MN-3012 MARKETING RESEARCH

Academic Year 2019-20

Module Handbook

Module Co-ordinator:
Associate Professor Jenny Cave (PhD)
Office: Bay Campus, School of Management Building, Room 341
Office Hours: Monday 2:00 – 3:00 pm; Friday 2:00 - 3:00pm
Email: j.b.j.cave@swansea.ac.uk

Teaching Staff:
Associate Professor Carl Cater
Office: Bay Campus, School of Management, Room 306
Office hours: Wednesday 10.30 – 11.30; Thursday 10.30 – 11.30
Email: Carl.Cater@Swansea.ac.uk

Dr Kate Organ
Office: Bay Campus, School of Management, Room 304
Office Hour: Thursday 9:30 – 10:30
Email: K.L.Organ@Swansea.ac.uk

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 School of Management
MN-3012 Marketing Research

Module Overview

Introduction

This Marketing Research course examines both the theoretical and practical sides of the marketing
research process. Overall, the course is designed to equip students with the knowledge to be able
to design and implement theoretically sound marketing research projects in a commercial
environment.

This booklet contains:

 an introduction to the module
 lecture and seminar locations
 details of the core textbooks via the reading list
 information on assessment and feedback, including the coursework brief
 an overview of the entire module

Lecture & Seminar Locations

Lecture/workshops will take place in University Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11 on Mondays in SoM 247
at 10:00 - 13:00.

Computer lab sessions will take place in University Weeks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Mondays at
10:00 - 13:00 or Thursdays at 12:00 - 15:00 in The College 025 (PC Lab) (Capacity 60). Students
will attend one of the two three-hour slots in each of the week’s when computer lab sessions take
place.

Students will be automatically allocated to lab groups. Students who need to change their lab
group, for good reason, should go to the Student Information Office or e-mail
SoMSupport@swansea.ac.uk.

Attendance at all lecture/workshops and lab sessions is compulsory and will be monitored. Please
note: lecture/computer lab locations may change in the first two weeks of term. Check Blackboard
announcements and the timetable data displayed on the Intranet for regular updates

Please note: Lecture/seminar times and locations may change in the first two weeks of term.
Please check Blackboard announcements and the timetable data displayed on the Intranet for
regular updates.

Communication
Lecture notes will be posted on Blackboard along with announcements and any administrative
notices.

Discussion Board:
This is the place where all students and the teachers of the module can communicate openly. The
DISCUSSION BOARD is moderated by the Module Coordinator and read by all teaching staff. The
subject specialist for that portion of the syllabus will answer your question, however, if you would
like to share your knowledge on a topic then please contribute, by posting on the Discussion
Board. You may be able to answer more quickly than the staff.

One-on-one email:

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If you have a personal or private matter please email the Module Coordinator. Your questions will
be confidential, and answered one-on-one.

Types of Question:
Please direct administrative and assessment questions to the Module Coordinator, Associate
Professor Jenny Cave.

Please direct technical methods questions to the lecturer for that segment:
o For qualitative analysis to Dr Carl Cater or Dr Jenny Cave
o For quantitative analysis to Dr Kate Organ

Module Planner

Uni Topic Week

v begins
wee
k Topic Day Time Location
2 Topic 1 30/09/201 LECTURE / WORKSHOP Monday 10:00 – 13:00 SoM 247
9 Module Introduction.
Designing a research proposal &
research report.
Guest: Industry Panel (to be
confirmed)
3 Topic 2 07/10/201 LECTURE / WORKSHOP Monday 10:00 – 13:00 SoM 247
9 Designing Research for Decisions:
process, problems and ethics.
Types of data: secondary,
qualitative and quantitative
Guest: Finding secondary sources
4 Topic 3 14/10/201 LECTURE / WORKSHOP Monday 10:00 – 13:00 SoM 247
9 Asking questions.
Questionnaire design
5 Topic 4 21/10/201 LECTURE / WORKSHOP Monday 10:00 – 13:00 SoM 247
9 Collecting data: Qualitative (collect,
record, transcribe, edit) and
quantitative (survey).
Guest: Data mining & web scraping

Assessment 1 - Research proposal due 15:00 25th October 2019 (40%, 2,000 words)

