LO1 Critically evaluate the different methodologies that can be used in academic research in marketing

Module Title

Research Methods for Marketers

Assignment Number

1

Module Code

MARK5069

Assignment Title

“Conducting Marketing Research for a Brand”

Assignment Release Date:

7 July 2022

Submission Date/Time:

9 September 2022, 12:00 (noon)

Assessment Information – What you need to do

This assignment is an individual assignment. 

This assignment requires you to:

Develop a research proposal for a qualitative study and carry out 2-3 semi structured

interviews with customers as your chosen method of research.

In your report, you must:

a) Define and describe the research idea/problem and research aim

b) Write three objectives.

1. Each objective must be clearly explained and justified.

c) Indicate where and when the data collection will take place.

d) Explain and justify your sampling approach.

e) Develop a suitable qualitative research instrument to gather data on some of the issues noted above.

1. This must be explained within the report, however all students are required to submit a FULL research instrument within the appendices.

f) Indicate and justify your data analysis techniques.

g) Analyse and interpret the key findings from the data.

1. What key themes emerged – you must provide suitable evidence i.e. excerpts from the transcripts to support your discussion.

h) Finally, all students must outline specific recommendations for Juiceland based on their findings.

Criteria for Assessment - How you will be marked

Marking Criteria:

The proposal needs to include: research aim and problem, research objectives; sampling, explanation of the proposed data collection, analysis methods and execution.

You will also need to briefly explain the objectives of the interviews and outline and explain the dimensions of your research instrument.Finally, all students must clearly state how their data will be analysed.

The findings and analysis must be coherent – in line with the research objectives, with logical commentary and supported with relevant excerpts from transcripts.

Please also see the “Marking Criteria” document.

Further information on University mark descriptors can be found here. 

This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes:

1. Critically evaluate the different methodologies that can be used in academic research in marketing,
2. Apply appropriate techniques of primary research, through the design and execution of a research plan,
3. Be able to develop research propositions for a defined project,
4. Propose solutions to real-world marketing problems.

Assessment Details

The word count is 1,500.

There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark for work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more.

The word limit includes tables, figures, quotations and citations, but excludes the references list and appendices.

How to Submit your Assessment

The assessment must be submitted by 12:00 noon (GMT/BST) on Friday 9^th of September. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module web.

• Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
• Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format, unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents, unless otherwise advised by the module leader.
• All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.
  • If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline the work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
  • The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.
  • Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.
  • Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites.

Return of Marked Work

You can expect to have feedback returned to you following the assessment board in November 2022. More information on assessment and feedback can be found here.

Academic Integrity

In submitting a piece of work for assessment it is essential that you understand the University`s requirements for maintaining academic integrity and ensure that the work does not contravene University regulations. Some examples of behaviour that would not be considered acceptable include plagiarism, re-use of previously assessed work, collusion with others and purchasing your assignment from a third party. For more information on academic offences, bad academic practice, and academic penalties, please read chapter four of our academic regulations.

Academic Support and Your Well-being

Referencing is the process of acknowledging other people’s work when you have used it in your assignment or research. It allows the reader to locate your source material as quickly and easily as possible so that they can read these sources themselves and verify the validity of your arguments. Referencing provides the link between what you write and the evidence on which it is based.

You identify the sources that you have used by citing them in the text of your assignment (called citations or in-text citations) and referencing them at the end of your assignment (called the reference list or end-text citations). The reference list only includes the sources cited in your text. The main referencing guide can be found here and includes information on the basics of referencing and achieving good academic practice. It also has tabs for the specific referencing styles depending on whether you require Harvard style used in business or OSCOLA style used by the Law school.

The University has a wealth of support services available to students; further information can be obtained from Student Gateway, the Student Advice Centre, Library and Learning Services and, most importantly, your Personal Tutor. If you are struggling with your assessments and/or deadlines please do seek help as soon as possible so that appropriate support and guidance can be identified and put in place for you. More information can be found on the Healthy DMU pages.