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NBS8512:Dissertation in Marketing
Module Handbook
Academic Year 2022/2023
Aim of the module
To provide the opportunity for students to undertake independent research in
a marketing / international marketing-related topic.
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
1. A systematic understanding of knowledge, much of which is at, or informed
by, the forefront of the academic discipline, in a particular field of
marketing/international marketing.
2. An understanding of how to apply data analysis techniques appropriate to a
particular marketing problem/issue.
Intended Skill Outcomes
a) to evaluate critically current research in marketing/international marketing;
b) to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them, and where
appropriate, to propose new hypotheses;
c) to undertake appropriate primary research to improve understanding of a
marketing problem/topic in an ethically appropriate manner according to the
Market Research Society (MRS) guidelines;
d) to analyse qualitative and/or quantitative data appropriately
e) to draw relevant conclusions and practical implications from a marketing
research project.
How research informs this module
Research is at the heart of your programme of study. In this module, you will
be engaging with research in the following ways.
1. Developing research skills: You will learn about how research is
conducted and how knowledge is produced in a robust manner.
2. Undertaking research and inquiry: You will conduct an independent
research project.
Assurance of Learning
The Business School has three overarching learning goals that graduates
from all our programmes should attain. These goals are derived from our
mission and are
Disciplinary Competency “Our graduates will have acquired a theoretical
understanding of their chosen subject area and its applied relevance to
contemporary business and management practice.”
Ethical Awareness “Our graduates will have the ability to understand and
articulate relevant ethical values, principles, rights, and virtues from the point
of view of different stakeholders.”
Global Perspective “Our graduates will have a critical awareness of the
interactions of individuals and organisations within a global community and an
awareness of issues affecting the global business environment.”
In this module, we will cover Disciplinary Competence, Ethical Awareness and
Global Perspective. We will assess Disciplinary Competence in the
dissertation proposal and ethical approval form, as well as the final
dissertation. We will assess Ethical Awareness in the dissertation plan and
ethical approval form. Results from this assessment are collected separately
for quality assurance purposes and feed into the continuous improvement of
our programmes. They also form a core part of our AACSB accreditation.
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Staff Contacts
Module leader
Dr Qionglei Yu
Email: qionglei.yu@newcastle.ac.uk
Virtual office hours: Wednesdays 2:30-3:30 pm
Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Please email me to make an appointment in advance or drop in if you see
me in my office.
Please read this module guide and the material on Canvas very carefully to
familiarise yourself with the requirements for the module. You will find the
answers to most of your questions in this guide or on Canvas.
If you want to discuss anything about the module, it is usually the best and
easiest to talk before/after class.
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Help and Information
NBS8512 Module Leader / Supervisors. If you have any questions
regarding the expectations of the module prior to supervisors being allocated,
please speak to the module leader. After supervisors have been allocated, the
majority of questions should be asked to your supervisor.
Canvas. Module information, announcements, lecture PPTs, examples, and
other supplementary information will be posted on Canvas.
Internal email etiquette:
You must use your Newcastle email address when corresponding with any
member of staff; otherwise, there is no guarantee that your message will be
received and responded to.
You can expect to receive either an automated or a personal response
during working hours (Monday-Friday, 9 am- 5 pm) within two working days.
You cannot expect staff to reply to emails over weekends, annual leaves/on
Bank Holidays.
Please be mindful of the number of emails received by staff. If your query
can wait to be answered in person during an activity, please raise it then.
Before you make contact with staff, please check that your question is not
already answered in this guide or on Canvas. If it is answered there, you will
receive a short ‘see Canvas’ or ‘see Handbook’ response.
Dissertation Process – Key Dates 2022/2023
Research Proposal – 10 am, 9th December 1500 words, with at least 5
journal articles as identified literature. You will be allocated to a supervisor
based on this proposal.
Research proposal (Progress report and Ethical approval) – 10 am, 7th
April 3000 words.
Final Submission – 4pm, 1st September 10000 words: Full dissertation
Teaching Pattern
There will be a number of teaching activities throughout the programme.
Supervisions are to be arranged with your supervisor at mutually convenient
times.
Teaching and Activities
There will be 5 lectures in Semester 1 and 3 lectures in Semester 2. In
addition, INTO will provide additional sessions on dissertation writing (please
see your timetable).
