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Writing a Concept Paper

Many private foundations have always required a concept paper be
submitted for review prior to the submission of a full proposal. In recent years
federal and state agencies have begun to encourage the use of concept papers as
a way for applicants to obtain informal feedback on their ideas and projects prior
to preparing a proposal. Some of these agencies now require a concept paper be
submitted as part of the formal submission process.
The purpose of a concept paper, from the funding agency’s point of view, is
to help applicants develop more competitive proposals and to save time by
eliminating proposals that are not likely to be funded. The applicant’s purpose in
developing a concept paper is to capture the interest of the funding agency and
demonstrate that the idea they are proposing is worthy of further consideration.
Therefore, the first sentences of a concept paper are very important. You want
the funding agency representatives or board members to continue reading!
The first section (Introduction) should include some information about the
funding agency. You need to demonstrate that you have done your homework and
understand the mission of the funding agency and the types of projects that they
support. Then you need to identify the agency you represent and how the missions
of your agency and the funding agency mesh. Describe any partner agencies that
will be involved and their interest in the project.
Next describe the question, problem or need that needs to be addressed
(Purpose). Briefly provide supporting documentation for the importance of
addressing this question, problem or need. If you have statistical data, use it;
numbers are always convincing. In short, indicate why anyone should care! This
may sound harsh, but when you are close to a particular issue, it is easy to forget
that everyone does not understand the situation as well as you.
Make sure that you cite or refer to what others have accomplished relative
to your project or research so that you convince the funding agency that you are
an expert on this particular issue and more needs to be done. Beware of stating
that you are the only person who has ever proposed such a project. Even the most
brilliant and innovative concepts are based on the work of others from related
fields.
Next describe your project: what your agency plans to do, why this is a
unique approach, and who will benefit (Project Description). Briefly describe your
basic goal/s and objectives or state your research questions. (A goal is statement
describing a broad or abstract intent, state or condition. An objective is a
statement of measurable outcomes that relate to the goal. An objective includes
“who, what, and when” information. It is not a statement about “how.”)
Give an overview of your methodology--how the project will be carried out-
and any innovative approaches, techniques, or processes that will be used. Make
sure that the goals, objectives, and methods relate to each other. Include general
timelines for what you hope to accomplish. Describe the anticipated benefits and
who will benefit. (If your project is basic research, the impact of the research may
not be as easy to describe, however you should be able to describe how your
research will add to the body of knowledge of a particular scientific discipline and
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the numbers of students who will gain scientific knowledge from working on your
project or in your lab.)
Try to be brief, concise, and clear. Concept papers should not be longer than
five pages. Don’t overwhelm the reader with detail, but avoid sounding vague or
unsure about what you want to accomplish. Be positive and definite. Instead of
saying an objective “may be accomplished,” indicate that the objective “will be
accomplished” by a certain time. Avoid requesting money for “planning” unless
that is the purpose of the funding program. Most funding agencies want to fund a
project that is beyond the planning stage.
Consider your audience. If your concept paper is going to be reviewed by
scientists in your field, scientific terms and technical jargon may be acceptable.
However, if your proposal is being reviewed by generalists or lay persons, this type
of language will not communicate your ideas effectively.
Only include budgetary information if it is specifically requested (Support).
If you are asked to provide specific dollar amounts, make sure that you work with
the Office of Sponsored Projects in LM 132 x-5203 to develop your budget.
Otherwise, generally describe the types of support you need, e.g, personnel, travel,
equipment, etc.
Finally, appearance is important. This concept paper represents you! The
type size should be large enough to read easily, and margins should be standard
size. Check for spelling errors before submission. Attention to detail is important.
Number all pages. Place your name and date in the header. Include your contact
information with the concept paper (Contact).

The purpose of a concept paper is to lay out the basics of a grant proposal
so that everyone involved in planning and implementation (from your organization
or a partner’s) agrees on what will be in the proposal. This promotes good
relationships and helps you get letters of commitment from your partners, as well.

There are also other uses for concept papers. Within your organization, you
may use one to lay out your ideas to administrators and colleagues to decide whether
to seek grant funding. And once you've decided, you may use a concept paper with
the board to get approval for submitting a proposal. With the public, concept papers
promote accurate and consistent communication.

A concept paper is brief - two pages, three at most - with just enough detail
to lay out the basics of the grant proposal. You're going to identify the applicant, the
funder, and give a contact person for questions, then briefly describe what's going
to be in the proposal.

