23C59000 - Consumer research, 08.09.2020-15.10.2020
This course space end date is set to 15.10.2020 Search Courses: 23C59000
Written report of research proposal (group work)
Written research proposal
Length: 8-10 pages
A research proposal is a written document through which you present a plan of your research. For example, you may be asked to write research proposal for your Master’s thesis.
A research proposal should include everything that is relevant for your research – background to the topic, your research objective(s) and question(s), a recap of prior literature, your research methodology, methods, target groups, context of study and so forth. You may also speculate on what you expect to find out and how your findings will contribute to prior theory and provide managerial relevance.
Below I have provided some questions that help you write each topic. Please keep in mind that what you answer is very depended of your research topic. You do not have to follow these questions strictly, but use them to get inspiration.
•Background to research & topic (1 page)
Objective: Give the reader enough background to your topic and research so that he/she knows all what should be known in order to understand and make judgements about your research
Guiding questions:
What is the broader topic of your research? (For example sharing economy or some more specific topic within it / impacts of the pandemic to consumer behavior etc.).
What is the current market situation? Are there some relevant statistics that you can use?
Why is this topic relevant / important to study?
•Research objectives and questions (0,5 pages)
Objective: Present your research objectives and questions.
Guiding questions:
What is your main research question and objective?
Do you have additional, more specific research questions to support your main objective?
•Positioning of the research (1,5-2,5pages)
Objective: Give a review of prior literature, illustrate a research gap and position your research idea in relation to prior research.
Guiding questions:
What does prior literature state about your research topic? What are the main theories / theoretical concepts related to your topic?
What do we already know about the topic? What do we not know? Why is this important?
•Research methodology & methods (1,5-3pages)
Objective: Describe your chosen methodology and methods. You should present background to your chosen methods by using prior literature on them (for example, if you have chosen a qualitative, interpretive approach and are planning to do phenomenological interviews, you should describe what a qualitative, interpretive research approach as well as phenomenological interviews mean à there is plenty of literature on different methods that you can utilize). Specify also your data collection plan and data analysis approach, as well as your target group(s) and context of your study.
Guiding questions:
Is this qualitative / quantitative?
What methods are you planning to use (phenomenological interviews, survey, ethnography etc.)? Describe them as the reader may not be familiar with them!
What is your target group and context?
How are you planning to collect your data and where?
How are you planning to analyze your data?
•Expected findings and theoretical contributions & managerial relevance (1-2 pages)
Objective: Give a brief account on what you expect to achieve through this study. Describe both theoretical relevance of your study, as well as your expected managerial implications.
Guiding questions:
How are you planning to contribute to prior literature / theories?
What managerial relevance do you except your study to provide?
Do you identify some limitations to your research?
The presentation of your research proposal should include a summary of all the previous topics. It is a 10-15 min presentation where you go through the same things as in your written proposal, but more briefly and in oral form. The aim is to give the audience enough details of your research so that it would be able to evaluate the value of your research, make funding decisions or give you green light to proceed with the research project.