指導老師：任維廉 教授學生：科管碩一 邱弘懿

Business Research Requests & Proposals

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自我介紹邱弘懿

學歷政治大學資訊管理學系畢業交通大學科技管理所碩一

工作經驗中華民國對外貿易發展協會展覽業務處科定企業股份有限公司

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出處 : Business Research Methods, McGraw.Hill

AuthorDonald R. Cooper

Florida Atlantic University-Boca Raton

Pamela S. SchindlerWittenberg University

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Outline

Proposing ResearchThe Request for Proposal (RFP)The Research ProposalEvaluating the Research Proposal

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Proposing Research

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Proposing ResearchProposal process(Exhibit a-1)

Request for Proposal (RFP) & Research ProposalInternal Research & External Research

The more inexperienced a researcher is, the more important it is to have a well-planned and adequately documented proposal.

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Exhibit a-1 The Research Proposal Process

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The Request for Proposal (RFP)

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RFP Development Process

Create the RFP (information requirements)• Proposal Administration• Summary Statement of the Problem• Technical Section• Management Section• Contracts and License Section• Pricing Section

Qualify potential suppliersCriteria: industry experience, reputation, quality of previous work, strategic alliances etc.

Define the problemInternal experts + External experts(optional) E.g., Tourism study

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Qualify Potential Suppliers

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RFP Development Process

Create the RFP (information requirements)• Proposal Administration• Summary Statement of the Problem• Technical Section• Management Section• Contracts and License Section• Pricing Section

Qualify potential suppliersCriteria: industry experience, reputation, quality of previous work, strategic alliances etc.

Define the problemInternal experts + External experts(optional) E.g., Tourism study

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Proposal AdministrationAn overview of important information Dates of the RFP process

When the RFP is released, when the RFP team is available for questions, the date the proposal is expected, the dates of the evaluation and suppliers selections

Requirements for preparing the proposal and describe how the proposal will be evaluated

Contact information

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Summary Statement of the ProblemTake the form of a letter introducing the organization and

its needsCan be an abstract or the first page of the technical

sectionExample:

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Technical SectionBuilding quality control strengthens the project.Problem statementDescription of functional requirements

What actual phases will be included in the researchNeither too specific nor too general

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Management SectionSponsor’s management

Timing on schedules, plans, reportsRequirements to suppliers

Implementation schedule, training and reporting schedule, quality control and other documentation (e.g., supplier qualification, references, etc.)

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Contracts and License SectionThe RFP is a part of final contract and thus should be

worded precisely to avoid interpretation problems.Contracts

A sample purchase contract Non-disclosure agreements

E.g., firm’s strategies, tactics, solutions to challengesOthers

Safeguarding of IP and the use of copyrights Terms of payment

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Pricing SectionList all anticipated activities to help sponsors compare and

suppliers to cost the proposal.Ethical standards are integral to designing this section.Example:

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RFP Format

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Recap and More in RFP Development ProcessQualify potential suppliersWrite and distribute RFP 8-10 weeks before the requested

dateBe available to answer questions or hold a pre-bidding

conferenceEvaluate submissions on known criteriaAward contracts and start the project on published datesProvide a critique to all suppliers

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The Research Proposal

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The Research ProposalThe purposes:

Present the management question and relate its importanceDiscuss the research efforts of others beforeHow necessary data are gathered, treated, and interpreted.

A winning proposal:PlanServicesCredentials

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Sponsor Uses

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Through iterative discussions, sponsors may discover the interpretation of the problem doesn't encompass all the original symptoms

Researcher BenefitsMake cost estimation more accurateHelp plan and review the project’s logical stepsMonitor the progress Outline for the final report

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Types of Research Proposals

In public sector, the complexity is generally greater. 24

>Exhibit a-4 Proposal Complexity

• Sometimes more or less than what’s shown here is appropriate for a purpose. E.g., Glossary

