MKT4166 Research Project Module Handbook 2024-25 | MUL

Table of Contents

1. Welcome    
2. Module Teaching Team    
3. Communicating with the teaching team    
4. Module Overview    
4.1 Aims    
4.2 Learning Outcomes    
4.2.1 Knowledge    
4.2.2 Skills    
4.3 Syllabus    
4.4 Learning and Teaching Strategies    
4.4.1 The Learning Enhancement Team [LET]    
4.5 Assessment scheme    
5. Learning resources    
6. Expectations of studying this module    
6.1 Engagement    
6.2 Professional behaviour    
6.3 Academic Integrity and Misconduct    
6.4 Attendance Requirements    
7. Assessment    
7.1 Missing the deadline for submission of Coursework    
7.2 Assessment 1 (Research Project Proposal)    
7.2.1 Proposal Marking Criteria    
7.3 Assessment 2 (Research Project)    
7.3.1 Research Project Components and Marking Criteria    
7.4 Presentation of the Research Project    
7.5 Research Ethics    
7.5.1 Ethics Form    
7.5.2 Plagiarism    
7.5.3 Viva Voce    
7.6 Suggested workplan    
8. Teaching Timetable    
9. Marking Forms    
9.1 Research Project Proposal Grading Sheet    
9.2 Research Project Grading Sheet    
Appendix A: Research Project Supervisor Contact Sheet    
Appendix B: MKT4166 Research Project Proposal Form    
Appendix C: University’s 20-point grading scale    
Appendix D: Middlesex Online Research Ethics (MORE)    

MKT4166 Welcome

The research project marks your transition from student to scholar. Researching and writing your research project is a great opportunity to work independently, at length, on a topic that particularly interests you. It is also an effective means of research training, which helps to develop advanced intellectual skills such as evaluation, analysis and synthesis. Working on your research project will involve you in an exploration and appraisal of existing research on your chosen topic and, in most cases, independent and new research of your own. The research project should be viewed as the culmination of all your studies, and when completed, it will demonstrate what you have learned and what you can do.

MKT4166 Communicating with the Teaching Team

You can expect updates and information regarding the module to be sent to you via email. Email communication will be sent to your Middlesex University email address. Please also note that information might also be posted 9on MyLearning. We recommend that you check both regularly.

If you have any questions for your lecturers, please contact them via email.

Our most important consideration is your health, well-being and safety, as well as our staff and people related to the University. Remember that you – as part of #TeamMDX – can stay up-to-date with the guidance on Coronavirus at.

MKT4166 Module Overview

The Research Project is the cornerstone of the learning process at the Master’s level. The main aim is to allow every student to develop their practical competence, particularly in the application of research methods, while adding to the body of knowledge and understanding in a particular area of marketing.

MKT4166 Aims

This module aims to assist students in developing an understanding of the research process and to conduct research leading to the successful completion of their Research Project. It enables students to demonstrate proficiency in relation to scoping the issue(s)/problems, consideration of appropriate literature, collection and analysis of data, and developing specific recommendations or conclusions in relation to the research project. The Research Project is the culmination of the programme and provides students with the opportunity to further develop and integrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme. With the support of the programme team and an individual supervisor, students will propose, design, conduct, analyse, interpret and evaluate an ethically sound research project.

MKT4166 Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

1. Identify a research problem of significance and conduct an independent research project.

2. Critically analyse and demonstrate awareness of the academic and professional literature relevant to the research project

3. Design appropriate, valid and reliable research approaches and methods and ethically apply them.

4. Display mastery of data analysis and usage of relevant software.

Skills

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate self-direction, time management, organisational skills and effective communication skills.

