Chapter Three

Developing the Research Proposal

Meaning and purpose of research proposal
The term “research proposal” is coined two words, research and proposal. Research has been
defined in the first chapter. Proposal lexically means a course of activities etc proposed.
Therefore, a research proposal can be defined as a written document requesting both
authorization and funds to undertake a specific research project. It always includes a statement
explaining the purpose of the study or a definition of the problem. It systematically outlines the
particular research methodology and the details the process that will be utilized at each stage of
the research process.
It is a systematic plan which brings to focus the preliminary planning that will be needed to
accomplish the purposes of the proposed study. It is just like a blue print which the architect
prepares before the construction of building starts.
3.1. What Is a Research Proposal?
A research proposal is a written document requesting both authorization &funds to undertake a
specific research project. It always includes a statement explaining the purpose of the study or a
definition of the problem. It systematically outlines the particular research methodology and
details the process that will be utilized at each stage of the research process.
A research proposal is intended to convince others that you have a worthwhile research project
and that you have the competence and the work-plan to complete it.

Generally, a research proposal should contain all the key elements involved in the research
process and include sufficient information for the readers to evaluate the proposed study.
Regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose, all research proposals must
address the following questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it and how
you are going to do it.
3.2. Functions of Research Proposal
Proposal as a means of communication serves to communicate the investigator’s research plan
to those who-give consultations and / or disburse fund. Proposal is the primary source on which
the graduate students’ thesis or dissertation committee must base the function of:
 Review,
 Consultation
1|Page
  And more importantly, approval for implementation of the research project
In general, the quality of assistance and the probability of financial support will all depend
directly on the clarity and justification of the proposal.

Research proposal as plan, helps the researcher to organize his idea in a systematic manner and
to look for strengths and weaknesses. A successful proposal sets out the plan in step-by step
detail. That is it provides an inventory of what must be done and which materials have to be
collected as a preliminary step. Generally, the acceptability of results is judged exclusively in
terms of the adequacy of the methods employed in recording, analyzing, and interpreting the data
in the planned study.

Proposal also serves as a contract. A completed proposal approved for execution and signed by
all members of the sponsoring committee, constitute a bond of agreement between the researcher
and that committee. An approved grant proposal results in contract between the investigator (and
often the university) and funding sources.

Proposal for thesis and dissertation should be in final form prior to the collection of data. Once
document is approved in final form, neither the student nor the sponsoring faculty members
should be free to alter the fundamental terms of contract by unilateral decision.

3.3. General Formats and Elements of proposal

There is no a hard and fast format in scientific research proposal writing. It varies from one
organization to another and from one country to another. Some universities and funding agencies
make very specific demand for the format of the proposals. Others provide general guidelines.
Though the format varies, the essence expressed in different proposal remains the same.

3.4. The Major Components (Elements) of a Scientific Research Proposal

Though the exact format of the proposal is variable, most research proposals contain the
following.
1. Title of the research 6. scope/delimitation and limitation of
2. Background to the study the study
3. Statement of the problem 7. Significance of the study
4. Objectives of the study 8. Definition of terms
5. Hypothesis 9. Organization of the paper
2|Page
 10. Literature-review/Theoretical 12. References
framework 13. A budget break down
11. Methodology 14. Plan of action or work plan

Each of them can have their own separate section in research proposal. Each main section should
begin on a new page. Some can be merged. Some on the other hand can be split into separate
sections or into further subsections.

1. Title of the research: The title of the business research proposal is informative and concise. It
gives the readers enough information to attract their attention and to trigger their curiosity.
 The title should be as explicit as possible and transparent.
 It should be clear and short
 It should capture and reflect the content of the proposal. It should enable the readers to
understand the concepts of the study.
2. The background of study/Introduction:
A research proposal should provide relevant background for the proposed study. Specifically,
the proposal should precisely define the problem at hand. This section should be used to put the
work into context, what has been done before, and how will the proposed work adds to it. The
introduction situates the research subject within a larger business context. The introduction
section identifies the problem that needs to be resolved as a result of the research and outlines the
proposed activities and describes the expected outcomes.
3. Statement of the problem:
A statement of the problem is a clear, concise statement of the problem to be solved by the
proposed research, usually in few sentences. The problem provides the context for the research
study and typically generates questions which the research hopes to answer. The problem
statement should “hook” the reader and establish a persuasive context for what follows. The
problem statement should close with question.
4. Objectives of the study:
Objective of the study refers statement(s) identifying the purpose of the research. The
objective(s) should be phrased in positive terms (e.g., to develop, to determine, to measure,
rather than broad generalities, such as, to investigate, to study) Objectives are the goals set out to
attain in the study. Since objectives inform readers of what the researcher want to achieve