Semester 1
Weeks commencing on:
1. 20th October – Introduction
2. 3rd November – Proposal (online record)
3. 17th November – Literature review (online record)
4. 24th November – Methodology (present in person)
5. 28th November – Research topic workshop and refine your dissertation
ideas (online live group sessions, please consult your individual
timetables)
Semester 2
Weeks commencing on:
6. 9th February – Supervision process and ethical approval
7. 2nd March –Planning your work and good practice (present-in-person)
8. 27th April – Final session
The private study makes up the majority of student time and should not be
underestimated. The initial private study will involve a large amount of reading
and reflection in order to identify your topic and submit a proposal. When you
begin to conduct your dissertation you’ll need to keep up to date with the
literature continue to read around your subject. We expect you to do 12
hours a week independent study.
A supervisor will be allocated to you on the basis of the Form you submit on
9th December. In matching you with appropriate supervisors we will look for
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the best fit and availability of staff. You may state any preferences for
particular supervisors but please note that we cannot guarantee a perfect
match between supervisor expertise and your research interests.
Students will be allocated to a group of students based on, where possible,
similar research interests and methodological stance. A supervisor will be
allocated to this group to provide support, guidance and facilitate meetings.
There will be 4 group supervisions which will be arranged by your supervisor:
1. January -February (suggested week: 22-24) – Proposals
2. March (suggested week: 28-29) – Research Design
3. May (suggested week: 36-37) – Preparing for data collection
4. July (End of June/start of July) – Writing up
Your dissertation supervisor’s task is to help you develop your research ideas
and put them into practice in a fruitful manner, not to dictate a specific topic to
you. In other words, they are here to guide and support your research, even
though this may involve asking difficult questions about the rationale,
practicalities, and contributions of your study – all of which will be aimed at
making your research more robust. However, it is important that you
understand that the dissertation is intended to provide an opportunity for
students to pursue a research project independently. It is your research and
your responsibility to design, conduct, and write the dissertation. If you have
any concerns about your supervisor’s advice, you should discuss these first
as part of a supervision meeting. In the very rare instances when your
concerns cannot be alleviated by such discussion, you can contact the
module leader.
Supervisors role and students’ responsibilities
You are entitled up to 4 hours of group supervision time with your
supervisor and an additional 1 hour of individual meetings, which includes
providing verbal feedback on your work.
According to the University’s ‘Guidelines for the Supervisors’, supervisory
support can include:
Respond to students emails/questions within 2 working days (excluding
weekends);
Critical and constructive feedback on the work produced;
Advice on the sources or literature used;
Advice on the methodology or techniques used and the approach to
data collection;
Discussion of evidence and results;
Reading the student works (e.g., completed proposal, completed
progress report, full draft of dissertation) and commenting on issues of
substance.
Supervisors WILL NOT:
Undertake the actual research itself;
Write or significantly redraft sections or chapters;
Provide students access to a database;
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Review copious drafts of the student’s work and conduct a detailed
proofread the thesis;
Perform or teach the student how to perform the analysis.
Predict a grade for the student’s dissertation at any stage prior to its
final submission, nor to provide a mark prior to the results being
approved by the Exam Board in June.
As a student, you CAN expect from your supervisor:
To provide advice, guidance, and feedback to the dissertation. This
includes general theory development, research design, and the writing_x005f up process.
Advice will be provided as a result of discussions with you.
Guidance will be based on the supervisor’s knowledge of the subject
area and on previous experience of supervising students’ work. It will
not be prescriptive in nature but will be provided in such a way that
students must use their own judgement about how progress should be
achieved.
Feedback will be provided in response to the material presented by
you.
Work presented will be critically reviewed and productive criticism
given.
To respond to your emails/questions at an arranged time.
In addition to providing guidance, supervisors are also a source of
general support in the learning process.
The dissertation is YOUR OWN work!
Ultimately, you must decide upon what topic to examine how to carry out the
research. The supervisor may provide views and feedback, but you must
judge how to balance their own views against advice received.
Students should ensure the updated work is provided to their supervisor at
least two working days before the appointment.
Note: Your dissertation supervisor is also your first examiners and as such
must restrict his/her input into your work. What you get out of the supervisory
process will be highly dependent upon the effort (and timing of) what you put
in.
1 Beginning the dissertation
1.1 The dissertation
The dissertation forms a major part of the MSc in International Marketing,
counting for 60 out of the total 180 credits. Strictly speaking students are only
entitled to ‘proceed’ to the dissertation once they have passed their final
written examinations. However, in practice work on the dissertation begins
early in the academic year. Your module in Marketing Research will provide
training in research methods to help you produce the dissertation.
These guidelines are intended to help you in the dissertation process.
However, given that a dissertation is an individual piece of work, this
document presents guidelines to support your work rather than an absolute
set of rules. You will talk in more detail about your own project with your
dissertation tutor. Nonetheless, it has been carefully prepared and you should
read it carefully to understand the important aspects of the dissertation
process, as well as the standards required.