2. Search for, synthesise, and critically evaluate academic and professional literature.

3. Understand, evaluate and apply the appropriate methodological tools

4. Demonstrate expert interpretation of data and effectively communicate findings in a meaningful manner.

Syllabus

• Developing the research topic
• Formulating research aims and objectives
• Critically reviewing the literature
• Developing the conceptual framework
• Developing a research proposal
• Research ethics
• Formulating the research design
• Data collection methods (questionnaire, interviews, observation)
• Sampling
• Analysing qualitative data (Content analysis, thematic analysis)
• Analysing quantitative data (Descriptive statistics, Factor Analysis, ANOVA, t-tests, Regression)
• Presenting results
• Writing up the Research Project

Learning and Teaching Strategies

This module utilises a learner-centred approach. Students will attend a series of lectures, seminars and workshops starting in the first term, covering the areas detailed in the ‘Syllabus’ above that will develop their knowledge of research methods and tools, and their skills in presenting their findings coherently. The module’s online environment will contain all lecture slides and any additional learning materials required for this module.

Students are expected to engage in self-managed learning activities and will also be assigned a tutor who will supervise their work on an individual basis. You should expect to have 2 half-hour (30 min.) supervision meetings for the preparation of the Proposal and 4-6 half-hour (30 min.) meetings for the preparation of your Research Project. (Students in the work placement programme need to work out their meeting plans with their supervisors before going on placement to clarify whether they will have meetings during the placement time or whether they will interrupt them and continue after the completion of the work placement.)

In addition to the assistance of your supervisor, further help is available from the Academic Writing & Language [AWL] team in the Learning Enhancement Team [LET]. You may also book a tutorial with an AWL lecturer to help you improve the quality of your Research Project.

The Learning Enhancement Team [LET]

The Learning Enhancement Team [LET] is a team of specialists who work with students at the university on different aspects of academic study and developing these essential skills. We offer face-to-face help through:

• Academic Writing & Language
• Maths, Statistics & Numeracy
• Dyslexia & various SpLDs
• Student Learning Assistants [SLAs]
• The Learning Lounge

Academic Writing and Language

Academic Writing and Language (AWL) is a team of lecturers whose role is to support and guide students to excel in their academic communication. We help you develop effective academic communication in 4 main ways:

Embedded sessions: We run these in collaboration with your lecturers, and they are programmed into your modules.

Workshops: These are FREE classes. To find out what’s on and to book a place, visit UniHelp in the Sheppard Library

Dyslexia / Specific Learning Difficulty Support [SpLD]

Dyslexia/SpLD Support provides an extensive range of services for students, including:

• 1:1 specialist tutorial support for students with Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) such as Dyspraxia, AD(H)D.
• Initial Dyslexia/SpLD Screenings
• Diagnostic Assessments
• Guidance and support through the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) application process.
• Workshops and embedded support for students on topics such as: Dyslexia and other SpLDs, DSA procedures, Exam preparation, Employability/job application advice, etc.
• Work-placement support
• Online Dyslexia/SpLD Resources

Assessment scheme

Formative feedback will be provided during the seminars and when students submit their Research1 Project proposals. Students will be allocated a personal supervisor who will provide specific guidance and additional formative feedback. Students are expected to keep a record of discussions with their supervisor, reflect on the project process, and lessons learned.

The Summative assessment consists of a Research Project Proposal (1500 words) and a final Research Project (13,000-15,000 words).

Assessment Weighting

• Research Project proposal (20%).
• Research Project (80%).

MKT4166 Learning Resources

The module will be supported by Middlesex University’s online learning environment (MyLearning) as well as book and journal resources in the library and on the Web. The following books represent indicative reading for this module:

Essential: Available Via the Kortext

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students ( 8th Ed.). FT Prentice Hall: Harlow.

Creswell, J.W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th Ed.). Sage: London.

Recommended

Qualitative:

Kostere, S. and Kostere, K., 2021. The generic Qualitative Approach to a Research Project in the Social Sciences. Routledge: London.

Merriam, B. and Grenier R. S., 2019. Qualitative Research in Practice: Examples for Discussion and Analysis. Wiley: USA.

Patton, M.Q., 2015. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (4th Ed.), Sage: London.
 
Quantitative:

Hair, J.F., Babin, B., J. Anderson, R.E., Black, W., 2018, Multivariate Data Analysis (8th Ed.). Cengage: India.