Concept papers promote mutual understanding and agreement; they're useful

for internal decision-making; they facilitate consistent communications; and they're
a respectful, professional way to work with others.
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How to write a simple Academic project concept paper for a classroom

assignment;
A concept paper enables in putting thoughts and ideas into paper for
consideration for research. It is from the concept paper that one develops the
research proposal which can either be business or academic oriented. Most
students, and especially the postgraduate students who have a mandatory
requirement of undertaking research, usually goes direct to the research proposal.
Some quotas also have professed the school of thought that a concept paper and
research proposal are the same. As good as they may seem similar, they are different
in the process and presentation. The concept paper aim is to capture the thoughts
and ideas while the research proposal captures the ideas in a structured manner
for approval to research. Therefore, in order to write a simple concept paper, follow
these steps:
1. Concept paper title
-Every paper must have a title and concept paper is not left out as one needs
to have a title that summarizes what the paper is about. The title should be as brief
as possible and to the point such that by a glance one would know exactly the
paper’s intention. Example: “Leveraging on Mobile Payment Methods to gain
Competitive Advantage by local based businesses”
2. Introduction
-Introduce the concept by giving a brief on how it will contribute to the
organization or company having more opportunities as a result. Also, state your
understanding of the main objective of the targeted area of implementation clearly
introducing the gap intended to be addressed. An introduction is like the sitting
room of the concept paper as it determines a lot on the person proposing the
concept. During presentations, this section also, act as the persona guide to how
the rest of the presentation is preempted.
Example:
Mobile payment methods have popularity with big businesses operating in large
towns and cities across the world. These payment methods enable the business
customers to access their cash at the point of sale and do not need to have physical
money to complete their transactions. This study will therefore help in understanding
the mobile payment methods preferences for the local based business and how and
why these preferences have failed to prevail. The research will therefore address that
gap that is viewed as the low uptake of mobile payment methods by the local based
businesses which are essentially operating in remote areas. This concept builds upon
the various insights that have been undertaken by various researchers in the business
and information technology field to bridge the gap of strategic implementation of
information technology systems in business to gain competitive advantage.
3. Need for this Study
-One of the senior professors where the author teaches refer to this section as
“who dies if the concept is not implemented” and further advises that it should
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addresses the pertinent societal need. The need of the study should have a concrete
evidence in the sense that the source of the need must be documented and verifiable.
It is also important to look at what other scholars have done on the concept
previously, and whether this is enough to answer the questions intended for the
study.
Example:
It is estimated that more than 5 billion people have access to mobile phone
devices and that out of this figure about a third of the population is based in local
areas. Further, the village-based businesses do not have immediately access to the
physical money banking system as they are located kilometers away. Porter (2011)
notes that in order for businesses to achieve and sustain superior performance, they
must be able to implement systems that are competitively superior. Budree and
Williams (2013, September) and Namada (2018) established that the areas with large
number of low-income earners experienced low uptake technological advancements
and businesses in these locations are not keen on leveraging on technology. The
concept will therefore be intended to identify the salient factors that local businesses
can apply in leveraging on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage.
4. Background
-This section indicates that some research has been carried on the area of
interest, however there still exit a gap that needs to filled. It is important therefore
to outline several studies that have been undertake on the topical area summarizing
their conclusive evidence and relevance to the study area. A more descriptive
background will then be structured from the worldview, regional, and localized
perspective. For a shorter-version concept paper this may not count however it is
important to show that some study have been done but little research in the area of
interest and how the concept seeks to solve this gap.
Several studies have concluded that mobile payment methods is one of the
major factors put in place by businesses in gaining competitive advantage, however
this has also, not been achieved in remote areas. As a result, Onyango et al. (2014) in
their study on mobile phone technology and the evident performance of micro and
small enterprises, concludes that there is an impact on the use and implementation of
mobile phone technology to achieve the full business performance. In order, therefore
to achieve competitive advantage, Porter (2011) advises that the strategy implemented
should be geared towards achieving full potential competitively.
Many scholars also agree that there is a significant relationship between mobile
payment methods and gaining competitive advantage to sustain an improved
performance. Most also argue that the mobile payment method of use will be
dependent on the location and nature of need. The handbook by Namada (2018) notes
that the concept of organizational learning must be down-trotted to the local
businesses to learn which mobile technology suits their operations and how this
technology can be leveraged to achieve competitive advantage. The literature and
conclusions from the scholars however fail to answer specific questions that related to
leveraging on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage for local based
businesses. Most of the studies were focused on businesses and companies in towns
and cities with the area of interest majoring on performance whether competitively or
not. This study will therefore be focused on the factors of consideration for leveraging
on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.
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5. Objectives
-These are the broad and specific objectives the research seeks to answer. It
should be stated starting with the words “To” and linked to the general and the
specific area where the study is to be undertaken. Both the general and the specific
objectives must be regularized to conform with the topic of the concept.
Example:
The research paper seeks to achieve its general objective of leveraging on mobile
payment methods to gain competitive advantage by focusing on the following specific
objectives:

1. To determine the influence of perceived risks on the use of mobile

payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.