In general, dissertations vary in style and approach according to your
programme of study. The following represent some core principles (intended
skill outcomes) for all dissertations:
to evaluate critically current research in marketing / international
marketing;
to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where
appropriate, to propose new hypotheses;
to undertake appropriate primary research to improve understanding of
a marketing problem/topic in an ethically appropriate manner according
to Market Research Society (MRS) guidelines;
to analyse qualitative and / or quantitative data appropriately;
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to draw relevant conclusions and practical implications from a
marketing research project.
The best dissertations for taught Masters show originality in their approach
and insights gained.
1.2 Recommended reading
Horn, R. (2009) Researching and Writing Dissertations: a complete guide for
business and management students, London: Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development.
Turabian K.L (2007) A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and
Dissertations. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press Ltd.
Sharp J.A., Peters J. and Howard K. (2002) The Management of a Student
Research Project, Aldershot: Gower, 3rd edition.
White B. (2005) Dissertation Skills for Business and Management Students,
London: Thomson.
Berry, R. (2000) How to Write a Research Paper, London: Routledge, 4th
edition.
1.3 Goals for Postgraduate Dissertations
The primary goal of the dissertation is to allow you to integrate your academic
study with the analysis of primary data.
More specifically, dissertations should:
a. Include empirical work undertaken by the student;
b. Provide an academic framework within which that empirical
or theoretical work is evaluated;
c. Include a discussion of appropriate research methods issues;
d. Arrive at a conclusion justified by the empirical and/or
theoretical material.
Your research methods may be:-
Qualitative (e.g., observation, interpretation of interviews); and/or
Quantitative (e.g., survey or experimental).
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1.4 The Literature Review
The literature review should be a separate chapter. It should review the
relevant literature in order to provide a framework within which your empirical
material can be evaluated. It should be succinct (i.e., you should not attempt
to describe a whole body of literature in detail but focus on those areas which
are relevant to your aims and questions) and should link directly to your own
investigation. Be critical in your approach: be clear about areas of
disagreement, in terms of views or research findings.
A good literature review does more than simply restate the literature. You
need to consider the difference between a literature report and a literature
review. A report of the literature simply describes what theoretical and
empirical work exists in the topic area under discussion, summarising perhaps
but not adding analysis or commentary. A literature review goes much
further. It discusses theoretical and empirical work thematically, bringing out
inconsistencies and controversies and relates your detailed research
questions to that discussion. Ideally a literature review will develop an
argument that justifies your research question/issue/problem.
1.5 Method
If you have formulated your research question/issue/problem fully, then it may
already suggest a particular approach to the design of the research project. In
any case, in selecting a method you must ensure that it is appropriate to your
research question. This chapter should first describe and briefly justify your
overall research strategy, with reference to the research methods literature.
The specific data collection methods you employ – surveys, interviews,
observation, analytical models – should clearly fit within the overall
methodology. For instance, it would be inappropriate to adopt a qualitative
interpretive methodology and then rely mainly on quantitative tools. You
should clearly describe and justify the methods and tools you employ. Where
there are constraints on the kind of investigation that you can conduct, you
should acknowledge them. You should include samples of the data collection
instruments you have used (e.g., copies of your questionnaire) in the
appendices, where appropriate.
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To aid data collection, students each have a personal Qualtrics account:
https://newcastlebusiness.eu.qualtrics.com/
Prior to sending out any requests to complete a questionnaire, students must
have obtained the list owner’s permission.
Qualtrics accounts will be disabled if students misuse the system.
1.6 Ethical Issues
Dissertations should be consistent with the University’s ethical guidelines (see
Appendix C) and the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society (MRS).

点击以访问 MRS-Code-of-Conduct-2019.pdf

The key principles of which are honesty, objectivity, confidentiality and
transparency. Specifically:
Responsibilities to Respondents
Respondents’ co-operation is entirely voluntary.
Respondents’ anonymity must be strictly preserved.
Researchers must take special care when interviewing children and
other potentially vulnerable members of society.
Respondents must be told if observation techniques or recording
equipment are used.
Respondents must be enabled to check the researcher’s identity.
Professional Responsibility of Researchers
When acting as researchers the latter must not undertake any non research activities.
Prior to commencing your dissertation you are required to consider the
Newcastle University Ethical Approval Process for Research.
It is essential that you complete the Ethical Approval Form and submit it with
your dissertation plan (see the copy in Appendix C).
Within your discussion of research methods in the dissertation, you should
show that you are aware of the ethical issues raised by the practice of writing
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about other people’s lives. If it is appropriate, ensure that your research
subjects are aware of the kinds of things you are planning to write. If
necessary, use pseudonyms and change identifying details.
