Guidelines for Creating a Research Proposal on Reasons for Impulse Buying and Retail Therapy in Sing

General Guidance and Preparation

General Guidance and Preparation

Before you conceptualise a research design, decide what the focus of your study will be. Read academic articles on topics related to the key concepts in the given scenario. A good place to start is our SUSS library. There is ample scholarly literature that you can access online through the library. Once you have narrowed your focus, compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of various research design options to decide which would best achieve your study’s purpose.

Develop your research proposal using the guidelines detailed below. The number of words suggested for each section is a rough guide. Please note that the number of words per section may differ from the suggested ones but the overall word count must not exceed 1,500 words.
Performing well for an ECA will require substantial time and effort to plan and write your report. In your planning, please allocate time for:
• Reading the ECA question carefully and understanding the sub-components and instructions.
• Identifying, locating, and gathering relevant information.
• Drawing up a plan of action on how to go about writing the proposal.
• Comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of various research design options to decide which would best achieve your study’s purpose.
• Evaluating and integrating all the information and presenting it in a systematic and organised manner.
• Drafting, correcting, and eventually submitting your proposal. 

Writing Your Proposal

Please refer to the tips below before you start drafting your proposal and ensure that the proposal is grounded within the prescribed research topic and context of reasons leading to impulse buying and/or retail therapy in Singapore. In addition, while the traditional scientific writing style is generally in the third-person and in past tense (e.g., interviews were conducted by the researcher), a proposal has yet to occur, and should be written in the thirdperson, future tense (e.g., interviews will be conducted by the researcher).

1. Introduction (300 words)

Provide the background as an engaging lead into your proposed study. Define the research problem and explain your rationale for your proposed focus. Provide operational definitions for key concepts. The aim of the Introduction section is to give the reader an overview of your proposed study. Have a strong lead that engages the reader. Tell the reader why it is important to investigate the reasons leading to impulse buying and/or retail therapy and how your proposed study would add value to the extant literature. Please remember to define key concepts. Although this section would be the first in your written proposal, it often makes sense to finalise it only after you have drafted all the other sections.

2. Literature Review (500 words)

Present a review of scholarly literature relevant to your proposed study. The aim of this section is to provide the reader with your critique — strengths and shortfalls — of past research on this topic, and how that led you to develop your purpose and hypotheses/research questions/research objectives. Summarise the most relevant past research and tell readers how your review guided the development of your purpose and hypotheses/research questions/research objectives. For example, you can demonstrate how the research designs used by past studies might have influenced recent findings. Your literature review should convince the reader that your proposed study will make a valuable contribution to existing knowledge about impulse buying and/or retail therapy in Singapore.

3. Purpose and Hypotheses/Research Questions/Research Objectives

Your purpose statement and subsequent hypotheses/research questions/research objectives must be aligned with the research design that you have selected.

4. Methodology and Methods (700 words)

Propose an appropriate research design that can address the purpose and subsequent hypotheses/research questions/research objectives. Apply your knowledge of research methods to develop the sampling, data collection and analysis strategies. Examine your methodology and methods for potential issues and highlight them as anticipated limitations.

The aim of the Methodology and Methods section is to allow the reader to understand how you intend to conduct your study based on the proposed research design. You should be able to demonstrate your knowledge of the various elements of your chosen design and its approach. Methodology and Methods should cover the proposed study’s design, philosophical assumptions, sample (target population, sampling frame, sample characteristics and size, sampling methods), data collection methods (including any instruments), data analysis methods, research ethics, research rigour (e.g., reliability and validity in quantitative research), and anticipated limitations.

Each of these should be a sub-section with its own sub-headings under Methodology and Methods. In addition, please note that the proposed relevant research materials and instruments should be included as an appendix to supplement this section (e.g., draft questionnaire or interview guide and/or participant information sheet and consent form).