6 Topic 5 28/10/201 (QUALITATIVE) LAB Monday or 10:00 – 13:00 The College

9 Qualitative analysis – open coding, Thursday Or 025
themes; using numbers (software) 12:00 – 15:00
to analyse words.
7 Topic 6 04/11/201 QUANTITATIVE LAB1 Monday or 10:00 – 13:00 The College
9 Entering data (Excel). Thursday Or 025
SPSS software - descriptive 12:00 – 15:00
statistics (describe)
8 Topic 7 11/11/201 QUANTITATIVE LAB2 Monday or 10:00 – 13:00 The College
9 SPSS software - bivariate statistics Thursday Or 025
(compare) 12:00 – 15:00
9 Topic 8 18/11/201 QUANTITATIVE LAB3 Monday or 10:00 – 13:00 The College
9 SPSS software – multivariate Thursday Or 025
statistics (segment) 1200 – 1500
10 Topic 9 25/11/201 QUANTITATIVE LAB4 Monday or 10:00 – 13:00 The College
9 SPSS software – regression Thursday Or 025
(attribute) 12:00 – 1500
11 Topic 10 02/12/201 LECTURE / WORKSHOP Monday 10:00 – 13:00 SoM 247
9 Interpretation & reporting for
managers (quantitative and
qualitative)

Assessment 2 - Research Report due 15:00 11th December 2019 (60%, 3,000 words)

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Reading Material

The core textbooks for the module are:

McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th Edition). International

Student Version. Wiley.

Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to analysis using IBM
SPSS (6th Edition). McGraw Hill.

The core textbooks are only a starting point and provide introductory and background information.
Supplemental reading will be identified at each lecture.

To achieve high marks in this course, students will need to conduct their own independent study
for Assessments 1 and 2, and locate secondary sources to support the topics identified. Other
texts which we will recommend for use during the course are available in the Library. Please
consider that all students in this and other courses will need the same books, so please return
them quickly.

Other useful reading:

Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research: Putting Research into
Practice.
Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing Research. 10th Edition. Mason,
Ohio; South-Western, London
Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews, S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave (2007) Heritage/Cultural
Attraction Atmospherics: Creating the Right Environment for the Heritage/Cultural
Visitor. Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 45 (3): 345-354

Assessment

The assessment for the module is structured as follows:

 40% Individual coursework: Assessment 1, Marketing Research Proposal (2,000 words,

due @ 15:00 25th October, 2019

 60% Individual coursework: Assessment 2, Marketing Research Report (3,000 words, due
@ 15:00 11th December, 2019

Note: Appendices, tables/figures, the ethics forms and references are not included in the
word count. In-text citations however are included, since they are in the body of the report.

Note: Resits are not offered to final year students.

Communication

Lecture notes will be posted on Blackboard along with announcements and any administrative
notices.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module students should be able to:-

 Evaluate areas of marketing decision making where research data can be used;
 Critique the appropriateness of research designs, including data collection, sampling and
analytical techniques;

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  Appraise ways that research can aid management in decision making in light of the
constraints that may be encountered (e.g., time and cost restrictions);
 Justify the use of particular techniques in specific circumstances and be able to recognise
the strengths and weaknesses of the techniques chosen;
 Recognise emerging techniques that can be used in marketing research, and be able to
evaluate their potential;
 Apply their theoretical knowledge to design and conduct a marketing research project
concerning a specific research problem;
 Recognise market research as a continual process which informs decision making;
 Evaluate ethical requirements of research;
 Practice data collection using pre-designed instrument.

Transferrable Skills

 Reading and note taking

 Information location and retrieval
 Analytical and dissemination skills
 Problem solving
 Autonomous study
 Time management skills
 Communication: written and oral
 Critical reading and thinking
 Evaluation skills
 Independent learning

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 School of Management
MN-3012 Marketing Research

Individual Coursework Assignment

The two compulsory coursework assignments for this module are individual assignment.
Each contributes to the overall module mark.

Students are required to develop a professional Marketing Research Proposal (worth 40%) and a
report Marketing Research Report (worth 60%) that make management recommendations.

Coursework Briefs

The two compulsory coursework assignments for this module are individual assignments.
and respectively of the overall module mark.

Students are required to develop a professional Marketing Research Proposal (worth 40%) and a
report Marketing Research Report (worth 60%) that make management recommendations.

Assignment 1 – Marketing Research Proposal

Students are required to develop a professional marketing research proposal to:

 Evaluate areas of marketing decision making where research data can be used
 Critique the appropriateness of research designs, including data collection, sampling and
analytical techniques
 Evaluate the ethical requirements of research
 Appraise ways that research can aid management in decision making in light of the
constraints that may be encountered (e.g., time and cost restrictions)

In this assignment, imagine that you are the Marketing Manager for one of the following
attractions: a science centre, museum or zoo/botanical garden in Wales.

Your company knows that for the last 5 years while it has enough funds to keep operating, that it
has not had sufficient money cover new exhibitions, refurbish the amenities or replace staff. Visitor
numbers are falling, comments about the visitor experience and staff services are increasingly
negative. The Board is starting to ask questions about the competence of the staff. Furthermore,
the company has noticed the success of other attractions in Wales (higher visitor numbers, more
grants funding for new galleries, more positive reviews and publicity). As a result, the company
intends to redesign the attraction to revitalise it and compete more effectively in the visitor
economy. The company does have an Endowment it can call on for capital works, so
refurbishment using reserve funds could occur.

