LECTURE 2:

THE PROJECT PROPOSAL

MODULE: 303COM
330EKM
391KM

PROJECT PROPOSAL (AROUND 4,000

WORDS)

The project proposal helps your supervisor to assess

the suitability and scope of the project that you
intend to do
Your proposal must have the following content/
characteristics:
1)
Title, background and problem statement
2)
Aim, objectives and research questions
3)
Critical review of relevant literature
4)
Appropriate research methods
5)
Appropriate and realistic project plan
6)
Proper citation and referencing; and
7)

Clear presentation and effective organisation

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DEVELOP A PROJECT PROPOSAL

Revisit the learning outcomes of the project module

The topic must fall in the scope of your programme of study
although comparisons can be made to other disciplines
Name the keywords/topic area of the project
Discuss with supervisor for feasibility and researchability of the
title
Need to demonstrate ability and understanding of what you
will do
Scope must be suitable for a 30 credit unit module requiring
300 hours of student work over two terms (~ 13 hours/weeks)
Your focus when developing a proposal:
identify and review Relevant Literature,
clarify Objectives and Research Questions, and
review appropriateness and practicality of Research Methods
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PROJECT PROPOSAL GRADING CRITERIA

Understanding the purpose of the project

Understanding theories, concepts, issues and

methodology appropriate for the project

Evidence of independent, critical thought and wide

ranging reading

Evidence of well-argued analysis and practicality of

project

1. TITLE [WITHIN 20 WORDS]

Should reflect the content of the project

The effect of [phishing/low cost carriers] on businesses

Critical success factors of [internet banking/budget airline]

in Hong Kong

The perception of [internet security/airline safety] to

customers choice

The use of [mobile applications] in gaining business

competitive advantage in [airline ticket sales]

A two-part style title can be useful

Internet banking: the importance of IT security from

perspective of customers
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WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE TITLES?

o
o
o

How e-learning improves learning effectiveness in Hong

Kong?
How e-commerce increases revenue of companies?
How to improve international status of Hong Kong airport?
How unbundling ancillary services and rewarding
programmes benefit Cathay Pacific Airways and its
customers?
A feasibility study of unbundling ancillary services with air
travel: a case study of CX

Discipline of learning area, area of literature

Feasibility of research: access to data, data reliability, etc.
Research method
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1. BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM

STATEMENT
[15%, 800-1,000 WORDS]

The background and problem statement set the scene

for the reader and bring out the purpose of the project

It should give the reader the necessary information for

understanding where your proposal comes from, why
it is important or a good idea, and realises why the
outcomes are likely to be beneficial to you, the
company, industry or market

If the research is a case study of a company, it needs to

include a section about the company you plan to
study: [its business, organisation structure, elaboration
of problems facing and how potentially your research
would help]
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BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM

STATEMENT
Relevant and selective discussion on:
Macro-environment:

global and local market

phenomena that relate to the topic

Micro-environment

that relate to the topic and affect

the company:

Internal business functions: problems with

operations, finance, human resources, research and
development that the company is facing

External considerations: especially competition

among firms and power of consumers
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2. AIM, OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH

QUESTIONS
[20%, 500-700 WORDS]

Research Aim states the purpose of the study

Objectives (list of specific outcomes to address the research aim,
not the tasks/steps to carry out the research):
1.
Finding out facts about the current situation relating to the
title topic
2.
Identifying problems/issues relevant to the title based on the
facts revealed in (1)
3.
Understanding explanatory/casual relations: find out main
variables that affect the critical dependent variables in your
study
4.
Providing practical recommendations to solve problems/
issues identified
Research Questions are what the research addresses, they often
are the precursors of research objectives
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3. CRITICAL REVIEW OF RELEVANT

LITERATURE
[40%, 1,800+ WORDS]

Critical means being analytical

For each relevant academic article, research report or book
chapter, you need to know:
1. Who(author)? When(time written)? Where(context of study)?
2. What hypothesis/theories? What variables/methods? What
data/sample?
3. What results/conclusions?
4. Are the methods/results applicable/useful to your project?
Each issue/point should be discussed collectively with a thematic
heading (that may address more than one reference)

Bear in mind that literature review is not to be reported on an

author by author basis. Rather, the review should be organised
on issues or factors for discussion.
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4. APPROPRIATE RESEARCH METHODS

[10%, 700-900 WORDS]

Data collection design: quantitative (e.g. questionnaire)/

qualitative (e.g. interview)
The instruments
Self-administered survey [Intercept, Central location (e.g.
shopping district/mall), Computer/Internet (e.g. my3q.com)]
Personal face to face interview [Interviewer controlled
environment: Pre-scheduled, Intercept]
Subjects or participants
Sampling method: convenience sampling, or judgment/quota
sampling, reason(s) why?
Sample size: 100-200
Procedures proposed for data analysis in order to answer
research questions
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5. APPROPRIATE AND REALISTIC PROJECT

PLAN
[5%, 200-300 WORDS]
Timeframe of study and budget:
Plan a timeline for the study
List the time duration and dates of each step of your
research process
Estimate costs involved in your study and provide for
them (e.g. printing costs, giving out small gifts for
completing questionnaire)

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PROJECT PLAN
The plan should be detailed and realistic; relate the tasks to the
project phases and associated deliverables
Phase

1: proposal
Determine topic and research purpose
Preliminary literature review and research framework

