module specification

The module provides you with practical insight into research methods and techniques utilised by both marketing practitioners and marketing academics. The module will introduce you to different ontological, epistemological and axiological assumptions as well as methodology, methods and techniques. Besides learning the basics of research problem formulation, literature review and questionnaire design, sampling and methods for data collection, the module will introduce you to a variety of statistical methods using the latest version of SPSS/Excel and qualitative data analysis techniques, with an emphasis on the interpretation and use of results. You will be able to address reliability and validity issues in qualitative and quantitative research.

The module will also prepare you to undertake a compelling and persuasively argued research proposal, fulfilling both academic and professional standards.

The module aims to:

- Critically explore the nature and role of marketing research in the research process.
- Provide an understanding of the marketing research approaches appropriate for
   providing effective solutions to a variety of marketing problems.
- Provide practical research experience and prepare students for their marketing dissertation research/ Business Consultancy Project.

N/A

- Overview of the marketing research design process.
- Defining the marketing research problem and developing a research approach.
- Conducting thorough and systematic literature review
- Secondary data and web research.
- Understanding research philosophies and approaches
- Exploratory, descriptive and causal/explanatory marketing research designs
- Comparison between qualitative and quantitative research
- Qualitative marketing research and qualitative research instruments; sampling methods
- Qualitative data analysis
- Quantitative marketing research: techniques and considerations; sampling methods
- Questionnaire design, measurement and scales
- Quantitative data analysis and report writing 
- Ethics in marketing research
- Writing a research proposal

The learning and teaching strategy for this module enables students to gain a critical knowledge and understanding of the nature and process of marketing research, problem identification, design, data collection, analysis and interpretation.

The module adopts a student-led blended learning approach in which a high degree of student in-put and interaction is encouraged. To achieve this, the module will be delivered over 12 weeks through a combination of one-hour lecture and two hours student-centred workshop (including SPSS/Nvivo computer-based workshops). Lectures will provide an overview of the key aspects of marketing research and illustrate its application to real life business situations. Workshops will include case studies, skills development activities, on-line and hard copy research exercises, and problem based interactive discussions. The workshops will be used to contextualise and operationalise the theoretical material presented in the lectures, hence bridging the gap between theory and practice. Students will be expected to attend lectures and workshops and to engage with the module.

A flipped classroom will be used to support learning, where teaching materials are made available online, and the classroom time is used for more interactive questioning, student content creation and idea exploration. To achieve this, students will individually and/or in their respective teams, prepare all assignments well in advance of the date on which materials will be covered. For independent learning, students will be required to access a mix of directed reading from texts and journals as well as external research. Students are advised to maintain a log of any group meeting.
WebLearn will facilitate the learning of students taking this module. Lecture and workshop materials, case studies, journal articles will be posted on the site. Weblearn will also be used for student feedback purposes.

On completion of the module, you will be able to:

1. Design and conduct marketing research projects appropriate to research problems.
2. Identify, distinguish and critically evaluate different research philosophies and paradigms with the aim of defining their own epistemological, ontological and axiological positions.
3. Demonstrate competence in conducting a thorough and systematic literature review of a contemporary topic, and formulate research questions based on the issues raised in the literature and/or in practice.
4. Select and apply appropriate market research and analytical techniques applicable to a given situation.
5. Construct internally coherent and persuasively argued research proposal with appropriate research questions, aims and objectives and a realistic plan of execution.

The assessment strategy is developed with the aim of testing the module’s learning outcomes. The assessments require students to think critically and apply the knowledge gained during the module. The module is assessed by two components:  Individual research project presentation and supporting notes (50%) as well as individual written research proposal (50%). Both of these assessments will immensely help students with the completion of their Dissertation/ Business Consultancy Project at the end of their Masters programme. Seminar and class exercises focus on these and are designed to aid the students' successful completion of these tasks as well as their grasp of Marketing Research.

Core Texts:
• Malhotra, N. K. (2019) Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 7th Edition, Pearson Education.
• Wilson, A. (2019) Marketing Research: Delivering Customer Insight, 4th Edition, Red Globe Press.

Supplementary reading
• Bell, E, Bryman, A. and Bill, H. (2018). Business Research Methods. 5h Edition. Oxford University Press.
• Benzo, R., Mohsen, M.G. and Fourali, C. (2018) Marketing Research: Planning, Process, Practice. SAGE.
• Cresswell, J.W. and Poth, C.N. (2017) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches, 4th Edition, London: SAGE.
• Denscombe, M. (2019) Research Proposals: A Practical Guide, 2nd Edition, Open University Press.
• Field, A. (2018) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, 5thEdition, SAGE.
• Jackson, K.  and Bazeley, P. (2019) Qualitative Data Analysis with Nvivo, 3rd Edition. London: SAGE.
• Miles, M., Huberman, A. and Saldana, J. (2020) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. 4th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE.
• Morgan, D. L. (2014) Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, a pragmatic approach, SAGE.
• Ormston, R. et al. (2014) Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers.  2nd edition, Los Angeles: SAGE
• Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill (2019) Research Methods for Business Students. 8th edition London: Pearson Education.
• Wallace, M. and Wray, A. (2016), Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates, 3rd Edition, London, SAGE.
• Yin, R. (2018) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 6th Edition, London: SAGE.

Academic Journals
Academic Journals
Qualitative Research Methods: An International Journal (Emerald)
Journal of Marketing Research
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Consumer Marketing
Journal of Consumer Research
The International Journal of Market Research
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Brand Management
Journal of Product and Brand Management
Journal of Marketing Management
European Journal of Marketing
Journal of Services Marketing
International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management