Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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Electronic copy of Report must be submitted through the Turnitin software.
This assignment will be marked electronically and results available online through Grademark in Turnitin.
10% of marks are awarded for satisfactory use of language and/or good presentation.
5% of marks are awarded for satisfactory referencing and/or presentation of a bibliography where either is required. Note that all referenced work should be obtained from credible sources.
Students should ensure that they comply with Glyndwr University’s plagiarism policy.
Students should make correct use of the Harvard referencing method.

Learning Outcomes Tested in this Assignment :
3. Select and apply the key, critical components of academic research methods to the
identified problem or investigative topic
4. Complete a practical or theoretical research project and to demonstrate support and
rationale for the purpose, research methods and subsequent outcomes of the project.

Dissertation Report Guide

Students are required to produce a Dissertation Report to evidence the research and activities undertaken in the pursuit of the objectives laid out in the Dissertation Proposal.

Included within this guide is:

·    Marking guidelines
·    Guidance for the Format and Presentation of the Report
·    Presentation, Layout and make-up of Reports
·    Use of English

Marking Guidelines

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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Section    Word Guide    Marks
Abstract
Brief summary of whole Dissertation including methodology, main findings,
conclusions & recommendations

300
10
Introduction/Background
Background to topic.
Background to company.
Any historical aspect of problem.
Any change in legislation leading to problem.
Brief overview of structure of remainder of report.

800 – 1000
Literature Review
Introduction to factors involved, relevant theory & underpinning knowledge.
Details & implications of any new legislation.
Critical discussion of recent articles on topic under headings of key factors.
Use of a good range of quality, up to date sources of literature.
Conclusion summarising factors to be researched.

1500 – 2500
20
Methodology
Account of all the activities contained within the Dissertation to include:
Justification of research method(s) chosen & why other methods not chosen,
Full details of execution of research,
Design of questionnaires for survey, interview or focus group,
Discussion of reliability & precautions against bias
e.g. pilot study & sampling for surveys, conduct & choice of participants for
interviews or focus groups, choice of case studies or secondary data for
archival research, choice & validity of web sites & journal articles, variety of
research methods chosen etc.
Methods of analysis used,
Attempts to make conclusions and recommendations.

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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800 – 1200
10
Findings
Results of surveys, interviews, focus groups – referenced to questionnaires /     transcript of interviews in Appendices.
Tables and graphs in this section or referenced to Appendices.
Summaries of secondary data collected.
Descriptive account of results from archival research.

800 – 1200
12
Analysis & Discussion
Comparison and discussion of results obtained from research method(s).
Test any hypotheses.
Explain and justify any deductions made from data collected.
Link findings back to literature review.

800 – 1200
12
Conclusions & Recommendations
Overall conclusions.
Link back to terms of reference.
Recommendations and justification for solution of problem.
Usefulness of research to business.

500 – 800
6
Evaluation
Successful and unsuccessful features of the Dissertation
Research skills learnt for use in a future research project.
Difficulties encountered and how they were overcome.
What could have been done differently for better results.
Importance of time management & reliability of collected data.

300
5
Total Words
8000 Words    75 Marks

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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Additional Marks Allocated
Marks
Originality, creativity & depth of study
Originality of topic chosen to include a topical subject or novel perspective
Attempts to use a range of research techniques and/or varied/detailed sources of data
Ability to apply and integrate knowledge gained on degree course

5
Project Management
Management of time from proposal stage to final submission
Evidence of Supervisor meetings included within report
Planning and consideration of all stages of Project and ability to overcome any difficulties

5
Presentation, style and quality of English
English grammar, spelling and sentence construction
Impersonal style using interesting but not overcomplicated language
Ability to discuss ideas accurately and succinctly, avoiding repetition and ‘waffle’
Presentation in paragraphs, side headings, quality graphics and labelled appendices

10
Referencing
Accurate referencing using the Harvard Reference System.
Suitable use of referencing throughout the report.

5
25 Marks

Guidance for the Format and Presentation of the Dissertation Report

1.    Title page:  comprising report title, author(s), date of submission, course title (including reference to Glyndŵr) and module title.  The front cover of the report should also carry the same details.  The report title should be short, indicative and preferably memorable as the title page.

A signed statement of originality should appear on the title page.

2.    Contents page:  this should contain all the main section and sub-section headings and the page numbers on which they are to be found.  An indented layout makes for clarity.

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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3.    Terms of Reference:  these should be reproduced on a separate page.  The terms of reference are a statement of the purpose, scope and intended outcomes of the report – usually expressed in terms of the original set of instructions you were given.

4.    Abstract:  this should generally be no more than one page in length. The summary is written after the report itself has been written.  It should not be written as an introduction to the report, but as an extremely abbreviated, succinct description of everything that is contained in the report document itself.  It should enable a reader to obtain a clear overall grasp of the context, purpose, methods, sources and conclusions or recommendations of the report.

5.    Introduction or Background:  this section should provide the reader with an understanding of the context and reasons behind the report (in topic terms, not course terms).

It is often helpful in the Introduction to describe briefly the structure and form of the rest of the report so that the reader is helped to understand the flow of it.

6.    Literature Review:  this section needs to be a detailed study using up-to date sources with references to a number of academic journal articles. The content of this section is the basis upon which the remainder of the research is founded.

To enable the reader to follow the details of the literature review it is useful to divide this section under key headings.

