M Phil in Marketing Guideline: Research Proposal 1. Introduction The objective of the M Phil in Marketing is to provide you with the opportunity to experience a research project that relates to marketing management. You may study any relevant aspect of the broad marketing management field using research data specifically collected for the purpose of the research. The outcome of the research must be reported in dissertation, which forms the core element of the degree. Dissertation work must be original work and not merely a rehash of previously published research or dissertations completed. In all cases, the study itself must therefore be your own work and an original contribution is expected. You may only start your research project once you have submitted a research proposal. Once the Research Committee has evaluated your proposal and is satisfied with the viability and scientific nature of your proposed research, a supervisor will be appointed to guide you through your research efforts. No supervision will be granted if the research proposal has not been submitted and approved by the IMM GSM. You must take full responsibility for the planning, execution and writing of the dissertation. This must be an individual effort and it is not the duty of the supervisor to ensure completion. By following these guidelines, you will achieve your objectives in the most effective manner in the minimum time. These guidelines address all relevant aspects of the dissertation with particular reference to the choice of topic, writing of the research proposal, technical guidelines and some practical tips. As an introduction, please see Figure 1 below for an outline of the whole research process that should be followed as.
Figure 1: Outline of the research process for a dissertation RESEARCH PREPARATION Choice and formulation of topic Prepare Research Proposal Literature overview Prepare Research Proposal Research methodology Submit research proposal RESEARCH EXECUTION Sampling Data Collection Data Analysis Formulate findings, recommendations and implications Write report and submit dissertation IMM GSM Page 2 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
2. Choosing a topic The first challenge you will face in many cases the most critical one - is the choice of a topic for your research. For many, this is the first time of having to do their own research, and the choice of a topic can be problematic. The purpose of this section is to provide you with guidelines on choosing a topic that meets the requirements for a dissertation topic, as determined by the IMM GSM. Two broad-thinking strategies should be used for the generation and formulation of research topics. The following outline provides the most common techniques, as well as the criteria used to evaluate the alternative topics Rational thinking strategies Relation to your own interests, knowledge and experience Looking at previous research topics and dissertations Discussion with peers and supervisor Searching/reviewing the literature Creative thinking strategies Keeping a notebook of your or others ideas Explore past topics that interested you for suggestions from future research Draw a relevance tree Brainstorm with peers/colleagues Adapted from: Saunders, M, Lewis, P & Thornhill, A (1997). Research Methods for Business Students; Pitman : London Be worthy of research There should be a need for the research and it should address an existing problem worthy of a solution. The topic should not be trivial or merely a description of an existing situation. A case study, and therefore a pure literature review, is generally not accepted. On the other hand, a study that applies recent developments and advances in the marketing science is acceptable. The topic should be amenable to research methods Sufficient and relevant data should be available for analysis, since the absence of data on a topic would not be accepted as an excuse for the lack of data analysis. In addition, the methodologies to be used should be available and decided upon in advance (see Figure 1). The topic should not be so broad or wide as to be impractical from a data collection, technical, cost or time perspective. IMM GSM Page 3 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
Be achievable in reasonable time As a measure of good time planning, candidates should submit a project time schedule with their research proposals. If a topic that involves an extended time horizon (longitudinal) is chosen, it should be done with the consequence of extended study duration. It is also important to realise that certain times of the year, such as December/January or a financial year end, are not convenient for empirical research and usually lead to poor response rates. Candidates must be realistic in their time-scheduling and allow sufficient time to reach each milestone, rather than procrastinating on deadlines. This is the most common reason for the late submission of dissertations. Possess symmetry of possible outcomes The findings of your research may have many implications. The relative benefits of each of these implied outcomes should be investigated. A mathematical modelling study is such an example. In this instance you may apply a model or algorithm and find that it works. However it might not and in such a case, you will have to provide reasons why it did not work. The topic should provide for professional development Dissertations should not be seen as yet another assignment or a chore to be completed with as little effort as possible, and then forgotten. If commitment and diligence is high, the topic well-chosen and the research issues properly formulated and analysed, the candidate should then have an advanced understanding of the issues investigated. If there is a need for such research, the candidate will find that others have a continuing interest in the area and he/she will be able to make a contribution from a professional point of view. It is possible to make the dissertation a career stepping stone and a window to a world-class understanding of the marketing science. 