As a marketing research consulting team, you are required

ASSESSMENT TASK 1: DESCRIPTION

As a marketing research consulting team, you are required to meet with your client to agree upon the research problem and the research objectives. Once these elements are determined, the MR team prepares a marketing research proposal. The proposal should contain the following sections.

Title page

Includes project title, client/company name, research team members (or consulting team name), supervisor, date, and subject information.

Table of contents
Introduction

A brief description of the business and background leading to the issue or problem that needs to be addressed. The section clearly and concisely sets the context of the research required.
State the sections of the research proposal.

Literature review

Strong alignment must exist between the information found, the problem/issue, research objectives, and research design.
Includes a formal academic literature review of reports and articles available through the Library or publicly available.
For each step you must summarise the type of information found and any key conclusions that you can draw from that information relevant to the issue or problem.
Keep this section concise stating the evidence available to guide the next stage (problem statement and research objectives).
Further details could be included in the appendix in a table format. (When reviewing the key research articles/report, prepare a brief summary in table format of: purpose; research methods; key finds; variables measured; outcomes. These will inform the summary in the proposal and be beneficial in the research design; instrument development; and evidence to guide the overall study).
Note: in a commercial marketing research proposal this section may not be included but the research team would undertake a thorough investigation. This information would still inform the research problem and objectives.

Problem statement

Informed by the briefing document, talking to the client/lecturer, and a review of existing literature.
It is and overall statement of what you propose to research and is further refined in the research objectives.

Research objectives

The research objectives must be clearly and precisely stated.
Ensure each objective has a single focus which is detailed, clear, and operational (can be measured).
Provide any definitions that may be required to operationalise variables.
The research objectives specify what information will be collected to address information gaps that must be closed for the research problem/issue to be resolved.

Research methods

This section requires the research team to critically think through each stage of the research and detail exactly what will occur.
This section must be specific to the problem statement and research objectives. It cannot be vague, abstract, or contain generalised statements.
Sections in the research methods are

- Research design: State and provide support for the selected research design.
- Sampling plan: Detail the sampling method, sample size, and how potential participants will be selected and approached.
- Data collection: How will the research instrument (questionnaire) be developed and tested, what are the likely key variables, and how might they be measured? Includes were appropriate the variables to be measured and the units by which they are to be measured.
- Data analysis: Detail on what analysis will be undertaken and how data will be treated.
- Reporting findings: How will be results and interpretation be communicated to the client?

Ethical issues

Identify and discuss the ethical issues associated with this research (design, sampling, and data collection).
You must suggest options for dealing with these issues.

Timeframe

Construct a Gantt chart that details the steps in the process and when and how long each activity in the process will take.
These steps will align with what has been addressed in sections 3-8 above.
Example of a Gantt chart posted to LearnJCU. If you have completed BX2077 Project Management, this software can be used to prepare the Gantt chart.

Budget

For a commercial marketing research project you would normally need to work within the dollars set in the tender call.
For this proposal include any costs that you may incur in undertaking the study. For example, printing the questionnaire, research proposal, and research report.
How you will keep to plan and deliver on time and within budget.

Conclusion

Basic summary of the key points. What do you want the reader to remember?
In some group projects, individual members have signed at the end of this section to indicate that there is an agreement among all members that they will do their best to complete the project as planned in the research proposal.

References (APA style with appropriate in-text citations).

Discriminating criterion	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
Demonstrates well developed written communication skills.	1. Structure and style is appropriate for a professional piece of writing. Evidence of effective structure, sequencing, and links between sections and paragraphs. Appropriate application of writing conventions including sentence construction, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Evidence for effective proof-reading and editing. 2. Sources are consistently cited in text, and in-text citation and reference list accurately adopt the APA style.	1. Structure and style is not appropriate for a professional piece of writing. Further work is required in structure, sequencing, and links between sections and paragraphs. Attention is required to the application of writing conventions including sentence construction, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Many errors could be fixed with proof-reading and editing. 2. Sources are not consistently identified, and in-text citation and reference list do not accurately adopt the APA style.