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Course: Research Methods

Group Assignment (25%)

Last submission date: 28 May 2022

GROUP ASSIGNMENT II: PREPARATION OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Maximum Mark (25%)

Guideline to Prepare Research Proposal

Research Proposal is a written document of research design, which in turn is a course of action or proposed
activity by the researchers to conduct research. There is no hard and fast format in scientific research proposal
writing. It varies from one organization to another and from one country to another. Research proposal should
be written in future tense. The major components (elements) of a scientific research proposal that should be
included in this assignment are the following:

Title page
Abstract
Acknowledgment
Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures
Chapter one: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Basic Research Questions
1.4 Objectives of the Study
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Scope of the Study
1.7 Limitation of the Study
1.8 Background of the Organization/case area (optional)
1.9 Operational definition of new terms
1.10 Organization of the Paper
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.1Theoreticval Review of Literature
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2.2 Theoretical Review of Literature
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2.3 Development of Conceptual framework

Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology

3.1 Research Design
3.2 Research Approach
3.3 Target population & Sampling Methods
3.3.1 Target population
3.3.2 Sample size determination Methods and Sample size
3.3.3 Sampling Methods/Techniques
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 3.4 Data
3.4.1 Data Types
3.4.2 Data sources
3.4.3 Data Collections methods
3.4.4 Data Analysis Methods
Reference

The explanations for each of the above research proposal components are provided here under:
I. Title page
 The title should be explicit and transparent
 The title should be clear and short
 The title should capture and reflect the content of the proposal. It should enable the readers to
understand the concepts of the study.
II. Abstract
Abstract is a summary, which reflects the whole content of the proposal (most of the time less than 300 words).
Abstract should be concise, informative and should provide brief information about the whole problem to be
investigated. The abstract of a proposal should contain the following points:

III. Acknowledgment
In scientific research, an acknowledgement is an expression of gratitude for assistance in the research work. It
is written on a separate page after the abstract. It must not be too long; in fact, a maxim of half a page should be
enough. Receiving credit of acknowledgment rather than authorship indicates that the person or organization
did not have a direct hand in producing the work in question, but may have contributed funding, criticism, or
encouragement to the researcher.

IV. Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures

A table of contents usually headed simply "Contents", is a list of the parts of the proposal or the research or
document organized in the order in which the parts appear. The contents usually includes the titles or
descriptions of the first-level headers, such as chapter titles in longer works, and often includes second-level or
section titles within the chapters as well, and occasionally even third-level titles (subsections). The depth of
detail in tables of contents depends on the length of the work, with longer works having less. Documents of
fewer than ten pages do not require tables of contents.

Chapter one: Introduction

1.1 Background of the study
This section in research proposal should give preliminary explanation and background on the subject and the
need for undertaking the study. It reviews the previous work to reveal what is known about the subject. Some
question to be addressed in this part may include
 What are current and previous studies that have been made on the issues to be studied?
 What is the present gap in knowledge and current trend?
 What makes worth studying

1.2 Background of the organization/study area

In this part of the proposal, the researcher will give basic information about the organization being studied such
as date of establishment, visions, missions, objectives, brief history, main products, main inputs used, capital,
human resource etc. if the study conducted covers certain geographical area, again, brief background about that
area should be provided. The objective of this is to introduce the reader about the organization being studied
and the case area in which the research is conducted.

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1.3 Statement of the problem (the rationale)
The rational provides some of the reasons for doing the study and its importance. Citations from past research
may be relevant here; likewise recent political and economic events, previous efforts to solve the problem that
did not succeed can be mentioned. Statement of the problem clearly states the overall plan for obtaining an
answer to the research question or for testing the research hypothesis. The statement of the problem is the first
part of the paper to be read [The title and the abstract are usually ignored]. The problem statement should attract
the interest of the reader and establish a persuasive context for what follows. The primary purpose is to
persuade the reader that the research project is a valid one. It is at this stage that many good research ideas have
the potential to fail and have series difficulties. One of the mistakes most often made by the new researcher is
that the problem they wish to investigate is not stated clearly enough. A lot of research problems start out as too
‘bit’.