Even though this work is of strategic importance, the Board has prudently asked the Director to
assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current facilities, experience and services before they
decide whether to proceed with refurbishment and operational change. However, the budget for
this year does not have sufficient funds to take on a new financial commitment. The Director has
asked you, as Marketing Manager, to prepare a costed proposal that s/he can take to the Board to
request some additional money for market research.

Your first task (Assignment 1) as the Marketing Manager is to prepare a costed Research
Proposal that can be used to commission research that will aid management decision making.

Unfortunately, your own background is not in visitor attractions design, but in product marketing
and design in the retail industry (Tesco’s, Top Shop and Amazon). You understand, and have used

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the principles of atmospherics: a) ambience, b) layout and design, and c) the social and service
environment to understand consumer experiences and believe that these will provide insights for
your current workplace.

Important Notes:
1. This is an individual assignment. We will work on ideas in class groups but you are not to
work with another student to prepare your proposal.
2. You should not contact an existing company for information regarding this coursework.
3. No primary data collection is required for this assignment.
4. In industry, the next step would be to write a Brief based on your proposal, and form the
basis of Call for Proposals, sent to market research companies to submit bids for the
opportunity to carry out the research. You will not undertake this step.

Marketing Research Proposal - format

Title page

1. Executive Summary
Summarises the entire proposal in less than one page, with the recommendation for
management action and cost of research

2. Background
Rationale - identify the issue that this research needs to explore – what the problem is;
and the reason for undertaking the research project - why the research is needed and
who/what will be affected by its outcomes.

Use secondary sources to describe the proposed research context - describe the
organisation you have chosen, its location, the market (behaviours and activity profiles of
people in Wales and best practice in similar facilities in other parts of the country.

Facility profile - explore competitors and allies, the external setting of the facility (access,
parking, other amenities or attractions nearby), facilities and services, internal ambience,
layout and design; social and service environment (refer to Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews,
S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave (2007) for definitions; page 3 of this Handbook). Critique
of facility against best practice.

If you want, you can visit a facility to observe and inspire your ideas, but please do not talk
to staff. This is large class and we do not want to create a response burden for a facility.
You can use up to 5 low resolution photos to add to your profile description.

3. Develop a research design

a. Research objectives and questions
Research objectives should specify the research outcomes – proposal to seek
funds, to management decisions, etc. and timetable SMART (specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant, and timely).

Identify research questions to provide the information needed to achieve the

objectives – for example; visitor profile, ambience, layout and design; social and
service environment.

b. Proposed methods
Consider the overall design - qualitative, quantitative research and mixed methods.
Justify your choice and argue why you have NOT recommended another design.
Also, consider appropriate data collection methods, target populations and sampling
methods based on research objectives. Explain why you are selecting these
methods, target populations and sampling methods and why NOT others.

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 Research process - sets out how you propose to conduct the research from start to
finish. Provide, justify and critique:
o Respondent recruitment method and incentives (if applicable)
o Sources of data (secondary, primary - qualitative or quantitative or mixed -
visual, text, voice, video, databases, etc.)
o Ways to use data collection tools (discussion guides, frameworks,
questionnaires, image selection, web scraping etc.)
o Proposed sampling procedures
o Any limitations of your proposed methods
o The link between each instrument and your proposed research approach

c. Ethical considerations
Describe potential ethical issues/ dilemmas that this research might encounter.
Complete an ethics form which summarises your overall research proposal and
makes it clear how human research participants are recruited, informed, opt in and
give their consent; how data is treated and confidentiality maintained;
appropriateness of incentives, etc.

4. Options and recommendation

Identify a range of (3) options, their respective limitations and benefits. Select one to
recommend, based on clear decision criteria. Provide a project plan. Realistic timings of the
project and an indication of costs (total and breakdown) for one option. Highlight how the
research proposal should be presented to the Board.

5. Appendices
a. Ethics form
b. Sample/draft data collection tool(s) – questionnaires, interview guide, image
selection, web scraping, etc. Maximum one page, to show that you understand the
difference between types of data collection tool.

The maximum word limit for the assignment is 2,000 words and may include up to 5 low-
resolution images. Appendices, tables/figures, the ethics forms and references are not
included in the word count. In-text citations however are, since they are in the body of the report.

