MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

4167758-153577MI

MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

Making Researchers

MI

MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

Making Researchers

4565371-1384304359277-103876

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Manual to Successful Proposal Writing

THE TASK

A research proposals primary aim is to provide a detailed yet succinct outline of the research purpose (i.e what the research problems and objectives are and how you will go about implementing the research (i.e. the design, methodologies, and sampling).

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Please see the marking rubric available on Blackboard for a breakdown of how marks are objectively allocated.

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Please see the marking rubric available on Blackboard for a breakdown of how marks are objectively allocated.

In groups of up to 5, you will decide on a real and contemporary research topic and develop a research project around it. Choose a topic that is interesting and fun for you. Any topic with legitimate relevance to the industry is acceptable.

The research proposal will comprise:

The research background (i.e. context)

Academic research findings

Statement of the research problem

Your research questions and hypotheses

Your proposed sampling method

Your proposed methodology

The significance of your research

References

Appendices

These sections are discussed in further detail in the sections below.

Remember, a research proposal is developed as a means for communicating what you intend to do and why it is important. They are developed as a means for convincing the reader (who could be your boss, a funding body, or a client) that there is a legitimate need to conduct the research and that it will be conducted with integrity and rigour in mind. So ensure that your proposal is written clearly and with persuasiveness in mind. Simply put, you need to have a very strong justification for what you are doing at all times.

The main aim of this research proposal is to collaboratively formulate the problem through conducting initial exploratory and descriptive research. In this assignment, you will be graded on both the groups and your individual efforts.

Your proposal must include ALL the sections as succinctly as possible, and where appropriate be linked to contemporary research methodologies, marketing concepts (i.e. the 4 Ps), theories from the prescribed text, and previous units (i.e. Discovering Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, etc.).

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DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Each week you will be assigned homework activities in the form of drafts of the different sections which will then be uploaded on Blackboard. In the next tutorial, your tutor/instructor will discuss your written work and provide you with feedback. If you dont do the work, you wont get the feedback. It will also save you the stress of rushing the assignment before the due date.

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DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Each week you will be assigned homework activities in the form of drafts of the different sections which will then be uploaded on Blackboard. In the next tutorial, your tutor/instructor will discuss your written work and provide you with feedback. If you dont do the work, you wont get the feedback. It will also save you the stress of rushing the assignment before the due date.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The research proposal must be presented in a maximum of fifteen (15) A4 pages, typed in 12-point font. You will need to submit a soft copy of your research proposal on Turnitin on Sunday 11.59pm in Teaching Week 6. Do note that the page limit only applies to (1) to (7).

Late submissions will be approved by the unit coordinator. If the late submission is not approved, late penalties will apply.

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It is your responsibility to manage the research teams dynamics. It is recommended that each team nominates a chief-investigator who will help coordinate the various stages of the project. A project planning doc (its just a table to be honest) will be provided to you on Blackboard to help you manage the various tasks undertaken by each investigator. Each investigator must sign off on their assigned task. You must include your project plan in your submission. Should there be any conflicts, please notify the tutor/instructor no less than 1 week before the due date of the assignment. Reports of conflicts after that will not be entertained.

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It is your responsibility to manage the research teams dynamics. It is recommended that each team nominates a chief-investigator who will help coordinate the various stages of the project. A project planning doc (its just a table to be honest) will be provided to you on Blackboard to help you manage the various tasks undertaken by each investigator. Each investigator must sign off on their assigned task. You must include your project plan in your submission. Should there be any conflicts, please notify the tutor/instructor no less than 1 week before the due date of the assignment. Reports of conflicts after that will not be entertained.

ASSESSMENT EXTENSIONS

Extensions will be granted only in cases of demonstrated urgent and legitimate need (specifically: medical conditions or bereavement). Work commitments will not be accepted as grounds for extension except in exceptional circumstances. All extensions must be approved by the Unit Coordinator.

The following pages will take you through the different sections of the report and highlight what you are expected to write in each section.

It is also organised to be a suggested Template for your submission.

TITLE PAGE

<Insert relevant image here>

<Insert relevant image here>

< INSERT TITLE OF RESEARCH HERE>

Research Proposal

by

Student Name (Student ID)

Student Name (Student ID)

Student Name (Student ID)

Student Name (Student ID)

Student Name (Student ID)

PROJECT PLAN

Chief Investigator: <Insert student name and ID>

Section Person(s) responsible Due date Signature

Agreeing to due date Signature of CI acknowledging timely completion

Research background Academic research Research problem Research questions Sampling Methods: instrumentation Methods: pre-test & environment Contributions Editing Note (DELETE WHEN SUBMITTING:

The allocation of these sections need to be decided at the start of the semester and agreed upon by all group members.

