This section should provide a summary of the data collection activities that you intend to carry out.Please write a paragraph that includes all of the information outlined in section 1 of the form below.

2024-06-16 12:12:38

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY

Nottingham Business School

Course of study: Business Management & Marketing

Module name and code: Research Project (Marketing)

Working title of research project:To what extent does TikTok influence modern marketing strategies and consumer engagement

Carrying out research for your coursework gives rise to ethical issues. First you need to make sure that you complete and submit the correct form to show you have recognised those ethical issues. If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of the three questions below, then this is the correct form for you. If you answer ‘No’ to all three statements, you need to fill in form NBS/Ethics02 instead.

The main part of the application form, below, consists of a series of questions that you need to answer in the space provided. The questions ask you to set out your expected research activities, to identify the ethical concerns that are likely to arise, and how you propose to deal with them. You then sign at the end of this section.

You cannot begin data collection until you have received ethical approval – that is to say, until your Module Leader or Project Supervisor has signed off this ethics application. But preparing your ethics application is not a ‘test’ – you can prepare the application form, and all of the other required documents (the Participant Information and Consent Form, and the interview/focus group questions or questionnaire) with the assistance of your supervisor.Doing this maximises the chances of your ethics application being signed off first time.

When your supervisor or Module Leader approves your ethics application they will also be confirming with you the intended number of interviews, questionnaires, etc that you are aiming to do.If this plan changes during the course of your research, please discuss this with your supervisor or Module Leader, to see whether or not a new ethics application will be required. Similarly, if you need to make any changes to your research question, methods of data collection, or research participants, please discuss this with your supervisor or Module Leader, to see whether or not a new ethics application will be required. If your approved ethics application does not align with the research that you carried out, you may incur a penalty to your grade.

You can find a detailed discussion of the main ethics issues in your learning room and in the NBS/Ethics01 Guidance Notes. You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with this information before completing this application form. The Guidance Notes explain the meaning of the key concepts in the application form and provide helpful suggestions as to how to address them, both in the application form and in the research itself.

Key Ethics Issues to Consider in the Application Form – A Summary

See NBS/Ethics01 Guidance Notes for more details

Section 1: Summary of Data Collection Activities

This section should provide a summary of the data collection activities that you intend to carry out.Please write a paragraph that includes all of the information outlined in section 1 of the form below.

Section 2: Voluntary Participation and Informed Consent

This section should explain how you will ensure that participation is informed and voluntary. Please write a paragraph that addresses all of the questions outlined in section 2 of the form below.When addressing each question, please bear in mind the following points:

All potential participants must be told, in advance, what the research is about and what their participation will involve. Only then can they decide whether or not to accept your invitation to participate in your research.
Only once they have given their consent can they participate in your data collection activity (for example, interview or focus group), or gain access to the survey questions.
Voluntary participation involves the free choice to begin participation, the freedom not to answer every question, and the freedom to exit the interview/focus group/survey.

Further details on the different meanings of voluntary participation,possible exceptions to the general principles,and their implications for the setup of online surveys, are provided on NBS/Ethics01 guidance Notes.

When you submit this ethics application to your supervisor or Module Leader, you must include your participant information and consent form; and your initial interview or focus group questions, or survey alongside this application form.

Section 3: Confidentiality and Data Security

This section should explain how you will ensure that data remains confidential and secure.Please write a paragraph that addresses all of the questions outlined in section 3 of the form below.When addressing each question, please bear in mind the following points:

All personal information must be kept private.This relates specifically to the “raw data”, i.e. the information you gather directly from interviews, focus groups, surveys, etc, or the unpublished secondary data that you have been given access to.
Only you, and your supervisor or Module Leader, should have access to this information.
The NTU computer network will have much higher levels of protection than you are likely to have on our personal IT equipment. For this this reason all raw data, and data that has not been anonymised, must be stored on your NTU drive. All personal IT equipment must be password protected.
It is not advisable to save raw data,or data that has not been anonymised, to an external hard drive or memory stick. If this is necessary, the files should be encrypted.
Only those survey platforms for which NTU agreements are in place should be used for online surveys. In particular, you must use either the JISC online survey platform or the Qualtrics platform, to ensure an appropriate level of data security.
If you are conducting interviews or focus groups online, you must use software for which NTU agreements are in place. In particular, you must use either Teams, or Skype for Business. Both of these applications can be accessed through your NTU account.
If interviews or focus groups are recorded via Microsoft Teams the recording will be saved automatically to Microsoft Stream. Only you should be able to access the recording. The recording should be downloaded and deleted from Microsoft Stream as soon as practicably possible. Further guidance on this process can be found in your NOW Learning Room.

