Romblon State University

San Fernando Campus

San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department

10 - Proposals
MODULE
LESSON

PROPOSALS AND PROJECT STUDIES

I. Course Description

This course acquaints the students in writing business letters, technical reports, proposals, feasibility studies,
and other related technical papers.

II. Course Code/Title : ENG1 – TECHNICAL WRITING

III. Course/ Year : BSBA/2
IV. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

1. Examine the different types of proposal
2. Discover on how to write a feasibility study
3. Write proposals and feasibility study

V. Warm Up

Directions: Let’s play Un/Fortunately! Come up with appropriate (or funny) “Fortunate” responses to the
following “Unfortunate” events or vice versa.

Example:
Yesterday, my motorcycle was stolen. Fortunately, I’m the Ghost Rider.

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 Romblon State University
San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department

VI. Discussion

Business, industry and government undertake and require oral and written proposals every now and then.

Proposals may be simple that they can be presented in a letter format, or they may take on an outline format. The
more complex proposals require a full-length discussion.

According to Alcantara & Espina (1995), "a proposal is a written offer to solve a technical problem in a
particular way under a specitied plan of management for a certain sum of money."

In the book “Knowledge Into Action”, Wallace and Van Fleet remind us that “a proposal is a form of
persuasive writing; every element of every proposal should be structured and tailored to maximize its persuasive
impact.”
A technical proposal discusses in detail solutions offered to a technical problem, supported by alternative plans
and designs.

A management proposal, on the other hand, gives a project idea with discussions on how such project is to be
carried out, the persons who will be involved and the time schedule for its different phases.
In composition, especially in business and technical writing, a proposal is a document that offers a solution to a
problem or a course of action in response to a need.

On the other hand, in academic writing, a research proposal is a report that identifies the subject of a
forthcoming research project, outlines a research strategy, and provides a bibliography or tentative list of
references. This form can also be called a topic proposal.

COMMON TYPES OF BUSINESS PROPOSALS

From Jonathan Swift's satiric "A Modest Proposal" to the foundations of the United States government and
national economy put forth in Benjamin Franklin's "An Economical Project," there is a wide variety of forms a
proposal can take for business and technical writing. The most common are the internal, external, sales, and grant
proposals.

1. Internal Proposal
An internal proposal or justification report is composed for readers within the writer's department,
division, or company and is generally short in the form of a memo with the intention of solving an
immediate problem.

2. External Proposal
External proposals, on the other hand, are designed to show how one organization can meet the needs of
another. They may be solicited, meaning in response to a request, or unsolicited, meaning without any
assurance that the proposal will even be considered.

3. Sales Proposal
A sales proposal is, as Philip C. Kolin puts it in "Successful Writing at Work," the most common
external proposal the purpose of which "is to sell your company's brand, its products, or services for a set
fee." Regardless of the length, a sales proposal must offer a detailed description of the work the writer
proposes to do and can be used as a marketing tool to entice potential buyers.

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San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department
4. Grant Proposal
Finally, a grant proposal is a document or an application completed in response to a call for proposals
issued by a grant-making agency. The two main components of a grant proposal are a formal application for
funding and a detailed report on what activities the grant will support if funded.

STRUCTURE OF A BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Business proposals are somewhat similar to business plans, in that they outline your business's mission and vision
and provide concrete steps towards your goals. The proposals may be formal and informal, but they tend to follow
one type of structure and should be tailored to your product and your customer's needs.

If you find yourself writing an informal business proposal, you can skip the research-exhaustive steps outlined
below and simply stick with a comprehensive overview of your points without necessarily backing them up with
research. If your task is to write a formal business proposal, you can omit or adjust certain parts, but you need to
include a lot of research.

SECTIONS OF A TYPICAL BUSINESS PLAN

I. Title Page

II. Table of Contents

III. Executive Summary

IV. Statement of the
Problem/Customer's Needs
V. Proposed Solution (With
Methodology)
VI. Your Bios and Qualifications

VII. Pricing

VIII. Terms and Conditions

SUGGESTIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL

 Proofread your writing multiple times and even have someone else read it for you.