3. The research proposal With reference to Figure 1, candidates are reminded that the writing of a research proposal entails more than merely submitting a document called the research proposal. The process of choosing a dissertation topic is the first of a series of activities required in the formulation of a research proposal. An essential part of the research process is the research preparation phase, which consists of choosing the IMM GSM Page 4 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
research topic, the literature review, the choice of appropriate data collection methodologies and finally, the research proposal. In order to explain the relationship between the different activities involved in the writing of a research proposal, it is necessary to look at the process of turning research ideas into research projects. This process is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 2: From research ideas to research objectives Research Idea (topic) Research Question(s) Research Objective(s) Much of the success of the research proposal, and for that matter the dissertation, relies on how well the research problem has been defined. The importance of wellformulated research objectives cannot be over-emphasised, as they are often the most important criteria used in evaluating research proposals and, eventually, also the dissertation. The following guidelines will help you in formulating better research objectives: avoid research questions that are too difficult; do not ask research questions that do not offer any new insight into the problem; begin with one general research question that flows from your topic, which can lead to several other more detailed research questions; research questions may flow from reviewing relevant literature; clues of research questions are found in Suggestions for future research from journal articles. Writing the research proposal Writing a research proposal can be compared to the drawings of a plan of a house before building it is a crucial part of the research process. By putting a great deal of effort into the preparation of your proposal, you will ensure careful IMM GSM Page 5 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
attention to potential pitfalls and consider alternative methodologies, before choosing the best methodology for the context of your topic and control over the execution of the research plan. The purpose of a research proposal is as follows: Organising your thinking Writing the research proposal is a disciplined technique to ensure that your thinking strategy is linear in nature and does not leave important gaps in your reasoning. It will help you to organise your ideas into coherent research plans. Blueprint for execution The research proposal directs your thinking through every aspect of the proposed research before execution of the actual dissertation. It is literally therefore the guide for conducting the study. Once approved, the research proposal will also act as a safeguard against unplanned research action or unrelated interference whilst in the research process. Convincing your audience Since the research proposal must be completed before the study actually starts, it must be seen as an opportunity to convince the evaluators of the value of the proposed research. It will also act as an evaluation soundboard for you. 4. The layout of a research proposal The following major headings must be used. An indication of the suggested page length for each section is given in brackets. Title, name and date of proposal (one page). IMM GSM Page 6 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
Background (one to two pages) The background paragraphs of the proposal contain a brief overview of the proposed research. It will mainly describe the context of the proposed study and will introduce the reader to the topic. Problem statement (two pages) A problem statement is a discussion of exactly what is to be studied or formulated into a research problem. The research problem could even be formulated as specific research questions. The statement of the research problem should include an explanation as to why the specified problem or area of research is worth investigating. Research objectives (not more than one page) As stated in Figure 2, the research topic should be formulated into research questions and eventually, research objectives. Statement and motivation of research hypotheses or propositions (one to two pages) The next section of the research proposal deals with the statement of research hypotheses to be tested through research. Candidates are referred to relevant literature on research methodology for the technical requirements on the formulation of hypotheses (with specific reference to the statistical implications of stating and testing of hypotheses). Scope and limitations of proposed research (not more than one page). Literature review (four to five pages) The literature review plays an important part in the inductive research process namely, to understand the topic and related theory of which it forms a part. Candidates will have to display their ability to at least cover the significant body of literature that is relevant for the research topic. In the absence of a review of the literature, a research design is very shallow and does not make a contribution any more than the mere submission of yet another assignment. Attention must also be given to other significant research that has been conducted on the topic. IMM GSM Page 7 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
