Consumer research is all about understanding “how consumers engage with the material world(s) they are living in” and “what meanings brands, products and possessions have for them”. Hence, in your group project, you have to conduct a mini-ethnographic study into consumer behaviour associated and/or related to the specific consumption phenomenon that you have selected from the options listed on Blackboard on October 13th.
Even though consumer behaviour includes the acquisition, usage and disposal of products, the emphasis of your research project should focus on the meaning that your selected consumption phenomenon has for individual consumers in their everyday lives (see handout Maclaran, Hogg & Bradshaw 2011). Issues that you could thereby explore may include for example:
• In what personal, situational, social or cultural context do people engage in the chosen consumption phenomenon in their everyday lives?
• What functional and/or hedonic (aesthetic) value does the selected consumption phenomenon have for the individual consumer? What functional and/or hedonic value do the actual consumption practices within the consumption phenomenon have for the individual consumer?
• What role(s) does the selected consumption phenomenon play in consumers’ everyday lives?
• How is the consumption phenomenon related or linked to the individual consumer’s self-concept and self-identity construction?
• What meaning(s) does the lived experience of the selected consumption phenomenon have for the individual consumer?
• Do consumers engage in a subculture of consumption or in a consumer tribe related to the selected consumption phenomenon (i.e. fan-clubs, brand communities, etc.)? If yes, what motivates consumers to participate in them? How, and to what extent, do these consumers share meanings, values, beliefs and brand myths with each other and/or engage in (symbolic) communal consumption rituals?
In order to research consumers’ everyday lived experiences of consuming your selected brand, product or product category, you are now required:
a) To review briefly, but critically the relevant academic literature on the consumption of your selected brand, product or product category. You must review and reference at least 10 sources. At least 70% of your reviewed references must be academic peer-reviewed publications (journals, books, conference proceedings). Please note that Wikipedia, blogs, websites, social media, etc. do not count as references!
b) To study ‘in the field’ how consumers actually consume the selected brand, product or product category in their everyday lives by means of participant observation. You have to collect qualitative data in the form of taking field notes, which you can also complement with photos or even video films for better understanding if you like.
c) To conduct phenomenological interviews with 4 consumers to explore what meaning the consumption of the selected brand, product or product category has for them in their everyday lives. Each student must thereby interview 2 consumers and generate transcripts of the interviews for data analysis & interpretation.
d) To observe your own personal consumption experiences and practices with the chosen brand, product or product category – either in form of an autoethnography (if you are already member of an observed consumption subculture/consumer tribe prior to your project) or as an observation of participation – and record your thoughts, feelings and experiences as field notes.
e) To analyse and interpret the qualitative data you have generated through interviews and participant observation (incl. self-observation) to provide insights into the consumer behaviour phenomenon you have studied. In particular, you should outline and discuss how your findings relate to consumer behaviour models & theories and the relevant literature you have reviewed.
f) To keep a reflective diary of your learning process during the research project. In it, you should record your personal experiences with the various aspects of your research project itself (i.e. how you cope with uncertainty and anxieties, how you solve a problem you have to face up to, how you manage your teamwork, what skills you develop or discover in you, etc.).
Assignment Procedures
While the group research project allows you the creative freedom to investigate and interpret your selected consumer behaviour phenomenon based on your own ideas and intuition, there are a few procedures you must comply with:
1. Find yourself a partner for your group project and, in person, register your team with Dr. Markus Wohlfeil (TPSC 2.31) until 10th October 2012 at 6pm the latest! After this deadline has passed, a group change will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances (i.e. a student’s long-term illness or a severe case of bullying) that BOTH lecturers must accept as justified and agree upon. Any student, who hasn’t found a partner or registered a team by this deadline, will be assigned a partner. Only in the case of an overall uneven number will there be ONE group with three members or, alternatively, a student working alone. Please check the official list with all groups that will be posted on Blackboard on October 11th.
2. Select a consumption phenomenon from the list of options that will be posted on Blackboard (Assignments and Exams) on 15th October. The listed consumption phenomena will be very broad in order to allow you the freedom to look at a certain aspect or at a specific brand of your choice that you find particularly relevant or interesting to investigate with regard to consumer behaviour.