Please discuss these issues with your dissertation tutor.
All students must have ethical approval before proceeding with their chosen
dissertation topic.
Students may not change their dissertation topic without the approval of their
supervisor and without completing the ethical approval process again.
1.7 Topic Selection
Broadly, there are three main types of marketing dissertation:
a) Student-initiated project (you decide solely on the topic). This could be
linked to a subject that interests, fits with your intended future career or
an idea for a new business;
b) Development of your business idea (however it needs to represent an
academic dissertation)
c) Company partnership (work with a company on a mutually agreed topic
of interest);
d) Academic recommended (projects suggested by staff).
You can explore ideas for topics from many sources: any work placement
experience; past work experience; current part-time work; course work;
academic readings, especially current and recent issues of academic journals;
and regular reading of the marketing trade press.
It is a good idea to informally discuss an idea for a dissertation with an
appropriate member of staff whilst formulating your proposal.
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1.8 Guidelines for suitable topics
You can assume that the topic as you initially conceived of it will evolve as the
project progresses. By “evolve” we mean that the particular aspect of the topic
which becomes central to the project may well change in one direction or
another as the project progresses. As a result, you may adjust your
dissertation title, final research questions or data collection method as you
develop your work. This evolution or ‘fine tuning’ of a project is quite usual.
The goal is to find a topic which is general enough to be significant, but
specific enough to become focused.
Some examples of past marketing dissertation titles:
Brand lands and their influence on consumer behaviour – a comparison
between physical and virtual brand experiences.
Consumer behaviour for functional foods (probiotic yogurt).
Internal branding and Marks and Spencer: “Your M&S”.
Country of origin effects: the pickup truck industry in Thailand and the
Australian market.
Measuring service quality (car dealerships).
Understanding consumer responses to sports sponsorship.
The decision-making behaviour of students in further education.
Global brands versus local brands – Vita Cola / Coca Cola in Germany.
Attitudes towards organic produce in China.
An investigation of consumer loyalty towards Chinese restaurants in
the Newcastle upon Tyne area.
1.9 Stages in the Dissertation Process
There are three assessed stages to the dissertation:
a) Dissertation Proposal (formative assessment)
In general, you should be clear about the aims of your research. What is it that
you are attempting to achieve Will it use quantitative or qualitative methods,
or both What will be your empirical material These are some of the most
important questions to settle before writing your outline. There is no point in
proposing a wonderfully original dissertation if you cannot get access to
the required material. You need to remember that a dissertation operates as
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a research project and is, therefore, a combination of both practical and
theoretical elements. You need to pay careful attention to both aspects if your
work is to be successful.
The Deadline for submitting your proposal is 10am, 9th December 2022. You
may only miss this deadline with the approval of the PEC committee for an
extension.
Based on your topic area, you will be assigned a dissertation tutor. It is then
your responsibility to contact your tutor and afterwards attend agreed
meetings.
b) Research progress report (worth 20% of final module mark)
The deadline for submitting your dissertation progress report is 10 am, 7th
April, 2023. You may only miss this deadline with the approval of the PEC
committee for an extension. Remember that you are required to submit a
completed ethical review form for this assignment. The submission is digital
only.
c) Submission of final dissertation (80% of final module mark)
The deadline for submitting an electronic copy via Canvas is 4 pm, 1st
September 2023. You will also need to submit an electronic copy of your
dataset (excel, SPSS worksheets, interview/focus group transcripts etc.).
Be careful!! Work backwards from this date, remembering that you will also
have final year exams to sit starting mid-May. Always allow at least two
weeks of slippage, and remember that it always takes longer to write up your
dissertation than you had allowed for. Aim to be able to send draft chapters to
your dissertation tutor throughout the duration of the supervision, preferably
by email, allowing plenty of time for their response.
1.10 Penalties for late submission
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It is your responsibility to hand in your dissertation by the due date. Any
dissertations handed in after the date, without prior agreement of the senior
tutor, will be penalised. Work submitted up to one week after the deadline will
be marked at a maximum of 50%. Work submitted more than one week after
the deadline will be awarded a mark of zero. In exceptional circumstances,
such as illness, you may be able to arrange for an extension to the deadline
and/or appeal for mitigation in the marking of your work. The process for
arranging extensions and mitigation is similar to the process for other
modules.
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2 Assessment Criteria
The proposal and first draft of dissertation are formative assessments (e.g. the
work will be formally or informally assessed for providing feedbacks) and the
progress report and the final dissertation are summative (e.g., the work will be
marked based on the pre-set assessment criteria).