Section 4: Anonymity

This section should outline the steps you will take to protect the anonymity of participating individuals and/or organisations. Please address the question outlined in section 4 of the form below. When addressing each question, please bear in mind the following points:

You can invite individuals (especially in interviews or focus groups) for permission to name them. But the default, if they do not give express permission otherwise, is to do all you can to prevent anybody from working out who your participants are from the information you provide in your assignments.
Remember to avoid jigsaw identification – it might be possible to work out who someone is from what they say, who they work for, etc, without you giving their names.

Section 5: Risks of harm and any other concerns

This section should outline any risks of physical, psychological, economic or reputational harm arising from your research, and what you will do to mitigate these risks. You should also outline any addition risks that have not yet been addressed. Please address all of the relevant questions outlined in section 4 of the form below.When answering these questions please refer to the ethical concerns in your project; do not discuss general ethics issues.

Please provide further details in the boxes below, about the ethics issues which you expect to arise from the primary data collection for your project, and how you propose to address them Please cross-reference NBS/Ethics01 where appropriatelal

1. Summary of Data Collection

The main aim of this essay report is to evaluate to what extent does TikTok influence modern marketing strategies and consumer engagement. There are 2 research questions: To what degree does TikTok affect consumer behaviour in regard to brand name engagement and purchase choices in context of contemporary marketing strategies and what are the essential inspirational elements that drive users to engage with marketing material on TikTok and how do these motivations line up with the Uses and Gratification theory

The primary data collection method is questionnaires. My aim is to get 40-60 people’s responses, I’m going to be utilising JISX online platform survey. The sampling method I’m going to utilise is convenience sampling, all participants must be aged between 18 and 35, I’m going to be finding these individuals at NTU campus or outside campus for them to participate in this research until I have reached 60 participants. Participants will be emailed from my NTU email and when I see any free student on campus at the link lounge or at the lunch area, I will ask for their email to send them the questionnaire. Participants will all be emailed from my NTU student account with a link to access the questionnaire directly and they will be asked to fill my questionnaire and take part in the study.

2. Voluntary Participation and Informed Consent

When participants access the questionnaire link, they will come across a paragraph explaining the nature of the research project and the reason as to why they have been requested to participate. Participants will have to answer all the questions, if they do not accept the conditions then questionnaire will send them to the end and they will not be able to fulfil the questionnaire unless they agree to all the terms and conditions. The paragraph will go over into detail about how their participation is voluntary and not compulsory and they have the power to remove their participation by simply emailing me (the researcher). Participants will have to press confirm that they understand what participating involves and that they agree to participate in taking part in the questionnaire by pressing the accept button. Only once they press accept, they will then have access to the questions in the questionnaire. Furthermore, once completed participants must submit their questionnaire by pressing finished/submit, this will then show they have participated successfully. Participants can withdraw at any time before pressing submit, by having to press submit it allows for the participant to change their mind on wither to voluntarily take part or not at the end of the questionnaire in case they have second thoughts. The paragraph which participants will see is below:

Thank you for accepting to take part in this study and for taking your valuable time to fulfil this questionnaire, I’m a third-year student and Nottingham Business School, I’m currently on the business management and marketing course. As part of my final research project studies, I’m required to conduct primary research. The main objective of this research is to evaluate what extent does TikTok influence modern marketing strategies and consumer engagement. You have been selected to take part in this because you match the age criteria of 18-35 years old. For this research you are requested to fulfil a questionnaire about your own experiences and opinions. No personal date from yourself will be collected or asked in this questionnaire and the data is all anonymised. All information from participants is kept strictly confidential and deleted by 20th July 2024 or once grade Is received. Completion of this questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes. By completing the questionnaire, you are agreeing to participate in this research. You have the right to withdraw from this study at any giving time without any reasoning or justification. If you wish to withdraw you should contact me and ask for your data to be withdrawn from this project by the 1st of February.