• External Research• Solicited• Unsolicited

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Executive SummaryAllow one to quickly understand the thrust = informative

abstractSolicited version

Brief statement of management dilemma and management question

Research objectives/ research questionsBenefits of your approach

Unsolicited versionBrief description of you qualification

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Problem StatementState the management dilemma, background,

consequences and the resulting management question( and the importance of a solution)Restrictions or areas of the management question that will not

be addressedManagement question

Shouldn’t be broadly definedDistinguish the primary problem from related problems clearly

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Research ObjectivesAddress the purpose of the investigation and how the

proposed research is plannedthe basis for judging the proposal and final report

In descriptive study: research question investigative question

In causal study: hypothesis

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Literature ReviewExamine the recent(or historically important) research

studies, company data, or industry reports that act as the basis for the study.

May go beyond scrutinizing the past studies to examine the accuracy, credibility, and appropriateness of early studies.

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Importance/ Benefits of the StudyDescribe explicit benefits that will accrue from the study

and the importance of “doing the study now” should be emphasized

Especially important to the unsolicited external proposal

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Research DesignDescribe what you’re going to do in technical terms

E.g., sample selection and size, data collection method, etc.Include as many subsections as needed to show the

phases of the projectWhen more than one methods exists, discuss the reason

for selection and rejection

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Data AnalysisDescribe the proposed handling of the data and the

theoretical basis for using selected techniques. For large-scale contract research this section is appropriate

whereas for smaller projects, it is usually included in research design section.

Suggested to apply sample charts and tables featuring “dummy data”

A field expert to review the latest available techniques

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Nature and Form of ResultsSpecify the types of data to be obtained and the

interpretations that will be made in the analysis.E.g., statistical conclusions, applied findings, action plans,

recommendations

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Qualifications of ResearchersBegin with the principal investigator and then similar

information on all participants.Professional research competence( relevant research

experience. The highest academic degree held, and memberships in business and technical societies)

Relevant management experienceOptionally include the profile of subcontractors for offering

specific resources or facilities such as focus groups and interviews.

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BudgetDetails vary depending on both the sponsor’s and research

company’s requirements and policy.Internal: employee and overhead costExternal: person-hour priceDon’t forget to put in the cost of proposal writing,

publication and delivery of final report.

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ScheduleInclude major phases, timetables and the milestones.

Major phases: (1) exploratory interviews, (2) final research proposal, (3) questionnaire revision, (4) field interviews, (5) editing and coding, (6) data analysis, (7) report generation

Chart your timetable by using Gantt chart or Critical Path Method (CPM) if the project is large and complex

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Facilities and Special ResourcesShould be carefully listed and thus be cost in the budget

sectionE.g., proposed data analysis may require a sophisticated

computer algorithm

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Project ManagementShow the sponsor the research team is organized in a way

to do the project efficiently.A master plan(charts or tables) is required for complex

projectsThe research team’s organizationManagement procedures and controls for executing the

research planExamples of management and technical reportsThe research team’s relationship with the sponsorFinancial and legal responsibilityManagement competence

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BibliographyFor projects that require a literature review and use the

format required by the sponsor or standard style manual if not specified.

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AppendicesGlossary

Terms and definitions as well as acronyms. E.g., CATI Measurement Instrument

Include samples if available in large projects.Other

Any detail that reinforces the body of the proposal. E.g., CV and firm profiles

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Evaluating The Research Proposal

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Evaluating the Research ProposalFormal Reviews and Informal ReviewsFormal review is likely to be used for competitive

government, university, or public sector projects, and also for large-scale projects. The review process includes:Development of review criteria, using RFP guidelineAssignment of points to each criterion, using a universal scale.Assignment of a weight for each criterion, based on the

importance.Generation of a cumulative score for each proposal.

Informal review doesn’t use a system of points and is more qualitative and impressionistic.

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Evaluating the Research Proposal(Cont.)

Other factors:NeatnessOrganization in terms of being both logical and easily understoodCompleteness in fulfilling the RFP’s specifications, including

budget and scheduleAppropriateness of writing styleSubmission within the RFP’s timeline

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The EndThank you for listening

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