2. To determine the influence of M-Payment characteristics(mobility,

reachability, convenience, and compatibility) on the use of mobile payment methods to
gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.

3. To assess the influence of personal innovativeness on use of mobile

payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.

6. Research Questions and or Hypothesis

-The research can choose to answer either questions emanating from the
research literature and especially from the research objectives, or hypothesis
scenarios and test at the end of the research whether they were accepted or not.
Example:
Choosing research questions.

1. Does perceived risks influence the use of mobile payment methods to

gain competitive advantage by local based businesses?
2. Does M-Payment characteristics (mobility, reachability, convenience,
and compatibility) influence the use of mobile payment methods to gain competitive
advantage by local based businesses?

3. Does personal innovativeness influence the use of mobile payment

methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses?

7. Research Methodology
-This is the how of the concept and describes how the concept will be achieved
once it reaches the research level. It should define the intention on the design of
research to be conducted, the population targeted, and the type of data to be
collected.
Example:
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The study intends to use cross sectional survey design in determining the
leverage on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based
businesses. The study will sample 478 local based businesses registered in Kenya
out of a population of 4 thousand which are mainly registered and operated in village
area settings. The study will collect both primary and secondary data, and the
quantitative data generated will be analyzed using descriptive statistics which will
include percentage distribution, mean and the frequency counts. The qualitative data
from the study will undergo transcription and reported in themes and sub-themes. The
relationship between the independent and dependent variables will be explained
through multiple regression.
8. Research Timeline
-This is to indicate the allocation of time for undertaking the research and
breaking to specific section and finally indicating the overall schedule of the
research. Timelines are importance in concept paper as they are used to determine
the length of the research and the funding needs over the period. In academic
concept papers, this period is usually pre-defined by the various university
standards and one should have a look at their university standards on the research
paper duration. The timeline must also include how the initial and final phases of
the academic project is to be achieved. This is where the difference between a
research proposal and concept paper vary, in that the concept paper lists both the
research proposal and research final study timelines while the research proposal only
lists the research study timelines.
Example:
The project is expected to be completed in 17 weeks with the following indicated
as the activity’s durations for every section of the research project:

Research Section Duration

1. Title 1 week
2. Introduction 1 week
3. Need for this Study 2 weeks
4. Background 3 weeks
5. Objectives 1 week
6. Research Questions and or Hypothesis 1 week
7. Research Methodology 2 weeks
8. Data analysis interpretations and discussions 3 weeks
9. Summary conclusion and recommendations 2 weeks
10. Reviewing work for final submission 1 week
9. References
The reference materials used for the concept paper must be outline under the
reference section following a standard format that is approved by the university.
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Remember there are several formats for referencing various articles and other
academic work and only one must be used at one particular time for a standard
practice.
Example: Using the APA referencing format
Porter, M. E. (2011). Competitive advantage of nations: creating and sustaining
superior performance. simon and schuster.

Namada, J. M. (2018). Organizational learning and competitive advantage. In

Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management for Contemporary
Business Environments (pp. 86-104). IGI Global.
Budree, A., & Williams, K. H. (2013, September). Factors influencing the uptake
of mobile banking in developing countries: A case study of M–Pesa in
South Africa. In Proceedings of 22nd Internafional Business Research
Conference (pp. 9-10).
Onyango, R. A., Ongus, R. W., Awuor, F. M., & Nyamboga, C. (2014). Impact of
adoption and use of mobile phone technology on the performance of
micro and small enterprises in Kisii Municipality Kenya. World Journal
of Computer Application and Technology, 2(2), 34-42.

