1. Evaluate the problem-definition process. Has the problem been defined adequately so that a relevant decision statement can be written?

2. What research questions might be tested?

3. What might a dummy table include in this research proposal?

In the 1990s, a task force was formed among executives of seven regional transportation agencies in the New York–New Jersey area. The mission of the task force was to investigate the feasibility and desirability of adopting electronic toll collection (ETC) for the interregional roadways of the area. Electronic toll collection is accomplished by providing commuters with small transceivers (tags) that emit a tuned radio signal. Receivers placed at tollbooths are able to receive the radio signal and identify the commuter associated with the particular signal. Commuters establish ETC accounts that are debited for each use of a toll road or facility, thus eliminating the need for the commuter to pay by cash or token. Because the radio signal can be read from a car in motion, ETC can reduce traffic jams at toll plazas by allowing tag holders to pass through at moderate speeds.