Key marking criteria:

Market Research Proposal

Criteria Marks
Executive Summary 5
Rationale 10
Research context 10
Facility profile 10
Research objectives/questions 10
Research design/methods 10
Data collection tools/population/sampling 10
Ethical considerations 10
Options/ recommendation 10
Understanding 5
Quality 10
TOTAL 100

The rubric used to mark this work follows:

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Rubric for Market Mark 0-29
Research Proposal s
Fail
Executive Summary 5 Incomplete or no
executive summary
Rationale 10 Very poorly defined
Research context 10 Very poorly described,
little or no best practice.
Facility profile 10 Very poorly defined,
little or no critique of
best practice
Research objectives 10 Very poorly defined,
little/no link to
management need
Research 10 Inappropriate proposed
design/methods data collection methods.
Data collection tools, 10 No justification of data
population and sampling collection methods,
target population and
sampling methods. No
references. Very poorly
designed data collection
tool. Does not align with
research question,
poorly structured, does
not use language/
wording appropriate to
the target market and
will not meet the
research objectives.
Ethical considerations 10 Little or no identification
of ethical issues,
dilemmas and solutions.
Ethics form incomplete.
Options: 10 Minimal range of
recommendation options, limitations and
benefits. Partial or no
recommendation,
decision criteria, project
plan and costs.
30-39
Fail
Inaccurate summary, with
partial information
Poorly defined
Poorly described, minimal
best practice
Poorly defined, minimal
critique of best practice
Poorly defined, partially
linked to management
requirements
Inappropriate proposed
data collection methods.
Not innovative.
Minimal justification of
data collection methods,
target population and
sampling methods. No
references. Poorly
designed. Does not align
with two or more criteria:
the research question,
poorly structured, does
not use language/ wording
appropriate to the target
market, will not gather
data to meet the research
objectives.
Poor identification of
ethical issues, dilemmas
and solutions. Ethics form
partially completed.
Poor range of options,
minimal limitations and
benefits identified.
Recommendation partly
based on decision criteria,
partial project plan and
costs.
40-49 50-59 60-69 70 +
Pass 2.02 2.01 First
Satisfactorily defined. Well defined. Summarises Very well defined. Clearly defined and justified.
Summarises the entire the entire proposal in less Summarises the entire Summarises the entire
proposal in less than one than one page, with the proposal in less than one proposal in less than one
page, with the recommendation for page, with the page, with the
recommendation for management action, recommendation for recommendation for
management action, timeframe and cost of management action, management action,
timeframe and costs. research. timeframe and costs timeframe and cost of
research.
Satisfactorily defined Well defined Very well defined Clearly defined and justified
Satisfactorily described, Well described, explores a Very well described, Clearly described and justified
identifies best practice range of best practice explores a range of best
practice in depth
Satisfactorily defined, Well defined, critiques Very well defined, Clearly defined and justified,
critiques best practice best practice against critiques best practice critiques best practice against
others, in general against others, in general competitors
Satisfactorily defined, Well defined, clear link to Very well defined, direct Clearly defined and justified,
linked to management management link to management justified link to management
requirements requirements requirements requirements
Appropriate data Appropriate data Highly appropriate data Highly appropriate data
collection methods. collection methods. collection methods. collection methods. Methods
Methods slightly Methods innovative. Methods innovative. highly innovative.
innovative.
Justification of data Clearly stated justification Well stated rationale for Full rationale for data
collection methods, target of data collection, target data collection methods, collection methods, target
population and sampling population and sampling target population and population and sampling
methods; backed up by methods; uses module sampling methods; methods; backed up by
module-provided references. Well backed up by module- module-provided and top-level
references. Satisfactorily designed. Aligns with the provided and journal journal references. Excellent.
designed. Aligns with the research question, is references. Very well Aligns clearly with the
research question, is logically structured, uses designed. Aligns with the research question, highly
logically structured, uses language/ wording very research question, is logical structure, uses
language/ wording that is appropriate to the target logically structured, uses language/ wording very
fairly appropriate to the market, will gather data language/wording very appropriate to the target
target market and may that meets the research appropriate to the target market, will gather data that
meet the research objectives. market, will meets the meets the research objectives.
objectives. research objectives.
Some identification of Good identification of Very good identification of Insightful identification of
ethical issues, dilemmas ethical issues, dilemmas ethical issues, dilemmas ethical issues, dilemmas and
and solutions. Ethics form and solutions. Ethics form and solutions. Ethics form solutions. Ethics form
completed. completed accurately. completed accurately completed accurately
Satisfactory range of Range of options, Range of options, Range of options, limitations
options, limitations and limitations and benefits limitations and benefits and benefits clearly identified
benefits identified. identified and argued. clearly identified and and well argued. Excellent
Recommendation based Clear decision criteria and argued. Well-argued decision criteria and rationale
on decision criteria, rationale for decision criteria, rationale for recommendation. In-depth
project plan and costs. recommendation. Project for recommendation. In- project plan, timing and costs.
plan, timing and costs. depth project plan, timing
and costs.
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Understanding: proposal 5 Report demonstrates Report demonstrates little Report demonstrates Report demonstrates Reports demonstrates Report demonstrates
demonstrates students very little or no understanding of the key understanding some of understanding most of the understanding almost all understanding all of the key
have understood key understanding of the areas. the key areas. key areas. of the key areas. areas
topics key areas

