RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Presented by,
Group No. 2
Contents
• Definition
• Purpose
• Types
• Process
• Contents
• Planning
• Evaluation
• Common mistakes
• Tips
• Exercise
Definition
• A research proposal is a document
written by a researcher that describes in
detail the program for a proposed
scientific investigation.
 Purpose
• To present the management question to be
researched and relate its importance

• To suggest the data necessary for solving

the managements question and how the
data will be gathered, treated and
interpreted
 Solicited
External
Types of
proposals Unsolicited
Internal
 External Proposal
• Submitted by external party
• Unsolicited proposal: without RFP
suggestion about a research that can be
done
• Solicited proposal: according to RFP
management recognizes a problem
several competitors
 Internal Proposal
• Prepared by persons with in the
organization
• Usually small researches
• Less complex
• Technical terms are explained then and
there
• Instruments used are selected according to
the choice of the researcher
 Process (Academic)

Developing
nding a Choosing a Writing the
research
mentor project proposal
questions
 Process (Managerial)

Converting
managerial Developing
scussion Writing the
problem into research
th client proposal
research questions
problem
 Discussion with client
• Identify the managerial problem during the
discussion

• Get to know how the problem is effecting the

organization

• Ask about time availability to study the problem

 Convert managerial problem into
research problem
• Clearly understand and define the managerial
problem

• Analyze the research opportunities in the

managerial problem

• Identify the key factors around which the

research has to be done

• Recognize the research problem

 Developing Research Questions
• Are the research objectives feasible?
(Time? Sample size? Technical expertise?)

• Are the questions novel? Interesting? Useful?

(Will the answers open up new areas of research?)

• Is the scope of the study well focused?

(Collecting too much data wastes time and money)

• Is it ethical to ask these research questions?

(Unacceptable physical risks or invasion of privacy?)
• “a question well asked is a question
half answered”: the way the question
(or hypothesis) is stated shows what
data will be necessary to answer (or
test) it, and probably suggests also
how and from where or from whom
the data will be obtained”

-Punch, K. (1998). Introduction to Social

Research: Quantitative & Qualitative Approaches.
London: Sage.
 Writing the Proposal
• Background
• Objectives (research questions)
• Research Plan
• Methodology
• Risk/Benefit Analysis
• Confidentiality
 Contents
• Title
• Executive summary
• Introduction (inc. statement of research
problem/ question/ aims objectives)
• Background/ Literature Review
• Benefits/importance of study
• Research Design
• Nature and form of results
 Contents
• Qualification of researcher
• Budget
• Schedule
• Facilities and special resources
• Project management
• Bibliography
• Appendixes
 Title
• Concise
• Descriptive
• Informative
• Catchy
• Clear
• Apt
 Executive summary
• Helps to understand the thrust of the proposal
• Brief summary of approximately 300 words
• Should include the research question, the
rationale for the study, the hypothesis (if any),
the method & design that you intend to use etc
• Should be capable of getting a positive
evaluation from the executive or authority who
is to pass the proposal
 Introduction
• State the research problem.
• Provide the context and set the stage for your
research question in such a way as to show its
necessity and importance.
• Present the rationale of your proposed study and
clearly indicate why it is worth doing.
• Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems
to be addressed by your research.
 Introduction
• Identify the key independent and dependent
variables of your experiment. Alternatively, specify
the phenomenon you want to study.
• State your hypothesis or theory, if any. For
exploratory research, you may not have any
hypotheses.
• Set the limitation or boundaries of your proposed
research in order to provide a clear focus.
• Provide definitions of key concepts. (This is
optional.)
 Background/ Literature Review
• This is optional. Only if the organization asks for
this it is given
• Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical
and research issues related to your research
question.
• Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant
literature information.
• Provides new theoretical insights or develops a new
model as the conceptual framework for your
research.
 Benefits of the Study

• Important for unsolicited external proposals.

• Emphasize how the research will solve the problem
or how the information gathered from the research
can be used to solve the problem or how it will help
to have a better understanding of the situation
• Should be very convincing and specific
 Research Design

- Method of data collection

- Instruments/ techniques to be used
- Methodological limitations
- Methodological significance
- Data analysis design
- Ethical issues
- Timeline
- Resources required
 Nature and Form of Result

• Specify the type of data to be obtained and the

interpretations that will be made from the analysis
• If necessary, models and examples can be used
 Qualifications of the researchers
• Provides information of all individuals involved in
the project
• Includes their professional research competence &
relevant research experience
• The profile of the company and the subcontracted
companies are to be given un case of external
researches
 Budget

• Should not be more than 2 pages

• Backup details, quotes from vendors, overhead costs
etc are to be given
• For external researches, total fee payable is also
given
 Schedule
• Time requited for each phase and the total time
required are to be mentioned
• The starting date and the probable ending date are
to be given
• Sequence of activities and their time requirements
are detailed
• Methods like CPM and PERT are used
• Should be reliable and realistic
Facilities & Special Resource Requirements

• Focus group sessions

• Computer assistance
• Interviewing facilities
• Cost of these facilities are to be mentioned in the
budget
 Project Management

• The research team’s organization

• Management procedures & controls for executing
the research plan
• The research team’s relationship with sponsor
• Financial & legal responsibility
• Management competence
 Bibliography

• The sources of all collected secondary data are

given
• Sources that can be referred for further details
should also be mentioned
 Appendix

• Glossary: Explanation of technical words

• Copy of measurement instruments
• Other details like lengthy description of special
facilities, budget details etc
 Planning proposals
• Decide how long each section will be

• Some sections will be quite short (eg limitations,

timeline etc) while other sections (eg literature
review will be quite long)

• The significance of sections will vary according

to your particular project. You may even have
some additional sections that are needed for your
proposal.
Evaluation of Proposals

Review

Informal/
Formal Qualitative

Solicited
Large scale Small scale
proposals
Formal Review/ Evaluation

Develop review criteria

• Using RFP guidelines

Assignment of points • Using universal scale

to each criteria

Assignment of weights • Based on importance of each criteria

to each criteria

Generation of scores for each proposal, representing the sum of all

weighted criterion scores
Other factors considered during
evaluation are:
• Neatness
• Organization
• Completeness in fulfilling RFP’s
requirements, including budget and
schedule
• Submission within RFP’s timeline
Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing

•Failure to provide the proper context to frame the

research question.
•Failure to limit the boundary conditions for your
research.
•Failure to stay focused on the research question.
•Too long or too short.
• Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough
detail on major issues.
Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing

•Too much rambling — going "all over the map"

without a clear sense of direction. (The best
proposals move forward with ease and grace like a
seamless river.)
• Too many citation lapses and incorrect
references.
•Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive
argument for the proposed research.
 Tips
• Finalise your research question/ problem
statement/ hypothesis
• Make sure your proposal is logical.
• Identify possible weaknesses in your research
design, acknowledge them and explain why they
are there.
• Critically review/ edit your own writing, seek
others help with this
• You are the expert on your topic. Help the
reader to grasp your ideas.
 Tips
• Write with authority (ie back up your
statements)
• Write for clarity not ‘impressiveness’
• Show that you are planning your research
carefully (think about pragmatic issues – agency
support/ ethics/ resources you may need/
potential hurdles).
• Edit for clarity (don’t just proofread)
 Exercise
• You are the management trainee in the
research department of Big Bazar. Your
organization wants to know the largest selling
brand and its customer group in terms of age
and income. Write a research proposal.