Order this Assignment Now: £75

Critically evaluate the challenges and implications of designing and implementing effective marketing research in an international context.

 Assessment Brief 

Module Level:	7
Module Code:	MKTM031
Credit Value:	20
Module Name:	International Marketing Research
Module Leader:

 

Assessment Code:	AS 2
Assessment Type:	Individual marketing research report (2000 words)
Assessment Deliverable(s) as stated in the Module Specification:	2000 word report
Weighting (%):	50%
Submission dates:	22ND January 2024
Feedback and Grades due:	22nd February 2024

Please read the whole assessment brief before starting work on the Assessment Task.

Assessment Task Guidance Description

Learning Outcomes aligned to this assessment:

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

b) Critically evaluate the challenges and implications of designing and implementing effective marketing research in an international context.

d) Design and justify creative and robust research solutions for identified problems taking into account the nuances associated with working internationally.

Subject Specific skills

e) Adopt an autonomous evidence-based approach to problem solving.

Task:

You are required to produce a market research report for an international market of your choice. Below you are given a scenario along with a research brief (appendix one) for which you must base your report. A template for your proposal is provided in appendix two but you should also read around the topic of market research proposals to help you with your report.

Task scenario:

You work as a marketing research manager for an international marketing research agency. You have received a market research brief (appendix 1) requesting your agency to submit a proposal to undertake market research on behalf of Dove UK. You must respond to this brief by providing a market research proposal on behalf of your agency.

Dove UK is exploring a new brand for make-up, skin care, Men’s grooming and sun care.

At the moment, Dove UK are considering brand names such as White Bird and Phoenix. White Bird because there is still an association with the Dove brand and Phoenix because it is part of Greek mythology and is cyclical and regenerates. This new brand for Dove will compete with brands such as Lancôme, Clarins and Clinique, so a little more up market than the current Dove UK brand. Dove UK will make the decision on the brand name, but they would like you to explore a market for the product category you choose. For the purposes of this research proposal, you can choose which name you would like to refer to for the new brand.Critically evaluate the challenges and implications of designing and implementing effective marketing research in an international context.more samples

Product Categories:

Colour Cosmetics

Skin Care

Men’s Grooming

Sun Care

·       You must choose and clearly state which international market you wish to base your REPORT on.

·       You need to choose one product category.

·       As part of your REPORT, you need to review the potential of online sales. COVID has driven consumers to shop online, so e-commerce potential must be explored.

You should choose the agency you wish to represent according to the chosen international market and based upon the requirements of the brief and the type of research you are proposing.

General guidance

Your report should be written with the intended audience of the business customer using business English and using a clear report format. This is a practical scenario, but you should use evidence from a wide range of appropriate literature to provide justification for your decisions and recommendations in this proposed research. 

You must not carry out any primary research, instead you must USE secondary ‘desk research’ which means to conduct some preliminary desk research findings to support your report 

For this task you must choose which marketing research agency you are working for. You must not contact any companies directly. All details of the agency should be gained via the company website or associated organisations.

Word Limits

The maximum word limit for this assessment is 2000 words 

Use of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) within this assessment:

Some uses of Generative AI may deemed as unethical in your assessment. Further guidance on the conditions for allowable use of Generative AI will be given by the module team 

Please access the following position guidance from University of Northampton on the use of Generative AI within assessments.

Assessment Submission

To submit your work electronically, please go to the ‘Assessment and submission’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload the assignment deliverable. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that Essays and text-based reports should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx), or as guided within the assignment. Please access the following guide to submitting assessments.

Written work submitted to Turnitin will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software. Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database. Please access the University of Northampton’s Plagiarism Avoidance Course (UNPAC) to learn more.

When you upload your work correctly to Turnitin you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission. If your assessment is not submitted to Turnitin, rather than a receipt, you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission. 

N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked.

Grading:

Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment. You will be assessed on your ability to successfully address specified module learning outcomes, with marks allocated based on what is called a grading rubric.

The rubric is a table which has different statements for how well each learning outcome has been met, and is used as a standard benchmark so that all assignments are marked equally against. Please see the grading rubric on NILE, or see the final page of this document for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed, presented in the grading rubric.

Further Assessment Guidance:

Please access the following document for more general information about the assessment process, including anonymous marking, submissions, and where to find feedback and grades.

2023 UON Standard Assessment Guidance.

Grading Rubric 

Appendix one

Case study: World Market For Beauty and Personal Care

This case study has been devised solely for the purpose of a simulated research investigation for module MKTM031 AS1 and is not intended as an accurate representation of the brand, its people or its subsidiaries. Research brief adaptation of Bradley (2010).

Market research brief

To: Research agencies chosen to submit a proposal

From: Robyn Finch, Dove UK, market research manager

Date: 12 October 2023

I am pleased to invite you to propose for a major study we will be conducting. While the enclosed brief gives clear guidelines, we are open to fresh thoughts. We have provided information that we think is relevant to your response.

This study is important to Dove UK, and we hope that it will give valuable insight into your chosen market and product category.