Quality: readability, 10 Very poor level of Poor level of readability Satisfactory level of Good level of readability Very good level of Excellent level of readability
presentation, APA, readability conveying conveying few key readability conveying conveying most key readability. All key conveying all key message(s)
sources. very few or no key message(s) in each of the some key message(s) in message(s) concisely in message(s) concise in concisely in each of the key
message(s) in each of key areas. Fairly poor each of the key areas. each of the key areas. each of the key areas. areas. Excellent presentation
the key areas. Poor presentation of document. Satisfactory presentation Good presentation of Very good presentation of of document. Clear and
presentation of Little information of document. Some document. Most document. Almost all professional in every aspect
document. Very little presented, unprofessional information presented in a information presented in a information presented in a with excellent spelling and
information presented, with a small number of professional way with professional way with professional way with very grammar. Accurate APA
unprofessional with spelling and grammatical satisfactory spelling and good spelling and good spelling and referencing. Extensive range
many spelling and errors. Some inaccurate grammar. Accurate APA grammar. Accurate APA grammar. Accurate APA of sources.
grammatical errors. APA referencing. Poor referencing. Good range referencing. Very good referencing.
Largely inaccurate APA range of sources. of sources. range of sources. Comprehensive range of
referencing. Few sources.
sources.

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Assignment 2 – Market Research Report
In this assignment, you are still the Marketing Manager for one of the following attractions: a
science centre, museum or zoo/botanical garden in South Wales.

The research proposal (Assignment 1) was accepted and market research carried out. You have
personally collected some qualitative and quantitative data (designed and practised in in-class
workshops) and input the data into a form that you can use to write a market research report.

To save costs, you have commissioned data collection, which has now been delivered to you in
Excel and SPSS files by the market research company who won the bid for the work. You have
prior research skills and are able to generate a report, from raw data and have expertise in the
theory and practice of retail atmospherics.

This assignment requires you (the Marketing Manager) to submit analyse qualitative and
quantitative data and submit a professional market research report to your Director, and Board.
You work for a company that intends to redesign a visitor attraction (a science centre, museum or
zoo/botanical garden in South Wales) to revitalise it and compete more effectively in the visitor
economy.

The company has Endowment funds it can call on for capital works, so that refurbishment, using
reserve funds, could occur. This market research report will assess the strengths and weaknesses
of the current facilities, experience and services and make recommendations whether or not to
proceed with refurbishment and operational change.

The research you have commissioned aims to examine the ways in which the theory of Retail
Atmospherics can be used to identify and segment markets for a science centre, a museum and an
aquarium. The research is crucially important for the future survival of the company. It will make
recommendations about the interests of the users, their experiences at the facility and future
change. It will also compare best practice at two other attractions in the region who are your direct
competitors for visitors (science centre, museum or zoo/botanical garden, depending on which of
the three organisations you have chosen to represent).

Students will be provided with a dataset on Blackboard that will be used to conduct appropriate
qualitative and statistical data analysis in order to address the research questions:

1. Who are the participants in the survey and their socio-demographic profiles?
2. What is the profile of people who prefer to visit each facility?
3. What features of atmospherics fit into the following categories?
4. Which atmospherics variables influence intention to return?
5. Do friends have an influence on intention to return?
6. Using relevant graphs and tables report the findings of the above questions making sure to
provide clear interpretation of your answers.
7. Summarise key results from the analysis and give recommendations to your company on:
a. Which market segments are attracted to your facility?
b. Which feature of atmospherics should your facility each one should concentrate on
overall, to design a successful visitor attraction (focus on the atmosphere, the layout
and design, or the service environment?
[Refer to Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews, S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave (2007)
Heritage/Cultural Attraction Atmospherics: Creating the Right Environment for the
Heritage/Cultural Visitor. Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 45 (3): 345-354]
c. What are the strengths and weaknesses of current facilities, experience and services?
d. Make recommendations whether or not your facility should proceed with refurbishment
and operational change.
e. Would these changes represent best practice, given the things you learned in
Assignment 1 about the wider context for the research?

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Your assignment is a research report. Its contents should mirror those found in commercial
marketing research reports (refer to lecture slides on research report writing). It may include up to
5 low-resolution images. Appendices, tables/figures, the ethics forms and references are
not included in the word count. In-text citations however are, since they are in the body of the
report.

