Tutorial Letter: Guidelines for Assignment Basic Marketing ... - imm
Tutorial Letter: Guidelines for Assignment Basic Marketing Research (BMR201) Semester One 2014 Dear Student An assignment requires you to gain insight into the module content in a broad sense. As it is an assignment, both the learner guide and the textbook are available to you. The challenge is to be able to extract the particular sections required for a successful submission. This requires an early start and if you work systematically you will be able to not only cover the sections required, but will also gain insight into and understanding of research concepts as opposed to simply studying them in order to pass an examination. Basic Marketing Research 2 is a start-up module in the research programme. In many cases students do not do the follow-up modules in marketing research. We therefore do not, in one module, try to make you a marketing researcher but rather present you with basic concepts and tools that will assist you in interacting with a marketing research team. As such the aim is to address a wide spectrum of research concepts with specific reference to the concept of data integrity. The assignment covers Chapters 1-6 of the textbook but this is not to say that every section of the textbook needs to be covered in the same depth in order to respond to the assignment requirements. Use the learner guide to point to significant chapters and concepts in the textbook. In other words let the learner guide point you to the relevant and important sections of the textbook. There may also be cases where the learner guide points you to chapters beyond Chapter 6 but the idea here is simply to reinforce concepts that are in the learner guide. It is the understanding of the underlying principles of complexity and integrity of data or information that is the essence of this module. Simply remembering these principles is not what is required; it is understanding the principles that will set you on the road to success in this module. For example the iceberg concept is a tool that you can apply in your everyday life as well as in your working environment. It simply opens up the thought that what you see on the surface above the water (tip of the iceberg or the obvious) is not what lies under the surface
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(beyond the obvious). Apply this concept to issues facing you and you will quickly get to grasp the fact that this is a model that assists you in your decision making, or marketing research issues (unravelling the underlying complexity). Once you grasp the idea that this module is one of understanding as opposed to in-depth study of facts, then the assignment should fall into place. I hope these few ideas assist you to understand that obtaining a broad view at the start is an advantage in approaching your examinations. A good start for your assignment is to understand complexity and that complexity must be unravelled in order to understand what lies beyond the obvious. See the example below: Unravelling complexity The concept of unravelling complexity is that you need to go through a number of steps or stages. Each stage thus gives you a broader view of the issues (unravels the complexity). In addition it is an iterative process, thus consider the following:
Critical reflection is required at all stages.
At each stage ask yourself: Have I seen everything? What are my assumptions?
Where can I get additional information/evidence for the situation?
How good is the evidence – can I rely on it?
What do the facts mean? What are the relationships between factors?
What theories and models are relevant/apply to the situation?
What conclusions can I draw? What are the implications going forward?
What options are available to me? What resources are required?
What are the risks and benefits involved in each of the options?
What will I do? How will I do it?
Always: How do I know that?
While it seems that the stages are mutually exclusive one needs to go through a feedback/reflective loop to check the implications of new information or insights developed through the process.
For example, consider how the reflective process
unfolds below:
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
BMR201
Page 3 of 3
Complexity
Action
Outcome
Observation
Symptoms of the problem
Critical reflection
Are they real problems and how ‘serious’ are they for the business?
Evidence gathering
Confirmation/justification for what you see
Initial literature review
Broad hints as to possible issues to be considered
Critical reflection
Have all the key problem areas been isolated/found?
Brainstorming and storytelling
Developing less obvious and possible causes and possible solution options
Mind map/fish bone applied to brainstorming outcomes
Organisation/linking of issues
Critical reflective analysis
Identification of evidence for and deduction of relationships between emerging factors
First level
Second level
Third level
Stage
Statement of the management problem
Problem in context
Development of themes/ideas
Business theory and management models
Comparing/testing identified factors against the models
Critical reflective analysis
Theoretical issues’ underlying problems
Problem review
Problem analysis to develop the business case
What has to be tested?
Literature review
Identification of what is known and the major academic issues to be researched
Fourth level Critical reflective analysis
Research problem and objectives What is important/new? What can be measured?
Problem analysis to develop the academic case
May we also remind you that we are always available to assist with academic queries. Academic queries should be submitted in writing to: [email protected]. Kind regards IMM GSM Team © IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
BMR201
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(beyond the obvious). Apply this concept to issues facing you and you will quickly get to grasp the fact that this is a model that assists you in your decision making, or marketing research issues (unravelling the underlying complexity). Once you grasp the idea that this module is one of understanding as opposed to in-depth study of facts, then the assignment should fall into place. I hope these few ideas assist you to understand that obtaining a broad view at the start is an advantage in approaching your examinations. A good start for your assignment is to understand complexity and that complexity must be unravelled in order to understand what lies beyond the obvious. See the example below: Unravelling complexity The concept of unravelling complexity is that you need to go through a number of steps or stages. Each stage thus gives you a broader view of the issues (unravels the complexity). In addition it is an iterative process, thus consider the following:
Critical reflection is required at all stages.
At each stage ask yourself: Have I seen everything? What are my assumptions?
Where can I get additional information/evidence for the situation?
How good is the evidence – can I rely on it?
What do the facts mean? What are the relationships between factors?
What theories and models are relevant/apply to the situation?
What conclusions can I draw? What are the implications going forward?
What options are available to me? What resources are required?
What are the risks and benefits involved in each of the options?
What will I do? How will I do it?
Always: How do I know that?
While it seems that the stages are mutually exclusive one needs to go through a feedback/reflective loop to check the implications of new information or insights developed through the process.
For example, consider how the reflective process
unfolds below:
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
BMR201
Page 3 of 3
Complexity
Action
Outcome
Observation
Symptoms of the problem
Critical reflection
Are they real problems and how ‘serious’ are they for the business?
Evidence gathering
Confirmation/justification for what you see
Initial literature review
Broad hints as to possible issues to be considered
Critical reflection
Have all the key problem areas been isolated/found?
Brainstorming and storytelling
Developing less obvious and possible causes and possible solution options
Mind map/fish bone applied to brainstorming outcomes
Organisation/linking of issues
Critical reflective analysis
Identification of evidence for and deduction of relationships between emerging factors
First level
Second level
Third level
Stage
Statement of the management problem
Problem in context
Development of themes/ideas
Business theory and management models
Comparing/testing identified factors against the models
Critical reflective analysis
Theoretical issues’ underlying problems
Problem review
Problem analysis to develop the business case
What has to be tested?
Literature review
Identification of what is known and the major academic issues to be researched
Fourth level Critical reflective analysis
Research problem and objectives What is important/new? What can be measured?
Problem analysis to develop the academic case
May we also remind you that we are always available to assist with academic queries. Academic queries should be submitted in writing to: [email protected]. Kind regards IMM GSM Team © IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
BMR201
