The document summarizes the key steps in the business research process and provides details on research proposals. It outlines 12 main steps in the research process from identifying a broad problem area to reporting and presenting findings. It then discusses the purpose and structure of research proposals, noting they should define the problem, research objectives, design, budget, and qualifications of researchers. Proposals allow sponsors to evaluate the study approach and merits before deciding to fund the proposed research.

1. Business
Research Methods
Chapter 2:
The Business Research Process

2. OBSERVATION
Broad area
Of research
Interest
identified
1
PRELIMINARY
DATA
GATHERING
Interviewing
Literature
survey
PROBLEM
DEFINITION
Research
Problem
Delineated
2
THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
Variables
clearly
Identified and
labeled
GENERATION
OF
HYPOTHESES
4
5
SCIENTIFI
C
RESEARCH
DESIGN
6
DATA
COLLECTION
ANALYSIS, AND
INTERPREATIO
N
7
DEDUCTION
Research
Question
answered ?
8
Managerial
Decision
Making
REPORT
PRESENTATION
REPORT
WRITING
10
1
1No
3
9
Yes
Research Process

3. RESEARCH PROCESS
Step-1 Broad Problem Area
OBSERVATION:- Broad problem
area one sees / feels certain changes
are occurring or new behaviors,
attitudes and feelings are surfacing. It
is gut feeling. Problem is not defined
yet. Managers take cues from verbal &
non verbal signals. Eg. Sales decline,
production interruptions, lack of
motivation etc

4. Step-1 Broad Problem Area cont..
Problem can be:
 Currently existing (harassment)
 Improvement required
 Conceptual or theoretical issue
 Empirical answers
 Broad problem area would be narrowed
down to specific issues of investigation.

5. Step 2 PRELIMINARY DATA GATHERING
(By Interview & Literature Survey)
 Seeking information to know more about what
one observed. Talking to others and literature
review.
 At the first stage interviews are conducted to
know the nature of problem.
 Nature of information needed to understand
problem is:
i- Background information of the
organization

6. ii Management philosophy and
structural factors
 Information gathered on these issues will
be useful for researcher in talking with
officials & interviewing them. This
information can be taken by asking direct
questions
iii-Perceptions, Attitudes and
behavioral responses
Step 2 PRELIMINARY DATA GATHERING
(By Interview & Literature Survey)

7. Research Proposal
 A written statement of the research
design that includes a statement
explaining the purpose of the study.
 Detailed outline of procedures
associated with a particular methodology

8. Research Proposal
 A proposal is an individual’s or company’s offer to
produce a product or render a service to a potential
buyer or sponsor.
 The purpose of proposal is: -
 To present the problem to be researched and its
importance.
 To discuss the research efforts of others who have
worked on related problem.
 To suggest the data necessary for solving the problem
and how that data will be gathered, treated and
interpreted.
 A contract proposal must represent its plan services &
credentials to win the proposal.
 A proposal is also called work plan, prospectus, outline,
and statement of intent or draft plan.

9. Research Proposal
A Proposal tells:
 What will be done ?
 Why it will be done ?
 How it will be done?
 Where it will be done?
 To whom it will be done?
 What is the benefit of doing it?

10. Research Proposal
SPONSOR USES
 Every research has a sponsor in one form or another.
A student researcher is responsible to class Instructor.
Doctoral candidate is responsible to committee. In
corporate setting researcher is responsible to
department or management of organization..
University, Govt or corporate – sponsored research
use grant committee to evaluate work.
 Proposal is first step in evaluation process; it allows
the sponsors to assess the sincerity of your purpose,
design, background material and fitness of
undertaking the prefect & compares with computers.

11. Research Proposal
 Proposal also provides a basis for
sponsor to evaluate the result of a
project by comparing it with find product.
 External contract starts from RFP
(Request For Proposal )

12. Research Proposal
 Researcher Benefits.
 Prompts the researcher to assess previous
approaches to the problem and revise the plan
accordingly.
 Opportunity to spot flaws in the previous work i.e
errors in logic, assumption or even problems.
 Accepted proposal serves as guide to researcher
throughout the project
 Forces time & budget estimates.
Proposal Complexity
 Depending on the type of project, the sponsoring individual or institution, and the
cost of project; different levels of complexity are required for proposals to be
judged.

13. PROPOSAL COMPLEXITY
Complexity
Type Least Most
Student Term paper Master’s thesis Doctoral
thesis
Internal Exploratory Small Scale Large Scale Study
study Study
External Exploratory Small Scale Large Scale
contract research contract research Govt. Sponsored
research

14. Types of Research Proposals
 Internal Proposal: Done for company by
research department.
 Brief in nature
 To solve problem, make decision, improvement.
 Executive survey essential
 Schedules & budgets.
 External Proposal :
 Important section of external proposal includes
objectives, design, qualification, schedule,
budget executive survey, letter of transmittal.

15. Structure of Research Proposal
1. Executive Summary:- Brief statement of
problem, research objectives / research
question & benefits of your approach.
2. Problem Statement:- State the problem,
background consequences importance of
problem. Restriction areas of problems,
which will not be discussed.
3. Research Objectives:- Purpose of
investigation, what is being planned by
research approach. It can be stated as the
research questions. List the objectives either
in order of importance or general terms first.

16. Structure of Research Proposal
4. Literature Review:- Examines the present
or past research studies, company data,
industry reports, do a brief review not
comprehensive.
5. Importance / Benefits of Study
6. Research Design
• Qualitative research
• Quantitative methods
 Questionnaires
 interviews

17. Structure of Research Proposal
7. Qualification Of Researchers: - Begin
with principal investigator, experience of
previous research done. Relevant business
& technical societies to which researcher
belongs can be mentioned.
8. Budget:- Provide it as required by the
sponsor not more than two pages. Don’t
forget to include cost of proposal writing into
your fee. Also cost of publication & deleting
of final report.

18. Structure of Research Proposal
9. Schedule:- Time table of major phases of
project. Gantt chart , critical path method
(CPM) are used to schedule the activities to
finish in time.
10. Facilities & special resources:-
Some projects require special facilities or
resources that should be described in detail
e.g focus groups, CATI list all these.

19. Structure of Research Proposal
11. Project Management:- Show the sponsor
that research team is organized & can do it
efficiently. Include the following:-
 Team’s Org.
 Management procedure & control for
Research Project.
 Examples of mgt & tech reports
 Research team relationship with sponsor
 Financial & legal responsibility
 Management competence

20. Structure of Research Proposal
12. Bibliography :- Projects that
require literature review, provide
bibliography as required.
13. Appendices
 Glossary
 Measurement instrument
 Other