 Your executive summary should be extremely strong. Think of it as an extended "elevator pitch," where every
sentence and every word are loaded with meaning.

 Make sure you show that you understand and restate your audience's needs accurately and completely.

 Sell your project on both logical and psychological levels. Be clear about the steps of your methodology and
align your solution and your overall mission with your audience's values.

RESEARCH PROPOSALS

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San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department

When enrolled in an academic or writer-in-residence program, a student may be asked to write another unique
form of proposal, the research proposal.

This form requires the writer to describe the intended research in full detail, including the problem the research is
addressing, why it's important, what research has been conducted before in this field, and how the student's
project will accomplish something unique.

Elizabeth A. Wentz describes this process in "How to Design, Write, and Present a Successful Dissertation
Proposal," as "your plan for creating new knowledge." Wentz also emphasizes the importance of writing these in
order to provide structure and provide focus on the objectives and methodology of the project itself.

In "Designing and Managing Your Research Project," David Thomas and lan D. Hodges also note that the
research proposal is a time to shop the idea and project out to peers in the same field, who can provide valuable
insight into the project's objectives.

Thomas and Hodges note that "colleagues, supervisors, community representatives, potential research
participants, and others can look at the details of what you are planning to do and provide feedback," which can
help solidify methodology and importance as well as catch any mistakes the writer may have made in their
research.

BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITING RESEARCH PROPOSALS

When undertaking a large project such as writing an academic proposal, make sure you familiarize yourself with
your university's guidance and consult your advisor. Similarly, to the business proposals, research proposals also
tend to follow a certain template, such as the one outlined below.

With research proposals, too, you have the flexibility of excluding certain parts. However, some sections need to be
included no matter what, and as such, they have been bolded for you.

SECTIONS OF A TYPICAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL

I. Purpose of a Research Proposal

II. Title Page
III. Introduction
IV. Literature Review
V. Research Design and Methods
VI. Implications and Contributions to
Knowledge
VII. Reference List or Bibliography
VIII. Research Schedule
IX. Budget
X. Revisions and Proofreading

KEY QUESTIONS

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San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department
No matter whether you decide to write a comprehensive research proposal and devote yourself extensively to
every section mentioned above or if you simply address a few of them, you should always make sure you answer
the following questions:

o What do you plan to accomplish?

o Why do you want to do the research?
o How are you going to conduct the study?

EXAMPLE OF TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Proposal for the MRT Project (MRT-7) to link Bulacan-EDSA

Estimated Project Cost: $1.2 Billion
Timetable: Targeted for completion by 2005
Proponents:
 A consortium of big local and foreign investors.
 The Manila-based development group EL International Holdings which is part of the EL
group of Companies of Hong Kong, which has teamed up with local groups EEI Corp. of
the Yuchengco family and TCGI Engineers.
 Other partners are the Tyco International group of the United States, the world's largest
manufacturer of electrical and electronic components and global infrastructure giant
Alstom of France, which are participating through respective units Earth Tech and Alstom
Phils.

Objectives:
 Make the transportation system more efficient.
 Decongest Metro Manila of heavy traffic because of provincial buses.
 Educate the riding public on how to deal with intermodal public transport the way it is
dealt with in most major cities in the world.
 Promote into modal transport in the subject transport zone and accelerate/ease the
movement of people, goods and services, specifically:
- cut travel by 50-80% or more,
- attain efficiencies in economic and social transactions in the areas of Bulacan and
between Bulacan and Metro Manila.
 Medium-to long-term objectives: to spur the development in the subject areas; partially
help ease the traffic and population problems in Metro Manila, among others.

Highlights:
 A mass railway system to link Marilao in Bulacan to EDSA- Quezon Avenue through a
build-operate-transfer (BOT) project with the government.
 One of its main features will be a bus terminal facility north of Manila in Bulacan so that
provincial buses will be encouraged to drop off the passengers there and they can, then
proceed to the MRT.
 The proposed 20-kilometer MRT will begin its route from Marilao, passing through the La
Mesa Dam reservoir, Fairview, Batasan, U.P. in Diliman, Philcoa and EDSA-Quezon
Avenue.

