Problem:
Chocolate.com is a large online company that sells chocolates in the US and Canada. Recently, the sales are declining because many competitors are using the Internet to sell chocolates and their prices are cheaper than Chocolate.com. To better understand the consumer needs and wants and provide better services, the company's CMO suggests that sales department conduct a research to find out if the current consumers are satisfied with their chocolates, and what else the company can do to keep them.
How would you structure a research proposal to send to the CMO? I've worked out a several items I would use and would like input on if you think they are good.
1. research objectives
2. research questions
3. research hypotheses (if applicable)
4. Method (research setting, sampling method, data collection, and data analysis method).
5. Timeline and budget (estimate).