3|Page
through his/her study, it is extremely important to word them clearly and specifically. Objectives
should be listed in two headings:
 General objective
 Specific objective
The general objective is an overall statement of the thrust of the study. It is also a statement of
the main association and relationships that the researcher seeks to discover or establish.

The specific objectives are the specific aspects of the topic that the researcher want to investigate
within the main framework of his/her study.

5. Hypothesis:
Hypothesis is proposed explanation on observable phenomenon. A hypothesis is a logical
supposition, a reasonable guess and educated conjecture. It provides a tentative explanation for a
phenomenon under investigation. A useful hypothesis is testable statement which may include a
prediction.
It states on expected relationships or difference between two variables. A good hypothesis is
stated clearly and concisely, express the relationship between two variables and defines those
variables in measurable form.
6. Significance of the study:
Is briefly described the importance of the research and the stakeholders of the research finding.
8. Definition of the Terms or Concepts: The technical terms or words and phrases having
special meaning need to be defined operationally by the help of special dictionaries.

9. Delimitation of the Study (Scope of the study): Boundaries of the study should be made
clear with reference to the scope of by specifying the areas to which the conclusions will be
confined.
10. Limitation of the Study
Although a researcher tries his best to design his research as properly as possible, there are
externals (uncontrolled) variables that confront his/her investigation and affect his/her
conclusion. In his/ her research proposal, the researcher has to specify such factors that hinder
the attainment of his/her objectives. Such anticipated restrictions are referred as limitations of
the study. The possible sources include:

 Practical witness in the methodologies the researcher applied.

 Lack of access to the right data
 Poor development of instruments
 Sampling restriction
 Lack of up to data literature in the areas.
11. Literature Review
4|Page
 • The review of related literature should provide an overview of the topic and present
references related to what is known about the topic.

• The literature sets a context for the topic and identifies prior research that can support the
significance of the study. The literature review also provides a basis of identifying
hypothesis.

• Literature review provides justification for the future research as well as for the effort that
the writer has already contributed to studying the subject area

• The goal of the Literature review is to demonstrate that the researcher has extensive
knowledge of the field and of the specific problem; and that s/he has studied both the
works of recognized authorities and the new trends in the theory. Moreover, the writer
should be an experienced practician capable of applying theory to real-life contexts.
However, more importantly, the Literature review has to prove that there is a gap in
either theory or business practice; the proposed research will eliminate this gap.
Sometimes the literature review is incorporated into the introduction section. However,
most of the time a separate section is preferred, which allows a more thorough review of
the literature.
11.1 Importance of Literature Review
• Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.
• Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem.
• Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical and research issues related to your
research question.
• Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information.
• Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the existing literature.
• Provides new theoretical insights or develops a new model as the conceptual framework
for your research.
• Convinces your reader that your proposed research will make a significant and substantial
contribution to the literature (i.e., resolving an important theoretical issue or filling a
major gap in the literature).
12. Research Methods

5|Page
The methods section is an outline of all the activities that the researcher is planning to perform
in the pursuit of his/her research goals. The methods section includes a descriptions of the
research participants, measuring instruments, procedures and data analysis.

The key to a successful research is to identify appropriate data collection techniques, to gather
relevant and usable data. Surveys, face-to-face interviews, focus groups are the three methods of
collecting primary data.

