Marketing research

Preferred Language Style: English (U.K.)

Select a topic that you feel is in need of marketing research – to help you in your choice do secondary research to identify a service which is facing problems or opportunities and, therefore, would benefit from marketing research. Your report should include the following sections:

Title page

Executive summary (include a summary of all sections in bullet points for the busy executive who may not have time to read the whole report)

Table of contents

Report
1. Introduction and problem definition (using the secondary data that you have collected on the topic of your choice, provide some background information on the topic using a company to explain the need for research. Clearly define the problem or opportunity that the company is facing, and identify the objectives and/or hypotheses of your research)
2. Research method and limitations (outline and justify your chosen research method and highlight the limitations of your research design)
3. Research findings (present key primary research findings in relation to your objectives and/or hypotheses)
4. Conclusions and Recommendations (key conclusions and recommendations for managers of the company in relation to your findings)

Appendices (if any)

Criteria for assessing the Marketing Research Report include:

– clarity of argument

– logical structure

– concise executive summary which summarises the key points of the report

– evidence of secondary data that frame the research problem

– clear, interesting and relevant objectives/hypotheses in relation to the research problem

– justification and discussion of chosen research methods in relation to research objectives/hypotheses

– identification of potential research limitations

– interesting primary research findings addressing the research objectives/hypotheses using appropriate quotes, graphs, tables and figures

– interesting and relevant conclusions and recommendations addressing the research objectives/hypotheses

– presentation

– references, both within and at the end of the text, that are accurately cited and presented

– originality and innovation

Marking Scheme

A B C D E/F
Executive Summary
(10% of final mark)

Excellent, clear and concise summary of all sections for the busy executive who may not have time to read the whole report. Very good, fairly clear and concise summary of all sections for the busy executive who may not have time to read the whole report. Some summary points are provided for the busy executive who may not have time to read the whole report, but lack the breadth and depth for the higher grade. Weak summary, not clear and not concise, provided for the busy executive who may not have time to read the whole report.
Very weak summary of the report’s key points. The summary is either missing or it is not eligible for compensation.
1. Introduction and Problem Definition
(20% of final mark)
Excellent, clear and concise background; very focused and convincing justification for the project, supported with several appropriate references. Excellent, clear and concise research objectives and/or research hypotheses. Very good, fairly clear and concise background; convincing justification for the project, supported with some appropriate references. Very good research objectives and/or research hypotheses Some relevant background is provided, some justification for the project, supported with a few references, and some research objectives and/or research hypotheses, but these need to be further refined. Very little background is provided, or has limited relevance to the project, incomplete justification for the project, or obvious flaws in the argument; supported with at least one reference. Weak research objectives and/or research hypotheses. This section is missing, or background and justification are unclear or incoherent; may lack any substantiation with appropriate references. Research objectives and/or research hypotheses are missing.
2. Research Method and Limitations
(20% of final mark)
Excellent – this section clearly outlines and justifies the chosen research design and highlights relevant limitations. The section is supported with several appropriate references. Very good demonstration and justification of the chosen research design and relevant limitations, supported with a few appropriate references. A satisfactory demonstration and justification of the chosen research design and relevant limitations, supported with limited appropriate references. Recognisable but limited demonstration and justification of the chosen research design. May not be supported by relevant references. This section is missing, or is either unclear or incoherent.
3. Research Findings
(20% of final mark)
Excellent. Original and interesting primary research findings that clearly and concisely address the research objectives and/or research hypotheses using appropriate quotes, graphs, tables and figures. Very good primary research findings that address the research objectives and/or research hypotheses using appropriate quotes, graphs, tables and figures. Lacks the critical evaluation and depth for an ‘A’ grade. Satisfactory primary research findings, but the link with the project’s research objectives and/or research hypotheses had to be clearer. Use of a few quotes, graphs, tables and figures. The output lacks the breadth and depth for the higher grade. Some primary research findings are presented, but these are not linked to research objectives and/or research hypotheses. There are limited quotes, tables and figures. Whilst the student is close to a satisfactory grade they fall slightly short on depth and breadth. Very weak or a clear fail. This section is missing, or is either unclear or incoherent.
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
(20% of final mark) Excellent. Original and interesting, clear and detailed conclusions and recommendations in relation to the project’s research objectives and/or hypotheses and relevant research findings. Very good conclusions and recommendations in relation to the project’s research objectives and/or hypotheses and relevant research findings. Lacks the critical evaluation and depth for an ‘A’ grade. Fairly clear conclusions and recommendations. May not clearly relate these to the project’s research objectives and/or hypotheses and relevant research findings. The output lacks the breadth and depth for the higher grade. Weak conclusions and recommendations. These are not clearly linked to the project’s research objectives and/or hypotheses or to relevant research findings. Very weak or a clear fail. This section is missing, or is either unclear or incoherent.
Overall structure and presentation
(10% of final mark)
The project is presented in a professional report format. There is a clear logical flow between the sections, making it very easy to follow the argument. The references, both within and at the end of the text, are accurately cited and presented. Very good demonstration of the aforementioned criteria, but lacks the clarity in structure and presentation required for an ‘A’ grade. The references, both within and at the end of the text, are accurately cited and presented. The project is presented in a satisfactory report format, meeting most of the aforementioned criteria; there may be a few limitations in the logical flow between the sections, making parts of argument less easy to follow. The references, both within and at the end of the text, are accurately cited and presented. The project is presented in adequate report format, meeting some of the aforementioned criteria. There are limitations in the logical flow between the sections, making several parts of argument less easy to follow. The references, both within and at the end of the text, are accurately cited and presented. The project is not presented in an adequate report format and does not meet most or all of the aforementioned criteria; there are serious flaws in terms of its structure and logical flow between the sections, making it difficult to follow. The references both within and/or at the end of the text are missing or inadequately cited and presented.

Grade Descriptor

Overall Grade descriptor Up to 100%
Evidence of a consistently authoritative grasp of concepts, methodology and content appropriate to writing a marketing research report, with evidence of depth and confidence in the understanding of issues underpinning the assessment task. A 70-100 %
A confident level of understanding based on an assured grasp of relevant concepts, methodology and content appropriate to writing a marketing research report. Evidence of significant skill in interpreting complex material articulated with a high level of competence. B 60-69%
A coherent response to the requirements of the assessment task. Evidence of accurate restatement and organisation of relevant concepts, methodology and material appropriate to writing a marketing research report. C 50-59%
Awareness of the requirements of the assessment task. Evidence of reading and organisation of relevant source material and of an attempt to draw relevant conclusions. Evidence of attainment of all learning outcomes described for the task. D 40-49%
The work presented does not show achievement of some (or all) of the learning outcomes described for the task. E/F 0-39%

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