The researcher must identify the problem and state it accurately, objectively and clearly. This step often can be
the toughest in the entire research process, because sometimes symptoms can be mistaken for problem. For
instance, let’s assume overdue receivables. This is just an indication for the existence of a problem – it is a
symptom. So, what is the real problem? The finance manager might say, “The problem is inefficient credit
policy”. That may be the conclusion after reviewing the situation. However, the real problem may be poor
follow up of credit customers, Bankruptcy of credit customers, Negligence of Credit customers, and Not using
the appropriate technology where the number of credit customers is extensive (Not maintaining credit
customers’ Data Base) or a dozen other factors. Do you see why a problem must be identified and stated?

Statement of the problem, therefore, puts a verbal fence around the situation and ensures, to some degree, that
the planning, researching, conclusions, recommendations, and decisions will remain within the fenced area. In
many situations, the problem can be stated in a paragraph or two. However, when investigating more complex
problems with which the reader of the report is unfamiliar, it may be necessary to provide more information in
stating the problem. The researchers need to be able to clearly answer the question: “what is the problem”? And
“why is this problem worth my attention”? At the same time, the problem statement limits scope by focusing on
some variables and not others. It also provides an opportunity for the researcher to demonstrate why these
variables are important.

Statement of the problem should close with a question or a hypothesis. The research questions or hypotheses
expand on the problem statement by providing detail. This is a crucial stage in the research undertakings. If the
researcher does not ask the appropriate questions, he/she will not be able to collect suitable data and arrive at
sensible conclusions. Research question does not mean the detailed question that might be included in
questionnaires or interviews, but question that identify the nature of the research problem or the issue the
researcher wishes to focus on. Once the problem is stated, the researcher should formulate specific questions or
hypothesis. In quantitative research, the research questions are followed by a number of hypotheses. To set the
appropriate research questions, there should be a proper and sufficient literature search. The purpose of the
literature search that follows is to answer the research problem question, if the literature cannot answer the
question; the research is needed to do so. An example question might be: “What is the relationship between the
credit policy and average default amount and number of days a receivable is overdue”? The information needed
is 1) some measure of credit policy and 2) average default amount and number of days overdue. But sometimes
bad question may be raised. For example “what is the relationship between the credit policies and average
default amount and number days a receivable is overdue”? The title of this research project would be something
like this. “credit policy and Average amount of default and number of days a receivable is overdue”.

1.4 Objective of the study

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In this section, the proposal can indicate what is expected to occur and why, suggest the variable that determine
relationship, or provide an explanation for a phenomenon that has been observed, which strengthens the
proposal and research agenda. Generally this section should focus on the point.
 What is to be achieved by the proposed investigation has to be stated plainly and concisely.
 Objective/s should be to the point and logically arranged
 Objective/s should be stated in a form which shows the relations between variables
 Objective/s must clearly state the target of the research activity and the kind of results expected or
sought from conducting research.
While formulating objectives or statement of purposes for your study, the objectives should start with words
such as ‘to find out’, ‘to determine’, ‘to ascertain’, to measure, and ‘to explore’. The researcher should think
about these objectives and decide the feasibility of attaining them before starting the major research activities.
Statement of the purpose is a very specific statement what major thing to achieve in the research. This specific
purpose does not have to be a complete paragraph; it can be a single simple statement. The purpose statement
should be exact, precise, and narrow. One representative purpose statement in accounting could be:
“To determine why the receivables are many days over due in commercial Bank of Ethiopia”
1.5 Significance of the study
In this section you will write about the effect of your study, and how it will change the things. Talk about the
benefits it will bring, how it will be helpful, to whom and why it is helpful.

1.6 Scope and Limitation

Scope of the study is what you intend to cover in your study. This section is where you list what you are doing.
It is where you set the boundaries and you list some things explicitly that you are not doing because they are
outside the boundary of your project. The limitation is where you list your materials, place where you will do it,
any problems that might limit your work...

