Chapter Three

Research Proposal
 Research Proposal
• A written statement of the research design
that includes a statement explaining the
purpose of the study
• Detailed outline of procedures associated
with a particular methodology
 The proposal as a planning tool
• Preparation of a proposal forces the researcher to
think critically about each stage of the res-process
• Research users evaluate the proposed study
whether or not it will provide useful information,
whether it will do so within a reasonable time and
resource
• Effective proposal communicates exactly what
information will be obtained, where and how it
will be obtained.
 The Proposal as a contract
• When the research is conducted by consultant or
outside researcher, a proposal is considered as an
offer to a bid (so management can evaluate the
relative quality of competing researches based on
proposal)
• If accepted, the proposal is signed by both sides
and will be binding in the research process (serve
as a written statement of agreement)
 Basic Questions -
Problem Definition
• What is the purpose of the study?
• How much is already known?
• Is additional background information necessary?
• What is to be measured? How?
• Can the data be made available?
• Should research be conducted?
• Can a hypothesis be formulated?
 Basic Questions -
Basic Research Design
• What types of questions need to be
answered?
• Are descriptive or causal findings required?
• What is the source of the data?
 Basic Questions -
Basic Research Design
• Can objective answers be obtained by
asking people?
• How quickly is the information needed?
• How should survey questions be worded?
• How should experimental manipulations be
made?
 Basic Questions -
Selection of Sample
• Who or what is the source of the data?
• Can the target population be identified?
• Is a sample necessary?
• How accurate must the sample be?
• Is a probability sample necessary?
• Is a national sample necessary?
• How large a sample is necessary?
• How will the sample be selected?
 Basic Questions -
Data Gathering
• Who will gather the data?
• How long will data gathering take?
• How much supervision is needed?
• What operational procedures need to be
followed?
 Basic Questions -
Data Analysis
• Will standardized editing and coding
procedures be used?
• How will the data be categorized?
• What statistical software will be used?
• What is the nature of the data?
• What questions need to be answered?
• How many variables are to be investigated
simultaneously?
• Performance criteria for evaluation?
 Basic Questions -
Type of Report
• Who will read the report?
• Are managerial recommendations
requested?
• How many presentations are required?
• What will be the format of the written
report?
 Basic Questions -
Overall Evaluation
• How much will the study cost?
• Is the time frame acceptable?
• Is outside help needed?
• Will this research design attain the stated
research objectives?
• When should the research be scheduled to
begin?
 Proposal Layout
• There is no single proposal layout that applies for all
purposes
• Different layout can be used, but the most commonly
used one consists of the following contents
• 1. Introduction
• 1.1 Background of the study
• 1.2 Problem Statement
• 1.3 Research Questions
• 1.4 Research objectives
• 1.4.1 General Objective
• 1.4.2 Specific Objectives
• 1.5. Significance of the study
 Proposal layout
1.6 Scope of the study
1.7 Limitation of the study (Optional)
1.8 Organization of the research Report
2. Review of Related literature
2.1 Conceptual clarifications
2.2 Review of Theoretical Literature
2.3 Review of Empirical Literature
2.4 Theoretical Framework
2.5 Conceptual Framework
2.6 Hypotheses
 Proposal Layout
3 Research Methodology
3.1 Description of Case
3.2 Research nature, type and approach
3.3 Research Design
3.4 Data Collection Design
Data type and source
Data Collection method
Data Collection Instrument and procedure
3.5 Sampling design
Population and Target Population
 Proposal Layout
• Sampling Frame
• Sample Selection Technique
• Sample Size
3.5 Data Analysis
Data editing, coding, entering and cleaning
Quantitative vs qualitative
3.6 Model Specification and Description of Variables
4 Work Plan
5 Financial Plan
List of References