Applied Business Research Methods
.
Remember the purpose of a research proposal is to propose a research project, which means to:
a) define the research topic and the questions you are interested in researching about this topic,
b) do a preliminary review of t
he academic literature about the theoretical/analytical issues the
topic has to do with, and
c) define the plan (strategies and techniques of data collection and data analysis) for
future action

1.  Cover page
your name, course name, title of the project you are proposing

2.  Introduction & Background
introduce  the  reader  to  the  topic you  want  to  do  research  on,  briefly  discussing  your  research
questions about it; illustrate your topic and intended object of research, focusing on the aspects you
want to investigate, by using supporting evidence for your description and referencing it

3.  Critical review of the academic literature
build  a  case  for  your  research  project  by  discussing  what  academic  experts  have  written  and  are
writing  about  the  issues  that  your  topic  relates  to/brings  into  play/illustrate  (convince  the  reader
that  you  are  knoweldgeable  about  the  theoretical/analytical    implications  of  your  topic  and  that
your research project is relevant and worthwhile)

4.  Research questions and objectives
Discuss  in  detail  what  your  research  questions  are  and  what  objectives  they  entail:  What do  you
want to understand, investigate, explore about your topic? Why? To what end? What do you have
to  do  in  order  to  answer  these  questions?  (convince  the  reader  that  other  business  scholars  and
practitioners care about such questions and the answers they may lead to)
5.  Methodology

Explain  your  choice  of  research  design,  clarifying  your  choice  of  research  strategy  (survey  or
action research or ethnography, etc).
Furthermore, discuss:
a)  the methods of data collection you will employ, justifying their choice as the most appropriate
to get the kind of data you need to answer your research questions (this means you should first
consider the kind of data you need to be able to answer your research questions). Be specific
about  the  techniques  you  will  use  within  to  carry  out  the  chosen  strategy  (questionnaire,
interview, focus group, observation, etc)
b)  the  methods  of  data  analysis  whereby  you  plan  to  draw  meaningful  sense  (relationships,
trends, etc) out of the data so that you will/would be able to generate answers to your questions

Remember  to  include  discussion  of  what  your  population  is  and  how  you  will  establish  your
research sample, how you plan to access research locations and subjects, and how much time and
what resources you will have to employ to carry out your research.

Timescale and resources

Present an action plan that outlines the viability of the proposal. This can take the form of a chart
or table setting out the key stages of the research and corresponding target dates.

7.  Ethical issues and Limitations
Discuss potential ethical issues that may arise in the process of collecting and analysing data in the
ways you describe and ways you will/would address these issues. Discuss potential limitations of
the research plan you are proposing