Tutorial Letter: Guidelines for Assignment Marketing Research: Project ...
Tutorial Letter: Guidelines for Assignment Marketing Research: Project (MRP302) Business Research: Project (BRP302) Semester One 2014 Dear Student The focus of Marketing/Business Research Project is the literature review. At the research level marketing and business concepts overlap and marketing/business research textbooks follow identical theoretical frameworks. The minor difference lies in the selection of the research topic or more specifically how the research topic is phrased. Marketing students will have a marketing focus in their research outcome, while the business students will give emphasis to more specific business issues in the discussion of results. The assignment is best tackled by following the step-by-step process given very clearly in the learner guide. It is essential that you follow this process as the literature review has very specific academic demands and if you try to follow ad hoc principles you will fail on the academic score. A literature review is for example not simply a reporting of personal views and issues. It is an academic approach that requires you to read appropriate literature and to provide a reflective view of what you have read. The learner guide will lead you through this process but the bottom line is that you must read the learner guide before starting this project. Each literature review is unique and you should therefore work independently on the assignment as you will be gathering information unique to your own literature review requirements. Where are problems experienced in this module? There is one main problem and that is the learner guide is not read. Many of the past assignment submissions have varied so far from a literature review that the only conclusion is that the learner guide has not been opened. The literature review is not only an essential component of research but it is also an essential part of your growth as a business and/or marketing professional. You simply need to understand the newest trends in marketing or business if you are to add value to your organisation. What is true today is definitely not true
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tomorrow and a very good example of this is the impact of technological changes on business and marketing practices. Read for example the impact the changes in digital technology are making on marketing practices. Our own magazine, Strategic Marketing, has numerous articles on these changes and that is why we suggest that you refer to this and similar magazines in your start to the literature review. Advantages of the literature review Students who read up-to-date magazines and articles set themselves apart from the pack as they are able to make informed decisions based on current information, thus what is relevant to business and/or marketing approaches today as opposed to simply repeating what has been done before and hoping for a change in business outcomes. You can test this very easily. Ask your fellow students or work colleagues what approach they follow in defining consumer demographics. If their answer is that they use the LSM consumer demographic approach then you know they have not kept up to date with the newest trends. Read the last 3 to 4 Strategic Marketing magazines and you will see for yourself the changes that have taken place (if you do not receive this magazine contact the IMM GSM and ask to be put on the mailing list). What must you do to succeed in this module? Start now and read the learner guide. Contact the IMM GSM librarian and ask to be guided on the use of EBSCOHost. EBSCOHost is a database of up-to-date marketing and business related articles. You need to search for articles relevant to the subject you are exploring, e.g. ‘The impact of digital technology on business practice’. Do not try and do this search on your own. Ask the librarian to guide you. Also make sure you do a broad search for articles that cover a broad spectrum of the concepts. If you cannot find at least 20 to 30 articles then you can be sure your literature review is too narrow. You will not be able to pass this module if you have not made use of EBSCOHost and if you have not been able to find relevant articles. Getting started A literature review is developed around a topic derived from a marketing and/or business problem. Selecting a topic on which to base the literature review is the starting point and you are guided in the learner guide to read appropriate magazines such as the Strategic Marketing/business magazine and other similar magazines on marketing/business issues. Once you have identified a topic, the next step is writing the problem statement or management question as this will focus the literature review. Once the problem statement or management question is documented the next step is identifying themes that will drive the literature review. Other steps in the process are using the themes and searching the available literature using a research database such as EBSCOHost. The biggest challenge in the literature review is to make sense of the articles you have extracted from the search using EBSCOHost. The learner guide provides you with an example of a literature review. Use the themes/constructs as your headings and for each heading there should be at least 6 to10 different authors with as many different views as possible.
