Research proposal

Research Proposal Requirements

1. 
   In the introduction, you describe the issue(s) in your organization in the problem statement section and you state the purpose of your research. Then you present the objectives of your research followed by a main research question and three to six sub questions.
   
2. 
   In the theoretical framework, you discuss the topic and issue in the light of the relevant and contemporary literature. In so doing, you address theories and models frequently cited in the literature.
   

Tip: use the textbook as a valuable source of theories and models.
You use perspectives and concepts covered in the course to explore the issue(s). Consecutively, you describe why these theories and models are relevant in your empirical research.
Please note:
Although you will, to some extent, describe what is discussed in the articles, it is crucial that you also venture into analysis and evaluation in your paper. Do not be afraid to adopt a critical perspective and question what you read when there is disagreement in literature; present your own viewpoint as long as it is supported by evidence. There is little merit in a purely descriptive research paper.

3. 
   In the Method section, you describe firstly your research design, i.e. qualitative, quantitative or mixed-method research (see for more info https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/research-methodologies-comparison-quantitative-mixed-methods-gunnell).
   

Second, you describe who would be part of your research, the so-called sample. You describe whether it is a random or non-random sample and which type of sample (see for more info: https://www.studyandexam.com/sampling.html).
Third, you describe the data collection, i.e. through which instrument(s) you propose to collect the data, which could be archival data, surveys, interviews and/or observations. Please note that you need to base the instrument on literature to safeguard the validity and reliability of your research.
Lastly, you describe how you intent to analyze the data, e.g. through content or thematic analysis (qualitative research) or Excel/SPSS or another data analysis tool (quantitative research).


Tip: use the Research Proposal Template to write up your proposal
Notes


1 The issue discussed should ideally refer to one organization. If more than one organization is discussed care should be taken to compare organizations of similar size, industrial sector, and line of business.