The research plan (two to three pages) Candidates may follow either a quantitative or qualitative model of research, or a combination of both. In this section, the candidate specifies and justifies the proposed method of measurement. Attention should be given to the following: describing the research subjects; a description of the research design (exploratory, descriptive, casual, predictive; addressing the sampling plan, if applicable; explaining the instruments of data collection that will be used; and a brief description of the research procedures that will be followed. Proposed methods for processing, analysing and interpretation of data (one page) It is necessary to anticipate which statistical methodologies will be used for the data analyses and specifically, how the stated hypotheses will be tested. The reason why students often struggle with this section is directly related to the lack of research problem definition, the improper formulation of research questions and objectives, and most importantly, the poor statement of hypotheses. The proper definition and formulation of a hypotheses will direct the student to the type of statistical analysis required. In the case of qualitative research, the qualitative data analysis techniques must also be indicated. Timing schedule with detailed deadlines for critical milestones (one page) Potential outcomes and conclusion (one page) In this section you must indicate the following: Possible findings; Possible recommendations; Possible implications. IMM GSM Page 8 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
Proposed dissertation outline (one page) Reference List A reference list of all cited literature should be attached to the research proposal and should be in the correct technical format, as prescribed by the Harvard Referencing System. 5. The evaluation of research proposals Frequently, students ask how a research proposal is evaluated. The following guidelines are offered as the typical criteria used to evaluate a research proposal: A research proposal is the only document that is used by both supervisors and students to evaluate the proposed research suggested in the proposal. The proposal is an opportunity to identify problems in the research design and to make suggestions as to how the research plan can be improved. A research proposal should have enough detail to allow the evaluator to approve the project and to not have further questions on how the research will be conducted. 6. Outline of the dissertation The last section of this guidelines document deals with the technical details in the layout, structure and content of the dissertation. The length The length of the dissertation is normally 40 000 words, more or less 250 A4 typed pages (1,5 spacing). This is only a minimum guideline and could be adjusted according to the circumstances relevant to the research topic. The structure of the dissertation is as follows: Title page. An index of contents with page numbers. Chapters IMM GSM Page 9 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
Chapter 1 Introduction It is an accepted practice that an approved and revised version of the research proposal becomes the first chapter of the dissertation. The basic philosophy that should be followed is an agenda style, where all concepts, theories, models and instruments will be briefly introduced. The detailed discussion of the issues will follow in subsequent chapters. This is particularly true for the literature review, which is briefly discussed in Chapter 1, but detailed in Chapters 2 or even Chapter 3 to follow. Chapter 2 Literature discussion Although the introduction of the literature review has been included in Chapter 1, this chapter (and sometimes even Chapter 3) will be devoted to a full discussion of the relevant literature surrounding the research topic. Students should liberally draw on literature from more recent textbooks (refrain from using old reference material), relevant journal articles and previous research conducted on the topic of research. Chapter 3 Research Methodology In this chapter, the student must provide a detailed discussion of all relevant methodologies undertaken. Whereas Chapter 1 introduced the methodology to the reader, this chapter will provide details on the methods used in the dissertation research. Further aspects that will require detailed attention include the discussion of the research objectives, research questions, research hypotheses, questionnaire design, sampling design, data capture, analysis and interpretation. Chapter 4 Findings and results In Chapter 4, all the research findings must be reported in a well-structured layout, together with the tables, graphs and charts used to substantiate the findings. The findings should be related to the objectives of the study stated in Chapter 1. IMM GSM Page 10 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal
Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations The conclusions should come from the substantiated findings reported in the previous chapter. Specific recommendations that address the stated research problem must be made. Reference List All cited references should be listed in alphabetical order. Do not include references in the bibliography that have not been cited in the chapters and vice versa. Ensure that sources referred to within the dissertation are listed in full in the reference list. IMM GSM Page 11 of 11 Guideline: Research Proposal