Martin, W. and Bridgmon, K. D., 2012. Quantitative and Statistical Research Methods; From Hypothesis to Results. Wiley: USA.

Pallant, J., 2020. SPSS Survival Manual. Routledge: London.

Stockemer, D., 2019. Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences: A Practical Introduction with Examples in SPSS and Stata. Springer: Switzerland.

Writing:

Birch, A. (1994). Essay Writing Made Easy. London: Pembroke Publishing.

Hennessey, B. (2002). How to write essays. Oxford: How to write books.

Redman, P. (2001). Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide. London: Open University/Sage.

MKT4166 Assessment

Formative feedback will be provided during the seminars. Students will be allocated a personal supervisor who will provide specific guidance and additional formative feedback. Students are expected to keep a record of the discussions with their supervisor and to reflect on the project process and lessons learned. Formative assessments help to show you and us that you are learning and understanding the material covered in this course, and allow us to monitor your progress towards achieving the learning outcomes of the module. Although formative assessments do not directly contribute to the overall module mark, they do provide an important opportunity to receive feedback on your learning.

Summative assessment is used to check the level of learning at the end of the course. It is summative because it is based on accumulated learning during the course. The point is to ensure that students have met the learning outcomes for the course and are at the appropriate level. It is the summative assessment that determines the grade that you are awarded for the module.

There are two summative assessment components in this module:

1. Research Project Proposal (20%). Students are required to develop a research plan for their final Research Project based on a chosen topic (1500 words). This assessment will address Learning Outcomes 2, 3 and 6.

2. Research Project (80%). Students are required to write a Research Project (13,000- 15,000 words) on a topic of their choice, collecting and analysing primary data (secondary data alone is not sufficient). This coursework will address learning Outcomes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8. This coursework is to be submitted by the university Research Project deadline.

Please note that unless you have passed the Research Project Proposal, you cannot proceed with your Research Project. To pass this module, you need to pass all assessment tasks with a minimum grade of 16 (40%). ALL students, including those who will apply for work placement, are expected to submit their Proposals on time.

Before you submit your work for final grading, please ensure that you have accurately referenced the work. It is your responsibility to check the spelling and grammar. If you have
submitted a formative or draft assessment, you will receive feedback but no grade. The comments should inform you about how well you have done or tell you about the areas for improvement. All assignments should be submitted online unless specified in the assessment briefs.

Assessment Timetable

Missing the deadline for the Submission of Coursework

Students who miss the deadlines set by the Module Leader will be given a grade of 20, which means that the student has not completed all the assessment requirements for the module. The minimum pass grade (16) is the maximum that may be gained if the module is subsequently passed.

Students cannot be given an extension on a coursework deadline. However, there may be difficult circumstances in your life that affect your ability to meet an assessment deadline or affect your performance in an assessment.

Assessment 1 (Research Project Proposal)

The first assessed stage of your Research Project work is the submission of a written proposal fora research project. Your proposal must be submitted on the Research Project Proposal Form included in this Handbook in Appendix B and available in electronic format on the Uni-Hub website. It must include the following:

• The working title of your Research Project (subject to change)
• A brief overview of the company or market you are considering studying, the research problem identified, and your reasons for choosing this area for your investigation.
• Your research question/research objectives
• Brief literature review: main authors and themes to be considered
• The research method you intend to use to collect data
• The methods you plan to use to analyse the data you have gathered
• Practical and ethical issues to be considered
• A plan or timetable
• A complete list of all the references used in writing your proposal

Students are required to pass their research proposal before they can work on the final Research Project.

Formative feedback will be provided during the seminar by the lecturers to ensure that the students are on the right track before submitting their proposals. Students will also be allocated a personal supervisor who will provide specific guidance and additional formative feedback before submitting their work.

Proposal marking criteria

Your proposal, will be assessed using the following criteria:

The MKT4166 Research Project Proposal Grading Sheet can be found later in this handbook(Chapter 9).

Assessment 2 (Research Project)

Your final Research Project should be around 13000-15000 words long.

