Essay Instructions: COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Your course of study at the Sy Syms School of Business, along with this research that explores the theoretical framework of your business major/concentration, provides you with a solid foundation to meet the challenges of your chosen career path. Your senior research will synthesize and integrate theoretical, technical and empirical research that has been conducted by practitioners and scholars in management and marketing. You are required to develop a research question, hypotheses, and a method for testing it. This will include a review of the current literature, development of research themes or hypotheses, and marketing strategy and future research suggestions.
REVISION
Revision is the heart of the writing process?the means by which ideas emerge and evolve and meanings are clarified. It is a process of developing and improving a piece of writing. It is not an indication that you have failed to do it right the first time. Through this process of revision not only will this current paper improve, but you will learn a skill that you can take with you on any endeavor.
REQUIREMENTS:
You are required to write a quality paper no shorter than 25 pages, no longer than 50 pages (excluding the references). The references must contain a minium of 12 academic journal articles (see examples listed below). It is also advisable that the references contain any current business literature.
ORGANIZATION OF PAPER
Papers should be typed double-spaced (including references and footnotes) and stapled, with pages numbered consecutively throughout the paper. The abstract should be on page roman numeral i and the table of contents should be on roman numeral page ii. The introduction begins on page 1.
The paper should have one inch margins all around. The font should be Times New Roman 12 pt. It is required that the paper include subheadings to aid the reader. Be careful that no subheadings are left dangling at the end of a page.
Proportional spaced type should not be used. Ragged right margin is preferred.
First Page: Cover/title page (sample included)
Second Page: Abstract (100 words or less that substantively summarizes the article.) Page # i
Third Page: Table of Contents (sample included) Page # ii
Next: List of Tables (if necessary) page # iii
Next: List of Figures (if necessary) page # iv
Next: The text, with major headings in all capital letters and bold, centered on the page, subheadings in capital and lowercase letters centered on the page (no bold), and tertiary headings in capital and lower-case letters, bold, flush with the left margin.
Introduction (page 1). This section should introduce and justify why you have decided the study the topic. The last paragraph in this section should tell the reader what is coming next (e.g., summarize the table of contents).
Literature Review. This section reviews previous academic and business literature that is relevant to the topic and development of the hypotheses or themes. You must review 10-12 academic articles and develop or discuss a theory base for your hypothesis or themes.
Hypotheses. State your hypothesis or themes for a qualitative study. Hypothesis should be stated in the following form:
Therefore, the first hypothesis can be stated:
H1: Consumer regret has a negative influence on repurchase intentions, and satisfaction has a positive influence on repurchase.
In addition, the preceding discussion leads the second hypothesis:
H2: Consumer regret has no influence on complaint intentions, whereas satisfaction has a negative influence on complaint intentions.
Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H3: Consumer regret has a negative influence on satisfaction.
Method and Measurement. Describe a study that can be used to measure the hypotheses developed in the paper. For example, an experiment, a survey, or observational research can be proposed. Discuss the independent and dependant variables. Are there any established scales to measure these variables? How can the hypotheses be tested?
Marketing Strategy Suggestions. What can you suggest to marketers if the hypotheses are confirmed?
Conclusions, implications, future study suggestions
References (see below)
Appendix (All articles)
ADDITIONAL HELPFUL HINTS:
Try to avoid the use of the following words: I, me, you, get, got.
When summarizing the journal articles, use proper cites.
REFERENCE CITATIONS IN TEXT:
The following is an opening paragraph from an article in the Journal of Consumer Research. Please note the method for citations in the text.
Numerous researchers have suggested that we are currently experiencing a fundamental transformation in the practice of marketing (Deighton 1996; Forrest and Mizerski 1996). Technology is recognized as the driving force behind this transformation; more specifically, a combination of computing, database, and network technology is making it not only technically possible but also economically advantageous for companies to cultivate long-term, personalized relationships with individual customers on a relatively large scale (Pine 1993; Schwartz 1997). As a result, a growing number of researchers and practitioners are de-emphasizing mass production and broadcast marketing in favor of relationship building, customized production, and one-to-one marketing (Fournier 1998; Peppers and Rogers 1993, 1997).
Citations are by author?s last name and date of publication enclosed in parentheses without punctuation:
(Cohn 2000).
Multiple citations are listed alphabetically and separated by semicolons:
(Pine 1993; Schwartz 1997)
Multiple citations by the same author are separated by a comma:
(Peppers and Rogers 1993, 1997)
Preferably, the citation should stand just within a punctuation mark. If this is impractical, it should be inserted at a logical break in the sentence. When it is necessary to reference a particular page, section, or equation, the page number should be placed within the parentheses:
(Andreasen 1984, p. 785).
THE REFERENCE LIST:
References must be double spaced with a hanging indent and begin on a new page following the text. The reference list is not intended to serve as a bibliography; all unnecessary, redundant, or tangential references should be eliminated. Each reference should be cited in the text at an appropriate place. Do not include uncited works in the reference list. You are required to consult a minimum of 12 academic journal articles. In addition, you are encouraged to consult business publications.
Include first names of all authors and editors. Authors whose first names never appear in print can be left with initials only.
List references alphabetically by last name of the first author. Subsequent authors in the entry are listed by first and last name. Articles by a single author precede coauthored works by that author.