Sections highlighted in green constitute group sections and will be allocated to the group regardless of their contribution (so make sure everyone participates).

Sections highlighted in orange are individual sections that need to be allocated to specific group members. All group members must have an orange section allocated to then. This will constitute your individual mark.

Sections highlighted in blue can be both group or individual sections depending on the size of the individual group.

CONTENTS

< INSERT CONTENT PAGE HERE>

1. RESEARCH BACKGROUND (Non-Academic) (15 marks)

The research background is crucial in contextualising the background into the marketing issue you plan to research. It will comprise a search of credible popular press articles (e.g. industry reports, social media analysis, case studies, digital content, etc) and should aim to:

Demonstrate the relevance of the topic

Highlight the gaps (i.e. the need for more research on the topic)

Depending on your research topic, the discussion here should be built around a strong justification for DISCOVERY or STRATEGY-ORIENTED decision problem.

Statistical figures help to provide concrete evidence of the importance of the issue being researched. The use of tables, graphs, or images may be utilised in this section to ensure more efficient communication.

You will need to show references to support your arguments and where you obtained this information.

This section can be completed as a group or individual.

Approximate length: 2 -3 pages

2. ACADEMIC RESEARCH (15 marks):

To further explore the phenomena of interest, you are to conduct secondary research of academic sources. This is limited to academic journals and textbooks, and should explore conceptual themes.

The goal of this section should be to:

identify potential variables/concepts relevant to your research topic and how they relate to or impact on each other

identify theoretical research frameworks that may be applied in this proposal

This is unlikely to be specific to your brand or company of interest, but is useful discussion to help define and refine your research problem and design. The variables/concepts explored should complement those proposed in your conceptual model (in Section 4). Aim to explain the potential impacts of these variables here so you dont have to in Section 4.

This section should be completed individually by ONE student.

Approximate length: 2-3 pages

3. RESEARCH PROBLEM (5 marks)

Having thoroughly explored the problem / phenomena you are researching, now you can succinctly state the research problem.

In this section you are to:

State the research problem and justify based on the previous sections (briefly)

Specify what kind of decision problem your research problem will address (i.e. a discovery-oriented or a strategy-oriented decision problem?

Clearly state what these decision problem could be e.g. What do young consumers want from a coffee shop? (DO) or Why is Amazon Prime less popular compared to Netflix? (DO) or How do young consumers respond to different kinds of advertising appeals? (SO).

Justify why you think it is better to address the type of decision problem in (b) and (c) e.g. There is sufficient research to understand what young consumers want in a coffee shop, but not enough research on effective strategies to promote to these young consumers. Justify briefly with findings from your background and academic research.

This section should be completed as a group.

Approximate length: - 1 page

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND/HYPOTHESES (5 marks)

You are to propose 3 5 singular and specific questions.

These questions/objectives should build from your initial research problem and background, and academic research. The questions should stand on their own without the need for further justification or clarification (and listing them out in bullet points will suffice).

What you commit to here will influence the subsequent research design.

The Research Questions should cover the WHO, WHAT, WHEN of what you want to address to solve the research problem, based on key gaps that you have identified in your background research and address some of the. Ensure all your questions are focused on a single, specific research design (i.e. not consumers, industry, the brand, and suppliers all in one study focus on one context only, i.e. just consumers).

This section should be completed as a group.

Approximate length: 1 - 1 pages

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*CAUSAL RESEARCH SIDE NOTE

Should you be proposing a causal research project, you are to illustrate a conceptual model (i.e. diagram) showing the RELATIONSHIPS between variables proposed to address your research questions. All the aforementioned research questions should be addressed in some way through the variables in this conceptual model and you need to explain why they are linked to each

The RELATIONSHIPS in the model could be proposed through the use of independent variables, mediators, moderators, and dependent variables, as well as the hypothesized direction of causality.

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*CAUSAL RESEARCH SIDE NOTE

Should you be proposing a causal research project, you are to illustrate a conceptual model (i.e. diagram) showing the RELATIONSHIPS between variables proposed to address your research questions. All the aforementioned research questions should be addressed in some way through the variables in this conceptual model and you need to explain why they are linked to each

The RELATIONSHIPS in the model could be proposed through the use of independent variables, mediators, moderators, and dependent variables, as well as the hypothesized direction of causality.

5. PROPOSED SAMPLING (15 marks):

In this section, you need to highlight WHO you plan to focus on and HOW you plan to obtain them. This will encompass:

Population of interest

Describe the members of the population the research will examine. This sets the tone on who you are focusing on. Describe them and provide statistics to show why they are an interesting/appropriate population to examine. You can use segmentation bases to organise your information.

