Project Title-
Abstract- Background or to the research area history, present situation, comparative view of rivals, current activities, situation leading to marketing research need.
Introduction/ Problem Definition
Brief explanation and refinement of the problem opportunity:
- MANAGEMENT DECISION STATENIENT ie: an 'actionable' statement for which the research is intended to provide information / answers.
- RESEARCH STATEMENT ie: a restatement of the management decision problem/opportunity in general research (measurable) terms.
- RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ie: 3-5 points on what the research intends to accomplish / measure / determine / assess / etc. Specific objectives that will guide the research. These can be reviewed as you conduct the research.
Literature Review:
Outline the previously published research used to gain an insight / perspective on the decision / research problem. This should provide a framework in which the research fits. State the relevance of the information found in regards to the research. Remember to critique the information - when tolerable. Conclude with a summary of the research problem and how you will address it in your own words.
Research Design / Methodology:
Describe the type of research methodology to be undertaken - Qualitative or Quantitative? You will need to describe what forms of research instrument you will use (e.g. questionnaire/ survey/ interview/ focus group) and how it/they will be constructed, how many are expected to be completed (number of respondents), describe the prerequisites (if any) a respondent must have in order to participate, how many questions there are, how long it will take to complete, and how / where it will be administered & distributed.
SAMPLING METHOD: ie: Define the target population that will be used in the sample, the sampling technique chosen and the sample size. This is a short section, as more detail will be included once the survey is completed.
MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT: ie: Describe what the research instrument is designed to measure, the variables it will analyse, and the types of scales used to measure the variables.
PROPOSED ANALYTICAL METHOD: ie: Briefly explain how the data will be coded and analysed and what the results are expected to provide.
TIME FRAME: How long it will take to complete each component of the research and analysis.
Limitations of the Study and Ethical Issues: The limitations that may affect the accuracy of the results. These needs to be pointed out so that future research can be improved (e.g.: sampling errors, non-sampling errors, response errors, non-response errors, etc).