7.    Methodology:  this is an important part of the report since it serves to confirm the validity of the report’s findings.  This section should therefore be used to thoroughly describe and explain the methodology you used.  In doing so it is also necessary to discuss the choices of methodology open to you and why you chose the particular methods used.

In this section, or at some other point, you must include brief descriptions or illustrations of any investigative techniques you used; e.g. observation, interviews, analysis of documents, etc.

In order to substantiate both the practical and theoretical basis of the report it is almost always necessary to make reference to established or conventional knowledge.  The source of this is normally academic or professional literature of various types.  You should therefore briefly describe the types of literature and the sources of information which you used.

8.    Findings:  this section must provide an account of all the results of your investigative work and the information you obtained.

Exactly how you set things out, and in what order, is up to you; but you need a clear, logical layout which is ‘reader friendly’, easily understandable – yet of sufficient depth for the purpose, and containing enough evidence to persuade the reader of the validity of your account.  You need to skilfully balance the need for brevity with the need for sufficient information.  Try varying your style and consider using charts, diagrams, pictures, etc.  (make sure these serve a purpose and are not trivial).

9.    Analysis and Discussion:  in this section you are discussing the results of your research with the factors you identified as important in the literature review. Literature sources should be used wherever possible to support background discussion or definition. Test any hypotheses taking care to explain and justify any deductions made. Criticise, discuss, compare, conceptualise etc.

Note that you may find it more convenient to have a section entitled Findings, Analysis and discussion rather than two separate sections as there is a danger of repeating some information in the two sections.

Make sure you have clear, informative headings and sub-headings (but not too many). It is also important to ensure that your text is not too dense or boring.

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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10.    Conclusions, Recommendations, etc.:  you must set out the answers to any questions you were asked in your terms of reference or assignment brief, and any conclusions you have drawn yourself which your readers might find helpful.  If necessary, you can provide fuller details in appendices.  Sometimes you will need to explain the reasoning you use to draw conclusions.  In particular, you should note any assumptions you make.  This is often necessary because information may be incomplete or suspect in some way.

11.    References and Bibliography:  these should be complete and presented in conventional form.  A sound referencing system is necessary; the Harvard system is recommended.  Note that a bibliography is different to a list of references, and the two should be kept separate.  The former is optional and is merely a list of texts and sources which the author found useful and wishes to pass on to readers who may seek to broaden their understanding of the topic area.  A list of references, however, is indexed to precise markers within the report’s text where the author is acknowledging the source of an idea or an argument, or some data, or a quotation, etc.  The reference is cited in order to authenticate the source and to enable to reader to look it up.  It must, therefore, contain full and exact information to enable someone else to access the original.

12.    Appendices:  these are useful for the incorporation of essential information which might be too lengthy and detailed to include in the main body of the report, or which would disrupt the flow of text if included there.  You should not include material of merely of casual interest.

Appendices should be separately titled and referred to on the contents page.  They should also be fully page numbered.  Normally, the content of appendices does not count towards the recommended word length of a report.

13.    Project Evaluation:  this is your critical appraisal of the project indicating lessons learnt and possible improvements that would include if undertaking another research project in the future.

14.    Project Supervision:  include the Project Supervisor Record Sheet as evidence of your meetings and project management.

Presentation, Layout and make-up of Dissertation Reports

The report should normally be a submitted electronically through the Turnitin software
The text should be typed in Arial size 11 font and should be at least 1.5 line spacing.

Graphic displays (charts, diagrams, tables, etc.) should be numbered and entitled.  Any references to them in the text should bear their page numbers as well as their individual title number.  The purpose of graphics should be to lend clarity, not to decorate; they should therefore not be too numerous or intrusive to the flow of text, nor too elaborate.

A decimal numbering system for sections and sub-sections is helpful.  Accompanying indents also lend clarity.  Differentiated headings and sub-headings are a good idea, with ample space between sections.

It is worth giving considerable thought to a section and page numbering system since the readability of reports is often an important factor in assessing their worth.  Readers need to know exactly where they are in a document and how to find a particular entry or section at random.  The use of informative headings wherever necessary is good practice.

(Note that reports may include material (e.g. film) which is not text based.  In such cases you should seek additional guidance concerning the presentation requirements.)

Use of English

it is expected that all English grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling will be correct.  Marks may well be deducted for significant incorrect use of English.  It may also be the case that poor use of English will result in your meanings being unclear and this could lead to a further loss of marks because you may fail to communicate your knowledge and understanding adequately.

It is also worth trying to use an appropriate style of writing.  The use of interesting language with appropriate grammatical constructions (metaphor, etc.) and a variety of meaningful adjectives and adverbs may enhance your writing.  Paragraphs and sentences should be the correct length.

Good style will help you to express your knowledge fully, accurately and succinctly and is almost essential in conveying deeper meanings, abstract ideas and concepts, or in explaining complex reasoning, comparisons, critical argument, and so on.  You should, however, avoid verbose or flowery language and you should aim to be efficient in your use of language by avoiding repetition and ‘waffle’.

Normally, the use of the first person singular or plural (‘I’ or ‘we’), and related pronouns, should be avoided.  Similarly, surrogate terms such as ‘the author’ or ‘the writer’ should not be used.  The best style is usually an impersonal form.

Critical analysis of children’s consumer behaviour. How children influence parent’s buying decision-making process

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