I look forward to receiving your response,

Your sincerely

Robyn Finch

Background

Dove UK are a well-known brand and sold world-wide through pharmaceutical companies such as Boots and supermarkets. Dove UK would like to play in a more luxury market and is developing quality product lines within colour cosmetics, skin care, men’s grooming and sun care. The aim to go head-to-head with brands such as Lancôme, Clarins and Clinique, so will need to consider their market entry mode and choice of retailers for the new brand.

COVID has had an impact on cosmetics and personal care, so it is essential for Dove UK to carefully consider which market to move into first.

Five Trends shaping the beauty and personal care industry: (Passport report page 5)

·       2021: the year of climate action, as consumers want eco-anxiety transformed into eco-action

·       Global consumers want beauty brands that deliver the best value and create positive change

·       Post-COVID-19 recovery enables consumers to resume beauty discovery through personalisation

·       Evolving priorities around wellness have consumers calling for a back-to-basics approach

·       Omnichannel reality is the next battleground for beauty brands

Trends: (Passport report page 27)

From sustainability to purpose

Home entertainment and the new experiential consumer

Wellness defined

The “New Normal”

Objectives

Dove UK are considering the following objectives but would like you to advise.

-        To determine the market with the most potential for your chosen category

-        To explore a marketing strategy that focuses on the ’new experiential consumer’

-        To examine the potential of an omni-channel

Possible methodology

The agency chosen for the research must have experience in Cosmetic and skin care products. Furthermore, we expect both secondary and primary research, where primary research may use qualitative and/or quantitative capabilities.

A thorough review using secondary research is expected and proposed primary research methodology is acceptable at this stage.

Reporting and presentation requirements

Following this brief a research proposal will be required. We would be pleased to have a meeting to discuss this written brief; alternatively, please use email or the telephone to clarify any issues.

While the project is underway, Dove UK would like regular progress reports. At a suitable point during the fieldwork, Dove UK would like an interim report and meeting. A formal presentation of the research findings to the board of directors will be required, supported by a final written report.

Timing

23 January 2024         Proposal deadlines

15 February 2024      Go-ahead given

End of June 2024       Expected presentation date

January 2024              New market/ strategy implementation expected.

Budget

There is a set budget of £100,000 for this project which cannot be exceeded. We expect the proposal to show a breakdown of direct costs and staff time. Please separate the distinct elements of your proposal in the event that budget constraints do not allow us to commission your entire solution.

Robyn Finch

Market Research Manager

Dove UK

Tel: 020 444 9999

Email robyn.finch@doveuk.com

Appendix two

Market research proposal template

Project [XXXX] give the research a project a name

A research proposal

[DATE]

Prepared for Dove UK

Prepared by:

Insert the name of your chosen international marketing research agency here. USE the ESOMAR directory to help you choose an appropriate agency

[Agency address]

Contact: [your name] (make up a name, as we use anonymous marking)

A response to a brief from Robyn Finch

Page break

Typical table of contents for a market research proposal

CONTENTS

1.     INTRODUCTION

2.     OBJECTIVES – define your research objectives

3.     DESK RESEARCH

3.1.  PURPOSE (theoretical section)

3.2.  PROCEDURE

3.3.  SECONDARY DATA BACKGROUND REPORT (most important section)

4.     QUALITATIVE RESEARCH and /or QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (methodology only)

4.1.  PURPOSE (theoretical section)

4.2.  POPULATION AND SAMPLING

4.3.  PROCEDURE

4.4.  REPORTING

5.     TIMING

6.     FEES

Appendices

CREDENTIALS

Quality controls (MRS)

Terms of business

Page break 

INTRODUCTION

Include background of the company Dove UK and the current situation leading to the need for MR

OBJECTIVES

Here you should provide the overall objective for the research and decide on a set of sub objectives.

Each objective should then be discussed in some more detail.

DESK RESEARCH

Provide the purpose and procedure for secondary research. You will need to conduct research to understand if the information you state can be found via desk research is available. Give indications of relevant reports, databases and trends. You may include some initial findings to this section of the report. You may want to note gaps in the data available that could be captured by primary research

QUALITATIVE &/or QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Decide if you propose the use of either or both types of primary research and justify your decision. If using both these should be listed separately under each heading. The purpose for this part of the research should be detailed and details of the population and sampling provided. The procedure must be clearly outlined with reasoning for decisions.

The justification for your decisions will come from supporting literature.

REPORTING

Provide detail of how the results of the research and any interim results will be presented. Considering the appropriateness of face to face meetings, online meetings. Use of PowerPoint presentations, the visual displays used (e.g. pie charts, word clouds). You must be specific and justify your choices. Will transcripts or raw data be provided, and will there be extra fees incurred for these?

TIMING

Provide an outline of suggested timeframes for the project. A Gantt chart may be useful here. How will the progress of the research be reported and how frequently? How soon would you need a sign-off agreement for the research to take place according to the timelines.

FEES

Provide an overview of the fees associated which each phase of the research and total fee.

CREDENTIALS

Here you may provide brief detail of the marketing research agency you have chosen to show how they are an appropriate choice for this type of research with links to further credentials.

Quality control

Here you should highlight any important ethical considerations and adherence to relevant industry standards.

Contract details

You do not need to add this to you report but may add a line to suggest a contract and standard terms of business are included as part of the proposal. e.g. Please find attached T&Cs