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
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Example If change management is one of your themes, then in your discussion on change management there should be articles expressing the view that change management is not a big issue. There should, however, also be views that resistance to change is rampant in all organisations and that any change would be a possible area of conflict. Note these are two different views on change management. Present these different views in a reflective manner and the end product is then the literature review. A literature review is therefore not simply listing the views of one or two authors. Read the two articles listed below: Article 1: Battle of the Beer brands: Strategic Marketing (2) 2010: 12-17 In reviewing the ‘Battle of the brands’ the following is pertinent: Possible problem statement: Brand power plays a significant role in company positioning for competitive strategic advantage in the beer industry. Potential themes/constructs:
Brand management
Industry monopoly
Gender marketing
Social networking
Strategic positioning.
Use the above constructs/themes for an EBSCOHost search (talk to the librarian) and under each heading develop a literature review. A discussion will follow at the end of the literature review and this discussion must talk to the problem statement or management question. If the problem statement is as given above: Problem statement Brand power plays a significant role in company positioning for competitive strategic advantage in the beer industry. Here your discussion might suggest that brand power does indeed play a significant role. On the other hand all the articles you have read and discussed might suggest that brand power is not the significant issue but rather understanding consumer behaviour or understanding changing consumer profiles.
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
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Please note: Be careful not to make categorical conclusions emanating from your literature as you must keep in mind that you have accessed only a small section of what is available on the subject. Your discussion and conclusions should therefore be cached in terms such as: The literature review suggests that …. This view is particularly strongly expressed by the majority of authors. However, a different viewpoint does exist …. Do not make categorical statements such as: It is clear that …. Article 2: Why we’ll need the wisdom of the snake: Strategic Marketing (5), 2012: 22-25 In reviewing the article: ‘Why we’ll need the wisdom of the snake’, the following may apply: Management question: Will social media and the development of information technology change the way we view marketing approaches? Possible themes might be:
Industry trends in information technology
Change management (in a volatile environment)
Customer profiling
Social media.
The final step is a reflective integrative review of what the literature has revealed. A discussion will follow at the end of the literature review and this discussion must talk to the management question. Thus: Management question: Will social media and the development of information technology change the way we view marketing approaches? The discussion might be that social media is already having a big impact on understanding consumer behaviour and that further development in information technology will further increase the impact of social media. A very good student might for example make suggested references as to how such changes might impact on their own company. The important point in both examples is that you must talk to what your literature review has opened up, i.e. your literature review must substantiate your conclusions. In closing the following:
The literature review must give a broad view of related issues Related issues introduced via themes/constructs There must be at least 4-6 related constructs The constructs are the headings in the literature review itself Each heading must have at least 6-10 different authors with at least 2-3 different opinions. © IMM Graduate School of Marketing
Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
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Furthermore a literature review:
Is NOT a research proposal
Does not require data capture or data analysis
Is a reflective review of what is reported in the literature
Requires a synthesis of what is in the literature review – i.e. the literature review will not talk for itself but requires you to extract what is essential to the problem statement.
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
MRP302 / BRP302
Page 2 of 5
tomorrow and a very good example of this is the impact of technological changes on business and marketing practices. Read for example the impact the changes in digital technology are making on marketing practices. Our own magazine, Strategic Marketing, has numerous articles on these changes and that is why we suggest that you refer to this and similar magazines in your start to the literature review. Advantages of the literature review Students who read up-to-date magazines and articles set themselves apart from the pack as they are able to make informed decisions based on current information, thus what is relevant to business and/or marketing approaches today as opposed to simply repeating what has been done before and hoping for a change in business outcomes. You can test this very easily. Ask your fellow students or work colleagues what approach they follow in defining consumer demographics. If their answer is that they use the LSM consumer demographic approach then you know they have not kept up to date with the newest trends. Read the last 3 to 4 Strategic Marketing magazines and you will see for yourself the changes that have taken place (if you do not receive this magazine contact the IMM GSM and ask to be put on the mailing list). What must you do to succeed in this module? Start now and read the learner guide. Contact the IMM GSM librarian and ask to be guided on the use of EBSCOHost. EBSCOHost is a database of up-to-date marketing and business related articles. You need to search for articles relevant to the subject you are exploring, e.g. ‘The impact of digital technology on business practice’. Do not try and do this search on your own. Ask the librarian to guide you. Also make sure you do a broad search for articles that cover a broad spectrum of the concepts. If you cannot find at least 20 to 30 articles then you can be sure your literature review is too narrow. You will not be able to pass this module if you have not made use of EBSCOHost and if you have not been able to find relevant articles. Getting started A literature review is developed around a topic derived from a marketing and/or business problem. Selecting a topic on which to base the literature review is the starting point and you are guided in the learner guide to read appropriate magazines such as the Strategic Marketing/business magazine and other similar magazines on marketing/business issues. Once you have identified a topic, the next step is writing the problem statement or management question as this will focus the literature review. Once the problem statement or management question is documented the next step is identifying themes that will drive the literature review. Other steps in the process are using the themes and searching the available literature using a research database such as EBSCOHost. The biggest challenge in the literature review is to make sense of the articles you have extracted from the search using EBSCOHost. The learner guide provides you with an example of a literature review. Use the themes/constructs as your headings and for each heading there should be at least 6 to10 different authors with as many different views as possible.
