology),
how you would undertake it within the time available (outline plan) and
what the results might be in relation to knowledge and understanding in the subject (potential outcomes).
 Purpose of a Research Proposal  
Research proposal is intended to convince others that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the work-plan to complete it.    
The purpose of a proposal is to sell your idea to the funding agency.
This means that the investigator must convince the funding agency that:     The problem is significant and worthy of study    
The technical approach is novel and likely to yield results    
The investigator and his/her research team is/are the right group of individuals to carry out and accomplish the work described in the research proposal.
Elements of a Research Proposal  


Title    
Abstract   
Table of Content
Section A: Introduction    
Section B: Review of the Related Literature    
Section C: Methodology    
Section D: Ethical/ Legal Consideration    
Section E: Time Schedule     References
Abstract   Is a summary of the whole research;    
Main purpose is to summarize the research (particularly the objective and the main finding/conclusion), NOT to introduce the research area.    
Has a maximum word limit;    
An abstract should briefly:     Re-establish the topic of the research.    
Give the research problem  or main objective of the research 
  Indicate the methodology used.   
Present the main findings and conclusion.
introduction
“The introduction is the part of the paper that provides readers with the background information for the research reported in the paper.
Its purpose is to establish a framework for the research, so that readers can understand how it is related to other research”
In an introduction, the writer should create reader interest in the topic,        
lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to the study,        
place the study within the larger context of the scholarly literature, and        
reach out to a specific audience.
Statement of the Problem   “ The problem statement describes the context for the study and it also identifies the general analysis approach”.    
A problem statement is a clear description of the issue(s), it includes a vision, issue statement, and method used to solve the problem.    
The 5 'W's can be used to spark the discussion about the problem.    
A problem statement expresses the words that will be used to keep the effort focused and it should represent a solveable problem.
OBJECTIVES
The OBJECTIVES of a research project summaries what is to be achieved by the study.    
Objectives should be closely related to the statement of the problem.
For example, if the problem identified is low utilization of child welfare clinics,
the general objective of the study could be to identify the reasons for this low utilization, in order to find solutions.    
The general objective of a study states what researchers expect to achieve by the study in general terms.    


It is possible (and advisable) to break down a general objective into smaller, logically connected parts.
These are normally referred to as specific objectives.    
Specific objectives should systematically address the various aspects of the problem as defined under ‘Statement of the Problem’ and the key factors that are assumed to influence or cause the problem.
They should specify what you will do in your study, where and for what purpose .


Research Hypotheses   Based on your experience with the study problem, it might be possible to develop explanations for the problem, which can then be tested.
If so, you can formulate hypotheses in addition to the study objectives.    
A HYPOTHESIS is a prediction of a relationship between one or more factors and the problem under study that can be tested.    
a hypothesis represents a declarative statement of the relations between two or more variables


Research Questions   Questions are relevant to normative or census type research (How many of them are there? Is there a relationship between them?).    
They are most often used in qualitative inquiry, although their use in quantitative inquiry is becoming more prominent.   
A research question poses a relationship between two or more variables but phrases the relationship as a question;


Limitations and Delimitations  


A limitation identifies potential weaknesses of the study.
Think about your analysis, the nature of self-report, your instruments, the sample.
Think about threats to internal validity that may have been impossible to avoid or minimize—explain .      
A delimitation addresses how a study will be narrowed in scope, that is, how it is bounded.


This is the place to explain the things that you are not doing and why you have chosen not to do them—the literature you will not review (and why not), the population you are not studying (and why not), the methodological procedures you will not use (and why you will not use them).
Limit your delimitations to the things that a reader might reasonably expect you to do but that you, for clearly explained reasons, have decided not to do.



Research Design  
Design – a description of the approach to be used to reach objectives.    
Clearly indicate the methods of data collection either within a quantitative or qualitative methodology;
as well as the techniques for data collection, e.g. questionnaires, and measurement (the validation of the techniques).
Indicate whether field workers will be used to collect data and whether computer programmes will be employed to analyse the data.
Population and Sampling  


A population can be defined as including all people or items with the characteristic one wishes to understand    


Population sampling refers to the process through which a group of representative individuals is selected from a population for the purpose of statistical analysis.
Data Collection    


Outline the general plan for collecting the data.
This may include survey administration procedures, interview or observation procedures.
Include an explicit statement covering the field controls to be employed.
Data Analysis    
Specify the procedures you will use, and label them accurately (e.g., ANOVA, MANCOVA, HLM, ethnography, case study, grounded theory).
If coding procedures are to be used, describe in reasonable detail. If you triangulated, carefully explain how you went about it.
Communicate your precise intentions and reasons for these intentions to the reader.
This helps you and the reader evaluate the choices you made and procedures you followed.       
Indicate briefly any analytic tools you will have available and expect to use (e.g., Ethnograph, NUDIST, AQUAD, SAS, SPSS, SYSTAT).        
Provide a well thought-out rationale for your decision to use the design, methodology, and analyses you have selected.
Time Schedule  


This section indicates exactly what will be done, the sequence of the various activities, and the products of deliverables that will be prepared.
Specify the tasks, deliverables, and schedule in some detail, although there is usually some latitude for offerers.    
In preparing grant proposals, there is more freedom to define the tasks.
In both cases, it is important that the proposed task structure includes all of the activities necessary for completing the project.    
Planning a viable schedule for carrying out the tasks is often as important as developing a comprehensive list of tasks.