By clicking the button below, you confirm your full authorisation to participate in this questionnaire and you are voluntarily taking part in this questionnaire

Thank you

3.Confidentiality and Data Security

All information gathered from all participants will be kept and stored in a safe manner. The unprocessed primary data will be jointly seen by the researcher (myself) and the supervisor. The university email be utilised to forward the questionnaire link to the participants. All emails will be deleted as soon as the email has been sent to participants. This study will utilise online surveys and the survey platform used will be JISX which has been agreed by NTU. The data collected will then be analysed using SPSS and those files will be password protected and stored safely on NTU one drive. The data will then be analysed utilising SPSS, and those files will also be protected and saved on NTU OneDrive as well. Furthermore, if any data results are printed out these files / documents will be kept secured inside a locked cabinet with access to only the researched and supervisor. After receiving the grade for this module all data will be deleted of the system or the latest by 20TH July 2024

4. Anonymity

This study will not reveal any personal information or data, due to this participant personal identity will not be revealed. This questionnaire will not collect or request any personal identifying personal information (e.g, names, addresses, contact details) from participants. Participants will not be asked to disclose any information that could lead to the identification of individuals. All data collected from the questionnaire will be stored securely and treated with strict confidentiality. Participants will be assigned unique identification codes or numbers to ensure their responses remain anonymous. This unique identifier will be used solely for the purpose of organizing data and will not be connected to any personal information. Participants responses will be aggregated and analysed collectively. No individual responses will be identifiable or linked back to any specific participant. The researcher will make sure that no sensitive or identifiable information is inadvertently disclosed in any public dissemination of findings.

5. Risks of harm and any other concerns

This research will solely utilise the questionnaire and therefore the risk to participants and the researcher is very minimal. Participants are filling out the questionnaire voluntarily therefore no payment will be handed out to any participating individual. This research solely utilises questionnaires as the method of data collection, significantly reducing any risks to both the participants and the researcher. As participants are voluntarily filling out the questionnaire, the level of risk associated with the involvement in the study is close to none. Participants are under no obligation to take part in this research which is clearly specified in section 1 of the questionnaire. Their involvement is voluntary, and they have the right to withdraw from the study at any stage without any consequence. Participants will receive clear and comprehensive information regarding the purpose and procedures of the study before agreeing to participate in Section 1 of the questionnaire. Contact information for support resources will be provided to participants should they have any concerns or require any assistance during or after their participation in the study.

Data Collection Checklist

The checklist overleaf is intended to serve a number of purposes as outlined below:

For Students:

To help you choose appropriate data collection methods when completing the form above;
To ensure you know exactly what has been agreed and what you are allowed to do.

For Supervisors:

To provide you with a simple means of indicating to students what they can and cannot do when undertaking primary data collection for the project outlined above.

Method	Details	Tick all relevant	Estimated number
Interviews	Face to face
	Telephone/online media
	Other (please specify)
Questionnaires	Face to face
	Postal
	Online	x	40-60
	Other (please specify)
Focus Groups	Face to face
(typically 6-12	Online (eg chatroom)
participants)	Number of groups met
	Number of meetings per group
	Other (please specify)
Observation	Overt: in an open public space, eg on the street (please specify)

	Overt: in an open private space, eg shop, shopping centre, place of worship (please specify)
	Overt: in a closed private space, eg meeting in an office (please specify)
	Covert (please specify)
	Do you intend to participate in the observed activity? If yes, please indicate the nature and extent of your participation:	YES/NO
Unpublished Secondary Data	Please specify:
Please also indicate your chosen data sample(s)
Sampling	General public	x	40-60
	Other students	x	40-60
	Placement company: Staff/management/customers/other (please specify)
	Other company/organisation: Staff/management/customers/other (please specify)
	Any other (please specify)

Subsequent Changes to This Agreement

As the research progresses, the primary data collection activities a student wishes to do might change. In this case, the student and supervisor must revisit this checklist, to determine whether a new ethics application needs to be submitted, or not.

Resubmit Ethics03 if new data collection activities are proposed which give rise to new ethical considerations. Examples might include undertaking, say, a survey when one was not intended initially.A less obvious example would be where, initially a student might have applied to interview managers, and now wishes also to interview employees.This raises new ethical concerns because of specific power relationships within the organisation.

Do Not Resubmit Ethics03 if any proposed changes to data collection do not give rise to new ethical considerations.Examples might include wanting to interview more managers than initially agreed.