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
Page 3 of 5
Example If change management is one of your themes, then in your discussion on change management there should be articles expressing the view that change management is not a big issue. There should, however, also be views that resistance to change is rampant in all organisations and that any change would be a possible area of conflict. Note these are two different views on change management. Present these different views in a reflective manner and the end product is then the literature review. A literature review is therefore not simply listing the views of one or two authors. Read the two articles listed below: Article 1: Battle of the Beer brands: Strategic Marketing (2) 2010: 12-17 In reviewing the ‘Battle of the brands’ the following is pertinent: Possible problem statement: Brand power plays a significant role in company positioning for competitive strategic advantage in the beer industry. Potential themes/constructs:
Brand management
Industry monopoly
Gender marketing
Social networking
Strategic positioning.
Use the above constructs/themes for an EBSCOHost search (talk to the librarian) and under each heading develop a literature review. A discussion will follow at the end of the literature review and this discussion must talk to the problem statement or management question. If the problem statement is as given above: Problem statement Brand power plays a significant role in company positioning for competitive strategic advantage in the beer industry. Here your discussion might suggest that brand power does indeed play a significant role. On the other hand all the articles you have read and discussed might suggest that brand power is not the significant issue but rather understanding consumer behaviour or understanding changing consumer profiles.
© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
Page 4 of 5
Please note: Be careful not to make categorical conclusions emanating from your literature as you must keep in mind that you have accessed only a small section of what is available on the subject. Your discussion and conclusions should therefore be cached in terms such as: The literature review suggests that …. This view is particularly strongly expressed by the majority of authors. However, a different viewpoint does exist …. Do not make categorical statements such as: It is clear that …. Article 2: Why we’ll need the wisdom of the snake: Strategic Marketing (5), 2012: 22-25 In reviewing the article: ‘Why we’ll need the wisdom of the snake’, the following may apply: Management question: Will social media and the development of information technology change the way we view marketing approaches? Possible themes might be:
Industry trends in information technology
Change management (in a volatile environment)
Customer profiling
Social media.
The final step is a reflective integrative review of what the literature has revealed. A discussion will follow at the end of the literature review and this discussion must talk to the management question. Thus: Management question: Will social media and the development of information technology change the way we view marketing approaches? The discussion might be that social media is already having a big impact on understanding consumer behaviour and that further development in information technology will further increase the impact of social media. A very good student might for example make suggested references as to how such changes might impact on their own company. The important point in both examples is that you must talk to what your literature review has opened up, i.e. your literature review must substantiate your conclusions. In closing the following:
The literature review must give a broad view of related issues Related issues introduced via themes/constructs There must be at least 4-6 related constructs The constructs are the headings in the literature review itself Each heading must have at least 6-10 different authors with at least 2-3 different opinions. © IMM Graduate School of Marketing
Assignment Tutorial Letter
MRP302 / BRP302
Page 5 of 5
Furthermore a literature review:
Is NOT a research proposal
Does not require data capture or data analysis
Is a reflective review of what is reported in the literature
Requires a synthesis of what is in the literature review – i.e. the literature review will not talk for itself but requires you to extract what is essential to the problem statement.
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
MRP302 / BRP302
