Part 1: Some Personal Information

Your Name:
Your email address:

(Please include all email addresses if you

are going to be using another email over
the Semester)
A phone number:
(Please include a mobile number if you are
going to be away from your home number
over the Semester)
Part 2: Topic area, key literature and conceptual development
2a: What is the proposed title of your research?
(Please give a title for your research)
2b: What general areas of research does your topic cover?
(Please indicate the areas or topics are relevant to your research. Try to be as specific as
possible. Aim for a minimum of five and a maximum of eight areas that you think might be
relevant. One research area is likely to be conceptual e.g. (international branding, Impact of
culture of buyer behaviour, models of competition), one area might specify a model or theory
(e.g. Five forces, Theory of Reasoned Action, models of brand equity) and one areas is likely to
be topic specific (e.g. the pharmaceutical industry, sports and entertainment markets etc.) For
each of the areas you identify please provide a couple of sentences on why this topic might be
relevant to your research)
2c: What are the key readings for your research?
(For each of the topic areas you have given in 2b, identify two or three journal articles, book
chapters, or books that you have already reviewed or intend to
review that will help you develop an understanding of the topic area)
Part 3: Research questions
3a: What are your research questions likely to be?
(Identify three or four general research questions. For example, if you are interested in
researching international branding efforts in the airline industry your research
questions might be: How do airlines measure brand equity?, What are the main
impacts of global economic uncertainties on airline brands?) Please give a brief
explanation for each of your research questions)
Part 4: Research design
4a: Methodology
(What type of data do you intend to collect? Will it be qualitative, quantitative or a mixed
method design? Please give your reasons for your chosen methodological approach )
4b: Subjects, respondents, key informants
(Please indicate who you intend to collect your data from, and how you intend to access your
data sources. For example, if you are looking at international branding in the airline industry and
intend to undertake 15 in-depth interviews with senior brand managers of airlines, indicate who
these people are likely to be and how you intend to gain access to them. Are they based in
Pakistan or abroad? (Make sure access to your subjects in feasible.)
4c: Instruments, resources and research tools

(Please indicate what research instruments you will use to capture your data. What research tools
do you intend to use? Are you planning of designing a questionnaire or adapting an existing one?
Are you intending to develop an interview schedule, or undertake participant observation?
Please give a brief justification for your chosen approach, state what resources you will need to
capture your data (tape recorders, paper and pencil questionnaires etc.), and where you intend to
get these resources from.)
4d: Research procedure
(Please briefly describe how you intend to go about collecting your data. When will the data
collection phase take place?)
4e: Ethical implications
(Are there any ethical implications of your proposed research procedure? For example, have you
considered issues of personal safety and confidentiality)
4f: Analysis
(Please indicate how do you intend to prepare your data for analysis (data input, translation,
transcription) who will perform these tasks, and what type of analysis do you intend to use? Will
it require any specific software or equipment?)
4g: What are the key readings for your research design?
(Identify five or six key journal articles, book chapters, or books that you have already reviewed
or intend to review that will help you to develop your research design. This may include, for
example, readings of data collection methods, or analysis methods.
Part 5: Time management and location
5a: Location
(Please indicate where you intend to conduct your research and how long you intend
to be in the various locations you need to travel to)
5b: Schedule and time planning
(Please give a week by week plan detailing when you intend to undertake different
aspects of your research, the length of time needed for each part, and when you intend
to have a completed draft prepared. We would recommend you plan your thesis in 6
months time.