ACADEMIC CONCEPT PAPER - Sample by Dr. Lango

“Leveraging on Mobile Payment Methods to gain Competitive Advantage by
local based businesses”
Introduction
Mobile payment methods have popularity with big businesses operating in
large towns and cities across the world. These payment methods enable the business
customers to access their cash at the point of sale and do not need to have physical
money to complete their transactions. This study will therefore help in
understanding the mobile payment methods preferences for the local based
business and how and why these preferences have failed to prevail. The research
will therefore address that gap that is viewed as the low uptake of mobile payment
methods by the local based businesses which are essentially operating in remote
areas. This concept builds upon the various insights that have been undertaken by
various researchers in the business and information technology field to bridge the
gap of strategic implementation of information technology systems in business to
gain competitive advantage.
Need for this Study
It is estimated that more than 5 billion people have access to mobile phone
devices and that out of this figure about a third of the population is based in local
areas. Further, the village-based businesses do not have immediately access to the
physical money banking system as they are located kilometers away. Porter (2011)
notes that in order for businesses to achieve and sustain superior performance, they
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must be able to implement systems that are competitively superior. Budree and
Williams (2013, September) and Namada (2018) established that the areas with large
number of low-income earners experienced low uptake technological advancements
and businesses in these locations are not keen on leveraging on technology. The
concept will therefore be intended to identify the salient factors that local businesses
can apply in leveraging on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage.
Background
Several studies have concluded that mobile payment methods is one of the
major factors put in place by businesses in gaining competitive advantage, however
this has also, not been achieved in remote areas. As a result, Onyango et al. (2014)
in their study on mobile phone technology and the evident performance of micro and
small enterprises, concludes that there is an impact on the use and implementation
of mobile phone technology to achieve the full business performance. In order,
therefore to achieve competitive advantage, Porter (2011) advises that the strategy
implemented should be geared towards achieving full potential competitively.
Many scholars therefore agree that there is a significant relationship between
mobile payment methods and gaining competitive advantage to sustain an improved
performance. Most also argue that the mobile payment method of use will be
dependent on the location and nature of need. The handbook by Namada (2018)
notes that the concept of organizational learning must be down trotted to the local
businesses to learn which mobile technology suits their operations and how this
technology can be leveraged to achieve competitive advantage. The literature and
conclusions from the scholars however fail to answer specific questions that related
to leveraging on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage for local
based businesses. Most of the studies were focused on businesses and companies
in towns and cities with the area of interest majoring on performance whether
competitively or not. This study will therefore be focused on the factors of
consideration for leveraging on mobile payment methods to gain competitive
advantage by local based businesses.
Objective
The research paper seeks to achieve its general objective of leveraging on
mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage by focusing on the following
specific objectives:

1. To determine the influence of perceived risks on the use of mobile

payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.

2. To determine the influence of M-Payment characteristics (mobility,

reachability, convenience, and compatibility) on the use of mobile payment methods
to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.

3. To assess the influence of personal innovativeness on use of mobile

payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses.
Research Questions

1. Does perceived risks influence the use of mobile payment methods to

gain competitive advantage by local based businesses?
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2. Does M-Payment characteristics (mobility, reachability, convenience,

and compatibility) influence the use of mobile payment methods to gain competitive
advantage by local based businesses?

3. Does personal innovativeness influence the use of mobile payment

methods to gain competitive advantage by local based businesses?

Methodology
The study intends to use cross sectional survey design in determining the
leverage on mobile payment methods to gain competitive advantage by local based
businesses. The study will sample 478 local based businesses registered in Kenya
out of a population of 4 thousand which are mainly registered and operated in village
area settings. The study will collect both primary and secondary data, and the
quantitative data generated will be analyzed using descriptive statistics which will
include percentage distribution, mean and the frequency counts. The qualitative
data from the study will undergo transcription and reported in themes and
subthemes. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables will
be explained through multiple regression.

Research Timeline
The project is expected to be completed in 17 weeks with the following indicated as
the activities durations for every section of the research project:

Research Section Duration

1. Title 1 week

2. Introduction 1 week

3. Need for this Study 2 weeks

4. Background 3 weeks

5. Objectives 1 week

6. Research Questions and or Hypothesis 1 week

7. Research Methodology 2 weeks

8. Data analysis interpretations and discussions 3 weeks

9. Summary conclusion and recommendations 2 weeks

10. Reviewing work for final submission 1 weeks

Reference
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Porter, M. E. (2011). Competitive advantage of nations: creating and sustaining

superior performance. simon and schuster.
Namada, J. M. (2018). Organizational learning and competitive advantage. In
Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management for Contemporary
Business Environments (pp. 86-104). IGI Global.
Budree, A., & Williams, K. H. (2013, September). Factors influencing the uptake
of mobile banking in developing countries: A case study of M–Pesa in
South Africa. In Proceedings of 22nd Internafional Business Research
Conference (pp. 9-10).
Onyango, R. A., Ongus, R. W., Awuor, F. M., & Nyamboga, C. (2014). Impact of
adoption and use of mobile phone technology on the performance of
micro and small enterprises in Kisii Municipality Kenya. World Journal
of Computer Application and Technology, 2(2), 34-42.