ARTD6139 Critical Paper Final Project: Global Advertising & Branding Assessment Brief | UOS

ARTD6139 Final Project Assessment Brief: 

Having produced a research proposal for your PAS 2 assignment in Semester 2, it is now time for you to embark on the research that you outlined in that proposal; this is called your 'Final Project'. It will involve you conducting research and writing it up as a 'Critical Paper'. During your Final Project you will be expected toput into practice the research and analytical skills that you have learned on the programme. The 'Critical Paper' will focus on a contemporary advertising and/or branding issue, investigating this issue thoroughly by collating, critically analysing and commenting on the ideas and viewpoints of others, synthesising, analysing and critically discussing these to support your own inferences and conclusions. This will should enable you to produce an excellent piece of secondary research providing that you design and plan it carefully.

As you are aware, we will not be permitting any form of research that requires ethical approval, however please note, that all studentsare required to register with ERGO to receive category 'R' clearance.

This means that you should not: 

• conduct primary research including doing interviews, focus groups and questionnaires in any form (conducted via email, social media (e.g. WeChat), in person or via any other means)
• use unpublished raw data unless it is aggregated and has clear permission for usage(aggregated data refers to the data gathered into one cohesive whole such as summary statistics. It is high-level data that is obtained by combining and summarising individual-level data to reach an overall result. Therefore, respondents are not identified and cannot be identifiable in any way.)
• quote or paraphrase any individual's comments from social media or blogs (e.g., people's comments under a post on Instagram or TikTok), regardless of how many followers they have. 
• reveal data containing personal identifying information (including usernames) from social media or blogs
• source, use or reproduce any individual's visual content, such as photos, videos or images from social media. This includes bloggers and influencers. However, publicly available self-promotional and advertising material/videos etc. from companies can be used for analysis in your project. (e.g the official social media page of a company or brand). Please note that, you can only mention the number of likes and the number of commentson a particular company's post. However, you should not discuss the content of any comments, whether through paraphrasing, summarising, or quoting them.) 

The nature of this 'Critical Paper' is such that you should be able to review and examine relevant literature such as academic journals, text books, research papers, various data bases and online sources, magazines and other published material in both the general and the specific areas related to the topic that you are researching. By comparing and contrasting various expert opinions, research data and previous findings, and sourcing relevant theory, you should be able to construct a theoretical framework within which you can critically analyse and discuss existing research to draw your own ideas, inferences and conclusions and ultimately answer the research question you have identified at the outset of this project. Answering this research question is the overall aim of your research.

ARTD6139 Final Project Structure 

1.Title; Cover page & original work declaration 2. Acknowledgements 3.Abstract (approx. 200 words) 4.Table of contents 5.Table of Images/Figures 6.Introduction (approx. 1000 words) 7.Literature review (approx. 3000 words) 8.Research Methodology (approx. 1000 words) 9.Analysis and discussion of findings (approx. 4000 words) 10.Conclusion, Limitations & Recommendations (approx. 800 words) 11.List of references 12.Appendices (to include evidence of ERGO registration category 'R'.)

Document guidelines 

• You must have a "Title Page" with the title of your proposal and your word count. 
• Following your title page, you must have a Table of Contents and a List of Figures. 
• Pages must be numbered. 
• Do not split images, tables or lists across pages.

A. knowledge and understanding

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: 

• A1.Current theories and practices related to advertising and branding and arising from your in-depth research and enquiry. 
• A2.The contemporary context and culture of global advertising and branding, and the related creative industries. 
• A3. A range of contemporary contexts relevant to global advertising and branding and informed by leading research.

B. Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills 

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to: 

• B1.Demonstrate that you can think in a critically and reflectively on contemporary advertising and branding issues. 
• B2.Research, critique and apply analysis of theory related to global advertising and branding. 
• B3.Identify and analyse data and information to evaluate their relevance and validity using a range of sources.
• B4.Organise and synthesise a range of complex written and visual information arising from new and changing situations. 
• B5.Recognise your own academic strengths and weaknesses, reflecting on your own performance and progress and be able to respond to feedback 
• B6. Apply critical judgement to advance your research and intellectual skills.

C. Transferable and Generic Skills 

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to: 

• C1.Take responsibility for your own learning development and academic integrity. 
• C2.Demonstrate awareness of ethical considerations, 
• C3.Manage your time and resources as an independent learner. 
• C4.Demonstrate the ability to successfully manage and complete an individual project.

E. Disciplinary Specific Learning Outcomes 

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to: 

• E1.Demonstrate advanced level knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and practical issues that underpin the advertising and branding process. 
• E2.Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary advertising and branding strategies within a local, national and global context, and the ability to critically analyse those strategies. 

ARTD6139 Submission 

You must submit one electronic copy of your assignment to e-Assignment by 1600 hrs UK time on 1st September 2025. Work received after this deadline will be recorded as late, and subject to University late penalties. All assessed written coursework specifies an absolute word limit (in this case 10,000 words), which you should not exceed. The Table of Contents, Appendices and References are not included in the word count. This work will be assessed based on the learning outcomes show above and will cover all assessment points of the Final project. 

Late Penalties: Any part of your assessment submitted after the deadline will be subject to the standard University late penalties (see below), unless an extension has been granted, in writing in advance of the deadline.