1.7 Organization of the study

In this section you will explain how you planned to organize your research paper. You will tell how many
chapters you intend to include and what each chapter’s talks about.

Chapter Two: Literature Review

Literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including
substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. Literature
reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work. Literature
review involves locating literature in a variety of sources reading it carefully and thoroughly organizing it into
themes along with the line of investigation. Types of reviewed literature can be:
 Theoretical works and review
 Methodological review
 Original findings and reviews of them

Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology

The methodologies are the core and the largest part of a scientific research proposal. The methodologies are
largely descriptive. This section is an essential prerequisite for validating the results and hence acceptability of
the proposal. An accurate, clear and valid methodology is required so that peers can:
 Replicate the experiments described in an experimental research
 Modify them with the assurance that the modification is different from the original.
 Apply them under different conditions

Methodology should give full details to show how the research activity is going to be carried out. Since this
section is the largest and the most important part of the research proposal, researchers are advised to split in into
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sub – sections. Such effort makes the proposal transparent and clear to the readers as well as to the reviewing
committee and therefore, minimizes the risk of being rejected by a research committee. The suggested sub-
sections can be:

3.1 Research Design

Research design is the science and art of planning procedures for conducting studies so as to get the most valid
findings. Determining your research design will give you a detailed plan, which you will use to guide and focus
your research. There are different research design approaches depending on different criteria. Researcher will
choose the one which is appropriate for their study. The followings are the most popular research design
approaches

Classification Types of research designs

criteria
Degree of problem Exploratory research – to develop hypotheses or questions for further research
crystallization Formal research – to test the hypotheses or answer the research questions posed
The method of data Observation – The researcher monitors and records information about subjects
collection without questioning them.
Survey – The researcher interrogates subjects and collects their responses.
Researcher’s control Experimental design – The researcher attempts to control or manipulate the
of variables variables in the study.
Ex post facto design – Investigators have no control over the variables in sense of
being able to manipulate them.
The purpose of the Descriptive research – concerned with answering who, what, where, when or how
study much questions
Casual research – concerned with learning why, i.e., how one variable affects
another
The time dimension Cross-sectional research – carried out once
Longitudinal research – repeated and studied changes over time
The topical scope Statistical study – emphasis on breadth of coverage and interested in the frequency
of certain characteristics or instances
Case study – emphasis on the detailed analysis a limited number of events or
conditions and their relationships
The research Field study
environment Laboratory study

3.2 Data source & Collection methods

In this subsection of the methodology, information required to attack the problem is explained. Each variable or
indicator identified by a researcher is explained and justified to show how it is relevant to the current study. The
source of the data, the site (location) of the study and time that will be included (relevant time period) should
also be specified. The two basic sources of data for a study are primary sources and secondary sources. The
researcher is expected to specifically list the primary and secondary data source to be used. Methods of data
collection are how the data are obtained from earlier specified sources? There are different methods to collect
primary data. All available methods are expected to be considered by a researcher and the best one is selected.
The researcher may use the following methods to collect primary data: Observation method; Interview method
(Personal or Telephone Interview or focus Group discussion or Group Interview); Questionnaires (Mail
Questionnaires); or Schedule (Interview Questionnaires). But the researcher must explain and justify how the
selection of a particular method is relevant and appropriate to the study. Secondary data should be obtained
from a reliable source and the research should mention the possible sources of secondary data.

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3.3. Target Population & Method of Sampling: From which elements are the data collected? The researcher
has to specify the elements from which the desired information is collected (target population) and how these
elements are selected. There are different sampling techniques. The researcher is expected to consider all of
them and select the one, which is appropriate for the current study. Justification of his choice of a particular
sampling technique is relevant here. The sample size should also be specified with its method of sample size
determination.