3. Report your chosen consumption phenomenon in person to Dr. Markus Wohlfeil (TPSC 2.30) by 28th October. This way, we have an idea of what you plan to do and can give you some tips to get your research on the way (i.e. by providing you with 1-2 academic articles that may be relevant)…
4. You must have submitted your research project report and your individual research diaries as print copies at the UG Teaching Hub (EFRY) BEFORE 15.00 on 28th February 2012 .
5. Late submissions are only permitted in the exceptional circumstances outlined in the UEA Undergraduate Student Handbook.
Besides gaining a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour, another aim of the project is for you to develop your soft skills, such as the abilities to observe and think critically, to be creative and imaginative in solving problems and to understand and empathise with the views of others (i.e. consumers), as well.
Nevertheless, during the course of the research project you may experience moments, where you feel “lost” and/or are uncertain as to whether you are “on the right track”. Don’t worry! This is completely normal. Every manager and researcher goes through such an experience from time to time, when they have to cope with uncertainty and to make sense of a new situation/development they are just confronted with. It’s a natural part of your learning curve.
Thus, if you “get stuck” or “feel lost”, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Markus Wohlfeil, if you just need some advice or feedback on the state of your research project. He will be happy to talk with you about your project. But please note that he won’t do the project for you… 😉

Guideline for Report Structure/Format
Your research project report counts for 80% of the project (= 40% of overall marks for the module) and should contain the following sections:
1. Title Page: This you should state the name of your course(s) and module, each student’s full name and student numbers, and the title of your research project. Feel free to give your report a creative title that reflects the subject of your research.
2. Abstract (max. 150 words): This should briefly summarise and highlight the nature and key findings of your research and what we can learn from it. It should encourage the reader to read the full report! As an orientation, have a look at the abstracts of some academic papers. (Font: Times New Roman, Size 12; Double Spaced)
3. The Main Body of Text (max. 4500 words incl. cited qualitative data): This is the actual report, which should be written as a double-spaced essay (Times New Roman Size 12 Font) and not exceed 4500 words in total; including the “consumer voices” (aka qualitative data) you may cite in support of your interpretations. As an orientation, have a look at how other academic papers have been written .
a. Introduction: This section should briefly introduce the reader to your project and highlight why it is important/relevant/interesting to know more about the aspect of a consumer behaviour phenomenon that you have researched. Thus, you need to state the purpose of your research and provide the reader with a quick guide how you will address the researched topic in your report.
b. Literature Review: In this section, you should provide a critical overview of what is already known about your research topic in the literature (i.e. academic journal publications, books, conference proceedings or textbooks ). What are the consumer behaviour theories that are currently used to explain this specific phenomenon? The literature review serves hereby also as an orientation to position your own research project in relation to previous studies. As it has become increasingly practice in consumer research to merge introduction and literature review into one large section, have a look again at some academic papers for inspiration.
c. Methodology: You should very briefly state how you collected and analysed/ interpreted your qualitative data in your research project. For instance: How have you selected your interviewees? Why them and not somebody else? How did you interview them? Where, how and for how long have you observed the consumers, participated in a consumption subculture and engaged with them?
d. Interpretation & Discussion of the Research Findings: Here, you should present your findings in form of a comprehensive analysis of consumption patterns that have emerged from your qualitative data (participant observation, phenomenological interviews & self-observation). You should thereby discuss your identified themes critically as to how they describe and explain what meanings the consumption of the selected brand, product or product category and any associated consumption practices/rituals may have for the individual consumers. In doing so, you should also explore and interpret the identified themes for their deeper, underlying meanings. You should thereby “give the consumers a voice” by supporting your identified themes & interpretations with relevant quotations or extracts from your qualitative data (or even add digital photos) . Furthermore, by linking your own interpretations to the relevant literature and theories that you have reviewed earlier, you should discuss critically how your findings support, contradict or add to the current consumer behaviour theories & literature. How do you explain the identified differences or similarities between your findings and the existing literature? If you have found an interesting theme that has emerged from your data interpretation and may add new insights to the current literature, you may need to review the literature again for additional theoretical explanation. Please note that this is the most important section of your report!
