The initial research proposal will consist of the following SIX items:

1. Identify a business research topic

2. Define the research questions for the identified problem or opportunity

3. Select the appropriate research methodologies and techniques to use for the research project

4. Describe the research process

5. Describe data collection and analysis methods

6. Describe expected research outcomes

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

What exactly do I want to find out? What is a researchable problem?

THEORY, ASSUMPTIONS, BACKGROUND LITERATURE:

What does the relevant literature in the field indicate about this problem?

VARIABLES AND HYPOTHESES:

What will I take as given in the environment i.e. what is the starting point? Which are the independent and which are the dependent variables?

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS AND MEASUREMENT

Does the problem need scoping/simplifying to make it achievable? What and how will the variables be measured?
What degree of error in the findings is tolerable?

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

What is my overall strategy for doing this research?
Will this design permit me to answer the research question? What constraints will the approach place on the work?

INSTRUMENTATION/SAMPLING

How will I get the data I need to test my hypothesis?
What tools or devices will I use to make or record observations? How will I choose the sample?
What degree of accuracy or level of confidence can I guarantee? DATA ANALYSIS
What combinations of analytical and statistical process will be applied to the data? Which of these will allow me to accept or reject my hypotheses?

CONCLUSIONS, INTERPRETATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS

Was my initial hypothesis supported or rejected? Why?
What are the implications of my findings for the theory base, for the background assumptions, or relevant literature?
What recommendations result from the work?
What suggestions can I make for further research on this topic?

Question :1. Introduction

(You need to present the research topic and provide the background information here in the first 2 paragraphs of this section and an overview of what are the contents of the sections after introduction; 3 paragraphs all together)

2. Literature review
(A very short literature review between ž and 1 pages. Discuss what were important findings of some previous studies (browse ProQuest). Try to identify important variables found in the previous studies)

3. Research questions and hypotheses (around ? page)
3.1 Research questions
(Develop and state your research question(s)

3.2 Hypotheses
(Develop and state your hypotheses based on Literature review and your common sense; questions and hypotheses must be numbered)

4. Operational definitions and measurement (approx. ? page)
(Discuss how each variable is defined; provide the units of measurement)

5. Research methodologies: Data collection and analysis
5.1 Sampling techniques
(State what kind of data you are using (primary, secondary or both). State the sample size; the sampling frame; the sampling technique)

5.2 Method of analysis.
State the proposed method of analysis and discuss it in some details (1 page)

6. Research process
(Describe the steps you are planning when doing your research (1/2 page))

7. Expected outcomes
(describe what you expect to find out when research and analysis are completed (1/2 pages)

8. Conclusion
(Summarise the paper (1 or 2 paragraphs))

References
(list the previous studies mentioned in the paper; make sure that you use citation within the text; at least 10 references)