Research Brief

ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

Unit Name: MARKETING RESEARCH Unit Code: BHO2285

Semester 2, 2018

PREPARED BY: Dr THUY-HUONG TRUONG

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BHO2285: MARKETING RESEARCH RESEARCH BRIEF

Students’ Motivation and Attitudes towards Attending Lectures There is genuine concern among teaching academics in relation to the rise of non-attendance by students at lectures. Anecdotally, lecturers have indicated that class attendance has declined over the years. This phenomenon appears to be a worldwide problem (Romer 1993). From a university perspective, there is concern that non-attendance at lectures or tutorials may be linked to poor student academic performance and increased drop-out rates, which may lead to a negative image of the University. A preliminary examination of the literatures on student class attendance and successful learning revealed a number of factors that may contribute to students’ non-attendance in class. These factors can be broadly classified as an attitude towards teaching styles, different learning styles, quality of teaching (duration of lecture, teachers’ ability or personality), and students’ personal circumstances (financial, cultural capital, lifestyle, hours of paid work, and hours of study time). Research also suggests that the new generation of student, most of whom are classified as generation Y by marketers, learn differently, prefer technology in their teaching/learning, and have different expectations from previous students (Massingham 2006). The traditional approach to teaching may not be appropriate to the new breed of student. This study seeks to identify factors that may influence lecture attendance patterns of students enrolled in College of Business courses. The specific aims of this study are: • To determine students’ motivation and attitude towards subject delivery; • To determine aspects of subject delivery that encourage or inhibit students from attending lectures; and • To identify the personal circumstances of students that has the greatest influence on lecture non-attendance. Here are some references to help you get started: Dolnicar, S 2005, ‘Should We Still Lecture or Just Post Examination Questions on the Web?: The Nature of The Shift Towards Pragmatism in Undergraduate Lecture Attendance’, Quality in Higher Education, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 103-115. Massingham, P 2006, ‘Does Attendance Matter? An Examination of Student Attitudes, Participation, Performance and Attendance’, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 1-19. Paisey, C 2004, ‘Student Attendance in an Accounting Module – Reasons for Non-Attendance and the Effect on Academic Performance at a Scottish University’, Accounting Education, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 39-53. Rodgers, JR 2002, ‘Encouraging Tutorial Attendance at University Did Not Improve Performance’, Australian Economic Papers, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 255-266. Romer, D 1993, ‘Do Students Go to Class? Should They?’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 7, pp.167- 174. The research assignment in this subject consists of two phases: (1) data collection and entry; and (2) the final research report. Phase 1 will be assessed individually and Phase 2 will be undertaken in groups of three (or four) students.

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Phase 1: Data Collection and Entry Phase 1A: Data Collection Phase 1 of the research project will train you in conducting interviews and handling surveys, considering and documenting the sample you choose and finally entering all the data into SPSS (statistical software). This is a very ‘hands on’ task that requires you to do a fair bit of practical real life research work. In week 6, each student will receive five questionnaires that have been developed to meet the research aims of the project. You are required to interview respondents using face-to-face interviews and record their answers. Under no circumstance should the questionnaire be administered as a self-completion questionnaire. If there is any evidence that self-completion has been used you will receive zero marks for this phase on the assignment. Also in week 6 lectures, you will be given information on how to conduct the interview. The sampling process for this project is as follows:

• The participants have to be between the ages of 18 and 24 and sign a consent form indicating their willingness to participate in this survey.

• The participant must be a student enrolled in a College of Business degree program at Victoria University (e.g., courses that have any one of the following in their title: Marketing, International Trade, Marketing/International Trade, Marketing/Event Management, Marketing/Applied Economics, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Financial Risk Management, Music Industry/Event Management.

A research assistant has been hired to investigate the authenticity of questionnaires. Respondents will be required to sign on the consent form as being authentic and provide contact details, as will interviewers. Students found to be falsifying part of the questionnaire or cheating on the data collection will be deemed to have failed the assignment and will face disciplinary action. The quality and authenticity of data collection, adherence to the sampling plan and timely submission of the completed questionnaires constitutes 5% of your total assessment in this subject. Phase 1B: Data Entry The next phase of the project requires team effort. In week 8, each student will enter the information obtained from the surveys into a statistical software package. The timelines are short but are required to provide you with sufficient time to analyse the data and write up the report. With your co-operation a data file consisting of approximately 300+ respondents will be compiled. This provides you with an opportunity to analyse data of a realistic and scientific nature. Data Entry Instructions

1. Please bring a USB stick to class. 2. Save the project template (SPSS spreadsheet) to USB stick. This will be available on VU

Collaborate (under Phase 1 >Assessment). You will not be required to code the questionnaire as this will be done for you.

3. Enter the responses for all the questionnaires you receive. Instructions will be provided in the tutorial.

4. Save the data you have entered on the USB stick. Produce frequencies and check your file for accuracy (i.e., looking for out of range values).