e. Conclusion: Finally, you should briefly summarise the fey findings and how they may improve our understanding of consumer behaviour. In recent years, conclusion has often merged with Discussion into one chapter by providing the last, summarising paragraph stating the key lessons. So, you are free to merge or keep them separated…
4. References: You must only list all those literature sources (books, journal articles, conference proceedings, newspaper articles, government reports, trade journals, magazines and websites) in accordance with the Harvard Referencing System that you have actually read and cited in the report. You must have read and cited at least 10 literature sources, of which 70% (= 7 out of 10) have to be academic literature! As a general rule, Wikipedia, blogs, newspaper articles with unknown authors, Internet news reports or gossip are not accepted as credible or trustworthy literature/ information sources.
Important: Make sure that the sources for EVERY SINGLE information that you cite in the text either directly or indirectly are referenced appropriately!!!
5. Appendices: Here, you can list any material that you feel could illustrate, support or substantiate your analysis and interpretations, such as full interview transcripts, field notes, digital photos or video files.
For practical guidance and inspiration, we recommend that you look up 1-2 academic papers listed on Blackboard (recommended readings). As this is a group project, both students have to write and submit only one research report together. Thus, all requirements with regard to word count and the minimum number of reviewed/cited literature sources refer to the overall project and not to the individual student. The word count of 4500 words applies to the main body of text and excludes title page, abstract, footnotes, references and appendices as well as your individual reflective diaries (which is the only thing you need to prepare separately).
Individual Reflective Research Diary
Due to the NBS requirement for assessing individual contribution, each student is required to keep a reflective research diary throughout the project, which is worth 20% of the project (= 10% of overall marks for the module). The purpose of the research diary is to fulfil two aims:
a. For you to record and reflect on your knowledge and understanding of consumer behaviour theories that you gain in relation to the consumption phenomenon you are investigating.
b. For you to record and reflect on your experiences and the soft skills that you develop and build throughout the research process, such as teamwork, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, empathising with and understanding the perspectives of other consumers, information sourcing, qualitative data collection, analysis & interpretation, etc.
As this is a reflective research diary and not a formal essay, there is no prescribed format, style or word count. You are therefore free to keep and submit a handwritten diary that incorporates drawings, poetry, etc. But you should make sure that we can actually read it! However, your reflective research diary should address the following issues:
1. Your personal background as starting point: What are your previous experiences in researching consumers? Why did you choose this particular brand, product or product category for your research project? What are your own personal experiences with the consumption phenomenon you are about to investigate? Would you consider yourself in the broadest sense as a member of a brand community, consumer tribe or subculture associated with your chosen brand, product or product category? Why or why not? What is it about this particular consumer behaviour phenomenon that you would like to explore in your research project – and why is it of interest to you? What do you hope to learn from this project in terms of a) consumer behaviour, and b) “soft skills” that may be useful for your future career?
2. During the course of your project: In relation to your research, record your personal experiences, thoughts and feelings as they occur during the course of your project. What new knowledge or perspectives do you gain from observing and interacting with consumers? How do they relate to the abstract theories you’ve learned in class or read in textbooks? Are your previous personal views of those consumers changing because of your research project? What kind of problems or difficulties are you confronted with during your project and how have you overcome them? In particular, if you feel “lost” during your research, in what way(s) are you coping and dealing with the situation? What personal abilities have you developed or discovered to have within you that benefit the project? Would they be beneficial to your future as well?
3. Do NOT just list every single task you do! The reflective diary is not a minutiae record of all the things you have done and all the literature you read, etc. It is a means to record your inner thoughts and feelings with regard to a project and, then, to review and reflect on them at a later time to become consciously aware and understand your thoughts and learning processes over the course of time.
