Research proposal template for Business and Management

As part of the application process all candidates have to present a research proposal. The applicants are expected to use this Guidance that covers the principal factors:

• a. Give the title of your proposed research.
• b. Justify why it is worth researching this area as a research degree topic - in other words justify its academic, commercial and/or industrial importance with academic (ie journal references). You need to explain how your proposed topic goes further than previous research in the overall area.
• c. What are your research objectives (three to five is usually enough)?
• d. Explain the key academic ideas (theories and concepts) within the area of your proposed topic. Provide supporting references and explain how your research relates to these ideas.
• e. Outline the general research approach and specific research methods that you are intending to use. Explain why you are intending to use such an approach and set of research methods. Use references that are advanced.
• f. Outline the setting or context in which you intend to base your proposed research; this might be an industry or a company. Why you are using the setting or context?
• g. Detail how you will gain access to the data. This is particularly important if you are contemplating access to organisations or senior managers
• h. How do you intend to interpret or analyse the data, once collected?
• i. Provide a tentative timeline for undertaking the proposed research.
• j. Provide a full list of your references, in Harvard style.

The clearer you are in your explanation of what you intend to do, the easier it is for us to assess whether your proposed topic fits into any of our research areas and, perhaps more importantly, whether it is a suitable for study at the Doctoral level. You will find that to address all these points that your proposal will be no less than 3-4 pages.