(Details in succeeding pages of subject proposal)

(Source: [Link]/bus/2002/jul/29/bus_1-[Link])

VII. Exercises

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San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department
Directions: Research on the following topic: “Important Qualities of a Technical Writer”. Write an essay
or create an infographic containing your
learnings from LESSON 8 – Feasibility Study what you have researched
on.

If you opt to write an essay, ensure to use the following format: MS Word, short bond paper, Times New
Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing, and 1” margin on all sides.

Be guided by the rubric below in creating your essay/infographic. 15 Points.

3 POINTS: EXCEEDS 2 POINTS: MEETS 1 POINT: NEEDS

Criteria
EXPECTATIONS EXPECTATIONS WORK
The topic/purpose was
The topic/purpose of the The topic/purpose of
Topic/ somewhat broad and did not
material was clear and the material was not
Purpose allow viewer to understand
concise. clear and concise.
the purpose.
Data of the material
Data of the material was Data of the material was
was not accurate and
Data accurate and relevant to somewhat accurate and
was not relevant to
topic relevant to topic.
topic.
The graphics had
The material had a great The graphics were somewhat nothing to do with the
Layout layout, with applicable applicable to the material, topic and had a poor
graphics. creating an average layout. layout. There was an
overload of text.
The font was not
The font was legible and the The font was somewhat
legible and the color
Color/Font color scheme enhanced the legible and the color scheme
scheme detracted
material. didn't affect the material.
from the material.
No citations of the
Citations for the material’s Citations for some of the
Sourcing material’s sources
sources were included. sources used were included.
were included.

VIII. Synthesis

The objective of technical reports is to provide useful information. Analysis of information serves as basis for
recommendation. In technical writing, ideas are presented in an organized pattern with strong interval
corrections, proper balance and appropriate expression.

Effective technical writers must always consider the easy and clear information flow in their technical writing,
emphasizing objective reporting of their findings with strict adherence to the conventions of Standard English.

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San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department

I. Discussion

A feasibility study determines the commercial viability of any given project. Before engaging in any actual work
on a complex project, business firms hire professionals and experts of different specializations to conduct feasibility
studies.

COMPONENTS OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY

How is a study on the feasibility of a project presented? What are the components of a feasibility study?
The standard components are: (1) the plan, (2) the cost, (3) the source of funding, (4) the manpower
personnel requirements (5) the market, and (6) profitability.

1) The Plan

The project and its objectives should be described in detail and, if necessary, a sketch or plan should
accompany the description. The plan answers the questions what, why and how about the project. It should
also include the duration or approximate time to complete the project.

2) The Cost

Cost of equipment and facilities needed for the project should be determined. Based on technical
specifications drawn up, the proponents must undertake reliable canvassing using at least two or three
suppliers. Particulars as to models and capacities of equipment, their availability and where these could be
purchased should be determined early on.

3) The Source of Funding

Project approval is 50 percent assured if there is a prior provision for it in the company's budget. If there is no
allocation, or if the allocation is insufficient, a bank loan may be considered.

In this case, the loan amount and its interest must be factored into the financial documents of the study.
Realistic income targets from the venture must be projected. Grants from funding agencies could be tapped
but this type of funding source is out of the question if the project is strictly a commercial venture. Charitable
institutions and the church, or any other group involved in humanitarian undertakings, may resort to fund
drives in order to provide the logistical requirements of their project.

4) Manpower or Personnel

The size and particulars of manpower needed for the project should be noted. The personnel's job
descriptions, job titles and credential standards should be determined. These should be properly set out in an
appropriate organizational chart. Salary rates and allowances, if any, should also be drawn up.

5) The Market

The stability of the market determines the viability of projects. A survey should be conducted to find out to
whom the commercial venture will cater and if there would be enough customers or clients.