Sampling frames

Based on your population of interest, you need to develop 4 sampling frames that you plan to look at. Briefly describe your 4 sampling frames and note any special considerations to ensure a representative sample.

Sampling procedure

Apply sampling procedures for collecting data for the described population using the proposed sample frames. Multiple data collection methods may require multiple sampling procedures. This should make reference to techniques covered in the learning modules, with justification of why this method is proposed.

This section should be completed individually by ONE student.

Approximate length: 1 - 2 pages

6. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY (30 marks):

Here you will detail how you intend to collect your data. For the purpose of this assignment, you are expected to conduct a questionnaire study.

Instrumentation (15 marks)

In this section you will do two things:

Justify why you think survey questionnaires are appropriate for this study. Essentially, this should highlight the advantages of this method.

Describe the development outline the development of your research instrument. The following will guide you on what you should be discussing for each of your chosen methods:

Questionnaire specific instructions provided (and why), your measurement scales (and their origins), the types of scales used (e.g. interval, ratio etc.), and any specific order you have chosen to present them in (and why)

You should also present the full instrument in the Appendix.

Pre-testing procedure (7.5 marks)

No instrument is perfect from the get go. So, you must have pre-tested your survey instrument. You are to describe how you pre-tested, and how the results of this pre-test helped improve your final instrument.

This should actually be undertaken with a small sample that is representative of your target sample. You must detail specifics of administering the pre-test (i.e. to who, how, where, etc.), any issues that were identified, and how the questionnaire was improved.

Research environment (7.5 marks)

This section identifies the study site as well as any other specific timing considerations that need to be taken into account. Essentially, it should provide justification as to WHERE and WHEN you will conduct your data collection and WHY.

This section should be completed individually by TWO students.

Approximate length: 3 - 4 pages

7. PROPOSED CONTRIBUTIONS (10 marks):

This section details WHO the proposed research will provide value to, and HOW this research will be useful to marketers. It is NOT a conclusion, and it is not about making recommendations.

You may communicate your contributions in bullet points, but they need to be to be specific and substantial enough to demonstrate value of your proposed research.

This section should be completed individually by the group.

Approximate length: 1-2 pages

REFERENCES (5 MARKS)

<Insert references here in alphabetical order using a consistent referencing style>

NOTE: REFERENCING AND COMMUNICATION (5 marks)

Marks are also allocated to referencing and communication. The reference lists should be appropriately presented according to a consistent referencing system (Chicago is preferred) and in alphabetical order. The overall communication of the report also needs to be clear, organised and tell a consistent narrative.

APPENDICES

<Insert appendices here>

What might be driving the steady decline of Shopify users?

1. Research Background Case (Vi)

1.1. Industry Background

+ Before Covid pandemic

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916843/full+ After Covid pandemic/Currently situation

https://download.atlantis-press.com/article/125932559.pdfhttps://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1473672/FULLTEXT01.pdfhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/337965456_How_Are_Negative_Customer_Experiences_Formed_A_Qualitative_Study_of_Customers'_Online_Shopping_Journeys1.2. Research Shopify

Academic Research Generalisable

Independent Variables

Number of choices

Quality Perception (Won Woo)

Shipping Awareness (Won Woo)

Frauds and Privacy Concerns (Tom)

Conceptual Model527901163555Independent variables (IV) equivalent to an unexpected bad consumer experience in electronic commerce

00Independent variables (IV) equivalent to an unexpected bad consumer experience in electronic commerce

523982100508Number of Choices

00Number of Choices

4759371133985Dependent variable (DV)

00Dependent variable (DV)

196055373889

4834739104121USAGE

00USAGE

52398287837Quality Perception

00Quality Perception

311006046355ATTITUDE TOWARDS A BRAND

00ATTITUDE TOWARDS A BRAND

19640481714500

446830583709446784088632

52398275165Shipping Errors

00Shipping Errors

19640481346920019640486870400

52398283042Frauds & Privacy Concerns

00Frauds & Privacy Concerns

Research Problem Case (Won Woo)

This discovery-oriented research topic revolves around the query, "What might be driving the steady decline of Shopify users?"

Research Questions and Hypotheses Case (Tom)

Research questions and Objectives

Hypotheses

Proposed sampling method Case

5.1. Population of Interest (Vi)

5.2. Sampling Frame (Won Woo)

5.3. Sampling Produre (Tom)

6. Proposed methodology Case

6.1. Instruments

6.2. Questionnaire Development (Won Woo)

Table for Scale Items

6.3. Pre-testing procedure (Tom)

Table for Addressing Pre-test Feedback

6.4. Research envronment (Vi)

7. Proposed Contributions Case

8. References

9. Appendices