Marketing Research Report - format

1. Executive Summary
2. Background and research objective
a. What are you investigating?
b. Why are you investigating it?
c. Ethical considerations
3. Methodology
a. Research design,
b. Population/Sample,
c. Sampling Technique,
d. instrument/measures,
e. Data collection,
f. Data analysis,
g. Validity and reliability
4. Findings
a. Qualitative
b. Quantitative
5. Discussion of the findings
6. Conclusions & recommendations
The maximum word count for the assignment is 3,000. A table of contents and appendices with
the qualitative and quantitative (SPSS) outputs used are required.

Key marking criteria will include:

Market Research Report

Criteria Marks
Research objectives 5
Report structure 5
Data analysis methods, ethical considerations & findings 10
Data collected 10
Accuracy of interpretation 10
Insightfulness of analysis 10
Quality of writing 10
Scope of literature and decisions 10
Suitability of supporting evidence 10
Understanding 10
Overall Quality 10
TOTAL 100
The rubric used to mark this work follows:

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Rubric for Market
Research Report
Research objectives
Report structure: clarity of
aims, objectives, structure.
Appropriateness of data
analysis methods, ethical
considerations &
presentation of findings.
Justification of qualitative
& quantitative data
collected and analysis
methods.
Accuracy of interpretation
of results and findings.
Insightfulness of analysis:
Quality of writing:
Readability and ability to
convey key message(s)
concisely.
Quality/scope of literature
and justification of
decisions: Understanding
of established knowledge
Suitability of supporting
evidence
Understanding of topic:
Overall Quality of
Assignment
Marks 0-29
Fail
5 Research objectives very
poorly defined
5 Very poor structure not
addressing any areas listed
with very little or no
relevance to the key topic.
10 Inappropriate data analysis
methods, ethical
considerations &
presentation of findings.
10 No justification of data
collected and analysis
methods.
10 No interpretation of results
and findings.
10 Very poor use of data. Very
weak or no proposed
methodology or research
design
10 Very poor level of
readability conveying very
few or no key message(s) in
each of the key areas
10 Very poor use of sources.
Very weak focus to answer
key research aims. No
understanding of
established knowledge.
10 Very poor use of sources
with very weak focus to
answer key research aims
10 Does not understand the
key topics of the
assignment.
10 Poor presentation of
document. Very little
information, unprofessional
with many spelling and
grammatical errors.
30-39
Fail
Research objectives
poorly defined
Poor structure not
addressing basic areas
listed with little or no
relevance to the key
topic.
A mix of appropriate and
inappropriate data,
ethical considerations
analysis methods &
presentation of findings.
Minimal justification of
data collected and
analysis methods.
Without references
Inaccurate interpretation
of results and findings.
Poor use of data and
weak proposed
methodology and
research design
Poor level of readability
conveying few key
message(s) in each of
the key areas
Poor use of sources with
weak focus to answer
key research aims. Has
some understanding of
established knowledge.
Poor use of sources with
weak focus to answer
key research aims
Has some
understanding of the key
topics of the assignment.
Fairly poor presentation
of document. Little
information presented,
unprofessional with a
small number of spelling
and grammatical errors.
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40-49 50-59 60-69 70 +
Pass 02:02 02:01 First
Research objectives Research objectives well Research objectives Research objectives clearly
satisfactorily defined defined very well defined defined and justified
Satisfactory structure Good structure Very good structure Excellent structure addressing
addressing basic areas addressing most of the addressing almost all of each of the key areas listed
listed with some key areas listed and the key areas listed. and all relevant to the key
relevance to the key mostly relevant to the Almost all relevant to the
topic.
topic. key topic. key topic.
Appropriate data Appropriate data Highly appropriate data Highly appropriate data
analysis methods, analysis methods, collection methods, collection methods. Clearly
ethical considerations & ethical considerations & presented ethical
ethical considerations &
clear presentation of very clear presentation considerations. Innovative
fairly clear presentation
findings. of findings. analysis to reach high-level
of findings.
findings.
Justification of data Clearly stated Well stated rationale for Full rationale for data
collected and analysis; justification of data data collected and collected and analysis. Refers
backed up by module- collected and analysis. analysis. Refers to to population and sampling
provided references. Refers to population and population and sampling methods; backed up by
sampling methods; uses methods; uses module module and top-level journal
module-references. and journal references. references.
Some accurate and Accurate interpretation Accurate interpretation Highly accurate interpretation
some inaccurate of results and findings of results and findings; of results and findings
interpretation of results but not well expressed. expressed well. expressed very well.
and findings.
Satisfactory use of data Good use of data and Very good use of data Excellent use of data and
and some appropriate proposed methodology and almost all proposed appropriate proposed
proposed methodology drawn appropriate to methodology drawn methodology drawn
report appropriate to report
Satisfactory level of Good level of readability Very good level of Excellent level of readability
readability conveying conveying most key readability. All key conveying all key message(s)
some key message(s) in message(s) concisely in message(s) concise in concisely in each of the key
each of the key areas each of the key areas each of the key areas areas
Satisfactory use of Good use of sources Very good use of Excellent use of sources with
sources and focus. with good focus. Answer sources and focus. excellent focus to answer key
Answers key research key research aims. Answers key research research aims. Excellent
aims. Understands Good understanding of aims. Very good understanding of established
established knowledge. established knowledge. understanding. knowledge.
Satisfactory use of Good use of sources Very good use of Excellent use of sources with
sources with satisfactory with good focus to sources with very good excellent focus to answer key
focus to answer key answer key research focus to answer key research aims
research aims aims research aims
Understands the key Good understanding of Very good Excellent understanding of the
topics of the assignment. key topics of the understanding of key key topics of the assignment.
assignment. topics of the assignment.
Satisfactory presentation Good presentation of Very good presentation Excellent presentation of
of document. Some document. Most of document. Almost all document. Clear and
information presented in information presented in information presented in professional in every aspect
a professional way with a professional way with a professional way with with excellent spelling and
satisfactory spelling and good spelling and very good spelling and grammar.
grammar. grammar. grammar.
Submission