Phase

2: data collection
Research method, sample, sample size
Draft questionnaire, pilot test and finalise questionnaire,
Actual survey, collect data

Phase

3: data analysis
Analyse data, draft up findings and conclusions
Review draft report

Phase

4: final project report

Prepare oral presentation
Revise project report, submit final report

On-going

tasks: supervisor meetings, focus student group meetings

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PROJECT PLAN
You may use a Gantt chart to present your project plan
[Project start: November 2014, end: June 2015]

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6. APPROPRIATE CITATION AND

REFERENCING
[5%, IN HARVARD REFERENCING STYLE]

Throughout the report, whenever you refer to

outside sources of information, you must:
properly cite the sources (in-text citation); and
provide a full reference of the source at the end of
the report
Use Harvard referencing style
Do not quote or copy Wikipeadia!
You can use the end references (news/academic
books/articles) listed in Wiki
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7. CLARITY OF REPORT AND

PRESENTATION [5%]

Your proposal should be professionally presented.

Marks will be deducted for poor English, spelling
mistakes and poor layout

As a guide, your proposal is to be around 4,000 words

in length, which does not include:

The reference list

Any appendices

Endnotes and footnotes

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SUMMARY: WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN

YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL
1. Background
and problem
statement

2. Objectives
and research
questions

3. Critical
literature
review

Have you a clear title of the proposed project?

Have you carried out appropriate background reading in
sufficient detail?
Have you highlighted major problems that offer a niche for
the research you proposed?
Have you pointed out the focus of your study (e.g. in which
disciplines, the nature of the study, the hypothesis, you
intend to test) in sufficient detail?
Have you clear statements on the research aim and
objectives?
Have you clear statements of the research questions?
Have you presented a clear, up-to-date and accurate account
of the research topic relevant to your project title?
Have you highlighted theories, concepts and issues (including
findings of previous research) in the literature specifically
addressing your research focus?
Have you included an analytical summary of relevant
literature and research findings relevant to your title as the
basis for your investigation framework?
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SUMMARY: WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN

YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL
4. Research
methods

5. Proposed
Project Plan

Have you outlined the research methods for your proposed

title in sufficient detail, including descriptions of samples and
their selection?
Are the proposed methods appropriate and are you aware of
their limitations?
Have you considered plans to deal with safety and ethical
issues appropriately?

Is the scope of your proposed study realistic in the time

allocated?
Is the proposed structure of your project plan and the
underlying research evident in the plan?

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SUMMARY: WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN

YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL
Overall
quality of
proposal
report
Appropriate
citation and
referencing

Clarity of
report
presentation
and style

The five sections above amount to 90% of the proposal

marks. The remaining 10% goes to overall quality of the
proposal report. There are two aspects to it: referencing and
report clarity.
What is the similarity index from plagiarism detection
checking? Are there any doubts for plagiarism?
Are the references relevant to the proposed research?
Do in-text citations and referencing follow Harvard
Referencing Style?
Are the in-text citations proper?
Is the writing clear, concise and accurate in language
usages?
Is the structure of the report clear and arguments presented
coherently?

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TO RECAP, FINALISED PROJECT

PROPOSAL
Self Informing Title
Background & Problem Statement
Objectives & Research Questions
Critical Literature Review
Appropriate Research Methods
Appropriate & Realistic Project Plan
Proper Citation & Referencing
Clarity of Report Presentation & Style

15%
20%
40%
10%
5%
5%
5%
100%

Within 20
800-1,000
500-700
1,800+
700-900
200-300

~4,000
Words
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PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PRODUCING A SUCCESSFUL

PROPOSAL
Carry out an appropriate
amount of background reading
beforehand, selecting the
sources carefully

Need to gain an up-to-date appreciation of

key topics and trends in your chosen field
Choose recently published reviews of the
area, especially those likely to prompt ideas
about key aspects
Your dissertation needs a focus, and this will
come from trying to answer a specific
question
You have chosen a reasonable topic
You are likely to succeed in producing a
dissertation or project that meets the
module requirement

Try to formulate a key

hypothesis or idea to
investigate
Remember that your proposal
is only a proposal, no need to

write the complete work at this

stage. Rather, you need to
establish that:
Discuss your idea with your supervisor early
Use appropriate language in the proposal (academic writing)
Set yourself realistic aim and objectives, avoid being too ambitious, bearing
in mind the need for originality in your work
Normally 3-5 objectives will be quite sufficient

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SUMMING UP:
WHAT CONSTITUTE AN APPROPRIATE PROJECT TITLE
For this module, an appropriate project title must have (one or
more of) the following characteristics:
the research will allow you to demonstrate your academic
ability in your discipline of study;
the research will give you the chance to refine your skills in the
discipline;
your proposed research study is sufficiently original;
your proposed research is sufficiently challenging;
you are likely to gain access to all the resources you need;
your proposed dissertation and the underlying scholarship will
meet the requirements of the department or university
regulations.
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COMMON MISTAKES IN PROPOSAL WRITING (

FROM WONG)

Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research

question
2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for the research
3. Failure to cite landmark studies
4. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical
contributions by other researchers
5. Failure to stay focused on the research question
6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the
proposed research
7. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on
major issues
8. Too much rambling going all over the map without a clear
sense of direction
9. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references
10. Too long or too short
11. Sloppy writing
1.

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