Students should start working on their Research Project once they have received their Proposal mark. Please note that the students enrolled in the work placement programme usually know if they have secured a placement by June and are therefore also encouraged to work on their Research Projects until then.

Research Project Components and Marking Criteria

Your work will be assessed by at least two examiners, including your supervisor.

The final Research Project is assessed following the criteria given below. The final grade is then allocated in accordance with the University’s 20-point grading scale (see Appendix C) when the markers have considered the overall merits of the Research Project. Your Research Project should be presented in the following sequence:

• Title page
• Executive Summary
• Acknowledgements
• Table of contents
• List of tables
• List of figures
• Introduction and objectives
• Literature Review
• Research Methodology and methods
• Research results and analysis of findings
• Discussion, Conclusions, Recommendations and Limitations
• Appendices
• References

Title

The title should describe the content of the report accurately and concisely. The reader's first impression of your document is based on the title, so be clear and imaginative. In addition to the title itself, the title page should also provide the following information:

• The qualification for which the project is submitted, e.g. MSc Strategic Marketing
• The name of the institution to which the project is submitted, i.e. Middlesex University Business School;
• The year of submission.
• Your full name and student number
• Title of the Research Project
• Supervisor’s full name (including title where held)
• Date of submission
• Statement that the Research Project is a partial fulfilment of the degree programme

Presentation of the Research Project

Writing Style

The Research Project should be written using simple, clear language. The Research Project should be written in the past tense, e.g. "this finding illustrated the weakness of the procedure". Also, in general, the third person, not the first person singular, should be used, e.g. "it could be argued that this shows ..." and not "I think this shows...". The exception is when reporting action/decisions. It is a common mistake for students to write in the first person. This should be avoided, except possibly at the end of your project when you may wish to introducea personal note (e.g. to conclude, "I think the way ahead is ...").

Remember, very few people can write "first time", i.e. without various drafts. The majority of professional writers take two, sometimes three drafts, to reach the final polished version. You should try to read as many texts on report writing as you can to get different points of view. It is also important to thoroughly check the report for errors, omissions or inconsistencies.

Four checks are usually needed: firstly, a check for any inconsistencies in the logical flow of the written arguments; secondly, a check on the accuracy and consistency of the numerical data; thirdly, a check for spelling or typing error; and finally, a second type check (try to get a friend or colleague to do this as you may be too close to it at this stage.) Spelling mistakes, whilst of limited importance in themselves, tend to lower the reader's confidence in the overall thrust of the argument, so make every effort to avoid them. Use the spelling and grammar check on your computer software.

Table Presentation

Tables should be laid out in an informative and easy-to-read way. They should be kept as simple as practicable. The book "Data Reduction" (ASC. Ehrenberg; John Wiley, 1975), particularly Parts One and Two, provides many tips on data presentation. For example, some investigations will require percentages to two decimal places (e.g. 12.03%). But in most business situations this is unnecessary, and rounded figures (e.g. 12%) will tell the same story but in a more straightforward way. Similar thought should be given the following: the title of, and labelling within, the table; the specifying of bases for percentages; the summing of percentages and use of subtotals within the table; the ordering within, and of, rows and columns of data and may other facets - read Ehrenberg. Be sure to include the source for all tables that do not come from your own investigation. An example of a professionally laid out table is shown below:

Table 1. Attitudes of Students Towards the Catering Facilities

Technical Production of the Research Project

You are required to submit an electronic copy of your work via turnitin by 26th September 2025.

Formatting

The Research Project should be double-spaced. The left hand margin should be not less than 40 mm and the other margin not less than 20 mm (a sheet of A4 in double spacing will produce 29 lines of type and a maximum of about 300 words, so your project will be around 40 pages in length). Make sure it is the same format throughout. Ideally, it should be double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12.

Page Numbering

All pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the project report, including the appendices. The page numbers should be located centrally at the bottom of the page approximately 10 mm above the edge. Tables should be numbered consecutively throughout the project. The opening pages (Abstract, Acknowledgements etc.) may make use of Roman numerals, with text having Arabic numerals.

The MKT4166 Research Project Grading Sheet can be found later in this handbook.