Assignments must be submitted by the following dates:

 Assignment 1 (market research proposal) must be submitted by 15:00 25th October 2019
via Turnitin
 Assignment 2 (market research report) must be submitted by 15:00 11th December 2019
via Turnitin

Please note:
 The maximum file size that can be uploaded is 20mb. If your file is larger than this it is
usually because you have included a lot of images – you should either remove some if
possible, or else convert them to a more efficient format to bring the file size down
(e.g. .png or .gif).

 You should ensure your student number is in the title of the filename for the work you
submit/upload.

 For undergraduate students, the School of Management operates a late penalty system as
follows: when work is submitted late with no prior authorisation, a penalty of 10 marks will
be deducted from the actual mark for each calendar day, or part of a day, by which the
deadline is exceeded. After seven days from the initial deadline, a mark of zero will be
awarded. Late work should be submitted electronically in the usual way.

 If the penalty for late submission exceeds the mark awarded for the component then the
component will receive a final mark of 0%.

Submission in Welsh

Any written work submitted as part of any assessment or examination may be submitted in Welsh,
and that work submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than written work submitted by
you in English as part of an assessment or examination.

Digital Submission of Coursework Instructions

 Logon to Blackboard.
 Access the appropriate Module site.
 Click the Assignment menu button which appears on the left of the screen.
 In this folder you will see a file entitled ‘Student Declaration form’. You need to complete
this form and incorporate it as the first page of your coursework (not two separate files).

 Click Coursework. Please read the statement of originality before you click “submit”.
By submitting work you are agreeing to this statement and confirming it to be true.
 Complete the dialogue box with your forename and surname
 To submit your coursework, locate the correct file on your computer by clicking the
"browse" button and enter a title for the coursework (we suggest the module code and your
student ID MNB108 123456). Click SUBMIT
 You will then be asked to check if the document is the one you wish to submit and if so click
“YES, SUBMIT”
 You will then receive a message saying “paper successfully complete”.
 BLACKBOARD will then send you a confirmation email of submission. Please keep this
receipt safe as evidence of your submission.
If you experience any difficulties submitting your work via Turnitin please contact the Student Hub
straight away at SoMAssessment@swansea.ac.uk
Notes on Style and Word Count

Assignments are a critical part of the learning experience and development for scholars at
Swansea University. Practice will pay dividends when it comes to honing your skills in report and
essay writing. Students are therefore encouraged to submit the highest quality work they can to
reach their maximum potential. Students with concerns about how to present their work can
consult with the Module Co-ordinator for guidance in addition to the notes listed below:

 The maximum word limit for Assignment 1 is 2000 words (excluding references, tables,
contents page, footnotes, charts, graphs, figures). The word count must be stated in the
assignment cover sheet.

 The maximum word limit for Assignment 2 is 3000 words (excluding references, tables,
contents page, footnotes, charts, graphs, figures). The word count must be stated in the
assignment cover sheet.

 The text size should be 12pt and the font, Arial. The line spacing should be set to 1.2 as a
minimum and the margins (all) should be a minimum of 1.9 cm. References should be
included on a separate page using the APA Harvard style of referencing.

 It is essential to number all pages, tables and figures. Provide a table of contents with page
numbers.

 Insert one linespace after each paragraph, and two linespaces between sections.

 Appendices, tables/figures, the ethics forms and references are not included in the
word count. In-text citations however are included, since they are in the body of the report

Markers will stop marking once the word count [or time limit] limit has been reached, likely leading
to a reduced overall mark as key arguments or conclusions will not be included in the marked
work.

Students who submit work that is below the word limit will not be penalised. This is because
students will not have taken full advantage of the word limit available to them, which in itself may
constitute a penalty.

