MMM184: Marketing Dissertation

Module code: MMM184

Module provider: Marketing and Reputation; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2 / Summer

Module convenor: Professor Nada Kakabadse, email: n.kakabadse@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 28 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

To provide students with an understanding of the research skills necessary to undertake original research in Marketing (digital, international or sustainability) at master’s level. To give students an awareness of the appropriate use of theory, literature, methodology, and data in pursuing original research for a Master’s dissertation. To enable students to produce original research aligned to the MSc Marketing pathway in which they are enrolled.

This module enables students to conduct original academic research within the marketing discipline (digital, international or sustainability), at master’s level, and report upon that. The research should include a suitable research objective, critical appraisal of pertinent academic marketing literature, appropriate evaluation and use of research methodologies and the application of relevant data analysis to enable conclusions to be drawn.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Produce a research proposal outlining a research project suitable for a Masters level dissertation. 
2. Critically analyse and synthesise relevant literature on a given topic. 
3. Understand and critically evaluate the main methodological approaches in research within marketing and the social sciences. 
4. Assess the suitability and usefulness of alternative sources of data for the analysis of research questions. 
5. Analyse research data and place findings in the context of existing literature. 
6. Produce an original dissertation, which critically analyses a particular research question and examines this question using appropriate data and methodology.
7. Students will develop an understanding of the research process and the main challenges encountered in undertaking a research project. Skills regarding the review and synthesis of existing literature on a topic, the collection and analysis of data, and the preparation and production of substantial reports will be improved. Students will also enhance their project management and time management skills.

Module content

Students are exposed to a number of research topics in this module as well as the Study and Research Skills Module. Topics covered include: 

• Selecting and developing research topic
• Research Proposal 
• Dissertation Structure
• Relationship with Supervisor
• The role and application of theory in marketing research
• Strength and limitation of qualitative and quantiative data sources
• Data analysis and writing-up research findings

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is comprised of lectures and workshops. Students are also provided with one-to-one supervision for their dissertation over the spring and summer terms. Students are encouraged to apply the skills learned during the lectures to the development of a research project, for which they will produce a research proposal, a literature review and 8,000 words dissertation. Students are expected to read the references provided in the module and to do further research on their own. They are also expected to actively participate in the lectures and workshops.

Study hours

At least 17 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.
Note that it is a requirement of the award of the MSc Marketing that students pass this module. 

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students are required to provide drafts of the main parts of the dissertation and the final draft. They are provided with the feedback on all written work which allows them to improve their final draft that they submit in summer.

Reassessment

Additional costs