RESEARCH PROPOSAL GUIDELINES 2022

RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUB HEADINGS

1. INTRODUCTION [5 marks]
 Research project title✔
 Basic OR applied research + motivation✔✔ (choose 1 method)
 Prepared for [name of the organisation] ✔
 Prepared by [names and contact details of the researcher]✔
 Date [month, year]✔

2. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES [23 marks]

2.1. Marketing problem/opportunity [discussion + practical application]✔✔
2.2. Primary research objective [discussion + practical application]✔✔
2.3. Secondary research objectives [discussion + practical application]✔✔✔✔✔
2.4. Research questions [discussion + practical application]✔✔✔✔✔✔
2.5. Hypotheses [discussion + practical application]✔✔✔✔✔
2.6. Research delimitation [discussion + practical application]✔✔✔

3. RESEARCH DESIGN [7 marks]

3.1. Research approach [discussion + correct approach + motivation]✔✔✔✔
3.2. Research design [discussion + correct research design + motivation]✔✔✔

4. DATA COLLECTION [17 marks]

4.1. Secondary data [discussion]✔
4.1.1. Internal secondary data [source + practical example]✔✔
4.1.2. External secondary data [source + practical example]✔✔
4.2. Primary data [discussion]✔
4.2.1. Data collection approach [correct approach + motivation]✔✔
4.2.2. Data collection method [correct method + motivation]✔✔
4.2.3. Data collection instrument [correct instrument]✔
4.2.4. Aspects to be investigated and level of measurement ✔✔✔✔✔✔
Specific aspect Question format Level of measurement

Consumer perceptions e.g. Scaled e.g. Ordinal / interval

Preferred restaurants/dishes

Purchase intentions/ behaviour

Age group categories

5. SAMPLING PLAN [Not required]

6. DATA ANALYSIS PLAN [Not required]
7. TIME & FINANCIAL COST SCHEDULE [4 marks] ✔✔✔✔
8. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS [4 marks]
8.1. Ethical treatment of participants [practical application] ✔✔✔✔

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Discussion points (Definitions in ✔)

1. INTRODUCTION
 Research project title: ________________________
 Basic OR Applied and reason (definition and application)
 Prepared for (Business name)
 Prepared by SG Mahlangu (Student details), 012 382 4697 (Student details),
Mahlangusg@tut.ac.za (Student details)
 Date: _______________________

2. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 Marketing problem/opportunity
Discussion: A problem indicates that something is wrong and needs attention
whereas an opportunity refers to an existing situation where performance can
be improved by undertaking new activities. ✔
Practical application: ✔

2.2 Primary research objective

Discussion: an overall statement of the thrust of the study and gives an
indication of what is expected to be achieved by the study. ✔
Practical application: ✔

2.3 Secondary research objectives

Discussion: specific aspects of the topic that the researcher wants to
investigate within the main framework of the research project. ✔
Practical application: ✔✔✔✔

2.4 Research questions

Discussion: a refined statement of specific components of the problem, the
facts that need to be collected, thus summarising the significant issue that the
research will investigate. ✔
Practical application: ✔✔✔✔

2.5 Hypotheses
Discussion: a guess, assumption, unproven statement (answer) or proposition
about the relationship between two or more variables (research question) that
can be tested with empirical data. The best way to state a hypothesis is to use
the ‘if… then’ statement. ✔
Practical application: ✔✔✔✔

2.6 Research delimitation

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 Discussion: refers to choices made by the researcher and boundaries (sample
element, sample unit, geographic area, period etc.) which needs to be
mentioned in a research study. ✔
Practical application: ✔✔

3 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.1 Research approach
Discussion: The research design is determined by the approach to the research,
which is either qualitative, quantitative or multi (mixed) method. ✔
Practical application: ✔
Motivation: ✔

3.2 Research design

Discussion: a research design is simply the outline, framework or plan for the
research project. Based on the research objective, a researcher can use
exploratory, descriptive or causal research design.✔
Practical application‘✔
Motivation: ✔

4 DATA COLLECTION
4.1 Secondary data
Discussion: secondary data is data that already exists, as the information had
been previously gathered for some other purpose, and not for the specific
study.✔
4.1.1 Internal secondary data
Source: internal/in-house✔
Practical example: ✔
4.1.2 External secondary data
Source: Other published sources✔
Practical example: ✔

4.2 Primary data

Discussion: data that has not been collected before and is collected to address
a specific problem. Primary data collection techniques include qualitative
(focus groups or in-depth interviews) and quantitative (surveys or
observations).✔
4.2.1 Data collection approach
Practical application: ✔
Motivation: ✔
4.2.2 Data collection method
Practical application: ✔
Motivation: ✔
4.2.3 Data collection instrument
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 Practical application: ✔
Motivation: ✔
4.2.4 Aspects to be investigated and level of measurement ✔✔✔✔✔✔
Specific aspect Question format Level of measurement

Consumer perceptions e.g. Scaled e.g. Ordinal / interval

Preferred restaurants/dishes

Purchase intentions/ behaviour

Age group categories

5 SAMPLING PLAN [Not required]

6 DATA ANALYSIS PLAN [Not required]
7 TIME & FINANCIAL COST SCHEDULE✔✔✔✔
Activities Schedule Costs

Defining problem & objectives 1 week R2 500

Collecting secondary data 2 weeks R5 000

Questionnaire design 1 week R4 000

Collecting primary data 2 weeks R10 000

Data analysis 1 week R6 000

Research report 1 week R2 500

TOTAL 2 months R30 000

8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ethical treatment of participants
 Conflict: Practical application. ✔
 Access: Practical application.✔
 Informed consent: Practical application.
 Deception: Practical application
 Confidentiality: Practical application