BUSI49106 Research Methods for Managers - Nottingham Trent University

The Research Proposal

• This is a structured plan of the research project

• The research proposal outlines the purpose and objectives of the research project

• The research proposal addresses issues related to: research design, data collection methods, scope of research, etc.

• Developing the research proposal helps you to think carefully about the research project and what you are trying to achieve

• Outlines the specifications for the research - what will you be researching? why are you conducting this research? how will you conduct this research? when will you be conducting this research? etc.

• The proposal can be used to get feedback on the research idea/focus

• The proposal is used to gain formal approval (from your research supervisor, consultancy company) before starting the project

• On completion of the research project, the proposal can form part of the processes for indicating achievement of research objectives and how the project was carried out.

What is in the research proposal?
The general outline below for your research proposal:
• Title of research proposal
• Introduction
• Research aims and objectives
• Literature Review and Research questions
• Research Methodology - including discussion of research philosophy, research strategy and research design
• Research Methods - include how you will collect data, sample size
• Ethics
• Research Plan - including Gantt chart
• References (Not included in word count)
• Appendices (Not included in word count)

• Your Introduction will comprise of the Background and Rationale for the research.

• Typically, the Introduction is written separately from the Background to the Research, however in the context of this module, the background and rationale will form the introduction to your research proposal

• You should explain what you are researching, why it is important, what prompted this research, and a general outline of your research question(s)

Research aims and objectives
• The research aim is a broad statement of the general intention of your research

• It indicates what you intend to achieve by the end of the project (not necessarily how you plan to do this)

• Research objectives state what you need to do in order to achieve your research aim
• (your research questions derive from these objectives and indicate what you need to do to answer your main research question, or test your hypotheses)

• A concise and critical review of the literature that provides the context and theoretical framework of the research

• With business and management research, your literature review may extend across more than one discipline e.g. strategy, marketing, HR, economics, and sociology.

• The literature review should include a conceptual framework, and the research questions you intend to address

Research Methodology

• Your general ontological and epistemological perspectives

• This section is very brief, but should concisely capture your research philosophy and why this approach is taken in the context of your research

• Ensure that you make the link to the context of your research clear.

Research Methods

• This section describes what are your proposed research methods.

• This includes the procedures selected for data collection, the sampling methods used, etc.

• This section should provide sufficient detail that the reader understands clearly how you intend to undertake this research and why (this connects to your methodology section)

Ethics
• This section should be used to address any ethical issues that may arise in the conduct of your research

• Do you need to ensure anonymity of the data (e.g. individual anonymity, organisational anonymity)?

• How do you ensure confidentiality of the data collected? How will this data be securely stored during the research process?

Research plan - including Gantt chart
• Your research proposal should give some idea of how long it will take to complete different parts of your research (e.g. data collection), where certain activities may overlap, and what are the key deliverables

• The Gantt chart will be used to illustrate a general timeline for completing primary research activities using the case brief that you have been given. This should include consideration of key issues that may arise as a result of your research

References
• Harvard Referencing format for references list and in-text citations