Secondary data can be gathered from annual and market reports, financial and legal
documentation, organizational structure-charts, executive publications and speeches, and so on.
The focus of this section is on the details: the timeframe for each activity, the list of participants,
the scripts for the interviews, the materials, and so on. The more detailed is the description of the
methods of the data collection and analysis the more thoughtful the research sounds to the reader.
In short the methods section should clearly outlines-
• Methods of Data Collection: how the data are obtained from earlier specified sources?
There are different methods to collect primary data. All available methods are expected to
be considered by a researcher and the best one is selected. The researcher explains and
justifies how his selection of a particular method is relevant and appropriate to his study.
What will be the research methodology e.g. survey or secondary data analysis or
observation?
• Method of Sampling: from which elements are the data collected? The researcher has to
specify the elements from which the desired information is collected and how these
elements are selected. There are different sampling techniques. The researcher is
expected to consider all of them and select the one, which is appropriate for the current
study. Justification of his choice of a particular sampling technique is relevant here. The
sample size should also be specified with its method of sample size determination. Who
are the population for the study? What would be sample size? How this sample would be
selected – applying probability or non-probability method?
• Method of Analysis: once the information is collected how it will be processed and
analyzed will also be explained. Particularly if the researcher uses mathematical models
like simple or multiple regression, time series or linear programming models, he has to
show their mathematical derivations and relations briefly to demonstrate their relevancy

6|Page
 for the current study. How the data would be analyzed? What statistical tool would be
used to analyze and interpret data? (Proposed method of data analysis).

• Method of Presenting the Outcome: sometimes it is worth to mention how the outcome
of the research will be presented to consumers (general public). This is important if the
research is not a part of a particular study program (like, master or doctoral study).

13. Budget of Time

A time table explaining how the researcher expects to carry out his/ her project and when each of
the important phases will be completed is helpful to both the researcher and the reviewer. It is a
plan in terms of numbers of weeks or months and expected completion dates. Commonly
researcher presents it in a table form.
14. Cost Budget:
Most proposals put together with the expectation that funding will be necessary and an itemized
list of the items needed to carry out the methodology is listed in some detail. Personal needs,
including the principal researcher’s time are included.
These are items like:
 Field expenses for data collection
 Pay for consultants where they are necessary
 Travel and all such items needed to be detailed
 A sum of money for contingencies
A carefully developed budget reflects the seriousness of the proposal and the degree to which
it is a realistic assessment of what is needed.

15. Reference (Bibliography)

All works cited in the proposal are listed alphabetically at the end of the document usually
under the heading of “References or Bibliography”
Some conservative authors would like to make distinction between references and
bibliography as mentioned below.
 References: are lists of literature, which have been cited in the text of a document

7|Page
  Bibliography: includes also items, which were not cited but are relevant to the
document.
References refers a range of conventions are used to refer other writer's material that you have
cited in your text. There are really two parts to a reference citation.
 First, there is the way you cite the item in the text when you are discussing it.
 Second, there is the way you list the complete reference in the reference section in the
back of the report.
What is referencing?
Referencing is a standardized way of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas that
you have used in your assignments and which allows the sources to be identified.
Why reference?
Referencing is important to avoid plagiarism, to verify quotations and to enable readers to follow
up what you have written and fully understand the cited author’s work. It is important to
acknowledge all sources of information and ideas that you have used in your essay, research
paper, dissertation or thesis in a way that identifies the original source. This is known as
referencing. Referencing enables you to avoid plagiarism, allows the reader to consult the
original source of your information, and acknowledges the author from which the information
was taken.
• At the end of an academic paper, you will find a section titled either "References" or
"Bibliography". Although many authors fail to distinguish between the two labels, they
do mean different things.
• A bibliography encompasses all works you consult in writing your paper, whether or not
you quote the authors of those works or refer to their ideas. A reference list should
include only those works quoted or "referred to" directly within the context of your
paper.
• Bibliography is listing all the materials that have been consulted while writing an essay
or a book. References, on the other hand, are those that have been referenced in your
article or book.
• You might have consulted a lot of books, essays and websites for writing something.
• Though you might have referred to these while preparing a write up, the content of these
might not have been included in the actual text. This is what refers to bibliography.
References are those that are directly included in your actual text.
8|Page
Referencing styles
There are different referencing styles. The main in text referencing styles are:
1. Footnotes
2. Endnotes
3. American Psychological Association (APA) style
4. Harvard style
When using both footnoted and end notes, reference with in the research report are shown by a
number. This number directly refers to the reference and it means it is not necessary for you to
include the authors’ names or date of publication.
1. Foot note and End note
The key difference between foot notes and end notes is their placement in the text. Footnotes, as
the name implies, are the notes or small entries placed at the foot of the page with super scripted
numbers indicating a point to which there is a note. The readers are expected to look for its
corresponding note below the page that bears the super scripted number in the actual text. On
the other hand, end notes are usually seen at the ‘end’ of the entire text or at the last part of every
chapter, but these are the notes that always come before the bibliography page.
2. The American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style
• The American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style is the most commonly
used referencing style in social sciences.
• This style is an author-date method of referencing.
• The author’s surname and year of publication are used within the text of a document
(commonly referred to as in-text citations) when you are quoting, paraphrasing or
summarizing someone else’s ideas. At the end of the document full details of the in-text
citations are given in a reference list.
N.B In the bibliography the publications are listed alphabetically by author’s name.
3. Harvard style
• Relatively small but significant differences exist between the ASA and Harvard style.
• Like APA style, Harvard style of referencing uses an author –date system and in the
bibliography the publications are listed alphabetically by the author’s name and all
authors’ surnames and initials are listed in full. If there is more than one work by the
same author, these are listed chronologically.
APA Vs Harvard referencing style
9|Page
 (A) Referencing in the Text