This section should explain how you will ensure that participation is informed and voluntary. Please write a paragraph that addresses all of the questions outlined in section 2 of the form below

Structure & Content of your Journal Article

In accordance with academic practice, ensure that your Journal Article is presented in accordance with the guidelines provided in this document.Please note,the word guidance for each section of the article is for ‘guidance’ only.In addition, the module leader will upload a number of good examples from previous years. Please note, the word count and requirements may vary from previous years and content may vary. However, key elements/stages remain the same. The maximum word count for 2023-2024 is 7000 words. There is no minimum number of words.

This guidance is both for articles based on primary and secondary data analysis

Key Section	Outline	Specifics	Word Count
NBS Course Work Front Cover	NBS Course Work Front Cover –Template in ‘Assessment Tab’ on NOW	Complete the following details and include as the first page of your submission. Read the Turnitin section and check that you understand how Turnitin is used to assess your work; Read the declaration to check that your submission conforms with the listed requirements before you submit your work.	Not Included in the Word Count
Abstract	You should then write an Abstract for your Journal Article (this could be on a separate page, i.e. page 2, of your Article). Your Abstract must be set out under the following sub- headings:	Purpose Design/methodology/approach Findings Research / practical / social implications (as appropriate) Originality/value Please provide up to 6 keywords which encapsulate the principal topics. N.B For tips on how to write an Abstract look at past Articles in the Journal of Marketing Communications or Emerald.	A maximum of 250 words
Introduction	The next section of your Journal Article is your Introduction. This should include:	A clear statement of your research aims and questions. Justify your choice of topic: why is it interesting/relevant? Explain (briefly) to the reader how the journal is structured. It should also include the context of your study	700 words.
Literature Review	Your introduction is then followed by your critical literature review. You should:	Use a relevant title that identifies your literature (s) Offer a critical account of the current state of knowledge in your relevant area(s) Include a conceptual framework (normally towards the end of this section)	2400 words.
Research Design	After your literature review you need to write about your research design.	Usually reminds the reader of the research questions/objectives Clearly explains and justifies the research undertaken Can be structured via Research Approach	700 words.

You will have to complete 40-60 surveys/questio ns, or 2-3 focus groups (at least

30 minutes in

length) or 3-5 interviews (at least 30 minutes in length).

For secondary research you need to analyse 40-60

comments

- Research Methods/Tools

- Sampling Framework

- Sample

- Data Analysis

· Uses tables, figures and appendices appropriately

If using online tools then you need to use either MS Forms or Jisc for creating your questionnaire and MS Teams for online interviews or focus groups.

You are free to use any data analytical software to analyse your data such as SPSS, Microsoft Excel, and Nvivo)

Students using secondary data will need to include the following

Why secondary research – clear justification for using secondary research.
Sampling method – what data/ data sets and why – how did you decide weather to include or discard data
Explain how you found the data that you used –
Tell us about the data you used, who collected it, when, for what purpose
Is the data reliable – is there a possibility that the data is biased
Ethical consideration anonymity, confidentiality –
Explain how you analysed the data

Qualitative secondary data can be analysed using thematic analysis – in same way as interview/focus group data. Quantitative secondary data can be analysed using excel or SPSS.

Findings and Discussion

Following your research design section you then need to present your findings and discussion. This part:

Presents what you have found out (i.e. results/evidence)
Also discusses these findings
Can you offer any explanation to why these findings have emerged?
Do any of the findings (themes) link together?
How do your findings link to the literature?
Qualitative or quant. findings
Use sub sections to highlight the key themes to emerge from your findingsYou could use your research questions to structure presentation of your findings/discussion

2500

words.

Conclusion

You should then conclude your Article and briefly comment on the main

Address/answer the specific research questions
Show how the findings compare and contrast with the literature

700

words.

	sections of the paper:	Provide recommendations for the business community or other appropriate audiences Highlight any limitations and future areas for research
References		You should then provide a list of references (using Harvard referencing).
Appendices		Following your references you should provide appendices. These should include one interview transcript and/or a completed questionnaire and your supervision record plus any other relevant appendices included in the main text (do not use appendices as a dumping ground to ‘pad’ out your work!!!). If your final submission/document is too big for DROPBOX, you can upload your appendices as a separate word document to your main article.