5. Save data by using the copy and paste function. 6. Email the file to your Tutor. 7. In the email please write down your name and your Student ID.

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8. Your data file will be evaluated for completeness and accuracy. 9. If there are any problems with your data file you will be requested to resubmit prior to the due date.

Please check your emails during this time to avoid lost marks. Questionnaires Once you have completed the task of entering the data into the SPSS spreadsheet and have emailed your file, return the completed questionnaires and the consent forms to your tutor. Note that you must also submit a short description about how the data was collected. This description should only be a couple of paragraphs and include information about the recruitment process. It is crucial that you adhere to the due date above, as the entire class depends on your input. Failure to do so will result in reduced marks for Phase 1 of the assessment. The quality of data collection and entry and timely submission of the data file constitutes 10% of your total assessment in this subject. The assessment criteria are provided in Page 5. Data Analysis

1. The data from all students will be collated and available for analysis on VU Collaborate in week 9. 2. Time has been allocated for you to analyse the data set in week 9 tutorial. Your tutor will be available

to provide you with guidance. To make the most of this session come prepared with a plan of the type of analysis you need to perform.

3. Read your literature review and determine the relationships you think exist between the variables you investigated (i.e., research hypotheses) and test them using the data provided.

4. Analyse the data, using frequencies, cross tabs (Chi-Square Tests), numerical summaries, and any other appropriate tests. Also consider transforming and recoding the data if needed.

Due Date: Week 8

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BHO2285: MARKETING RESEARCH

PHASE 1: DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ENTRY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

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HD D C P N1 N2

80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 0-39%

40 Survey handling

 All questionnaires returned with signed consent forms

 Five questionnaires have been returned by each student

30 Documentation

 Student understood different sampling method by explaining (briefly) how he/she collected their data.

 There is a clear line of argument

 The argument contains referenced material. Appropriate referencing style (Harvard system) has been adopted in the report

 A list of references has been included and is presented using the Harvard Referencing System

30 Data entry

 The data file is without errors (e.g. no out of range values)

 The data entered and emailed by the student match the completed questionnaires that student has provided (this will be controlled by research assistance)

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Phase 2: Research Report Phase 2 involves the preparation of a research report. The research report should include:

1. Cover 2. Title Page 3. Table of Contents 4. Executive Summary 5. Introduction 6. Methodology: Research design, taking into account the type of research undertaken, scaling techniques,

sample design (make sure you take into account the population of interest), data collection methods, and plan of data analysis

7. Results & Discussion (using the most appropriate statistics) 8. Limitations 9. Conclusions and Recommendations 10. References 11. Appendices (e.g. include the questionnaire and any detailed statistical output)

Refer to chapter 23 of the textbook for the structure and additional detail on report writing. This phase of the assignment should be presented in report format. The word limit on this phase of the assignment is 3000 words (not including appendices). This phase of the assignment is worth 30% of your total assessment in this subject. The assessment criteria are provided in Page 7. Submission: This assignment is to be uploaded to Turnitin on VU Collaborate. The entire report and appendices must be uploaded as one document, and only one document should be submitted per group. Submit at [VU Collaborate> Assignments›TurnItIn›Phase3]

Due Date: Week 12

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BHO2285: MARKETING RESEARCH

PHASE 2: RESEARCH REPORT ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Phase 2 – Research Report

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HD D C P N1 N2

80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 0-39%

5 Executive Summary

 Clear and concise summary. Includes summary of introduction, research problem, summary of methodology, summary of results and summary of conclusions

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Introduction

 Background on education, delivery methods in teaching and students’ behaviour and attitudes towards attending lectures (literature)

 Reasons for undertaking the research

 The importance of the topic to organisations/marketing

 The implications of the research (contribution to the Body of knowledge)

 Gives the objectives of the project and overall research problem

20 Methodology

 Discuss the research design

 Discuss sampling

 Discuss data collection method

 Discuss fieldwork

 Discuss how data were analysed

50 Results & Discussion

 Results are linked to the research objectives

 Results should be clearly presented – use sub-heading

 Appropriate graphs and tables are used to display information

 Findings should be interpreted thoroughly

5 Limitations

 Discuss methodological limitations

 Identify potential weaknesses of the project

 Should not be overly negative. An argument should be made for the choices/techniques used.

5 Conclusions

 Conclusions should be supported by results (do not introduce any new concepts).

 Suggestions for future research could be made.

5 Integration of Literature and References

 Appropriate referencing style (Harvard system) has been adopted throughout the essay;

 A list of references has been included and is presented using conventional method (refer to a style manual).

5 Report form

 Report format has been adopted.

 Inclusion of title page, table of contents, list of graphs/tables/appendices (if applicable), reference list and appendices (copy of questionnaire and detailed statistical output).

 General presentation, spelling, and grammar should be excellent and of business report standard