No of APA system Harvard system Difference

Author

one (Abebe, 2001) (Abebe 2001) note punctuation in APA style

two (Abebe & Kebede, (Abebe and & in APA, and in Hardvard
2001) kebede 2001)

Three (Abebe, kebede, & (Abebe et al. For 1st occurrence

Aster, 2001) 2001)

Three Abebe et al.,2001 (Abebe et al. For subsequent occurrence

2001)

(B) Referencing in the reference or Bibliography

APA system Harvard system Difference

Abebe, D., Kebede, T., & Abebe D, Kebede T, and Aster Note full stops, commas, & and , use
Aster, M., (2001) M (2001) Managing change: A of capital letters
Managing Change: A human resource strategy
Human Resource Strategy approach, Princes Hall
Approach. Princes Hall

Example of some of the common types of literature citation (J.Hussey & R.Hussey, 1997)
i.) Citation
Citation under the Harvard system:
In an investigation conducted in large factories, Gibbs (1993) reported that absenteeism was
higher on the night shift than the day
10 | P a g e
 Citing More Than One Authors
A number of research studies have been conducted into the effect of the recession on small
business (Smith, 1984; Anderson, 1990; Jones, 1995)…
ii.) Referencing Or Listing The Cited Works
A) Reference for Books
Davidson, Alan.B. (1994), the pursuit of business, London, Chapman &Halls
B) References for Journal Articles
Porter, Michael E. (1994), competitive advantage of nations, Harvard Business Review,
68(2), pp.73-83
C) Other Reference
It is possible to cite quote or paraphrase unpublished work if they are relevant to the study.
Unpublished works are:
 Personal communication with experts (professionals).
 Unpublished data collected by other researchers.
 Unpublished research works.
 Public speeches
 Conferences discussions and the like
The researcher should not put such unpublished work in reference list unless it has been fully
approved and a date set for its application.
16. Appendix (Annex)
It is not mandatory to have this section. If the researcher thinks that having this section will
increase the quality of the research proposal he is free to do so. Information types provided in
this section are those additional details, which are difficult to accommodate within the standard
headings.
Stuffs to be included in appendix:
 Detail Questionnaires and interview schedules
 Detailed experimental design (in experimental research)
 Detailed statistical procedures
 Samples of research materials (chemical and some biological materials)
 Survey and other geographic maps.
Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing
• Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.
11 | P a g e
 • Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
• Failure to cite landmark studies.
• Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other
researchers.
• Failure to stay focused on the research question.
• Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.
• Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.
• Too long or too short.
• Failing to follow the appropriate referencing style (APA or Harvard style.