Periodicals: List author name(s), including first names(s), publication date, article title in quotes, unabbreviated name of the periodical underlined, volume number, issue designation (month, season, or number, in that priority), and full page numbers:
Sherry Jr., John F. (1983), "Gift Giving: An Anthropological Perspective," Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (September), 157-168.
Rudd, Joel and Frank J. Kohout (1983), "Individual and Group Consumer Information Acquisition in Brand Choice Situations," Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (December), 303-309.
Books: List author names(s), including first name(s), publication date, book title underlined, place of publication, and name of publisher:
Cheal, David (1988), The Gift Economy. (New York: Routledge).
Excerpts from books: List author name(s) including first name(s), publication date, article/chapter title in quotes, book title underlined, editor(s), place of publication, name of publisher, and excerpt page numbers:
Ozanne, Julie L. And Laurel Anderson Hudson (1989), "Exploring Diversity in Consumer Research," in Interpretive Consumer Research, (ed.) E.C. Hirschman, (Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research), 1-9.
Journal article on the Web:
American survey: the jam- and- Perrier budget. (1996, September 28). Economist, 340 (7985). [online]. (Accessed: November 16, 1996) Available: http://www.economist.com/issue/28-09-96/am3063.html.
Corporate report in print:
Robert Mondavi Corporation. Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995.
Corporate report on Lexis-Nexis:
Robert Mondavi Corporation. Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995. [online]. (Accessed: September 30, 1996) Available: Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.
Nestle SA, Switzerland. (1995 report) [online]. (Accessed: September 30, 1996) Available: Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.
Company Web site
Ben & Jerry's. (1998). [online] (Accessed: January 20, 1998) Available: http://www.benjerry.com/.
Report from STAT-USA Web site
Mexico - Women's Apparel - Market Research Report ISA 9504. (April 1995) [online]. (Accessed: September 30, 1996) Available: http://www.stat-usa.gov/BEN/inqprogs1/webdoc.cgi/public/market/9660?mexico.
Additional citation style examples may be found on the Web itself. Here are some sites that offer suggestions for citing Internet sources.
Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information:
http://www.uvm.edu/~ncrane/estyles/
Guidelines for Citing Internet Sources (APA)
(http://www.beadsland.com/weapas/)
APA Style Guide (Access Indiana Teaching & Learning Center)
http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html#Web Site
SOURCES:
How to use Remote Access to access Proquest.
www.yu.edu
libraries
Pollack or Hedi Steinberg
remote access
ID (your bar code from yu id card)
Password (first time users-YULIS) you will be prompted to change it
databases
business and economics
abi inform/proquest
In search methods click on Guided
Choose your search terms carefully.
Possible Sources:
American Demographics
American Economic Review
British Journal of Marketing
Business Horizons
Columbia Journal of World Business
European Journal of Marketing
Harvard Business Review
International Journal of Advertising
International Journal of Research in Marketing
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Applied Business Research
Journal of Business Research
Journal of Business Ethics
Journal of Consumer Marketing
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Direct Marketing
Journal of Economic Psychology
Journal of Health Care Marketing
Journal of Interactive Marketing
Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of Macromarketing
Journal of Management
Journal of Management Studies
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Marketing Research
Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management
Journal of Personality
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Journal of Professional Services Marketing
Journal of Promotion Management
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Journal of Retailing
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
Psychology and Marketing
Some Helpful Links to Sources:
www.demographics.com
www.knowthis.com
http://marketing.kub.nl/journal1.htm
How to Begin:
Meet with Dr. Cohn to discuss topics.
Discuss search terms
Hand in Initial Form.
Select a topic: search a computerized database for related articles; select articles and draft an outline; (i.e. a one-page proposal).
Once approved, develop hypotheses, research and begin drafting your paper. Don't miss your deadlines! Remember that you can expect the paper to be returned to you for revisions.
Topic Suggestions: (or think one up yourself. The more interesting the topic is to you the easier time you will have researching and writing the paper)
Advertising effectiveness
Attitude formation
Branding
Business ethics
Competitive advantage
Consumer behavior
Consumer preferences
Consumerism
Coupons
Cultural differences
Direct marketing
Family decision making
Gender
Generation X
Gift giving (e.g. Christmas gifts, business gifts)
Green Marketing
Health care marketing
Innovation
Internet marketing
Motivation
New product management
Pricing
Private brands
Product placement
Relationship marketing
Reference group influence
Salesperson gifts and bribes
Service marketing
The elderly consumer
Sample Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................i
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................ii
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1
LITERATURE REVIEW
Background ...................................................................................................................5
Definition and Discussion of the First Variable...............................................................10
Definition and Discussion of the Second Variable...........................................................15
Hypothesis 1..................................................................................................................20
Definition and Discussion of the Third Variable..............................................................21
Hypothesis 2..................................................................................................................22
METHOD
Experimental or Survey Design......................................................................................23
Subjects or Respondents ...............................................................................................26
Measurement ................................................................................................................29
DISCUSSION .........................................................................................................................35
Marketing Strategy .......................................................................................................40
Future Research ............................................................................................................45
CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................48
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................51
APPENDIX 1
Sample title page
CONSUMER GIFTING:
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF
HUSBANDS AND WIVES AFTER THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CHILD