Design a research proposal for the operation of the demand planning department and propose a roadmap that potentially will: • Support a better decision-making process; By ensuring a prompt information flow across departments that will lead to a more reliable outcome • Help planners work more efficiently by simplifying steps; By breaking down processes, which could lead to identifying those with low value or bottlenecks within the supply chain. • Increase agility on planning tasks; By setting agility mindset fundamentals as to decrease the time needed to react to and process unpredicted events. • Augment the strategic value of the planning process; By granting bottom line growth through a conscious approach. • And provide a positive financial effect either by saving costs or increasing sales/production; By optimizing the integrated supply chain end to end. The proposal should cover the following subheadings: Working Title This will evolve over the course of the research. Research Question (or Questions) Ensure what you write in this section logically requires a question mark. Research Aim This is one over-arching statement to support your objectives. Research Objectives Objectives should commence with a verb. Examples are to analyse, to establish, to review, to examine. The final objective should be to recommend… Each objective should be numbered and be no longer than one complete sentence. Reasoned Justification of the Study A brief statement on the organisational/business/management reason for the study. Examples may be due to a performance issue which could be people, process or resource based. Limitations of the Study Every piece of research is limited. You may state that the research is limited to one department of an organisation (Demand planing in this case) and therefore it is preliminary analysis. Relevant Theme and Discipline/Theory Area Examples for this section could be ‘leadership’ or ‘change management’. Include an academic definition of the terms and ensure you provide the source (Harvard style). Types of Data Employed This section requires content related to primary and secondary data AND the sampling technique that will be utilised to collect the data (such as SPSS-no SPSS is needed for this proposal now). Method of Data Collection The most frequently used method is the questionnaire, you may also elect to conduct interviews, this is primary data. You should state, briefly, what method you intend to use and why. It is essential to define the terms used, based on academic sources. In certain situations, the use of secondary data is relevant to support a study, for example annual reports produced by a company, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and other authentic sources. Comment on how you will ethically obtain your data. Preliminary Hypothesis (null H0 and alternative H1) This is a statement to predict a potential relationship between two factors and is required where the proposal is to utilise quantitative methods. Note: be realistic in the number of hypotheses you can manage within the scope of a dissertation (i.e. 1-3). Qualitative research proposals do not require a hypothesis. Mixed methods research proposals require a hypothesis for the quantitative element. Direction for Further Research Consider what additional research could be undertaken in order to advance your findings – it is helpful to refer to your original objectives and limitations as sources for this section.