4. At the end of the project: Reflect on your experiences, thought and feelings with research project itself and the specific consumer behaviour phenomenon you have investigated and summarise the lessons that you have learned from them. How has your personal view of the investigated consumption phenomenon and the respective consumers changed as a result of the project experience? Do you feel that it is worth knowing how these specific consumers (and the subculture they may represent) actually consume your chosen brand, product or category and what meaning it has in their lives? Why or why not? And for whom? Are the lessons you have learned from this particular project and this particular context transferable to other areas/aspects of consumer behaviour? What (soft) skills have you learned, developed or discovered within you during the project that you may find beneficial (or not) for your future life and career?
Please note that a diary involves the ongoing recording of your notes on your thoughts, feelings (joys, sorrows & anxieties) and other experiences during the research. It is NOT an essay or summary written on the last two days prior to submission!
General Guidance and Assessment Criteria
Key criteria for awarding marks are:
• Your ability to demonstrate that you have a sound knowledge and understanding of the relevant consumer behaviour theories and literature and how they relate to the consumption phenomenon that you are investigating.
• Your ability to collect, analyse and interpret qualitative data in relation to a consumer behaviour phenomenon of your choice and to link it to relevant consumer behaviour theories and literature.
• Your ability to critically evaluate the relevance, suitability and soundness of specific consumer behaviour theories in explaining consumers’ consumption experiences with a chosen brand, product or product category; especially when confronting them with real-life observation of consumption practices.
Please note that there are no “right or wrong” approaches to your research projects, which means that there are no “right boxes” you can simply tick for a good mark! Instead, the assignment allows students to produce widely different reports, using different theories and literature and provide different findings to score good marks. The difference between high and low marks lies primarily in the quality of the report in terms of in-depth knowledge, critical understanding, analytical coherence, interpretive depth and thoroughness.
The assessment criteria used focus on:
1. Choice and Use of Theory: You are expected to be very familiar with the relevant consumer behaviour theories and literature. Wider reading in the subject area that goes beyond the core text, such as journal articles, conference papers or other books, is needed. Does the work set out the relevant issues clearly? Does it demonstrate a sound grasp of the appropriate and relevant theories as well as literature relating to the investigated consumer behaviour phenomenon?
2. Critical Analysis of the Literature: You are expected to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate reviewed literature as to whether they are suitable and sufficient to explain aspects of consumer behaviour related to a consumption phenomenon under investigation or to provide insights into the meanings that certain products have for individual consumers. A literature review is not just a summarised description of literature sources & theories, but a critical reflection on the current academic debate on the investigated consumer behaviour phenomenon. Marks will be given for well-developed arguments that demonstrate critical-evaluative depth. So, please do not attempt to include everything presented in the module in your report, but be selective by focusing instead only on those particular themes that are relevant your research project.
3. Creative Depth Analysis & Interpretation of the Field Data: You are expected to demonstrate your ability to critically analyse the qualitative data that you have gathered through observation, interviews and self-observation for common patterns and themes that may provide interesting insights into consumption phenomenon and interpret their meanings for a consumer’s consumption experiences with your chosen brand, product or product category. It is hereby important that you look beyond what consumers have literally said or you literally observed and identify the underlying symbolic meanings of observed (ritualistic) patterns or used wordings. What are consumers actually saying between the lines without saying it in words? You must show that your interpretation has derived from your actual data and that you have not just selected some data extracts out of context that suited some preconceived themes.
4. Linking Findings to Existing Theory: You are expected to demonstrate your ability to discuss whether and how your findings confirm, support, add or contradict existing consumer behaviour theories. As marks are given to well-developed arguments that demonstrate critical-evaluative depth, you should focus on those few selected theories that are relevant to the themes you have identified in your findings and your literature review. What insights into consumers’ consumption experiences with your chosen brand, product or product category can the reader gain from your research report?
5. Citations and References used: Your work is expected to be well referenced with direct and indirect citations of appropriate literature that add weight to your arguments and support your analysis and interpretations. Are the read and cited literature sources of adequate relevance, appropriateness, breadth and depth? Do they comply with the outlined requirements? Have you used the Harvard Referencing System as requested?

 

 

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