Short note on research methods CH3 Accounting and Finance

CHAPTER FOUR
THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

4.1. WHAT IS RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Research proposal is a written statement of the research design that includes a statement
explaining the purpose of the study. It is a detailed outline of procedures associated with a
particular research methodology. It includes information on cost and deadlines. The proposal
must communicate exactly what information, how and where it will be obtained through the
study. Questionnaires and other supporting documents should be attached for reference.

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.

4.2. FUNCTIONS OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research proposal serves two functions: First, it allows you to plan your scientific work in a
systematic way. This forward planning greatly increases the efficiency and efficacy of your
work. Second, proposal allows you to communicate your plans to others – particularly to
research collaborators, supervisors and funders (as contract). The latter category, funders, is
very important. Most professional science is grant-based, and these grants are awarded on a
competitive basis following the submission of research proposals. Therefore, writing good
proposal is an essential skill for most scientists.

4.3. THE STRUCTURE OF BUSINESS RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A specific structure of the business research proposal depends on the organizational
requirements and may vary from institutions to institutions. However, the variability does not
usually affect the basic structural model, which includes the following components:

I-Introductory contents:
A. Title of the research
B. Acknowledgement
C. Contents of the table
D. Abstract
E. List of tables (if any)
F. Acronyms

A. The Title: 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.

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Short note on research methods CH3 Accounting and Finance

B. Abstract:
- Is summary, which reflects the whole content of the proposal
- Belongs at the beginning of the proposal
- It includes title or topic of the research
- Includes at least one sentence on problem
- Includes at least one sentence on objectives
- Includes at least one sentence on methods
- Includes total cost, funds already obtained, amount requested in this proposal
- Should be brief & clear
- Should be interesting
II- Main Body of The proposal
Chapter-1: Introduction
1.1. 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.
1.2. Statement of the problem: 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 close with question.
1.3. Objectives of the study: Statement(s) identifying the purpose of the research. The
objective(s) should be phrased in action verbs.
1.4. Research question/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. 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
1.5. Significance of the study: There should be well justification for conducting and
choosing your topic and research problem in such a way that either there has been no
other research on the problem with the same approach or that the proposed research
project will extend, modify or refine prior research. Thus the proposed research should
be related to past research accomplishments and how it builds upon rather than
duplicating any previous research.
1.6. The scope of a study conceptualizes the aspects and reference framework of the
investigation in explicit and concrete terms. It is description of the issues and core

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concepts that the study deals with and the limits of investigation for the sake of ensuring
practicability vis-à-vis limitation of resources. The scope of study may involve: Issue
Specification, Space Specification, & Time Reference Specification
1.7. Limitation of the study
The following may be the limitation of the research endeavor:
 Lack of access to the right data
 Lack of experience e.g., Poor choice or development of instruments
 Lack of up-to-date literature in the area
 Lack of sufficient time, finance, etc
NB: Explain how they affect the research work and describe how they can be minimized to
achieve the goal of the research
1.8. Organization of the study
It includes the list of chapters which will be included in the report of the thesis. These may be:
introductory, review of literature, methodology and procedure of the study, data collection and
analysis of data, and conclusions of the study.

Chapter-2: Literature review

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 authors and the new trends in the theory. 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.

Chapter-3: Research Methodology

The methodology section is an outline of all the activities that the researcher is planning to
perform in the pursuit of his/her research goals. It also includes a descriptions of the research
participants, measuring instruments, procedures and data analysis. The methodology
section typically consists of the following sections:
3.1. Research Design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kinds of
design do you choose?

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3.2. Data type & Sources- there are types of data these are primary data and secondary data.
Primary data is original data collected for specific research goal or specific research problem
at hand. Secondary data is data originally collected for a different purpose and reused for
another research question. Some of primary sources of data are observations, questionnaire,
interviews, etc. Secondary sources can be things like: books, articles, previous research, etc.
3.3. Population of The study- Who are the population for the study?
3.4.Sampling Frame- This is an accessible section of the target population (usually a list with
contact information) from where a sample can be drawn.
3.5. Sampling procedure & Sample size- What kind of sampling procedure do you use? –
Probability or non-probability method? What would be sample size?
3.6.Data collection methods- The key to a successful research is to identify appropriate data
collection techniques, to gather relevant and usable data. What kind of measuring
instruments or questionnaires do you use? Why do you choose them? Are they valid and
reliable? Primary data can be collected by surveys, face-to-face interviews, & focus
groups. Secondary data can be gathered from annual and market reports, financial and legal
documentation, organizational structure-charts, executive publications and so on.
3.7. Measurement Reliability & Validity
Reliability means dependability or consistency. It suggests that same thing is repeated or
recurs under the identical or very similar conditions.

