Writing the Report Proposal Professor Stevens Amidon

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Writing the Report Proposal

• Professor Stevens Amidon
• Department of English and Linguistics, IPFW

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Purpose

• When approaching any genre of writing, you should
  ask yourself, and any writing task, you should
  ask yourself
• What is the purpose, or exigency of this
  writing?
• The purpose of a research proposal is to describe
  your research plan

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Basic Requirements of the Assignment

• Follow the memo format of the example I passed
  out
• Proposal is due next class
• Proposal will probably be two-three pages long

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Proposal Section 1 Top Matter

• Top Line Interoffice Memo, XXX Corporation
• You should be using a real company based in the
  US
• To line make up the name of your boss. For
  example, Her title might be Director,
  International Expansion
• Date line Todays date
• From Line Your names. Your title is staff
  researcher
• Subject Line your research is a feasibility
  study, or a marketing plan. You need to give your
  study a name, or describe it in the subject line.

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Proposal Section 2 Authorization and Background

• The scenario I handed out describes the basic
  background information. You may invent dates of
  staff meetings.
• Use this section to quickly summarize the focus
  of your research to study the feasibility of
  Hewlett Packard opening an ink jet manufacturing
  facility in Malaysia, for the purpose of sale in
  the growing Asian market.

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Proposal Section 3 Statement of the Problem

• The problem is the central focus of your research
  and the report you will write
• A short one or two sentence description will
  suffice
• Example Capacity limitations, labor and shipping
  costs make export of Hewlett Packards printers
  to the growing Asian market a very difficult
  task. I propose to study the feasibility of
  opening a manufacturing plant in Malaysia to
  build Hewlett Packard printers for the growing
  Asian market.

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Proposal Section 4 Purpose of the Study

• Whereas the problem defines what is to be
  investigated, the purpose identifies why the
  research should be conducted
• When the report is finished, the purpose guides
  the formulation of recommendations
• Example Hewlett Packard has historically
  manufactured its printers in the United States,
  Canada, Mexico, and the European union. Those
  locations were ideal, because they are in or near
  the major markets where HP sells most of its
  products. However, the rapid growth of the
  information economy in Asia suggests that Asia
  may be an ideal location for HP to expand its
  markets.
• Following the example of past market expansions,
  it makes sense for HP to identify potential
  manufacturing locations near the Asian markets.
  However, before sending a team to research and
  identify potential sites, HP needs to understand
  the business climate, market potential, and
  cultural practices of the nations of this region.
  This particular study will focus on Malaysia.

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Proposal Section 5 Scope

• The purpose of the scope is to narrow your focus,
  and to identify the specific research questions
  you will seek to answer
• Example To determine the feasibility of
  operating a manufacturing facility in Malaysia,
  the following questions must be answered
• Is Malaysia centrally located in terms of todays
  Asian market for IT hardware? For the future
  growth of the market?
• Does Malaysia have the skilled workforce
  necessary to operate such a facility?
• How will HPs corporate culture fit into the
  native culture of the nation?
• Does Malaysia have the transportation
  infrastructure to support shipment of the
  products to other nations in the Asian market?
• What type of support could be expected from the
  government and people of Malaysia for such an
  expansion?

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Proposal Section 6 Delimitations

• Delimitations are boundaries or restrictions you
  place on the study.
• Example This research will be delimited in the
  following ways
• This study will be limited to secondary library
  research. No interviews will be conducted, and
  the researcher will not be traveling to Malaysia
  for first-hand observation.
• This study will focus on the major items
  identified in the research questions identified
  above. It will not conduct an in-depth analysis
  of corporate regulations and tax policies.

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Proposal Section 7 Limitations

• Limitations are potential shortcomings and
  inadequacies of the study.
• Example The short time period required before
  final delivery of this report (June 15,
  2006about 10 days), and the other
  responsibilities of the researchers will limit
  the thoroughness of the coverage of this topic.
  The lack of primary research means that this
  report is relying upon the reliability of primary
  research which has already been conducted.

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Proposal Section 8 Data Collection and Analysis

• The purpose of this section is to describe how
  you plan to gather and analyze data
• Example Data will be gathered by library and
  internet review of secondary sources. Information
  will be collected from websites, reference books,
  and journal articles describing the business
  climate and culture of Malaysia.
• Data sources will be analyzed in terms of the
  credibility of the primary data.
• Data will be analyzed in terms of its impact on
  the research questions listed above.
• At least three secondary data sources will be
  cited in the body of the report.

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Proposal Section 9 Time Required

• Here you should write a schedule for your
  project. You have a basic schedule on your
  assignment sheet which describes due dates. You
  should write a more detailed schedule based upon
  your own priorities.
• This should be a real schedule which assigns
  certain tasks to each team member, which you
  intend to follow.

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Proposal Section 10 Resources Needed

• This will be short, and while you may make up
  your salary, the hours and resources used
  should be described in detail
• Examples
• Total Researcher time 25 hours _at_ 50 hour 1250
• Library access
• 3 hours at Helmke Library, IPFW
• 5 hours at Allen County Public Library, Downtown
  branch
• Internet access
• 3 hours, high speed access, IPFW computer lab
• Again, you should estimate your time needed as
  realistically as possible

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Proposal Section 11 Presentation of the Results

• Research is not complete until the information
  you gathered has been disseminated.
• Example
• A final written draft of the report will be
  delivered on June 15, 2006.
• An oral presentation of this report will be made
  on (April 19, April 20).

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Proposal Section 12 Request for Approval

• Research can consume substantial resources, so it
  is essential that your plan directly request the
  approval of your superior. You should request a
  response by a certain date, and should give
  contact information in case the reader has
  questions.