AN OUTLINE OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

i) Cover page
Title (A Case Study of ……..)
Purpose why the Research is conducted
Name and Address of the investigator
Month and Place where the proposal is written
ii) Acronyms (if any, abbreviations alphabetically arranged))
iii) Table of Contents
iv) List of Tables
v) List of Figures
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study –General to specific or Deductive order is recommended

 Definitions and Concepts Related to the topic

 Global issues and trends about the topic
 Situations in Less Developed Countries or in an industry
 National level
 Regional level
 Background of the organization (not more than one pagel)
1.2 Statement of the Problem (Justification of the study)-

 Facts that motivated the investigator to conduct the research

 Exactly specifying and measuring the gap

12 | P a g e
  Hard facts or quantitative data about the topic for some previous
years, for example three years

1.3 Research Objectives, Research Questions, and Research Hypothesis

1.3.1 Research Objectives – Ends to be met in conducting the research

 This shows what the investigator will analyze and how;
 what comparisons to make and at what level
 General objective- often one statement directly related to the topic
 Specific Objectives- often 4-8;
i. what the researcher wants to achieve
ii. about s/he wants to collect data;
iii. what to analyze and compare
1.3.1 Research Questions - Questions to be answered to meet the research
objectives or produce implications for the hypothesis
1.3.2 Research Hypothesis ( Optional) - tentative propositions to be tested in the
research
1.4 Significance of the study- Benefit of the study (Who may use the findings)
User organizations
Other researchers
The society or the community
1.5 Definition of key Terminologies and Concepts
Conceptual definitions – general and related to dictionary meaning
Operational – in the context of the research paper and in measurable terms
1.6 Scope and Limitation of the study
 Scope provides the boundary or framework
 Limitation is the implication or effect of the scope- Does not mean weakness
or problems to be faced
1.7 Organization of the paper. Describe the organization/chapters of the paper here.

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.

 Deductive Order (General to specific)

 Concepts and definitions of terminologies directly related to the topic.
 Global issue and trends
 Regional or continental or industrial facts
 Best experiences, if relevant
 Problems and challenges related to the topic
 Important points in the literature
Adequacy- Sufficient to address the statement of the problem and
the specific objectives in detail
 Logical flow and organization of the contents
13 | P a g e
  Adequate citations
 The variety of issues and ideas gathered from many authors

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODS

3.1 Data Type and Source (Decide one of them or both by giving justifications)

 Qualitative V/s Quantitative ( Give reasons)

 Primary Sources (Decide on which method or methods to use by stating
justifiable reasons
Questionnaires Focus group discussions,
Interviews etc.
Observations
 Secondary Sources(Decide on which method or methods to use by stating
justifiable reasons) and exactly state the sources from which you will get the
data
Reports, manuals, Internal publications, data base systems

Journals and Publications for assessing existing findings and internet

Books for assessing theories and principles related to the topic etc.

3.2 Study design

 Census Vs Survey( Decide which one to use and why)

 Survey design ( Decide on the survey designs to be used by clearly stating
the reasons for your decision
 Sample Size( Use the sample size determination formula as a base and
make adjustments with due regard to the target population and the
homogeneity or heterogeneity of the population characteristics.
 Sampling Design( Show how and why you are going to use the different
techniques of probability and/or nonprobability sampling techniques
 Sampling Procedure( clearly state the steps in sampling- refer to the first
module for Research Methods for help.
3.3 Data collection
 State the data collection tool or tools to be used with necessary
Justifications written in the proposal
Interview, Focus group
Questionnaire, discussion
Observation,
 Questionnaire design
 Questionnaire testing or pretesting if necessary
 Data collection Procedures ( show in detail)

14 | P a g e
 How the Questionnaire will be administered
Who will be involved?
How many people will be involved?
When will data be collected?
Where will data be collected?
How Data collection will be administered?
How other methods will be applied in combination (Triangulation)
Focus Group discussions
Interviews
Observation

3.4 . Data processing and Analysis


Manual Vs Mechanical

Editing: Field Vs in-house editing ( include reasons)

Recording /Data entry/ or keyboarding

Methods of Analysis
Qualitative V/s Quantitative
Descriptive (tools to be used)
Explanatory
TIME SCHEDULE AND BUDGET
TIME SCHEDULE- Try to put reasonable and realistic time on the basis of

The scope of the study

The research objectives to be achieved
The methods and techniques to be used
Description or Activity Duration Final Date Remark

BUDGET – Realistic and detailed to reflect the activity schedule and convincing for the

reader or possibly the financier; reflect real budget

Description or Activity Unit Unit Price Computations Total Cost Remark

15 | P a g e
References/Bibliography

Last name, first name, 2nd name (year: page), Title of the book, edition, Publisher details, city,
state, Country.

Annex/Appendix - Questionnaire

16 | P a g e