The individual assignment is designed to allow you to work on your own. Please refer to the Research Brief. You are then required to formulate an appropriate research question(s), design a methodology and prepare a research instrument in the form of a questionnaire. This stage consists of steps that will guide your project from conception through to implementation. A research proposal ensures that all aspects of the study are consistent with each other. To address all the components of a research design efficiently and effectively, you will have to study the relevant chapters of your prescribed text thoroughly. There are some good examples and case studies in your text, which explain how to apply the theoretical knowledge in practical situations. • For any type of study, a title is to be given. A title is basically a broad initial statement on the problem. • The next step is to provide a background to the nature of the research problem. You must understand the background of the problem by analysing the environmental context. In order to provide a better view on the nature of the problem, you will have to collect and analyse information from secondary sources (eg. journal articles), conduct discussions and interviews with management, industry experts and other knowledgeable individuals. In some situations, you may have to conduct some form of qualitative research. • After defining the problem on its correct perspectives, you may formulate a series of research questions that will be resolved through the study. • The proposal should convince the client that a study of this nature is justified to undertake. You should indicate the value of the information that will be collected and should focus on the benefits. In drawing your research proposal, you should schedule your timing for completion of each stage of the research process. You are expected to specifically outline the objectives that are intended to be accomplished through the study. • The research objectives are your version of the marketing problem and they should be achievable and measurable. While setting the objectives, you should take into consideration the limitations of time and costs. • Hypothesis is an unproven statement/proposition about a factor or phenomenon that you are proposing to investigate. In its simplest form it is a declarative guess. Hypothesis forces a researcher to be clear about what is expected to be found through the study. All hypotheses need to be empirically tested. • The questionnaire design is one of the most critical stages in the survey research process. A good questionnaire is the result of long, painstaking work. There is no scientific principle that will guarantee an optimal or ideal questionnaire. Design of a good questionnaire is an art and the skill is acquired through experience. The objectives of your study will determine the information requirements and you will have to translate and transform hypothesis into specific questions that the respondents can and will answer. A questionnaire must uplift, motivate, and encourage the respondent to cooperate and to complete the interview and it should minimise response error. • You will have to design a structured close-ended questionnaire with a minimum number of dichotomous questions. For measurement of attitudes of the respondents to a particular phenomenon, use 5-point Likert-type sales. The guidelines of your text are to be followed meticulously while phrasing and sequencing each individual question. Pre-testing of your questionnaire is not necessary for this assignment. You can get some constructive feedback by administering your draft questions to different individuals. This may help to reveal errors and they can be corrected easily.