Validity suggests truthfulness and refers to the match between a construct, or the way a
researcher conceptualizes the idea in a conceptual definition, and a measure. Validity is
whether the researcher is measuring the construct he or she purports to be measuring. In other
words, it is the extent to which a measure measures what it is supposed to measure. For
example, if a researcher examines a measure of self-esteem, he or she needs to ask whether it
really measures self-esteem, or whether in fact it measures lack of depression, or lack of
anxiety.
3.8. Methods of analysis– How the data would be analyzed? What statistical tool would be
used to analyze and interpret data? (Proposed method of data analysis).

Chapter 4: A budget breaks down and Plan of action

4.1. Research Period or Work Plan:

Provide detail work plan mentioning the activities and time schedule. Preferably in Gantt Chart

4.2. Financial plan/Cost of Research

 Remuneration / fees for employed research associates / assistants (where applicable).
 Cost for support services (e.g., field workers), Cost of consumable materials, cost of pilot
study, Cost of report preparation, binding etc.

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III- End Matters:

 Bibliography
Bibliography will contain all research materials including books, magazines, Periodicals,
websites, and scientific papers which you have referred.
– Use one of the referencing styles: APA, Harvard Referencing Style, or Vancouver
Referencing Style
 Appendices
We can add additional detailed information that can support ideas in the main materials.
For example, we can attach questionnaire.

4.4. CRITERIA TO EVALUATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

In practice, many factors contribute to a proposal’s acceptance and funding. Primarily, the
content discussed above must be included to the level of detail required by the sponsor’s RFP
(Request For Proposal). Beyond the required modules, other factors can quickly eliminate a
proposal from consideration or improve the sponsor’s reception of the proposal, among them:
 Neatness.
 Organization in terms of being both logical and easily understood.
 Completeness in fulfilling the RFP’s specifications, including budget and schedule.
 Appropriateness of writing style.
 Submission within the RFP’s timeline.

Citation according to APA (American Psychological Association)

1. Citation in Text
APA style: uses the author-date method of citation.
 The last name of the author and the date of publication are inserted in the text in the
appropriate place.
 When quoting in your paper, if a direct quote is less than 40 words, incorporate it into
your text and use quotation marks.
 If a direct quote is more than 40 words, make the quotation a free-standing indented
block of text and DO NOT use quotation marks.
Example, (use double space)
–Black (1993) found the following:
The "placebo effect" had been verified in previous studies. This effect was found to be
indicative of a patient‘s belief that they were suffering from x diagnosis and were receiving y
medication which was helping them to reduce z psychosomatic side effects. (p. 276)
One work by one author:
 In one developmental study (Smith, 1990), children learned... OR
 In the study by Smith (1990), primary school children... OR
 In 1990, Smith’s study of primary school children…

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Works by multiple authors:

 When a work has 2 authors cite both names every time you reference the work in the
text.
 When a work has 3 to 5 authors cite all the author names the first time the reference
occurs and then subsequently include only the first author followed by et al.
 For example:
o First citation: Masserton, Slonowski, and Slowinski (1989) state that...
o Subsequent citations: Masserton et al. (1989) state that...
 For 6 or more authors, cite only the name of the first author followed by et al. and the
year. But in reference list all must be written.
2. Citations in a reference list:
In general, references should contain the author name, publication date, title, and publication
information. Include the issue number if the journal is paginated by issue.
Technical and Research Reports (often with corporate authors):
• Hershey Foods Corporation. (2001, March 15). 2001 Annual Report. Retrieved from
http://www.hersheysannualreport.com/20 00/index.htm

Website with no author or date of publication:

• Census data revisited. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2009, from Harvard, Psychology of
Population website, http://harvard.edu/data/index.php