Video, Audio or other Assessment Types

For some assessments students may be required to submit a video, audio or other digital media
item. The University’s overarching privacy policy advises students that the University will collect
photographs and video recordings for the purpose of recording lectures, student assessment and
examinations. This processing and storage of this information is lawful as it is necessary for the
performance of a contract with the student and will apply to any personal data that we process for
the purposes of administering and delivering their course of study.
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Student-Data-Protection-Statement-18-19.pdf

Proof Reading
Please be aware of the university’s Proof Reading policy which sets outs what the university
considers to be good academic practice in relation to proof reading. The School of Management
allows proof reading but please be aware of the requirements around this including keeping an
evidence trail relating to any proof reading and whether it is formal or informal. Further information
can be found here.

15
School of Management
MN-3012 Marketing Research Methods

Module Schedule

Univ Topic Week begins Topic Readings

week
2 Topic 1 30/09/2019 LECTURE / WORKSHOP McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th
Module Introduction. Edition). International Student Version. Wiley
Designing a research proposal & research report. Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research:
Guest: Industry Panel (to be confirmed) Putting Research into Practice.
Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing
Research. 10th Edition. Mason, Ohio; South-Western, London
3 Topic 2 07/10/2019 LECTURE / WORKSHOP McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th
Designing Research for Decisions: process, problems and Edition). International Student Version. Wiley
ethics. Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research:
Types of data: secondary, qualitative and quantitative. Putting Research into Practice.
Guest: Finding secondary sources Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing
Research. 10th Edition. Mason, Ohio; South-Western, London
Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews, S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave
(2007) Heritage/Cultural Attraction Atmospherics: Creating the
Right Environment for the Heritage/Cultural Visitor. Journal of
Travel Research. Vol. 45 (3): 345-354
4 Topic 3 14/10/2019 LECTURE / WORKSHOP McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th
Asking questions. Edition). International Student Version. Wiley
Questionnaire design Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research:
Putting Research into Practice.
Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing
Research. 10th Edition. Mason, Ohio; South-Western, London
5 Topic 4 21/10/2019 LECTURE / WORKSHOP McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th
Collecting data: Qualitative (collect, record, transcribe, edit) Edition). International Student Version. Wiley
and quantitative (survey). Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research:
Guest: Data mining & web scraping Putting Research into Practice.
Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing
Research. 10th Edition. Mason, Ohio; South-Western, London

Assessment 1 - Research proposal (Qualitative/quantitative research) due 15:00 25th October 2019 (40% of marks, 2,000 words)

16
Univ Topic Week begins Topic Readings
week
6 Topic 5 28/10/2019 (QUALITATIVE) LAB Jennings, G. (2010) Chapter 7 Qualitative methods of empirical
Qualitative analysis – open coding, themes; using numbers material interpretation/(re)construction. In Tourism Research (2nd
(software) to analyse words. ed.) Wiley: Milton, Australia

7 Topic 6 04/11/2019 QUANTITATIVE LAB1 Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to
Entering data. analysis using IBM SPSS (6th Edition). McGraw Hill
SPSS software - descriptive statistics (describe) Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews, S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave
(2007) Heritage/Cultural Attraction Atmospherics: Creating the
Right Environment for the Heritage/Cultural Visitor. Journal of
Travel Research. Vol. 45 (3): 345-354

8 Topic 7 11/11/2019 QUANTITATIVE LAB2 Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to
SPSS software - bivariate statistics (compare) analysis using IBM SPSS (6th Edition). McGraw Hill

9 Topic 8 18/11/2019 QUANTITATIVE LAB3 Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to
SPSS software – multivariate statistics (segment) analysis using IBM SPSS (6th Edition). McGraw Hill

10 Topic 9 25/11/2019 QUANTITATIVE LAB4 Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to
SPSS software – regression statistics (attribute) analysis using IBM SPSS (6th Edition). McGraw Hill

11 Topic 10 02/12/2019 LECTURE / WORKSHOP McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2015). Marketing Research. (10th
Interpretation & reporting for managers Edition). International Student Version. Wiley
(quantitative and qualitative) Clow, K. and James, K. (2014). Essentials of Marketing Research:
Putting Research into Practice.
Zikmund, W. G. and Babin, B. J. (2009). Exploring Marketing
Research. 10th Edition. Mason, Ohio; South-Western, London
Bonn, M.A., Joseph-Matthews, S. Dai, M., Hayes, S. and J. Cave
(2007) Heritage/Cultural Attraction Atmospherics: Creating the
Right Environment for the Heritage/Cultural Visitor. Journal of
Travel Research. Vol. 45 (3): 345-354

Assessment 2 - Research Report (Qualitative/quantitative analysis) due 15:00 11th December 2019 (60% of marks, 3,000 words)

17