MIS 650 Writing a Research Proposal

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MIS 650Writing a Research Proposal
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Agenda

• Understand the role of proposals in the idea
  cycle
• Get acquainted with funders, champions,
  colleagues and critics in IT research
• Obtain practical knowledge of proposal writing
• Practice proposal writing

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The Idea-Reading-Writing Cycle You
Generate/ Update Idea
Locating appropriate sources to read
Integrating conclusions into theory
Directed Reading
Draw Conclu- sons
Gaining support for your research ideas
Interpreting the re-sults of the research
Designing appro-priate research pro-cedures
Write Propo- sal
Perform Research
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The Idea-Reading-Writing Cycle They
Generate/ Update Idea
Champion/funder motivate the research
Funder will be interested in the results
Directed Reading
Draw Conclu- sons
Critics may put obstacles in your way
Colleagues can help with interpretation
Funder may have specific requirements
Write Propo- sal
Perform Research
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Pragmatics of Research
Funders Obtaining necessary resources Champions
Keeping the research going, finding
customers Colleagues Partners in
crime Critics Theoretical gatekeepers and
practical enemies
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Pragmatics of Research Funders
Funders provide money and resources. You may
have to compete with others.
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Pragmatics of Research Champions
Champions keep others interested in your research
and prepare the ground for an audience of
consumers Other associates Course
convener Supervisor The DIS Department
Corporate/Employer/Agency Sponsor Other
Researcher/Academic
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Pragmatics of Research Colleagues
Colleagues create a community of interest in the
research, help you with various tasks and invite
you to participate with them. They build the
social and intellectual defenses against the
critics and keep you interested in the topic when
it looks like no one else is interested.
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Pragmatics of Research Critics
Critics will take sides both for and against you.
A. Pro Critics Give you advice, some
unwanted. Can distract you from your
concentration B. Anti Critics Criticize your
work Act as negative referees Try to convince you
to do something else
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Writing a proposal
Show that there is something lacking in current
theory, that there is a practical problem
requiring solution, that a new approach is
required. Describe your approach and how it will
meet the need without creating new problems that
must be solved. Show how the problem is neatly
wrapped up by your proposed work.
Raise the Need
Satisfy the Need
Conclude
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Proposal Writing Raising the Need
1. Describe your projects goals 2. Focus on the
need new theory, improved theory, practical
problem review existing theory 3. What are the
implications of this need? What will happen if
the need continues? What specifically must be
done? 4. Why hasnt anything been done yet? Who
else knows about this problem? 5. What would a
solution look like?
Raise the Need
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Proposal Writing Raising the Need, Example
1. To try to explain the value and use of
groupware by appealing to cultural influences 2.
Current theory is inadequate to explain many
anomalies in research, and it is unclear how the
results will apply in another cultural
setting 3. High risk when introducing systems
that have high promise. We might fail to use a
fine technology. We must determine what the
essential role of culture is here. 4. Most
research is American. Those who have to use it
in other countries cant make simple assumptions
about value. Business is global. 5. Solution
is to run meetings in a transcultural setting.
How to apply re- sults of Group- ware research
in Business?
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Proposal Overview
Show that there is something lacking in current
theory, that there is a practical problem
requiring solution, that a new approach is
required. Describe your approach and how it will
meet the need without creating new problems that
must be solved. Show how the problem is neatly
wrapped up by your proposed work.
Raise the Need
Satisfy the Need
Conclude
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Proposal Writing Satisfying the Need
1. Describe your new idea (theory) in detail 2.
Indicate how the new idea will fill in the gap,
provide a spur to practical application, or
supply new thinking to the problem area. 3. Show
how you will establish the new theory as true
with details on procedure, expected results, and
analysis of data 4. Satisfy expectations that
research is feasible by a realistic budget for
time, money, and resources 5. Raise and satisfy
possible ethical concerns.
Satisfy the Need
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Proposal Writing Satisfying the Need, Example
1. Describe theory in detail 2. Use logic to
establish that theory will have more explanatory
power and lead to more useful results. Practical
results are important, too. There may be
national or regional implications and broader
impacts. 3. Methodology.Expected results (with
strategy for interpretation of all possible
outcomes). Research procedures. How results
will be disseminated. 4. Budget, timeframe,
responsibilities of all players, reports
available. 5. Data handling, subject handling,
confidentiality, etc.
Transcultural systems research theory
and methodology
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Proposal Overview
Show that there is something lacking in current
theory, that there is a practical problem
requiring solution, that a new approach is
required. Describe your approach and how it will
meet the need without creating new problems that
must be solved. Show how the problem is neatly
wrapped up by your proposed work.
Raise the Need
Satisfy the Need
Conclude
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Proposal Writing Conclusion
1. Review the need-satisfaction link 2. Point out
the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed
research 3. Review the practical benefits 4.
Paint a picture of after the results.
Conclude
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Proposal Writing Conclusion, Example
1. There is a gap and problem in interpretation
which this research helps with by establishing
the relationship of culture and technology value
and use. 2. Research is compact, relies on
known or understandable techniques, is
economically and practically feasible, makes
important contributions to university and
country. 3. Results impel us towards more
effective use of groupware in multicultural
America. 4. This research is part of a broader
set of efforts in the School of Business
Administration.
This is guaranteed to work
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The Use of Proposals in Our Program
You have a limited time to get work done and must
locate an appropriate supervisor even before you
begin. The proposal must be defended on these
grounds 1. Theory Has some ideas behind it 2.
Feasibility can be accomplished within a
semester 3. Value has useful practical outcomes
and no significant social/political cost to the
University 4. Communicability The idea and the
execution can be described succinctly. 5.
Popularity there is an appropriate supervisor