3.4. Method of data Analysis and Presenting the Outcome: Once the information is collected how it will be
processed and analyzed will also be explained, particularly if the researcher uses mathematical models, he has
to show their mathematical derivations and relations briefly to demonstrate their relevance for the current study.
The data is edited, coded and classified to complete the data processing tasks. Then the data analysis will
continue. The researcher can use the following data analysis techniques: Tabulation, Percentage, Measurement
of Central Tendency (Mean, mode and median), and Measurement of Dispersion Variance, Standard Deviation,
Coefficient of Variation and Data Transformation. In accounting, Ratio analysis (Profitability Ratio, Liquidity
ratios, Activity Management Ratios, Debt or Leverage Management Ratios and market Value Ratios) is the
most powerful and useful techniques in Descriptive Analysis. Common size and Trend Analysis can also be
used as part of Descriptive analysis. Sometimes it is worth to mention how the outcome of the research will be
presented to consumers (general public).

Work and Cost Plan

Work Plan
Work plane is timetable explaining how the researcher expects to carry out his project. It is a plan in terms of
number of week or months and expected completion dates. Commonly researchers present it in a table form or
Gannet chart. The length of time required for postgraduate study is determined by the budget of the time
presented by students. Thus, researcher should be realist in budgeting his time.

Cost Budget
Most proposals put together with the expectation that funding will be necessary and an itemized list of the items
needed to carry out the methodology is listed in some detail. A carefully developed budget reflects the
seriousness of the proposal and the degree to which it is a realistic assessment of what is needed. These costs
may be:
 Expenses for data collection,
 Payment for consultants where they are necessary
 Traveling and all such items needed to be detailed
 A sum of money for contingencies

Reference (Bibliography) and in – text Citations (Literature Cited)

All works cited either in the proposal or the research should be referenced accordingly to avoid plagiarism. All
works cited in the proposal are listed either alphabetically or numerically at the end of the document usually
under the heading of “referenced or Bibliography”. Some authors would like to make distinction between
references and bibliography as mentioned below. References; are lists of literature, which have been cited in the
text of a document. Bibliography: includes also items, which were not cited but are relevant to the document.
There are several ways of making citation and recording references. But the one which is popular in business
and economics is the Harvard university system.

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In text citation and Referencing using Harvard System
1. In text citation in Harvard system uses author’s name, date, and page of the reference material. Example
of some of the common types of literature citation using Harvard system are given below

Single author: Examples

Brigham (1995, P. 123) claimed that Ratio analysis is more useful for small, narrowly focused firms than for
large multidivisional ones.
Or
Ratio analysis is more useful for small, narrowly focused firms than for large multidivisional ones (Brigham,
1995, P. 123).

Citing more than one Authors: Examples

A number of research studies have been conducted into the effect of the recession on small business (Smith,
1984; Anderson, 1990; Jones, 1995)

2. Referring or Listing the Cited works: The reference list must include all published works referred to in the
text. Each reference to a periodical publication must include, in order, the name (names) of the author (s), the
year of publication, the full titles of the article, the publication in which it appears, and the volume and inclusive
page number. Reference to a book must give the author or authors’ name (s), the year, the title, the edition, if
other than the first; the publishes, the city of publication and the number of the volume (if two or more) in
Harvard System of referencing

1. Reference for Books

Brigham, E. F. (1995), Fundamental of Financial Management, 7th edition, Dryden Press, Forth Worth
2. Reference for Journal Article
Porter, Michael E. (1994), Competitive Advantage of nations, Harvard business Review, 6892, pp.73 – 83
3. Other References: It is also possible to cite quote or paraphrase unpublished work if they are relevant to the
study. Unpublished works are:
 Personal communication with experts (professionals)
 Unpublished data collected by other researchers
 Unpublished research works
 Public speeches
 Conferences discussion and the like

Appendix (annex): It is not mandatory to have this section. If the researcher thinks that having this section will
increase the quality of the research proposal he is free to do so. Information types provided in this section are
those additional details, which are difficult to accommodate within the standard headings, items to be included
in appendix:
 Details questionnaires and interview schedules
 Detailed experimental design
 Detailed statistical procedures
 Samples of research materials
 Survey and other geographic maps