General Guidelines

Ethical Approval

All students must submit either NBS ethics form02 or NBS ethics form03. If you are using secondary data readily available in the public domain you only submit NBS ethics form02. However, if you are collecting primary data you must also submit NBS ethics form03 and information and consent form. Further, alongside your NBS ethics03 form you must submit a copy of your questionnaire/survey [students adopting a quantitative approach]. If students are submitting a qualitative approach they must submit an AND a copy of the interview/focus group guide. All documents and examples can be found on NOW.

Please note that we are asking for drafts of the ethics forms during your proposal – due 6^th November 2023 by 11pm -The draft will consist of the NBS ethics02 or NBS ethics03 and not questionnaire, participant information form, participant consent form or interview/focus group guide. You will only be able to develop your data collect tools when you receive feedback on your proposal. Your complete revised ethics forms must be signed off by your supervisor and uploaded to DROPBOX by Friday 1^st December 5pm the latest. Please see ethics mini lecture for more information on all parts of the ethics application.

All sections of your ethics application [quantitative – two parts (NBS ethics form 03 and questionnaire questions) and qualitative three parts (NBS ethics form 03, Participants information form, consent form and interview guide] should be uploaded [signed by your supervisor] to the ethics application dropbox no later than Friday 1^st December 2023 by 5pm. You can only start your data collection AFTER your ethics application has been signed by your supervisor. Failure to submit an ethics application will restrict you

from collecting primary data and will have an impact on your final grade. This is consistent across the NBS platform.

Format	The article should be written in Verdana, 10 point, 1.5 line spaced. One electronic copy (WORD) via the Dropbox on NOW. If your final submission/document is too big for DROPBOX, you can upload your appendices as a separate word document to your main article.
Contents Page	You DO NOT need to include a contents page. Past examples may have a contents page – however you DO NOT need to include a CONTENTS page as part of your final submission.
Word Count	The article should be a maximum of 7,000 words. The 7000 words excludes the abstract, acknowledgements, keywords, list of references, appendices, text in tables and figures. That is, the word count starts at ‘Introduction’ and finishes at the end of ‘Conclusion’. There is no plus or minus 10% for the final research project assignment. You are required to include the word count as an accurate statement of the words used on the NBS Research Project Front Cover. If you are found to have exceeded the word count in order to gain an unfair advantage, then your supervisor can adjust your grade downwards depending on the amount of additional work submitted. If the additional work is up to 500 words, the overall grade for the piece of work will be reduced by 1 grade point (e.g. 2.1-Mid to 2.1-Low); If the additional work exceeds 500 words, the overall grade for the piece of work will be reduced by 3 grade points (e.g. 2.1-Mid to 2.2-Mid). These penalties will be applied even if the reduced grade is below a pass grade.
Headings	Headings should be concise and helpful to the reader.First level headings to be presented in bold format and subsequent sub-headings to be presented in italics.
Figures, Tables & Appendices	All figures & tables should be clearly numbered (Table 1, Figure 1 etc.), labelled and placed in the main body of the article. All appendices should be numbered (i.e. appendix 1, 2, 3). As prior stated do not include unnecessary information in appendices, and key information should be provided in the main text NOT appendices (i.e. do not use appendices as a way to get over the word count and do not put important figures, such as your conceptual framework, in the appendices).
References	Your article should be fully referenced using the Harvard style (see ‘Citing References: a guide to NTU Library Harvard Style’ available from NTU website. Your references should be checked for completeness, accuracy, and consistency.
Communication Cut-Off Period	Communication with your supervisor will come to an end one weeks before submission of your research project article. This will take place on 5pm Friday 26^th January 2024. This gives all students the same amount of supervision time and allows students to factor in time management and project planning. Emails sent after this date/time will not be answered. You will still have access to the news section on NOW for updates and guidance.
Supervisor Feedback	If you would like your supervisor to review and provide feedback on the agreed allocated section of your RP article [500 words from your article] ensure you email this to your supervisor no later than 11pm on 15th January 2024. You will receive feedback within 2 weeks of submitting.
Deadline for Article	5th February 2024 at 23.00
Return of RP Final Grade	Please be aware that the Research Project is not subject to the NTU 21-day assessment policy.

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This section should provide a summary of the data collection activities that you intend to carry out.Please write a paragraph that includes all of the information outlined in section 1 of the form below.

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