Prepare a research proposal (using the template at the end of this email) for the following scenario.
The length of the proposal should not exceed five pages.
Thank you
Oday
Research Scenario
Aotearoa Airlines (AA) carries out charter and regular flights throughout New Zealand, the South Pacific Islands and Australia. Their fleet includes:
3 * Aerospatiale ATR 72
3 * Bombardier Q300
1 * Airbus A320
3 * Beechcraft King Airs
Because the Bombardiers are rather dated, they need more maintenance than the average airplane. Despite an intensive maintenance programme, these planes have a lot of technical problems. Consequently AA have needed to deal with a lot of delays recently. Two new replacement Bombardiers are on order but won’t arrive for another 18 months. This means that more delays will inevitably occur. This may translate into lots of frustrated passengers, switching behaviour, and negative word of mouth communication. The feelings and behaviour of consumers may eventually have negative effects on the performance and the profitability of the firm.
Prior research has claimed that service waits can be controlled by two techniques: operations management and management of perceptions. For AA it is very difficult to obtain “zero defects” (no delays). Hence there is a need for research focussing managing the perceptions of the wait experience: because AA cannot control the actual amount of delays and the duration, the firm must focus on managing the customers’ perception of the waiting experience. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to identify the factors that influence the passengers’ waiting experience and (2) to investigate the possible impact of waiting on customer satisfaction and service evaluations.
Research Template
1. Abstract (sums up a complete description of the intended research)
2. Introduction (gives background to the project and provides academic support for the variables of interest.)
3. Problem statement and background: (Explained what you are going to do – purpose, initial literature search)
4. Objectives of this study (Explained why you are doing it and the scope / boundaries. Remember that objectives must be SMART)
Broad objective:
Specific objectives:
5. Research questions (Questions to be answered. Note a question is different from a statement)
6. Methodology (how are you going to do the follow up research and why you are doing it that way. This includes type of research design, data needs, data collection / analysis methods, sampling method, how you will ensure reliability & validity), )
7. Ethical issues
8. Addressing ethical issues
9. Research Time frame (Gantt Chart example)
| Serial No. | Items (Examples) | Estimated budget |
| 1. | Travelling expense | $230 |
| 2. | Types of equipment | $53 |
| 3. | Research journals and books | $42 |
| 4. | Non-recurring expenditure | $25 |
| 5. | Recurring expenditure | $33 |
| 7. | Miscellaneous expenses | $31 |
Table 1: Estimated budget
11. Assumptions in preparing for this proposal
12 Reference List.