6) Profitability/Benefit

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 Romblon State University
San Fernando Campus
San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
Teacher Education Department
Needless to say, a commercial venture should, first and foremost, be profitable. A 10- to 20- percent return of
investment RO) is usually regarded as profitable enough. This does not apply, however, to humanitarian
projects. For socially-oriented undertakings, there is a need to discuss how a project will benefit a specific
group of people or a community.

THE FEASIBILITY STUDY PROCESS

1. Determine purpose and scope of the study.

2. Establish sources of data.
3. Gather and verify information.
4. Undertake data analysis.
5. Formulate conclusions and recommendations.

THE FEASIBILITY REPORT

A feasibility report reflects the findings and conclusion or feasibility study. It defines the study in terms of its
objectives and identifies the factors that determine whether a project is feasible or not. Pertinent data are
presented, interpreted and summarized by the feasibility report. The feasibility report has a choice of options: Go
or No Go.

ELEMENTS OF A FEASIBILITY REPORT

A typical feasibility report contains the following elements:

I. Title Page
II. Abstract
III. Introduction
IV. Data Presentation and Discussion
V. Analysis
VI. Factual Summary
VII. Conclusions
VIII. Recommendations
IX. List of Charts/Illustrations
X. References
XI. Appendix
Modern-day feasibility report writers present feasibility reports in this order: (1) Introduction, (2) Factual
Summary, (3) Conclusions, (4) Recommendations, and (6) Discussion (Details and Analysis).

In contrast to a mere feasibility report, a full-blown feasibility study comes with more details. To get a bird's eye
view of a detailed feasibility study, consider the outline below:

A FEASIBILITY STUDY
ON THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF

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Teacher Education Department
__________________________________

I. Introduction
II. Marketing Study
A. The service
1. Service description
2. Uses of the service
B. The market
1. Description of the market
2. Competition and status of competition
3. Possible market
4. Market demand
C. Demand analysis
D. Supply analysis
E. Market projection
F. Target market
G. Marketing strategies
III. Technical Study
A. Project's technical description
B. Description of process
C. Business size
D. Location of business
E. Business layout
F. Logistics requirement
G. Provisions for expansion
IV. Financial Study
A. Total Project Cost
1. Fixed capital investment
2. Pre-operating expenses
3. Working capital or cash-on-hand
B. Financial Analysis
V. Management Study
A. Organizational chart
B. Personnel requirements
C. Employment benefits
D. Recruitment policies
E. Manpower development program
VI. Socioeconomic Study
A. Project vis-a-vis state of the economy
B. Economic benefits
C. Social benefits
VII. Conclusions
VIII. Recommendations
IX. Appendix

Source: Alcantara, Rebecca D. & Felicidad P. Espina. Technical Writing for Filipino Students. Quezon City: Katha Publishing, Inc., 1995.

II. Evaluation:

Directions: Examine and identify the sentence pattern the following sentences. Label each word/phrase
according to its function.

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San Fernando, Romblon RSU-SFC TED FORM NO. 005 COURSE MODULE
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III. Synthesis:

A good technical report presents data and analysis on a specified topic in a clear, highly-organized, and effective
manner. Before you begin writing, define your message and audience, and make an outline. Then, write the
main body of the report and surround it with the other necessary sections, according to your chosen layout.

IV. References

Portillo, R. [Link]. (2003). Research and Technical Writing. Trinitas Publishing, Inc.

RA 7079. An Act implementing the Campus Journalism Act of 1991.

Estrada, E. (1987). A primer on feature writing. Lungsod Maynila: Rex Bookstore.

Gunning, R. (1952). The technique of clear writing. New York: McGraw Hill Company.

Khan, R. (2006). Prize journalism. Lungsod Mandaluyong: Anvil Publication.

Ramirez, J.B. (2011). Philippine journalism handbook (Third Edition). Lungsod Mandaluyong: National Book Store.

Tepace, A.I.(2013). A Reviewer for the Licensure Examination for Teachers: Specialization – Filipino. Lungsod
Maynila: Philippine Normal University Press.

Nordquist, R. (2019). “What is Proposal Writing?”. Retrieved from [Link]

Prepared by:

NEIL JOHN BLANCO R. MACATO

Lecturer

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