You are expected to develop a research proposal. A research proposal provides the background, the issues (research problems and questions), the theoretical base, the methodology and the timeline of the research. In this assignment you are required to focus on the general concept of ‘customer satisfaction’ in the Singapore context.

For this assessment your discussion must include:

 An introduction that sets the scene and informs the reader of the specific topic within customer satisfaction to be addressed in your discussion.

 Some background information of the context, for example information about a specific field (e.g. hotel, restaurant, transport, theme park etc.) in Singapore, including statistics. Use databases like the Marketline/Mintel to access such reports on the industry.

 A brief literature review should be presented; this should highlight the main theories and concepts associated with this topic. The literature should be clearly linked to the critical issues under discussion. Highlight the main debates and gaps around the issue of customer satisfaction, clearly indicating how your study would address these gaps. Your discussion must clearly identify a specific issue that your study will be addressing concerning customer satisfaction and justify why this issue is pertinent and worth researching further. Credit will be given for originality of the research idea and clearly defined scope and research boundaries

 You are required to read peer reviewed academic journals and other similar resources to identify the theoretical debates and gaps around customer satisfaction. Some useful journal articles have been listed in the module outline; do ensure that you read these as well as other relevant ones.

 Once you have clearly identified the gaps in the literature you must clearly state the research objectives and the research questions that will be addressed by your study (3-5 of them). These must be clearly derived from the gaps noted in the literature.

 You must also provide suggested potential theoretical contributions that could emerge from your study, based on the gaps that you are addressing. Ensure that the significance and rationale for the research is clearly explained and there is evidence of originality in developing a potential research topic. Also indicate the significance of your study to other stakeholders; for example why is your study important for managers or policy makers?

 You also need to suggest the research method (s) that would be used for the study, and clearly justify why you choose them, and then conclude the assignment.

 You are required to devise a timeline showing the research activities with a reasonable period of time. This timeline can be in various forms, e.g. a table or a Gantt chart.

 The Harvard referencing style must be used throughout the paper, and a list of all the references used provided at the end of the paper. Poor referencing will be penalized.

 You may include an appendices section to provide any supporting information you find pertinent, such as data/charts/statistics. However appendices must not exceed 3 pages at the most.