Description Comment for Assessment
Research proposal
(Formative)
1500 words – due 9th December 2022 10 am (Formative)
Research proposal
(Progress Report and Ethics
form) (Summative)
– 3000 words – Due 10 am 7th April, 2023
– Accounts for 20% of the final mark
Submissions to be made through Turnitin on Canvas
First Draft of
Dissertation
(Formative)
– 10,000 words (± 10% margin) Word count includes all
words (including tables) from the first word of chapter 1 until
the final word of last chapter. Excluded from the word count:
Abstract, Bibliography and Appendices – Due 24th July*
*Supervisors are under no obligation to provide feedback
on any drafts submitted after this date
Final Dissertation
(Summative)
– 10,000 words (± 10% margin) Word count includes all
words (including tables) from the first word of chapter 1 until
the final word of last chapter. Excluded from the word count:
Abstract, Bibliography and Appendices – Due 4 pm 1st
September 2023
Accounts for 80% of the final mark
2.1 The scope of assessment
Your dissertation should include:
A clear statement of the problem you have chosen to investigate
A thorough reading of the relevant literature
Appropriate selection of empirical material
An ability to synthesise various academic perspectives
A good grasp of the theoretical and practical issues
A critical stance (in relation to the literature and your own research) and
an ability to evaluate evidence, drawing appropriate conclusions and
acknowledging ambiguity;
A set of arguments that are logically and coherently developed
Clarity of presentation
A fluent style
2.2 How your work is marked
The dissertation will be double marked by your supervisor and one other
member of the teaching/research staff. Double marking means that they mark
the work separately, and then come to an agreed overall mark. The second
marker will be assigned on the basis of staff expertise and availability. In
addition, a sample of dissertations will be read by an External Examiner.
Table 1 details the criteria that will be used to mark your dissertation. This is
to help you understand the distinctions between the marking bands.
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Marking Guidelines for Master’s Dissertations in Marketing– 2022/23
Grade Mark Use of Academic
Literature
Structure and
Coherence
Selection and Application of
Appropriate Research Methods
Critical Analysis and Conclusions Writing and
referencing
Distinction
85-100 A contribution to the
subject literature
through its critical
insight.
Demonstration of
depth of reading
incorporating ‘state
of the art’ sources.
A substantial piece of
work that
demonstrates
coherent arguments
and lines of thought
throughout the
document.
An approach that illustrates a critical
consideration of appropriate methods
of data collection. It has excellent
justification and carried out with due
care. Outstanding understanding of
ethical issues with appropriate
solutions consistent with University
and MRS guidelines;
Limitations of approach are explicit.
Substantial and appropriate data
collected.
Innovative approach to analysis and
interpretation of results demonstrating critical
insight consistent with the findings. It has valid
and insightful conclusions that articulate a deep,
critical understanding of the theories and
approaches used. It advances understanding of
key issues and problems, adding value to the
literature.
For company based dissertations, undertook
research that generates outstanding insights /
added value for the client
Excellent writing
style.
Appropriately
referenced
throughout
70 -84 A current and
comprehensive
review of the
literature showing
some critical insight
using primarily
journal based
sources.
A well-structured and
coherent piece of
work.
An approach that illustrates
consideration of appropriate methods
of data collection. It has very good
justification and carried out with due
care. Excellent understanding of
ethical issues with appropriate
solutions consistent with University
and MRS guidelines;
Limitations of approach are clear.
Appropriate amount of data.
A detailed analysis and critical synthesis of
literature and the findings leading to insightful
conclusions.
For company based dissertations, undertook
research that generates excellent insights /
added value for the client
Excellent writing
style.
Appropriately
referenced
throughout
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Grade Mark Use of Academic
Literature
Structure
and
Coherence
Selection and Application of
Appropriate Research
Methods
Critical Analysis and Conclusions Writing and
referencing
Merit 60-69 Critical awareness of key
theories and debates in the
literature based upon a
greater use of journal
articles.
Have adhered
to the
structural
guidelines and
demonstrated
good clear but
limited
arguments and
rationale.
An approach that, on the whole,
illustrates appropriate methods of
data collection have been used. It
has some justification and has
probably been carried out with due
care. Good understanding of
ethical issues with appropriate
solutions consistent with University
and MRS guidelines. Some
limitations are noted. Appropriate
data collected.
A more detailed analysis with some critical
evaluation of the findings and some thorough
conclusions.
For company based dissertations, undertook
research that generates good insights / added
value for the client
Good writing style.
Mainly referenced
to the requisite
standard. Minimal
typing and
grammatical
errors.
Pass 50-59 Have presented the key
theory in the