指導老師：任維廉 教授 學生：科管碩一 邱弘懿 Business Research Requests & Proposals 1

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 2

出處 : Business Research Methods, McGraw.Hill Author Donald R. Cooper Florida Atlantic University-Boca Raton Pamela S. Schindler Wittenberg University 3

Outline Proposing Research The Request for Proposal (RFP) The Research Proposal Evaluating the Research Proposal 4

Proposing Research 5

Proposal process(Exhibit a-1) Request for Proposal (RFP) & Research Proposal Internal Research & External Research The more inexperienced a researcher is, the more important it is to have a well- planned and adequately documented proposal. 6

Exhibit a-1 The Research Proposal Process 7

The Request for Proposal (RFP) 8

RFP Development Process Proposal Administration Summary Statement of the Problem Technical Section Management Section Contracts and License Section Pricing Section Proposal Administration Summary Statement of the Problem Technical Section Management Section Contracts and License Section Pricing Section Criteria: industry experience, reputation, quality of previous work, strategic alliances etc. Internal experts + External experts(optional) E.g., Tourism study 9

Qualify Potential Suppliers 10

RFP Development Process Proposal Administration Summary Statement of the Problem Technical Section Management Section Contracts and License Section Pricing Section Proposal Administration Summary Statement of the Problem Technical Section Management Section Contracts and License Section Pricing Section Criteria: industry experience, reputation, quality of previous work, strategic alliances etc. Internal experts + External experts(optional) E.g., Tourism study 11

Proposal Administration An 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 12

Summary Statement of the Problem Take the form of a letter introducing the organization and its needs Can be an abstract or the first page of the technical section Example: 13

Technical Section Building quality control strengthens the project. Problem statement Description of functional requirements What actual phases will be included in the research Neither too specific nor too general 14

Management Section Sponsor’s management Timing on schedules, plans, reports Requirements to suppliers Implementation schedule, training and reporting schedule, quality control and other documentation (e.g., supplier qualification, references, etc.) 15

Contracts and License Section The 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 challenges Others Safeguarding of IP and the use of copyrights Terms of payment 16

Pricing Section List all anticipated activities to help sponsors compare and suppliers to cost the proposal. Ethical standards are integral to designing this section. Example: 17

RFP Format 18

Recap and More in RFP Development Process Qualify potential suppliers Write and distribute RFP 8-10 weeks before the requested date Be available to answer questions or hold a pre-bidding conference Evaluate submissions on known criteria Award contracts and start the project on published dates Provide a critique to all suppliers 19

The Research Proposal 20

The Research Proposal The purposes: Present the management question and relate its importance Discuss the research efforts of others before How necessary data are gathered, treated, and interpreted. A winning proposal: Plan Services Credentials 21

Sponsor Uses 22 Through iterative discussions, sponsors may discover the interpretation of the problem doesn't encompass all the original symptoms

Researcher Benefits Make cost estimation more accurate Help plan and review the project’s logical steps Monitor the progress Outline for the final report 23

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 25

Executive Summary Allow one to quickly understand the thrust = informative abstract Solicited version Brief statement of management dilemma and management question Research objectives/ research questions Benefits of your approach Unsolicited version Brief description of you qualification 26

Problem Statement State 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 addressed Management question Shouldn’t be broadly defined Distinguish the primary problem from related problems clearly 27

Research Objectives Address the purpose of the investigation and how the proposed research is planned the basis for judging the proposal and final report In descriptive study: research question  investigative question In causal study: hypothesis 28

Literature Review Examine 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. 29

Importance/ Benefits of the Study Describe 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 30

Research Design Describe 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 project When more than one methods exists, discuss the reason for selection and rejection 31

Data Analysis Describe 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 32

Nature and Form of Results Specify 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 33

Qualifications of Researchers Begin 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 experience Optionally include the profile of subcontractors for offering specific resources or facilities such as focus groups and interviews. 34

Budget Details vary depending on both the sponsor’s and research company’s requirements and policy. Internal: employee and overhead cost External: person-hour price Don’t forget to put in the cost of proposal writing, publication and delivery of final report. 35

Schedule Include 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 36

Facilities and Special Resources Should be carefully listed and thus be cost in the budget section E.g., proposed data analysis may require a sophisticated computer algorithm 37

Project Management Show 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 projects The research team’s organization Management procedures and controls for executing the research plan Examples of management and technical reports The research team’s relationship with the sponsor Financial and legal responsibility Management competence 38

Bibliography For projects that require a literature review and use the format required by the sponsor or standard style manual if not specified. 39

Appendices Glossary 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 40

Evaluating The Research Proposal 41

Evaluating the Research Proposal Formal Reviews and Informal Reviews Formal 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 guideline Assignment 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. 42

Evaluating the Research Proposal(Cont.) Other factors: Neatness Organization in terms of being both logical and easily understood Completeness in fulfilling the RFP’s specifications, including budget and schedule Appropriateness of writing style Submission within the RFP’s timeline 43

The End Thank you for listening 44