MD4058 Assessment Two Research Proposal Marking Scheme (2020-2

MD4058 Assessment Two Research Proposal Marking Scheme
(2020-21, September 2020 Cohort)
Section &
Weighing
Distinction
Merit
Pass
Fail
Introduction:
Research
background,
topic, aim &
objectives
15%
Excellent, well focused
and convincing purpose of
proposed research. Very

well defined and feasible
research aim & objectives.
Convincing justification of
topic and research
background.
Very well outlined and
convincing purpose,
which addresses the
original research aim
& objectives.
Clear and critically
evaluated justification
of topic and research
background.
Sufficient awareness of
research purpose, which
relates to the research
aim & objectives with
some weaknesses in the
integration. Some, yet
rather weak justification
of topic and research
background.
Little or no awareness of
research purpose. No
outline of research aim
& objectives. Insufficient
justification of topic and
research background.
Literature
review

25%
Excellent links between
topic and literature.
Extensive and focused
awareness of academic
literature with advanced,
in-depth critical review.
Coherent and logically
structured.
Convincing links
between topic and
literature. Extensive
and critical awareness
of academic
literature.
Thoughtfully
structured.
Links topic and
literature. Theory is
discussed descriptively
and to a limited extent.
Some weaknesses in the
internal consistency
Some academic sources
used, but limited and
basic.
Lacks logical links.
Limited awareness of
theory, lacking in clarity.
Significant weaknesses

in the internal
consistency. Little
evidence of reading.
Methodology
25%
Excellent logical
connections between the
research aim & objectives
and methodology. Critical
discussion of relevant
philosophical and
methodological issues.
Persuasive presentation of
rationale for the research
methods, data collection
and analysis strategy.
Advanced, critical
explanation for rejection
of other methods.
Convincing logical
connections between
the research aim &
objectives and
methodology. Critical
appreciation of
relevant philosophical
and methodological
issues.
Clear presentation
research methods,
data collection and

analysis strategy.
Logical connections
between the research
aim & objectives and
methodology.
Familiarity with
philosophical and
A competent rationale
presented for research
methods, data collection
and analysis with some
weaknesses.
Lacks logical
connections. Little or no
awareness of
philosophical and
Little or no justification
of research methods,
data collection and
analysis.
Ethical
consideration,
possible
limitation,
and research
timescales
15%

Critical discussion about
research ethics. Critical
awareness of research
limitations. Persuasive
description of proposed
timescales.
Thoughtful discussion
about research ethics.
Clear awareness of
research limitations.
Consistent description
of proposed
timescales.
Some thought about
research ethics.
Awareness research
limitations.
Adequate description of
proposed timescales.
Limited consideration
about research ethics.
Little or no awareness of
research limitations.
Little or no
consideration about
research timescales.
Presentation,
structure, and
format
15%

Sophisticated research
proposal with excellent
organisation, grammar
and spelling. Logically
structured and clearly
written. Word count
clearly stated and within
the word limit. Format
meets all requirements
outlined in the
‘Submission Details’ in the
‘Assignment Brief’.
Thoughtful research
proposal with
accurate organisation,
grammar and spelling.
Clearly structured.
Word count clearly
stated and within the
word limit. Format
meets most
requirements outlined
in the ‘Submission
Details’ in the
Adequate research
proposal with sufficient
and spelling. Adequately
structured. Word count
stated and within the
word limit. Format
meets some

Details’ in the
Inadequate research
proposal with
inconsistent
and spelling.
Inadequately structured.
Format meets few
Details’ in the
Harvard
Referencing
5%
Excellent and accurate
Harvard Referencing style
adopted throughout.
Consistent Harvard
Referencing style
adopted throughout.
Sufficient use of Harvard
Referencing style.
Inadequate and/or

incomplete use of
Harvard Referencing
style.
1
1. TITLE
An investigation into the impacts of CSR (Corporate Social
Responsibility) programs
on client loyalty– A study based on IKEA store, Warrington
UK.
2. INTRODUCTION
Investments in corporate social responsibilities and activities by
businesses are not
only aimed at improving business reputation, but also to foster
customer loyalty
(Coleman, 2019). This report will focus on understanding the
business benefits of CSR
programs with a specific emphasis on brand loyalty among the
customers. The
following section will provide the context of the proposed
research, the rationale
behind this study, aims and key research objectives. It is

followed by literature review
section that provides a critique of pertinent literature gathered
from secondary
sources. The methodology chapter covers philosophical
underpinnings, research
methods, sampling techniques, data, collection tools proposed
to conduct the research
along with discussion in limitations and key ethical issues.
3. RESEARCH JUSTIFICATION
a) Background
The expectations among the customers from businesses move
beyond economics as
social and environmental issues are also keenly observed by
them (Andrews, 2017).
Businesses are striving to create a positive impact among the
stakeholders by
establishing CSR programmes and involving various parties to
implement them in a
bid to make a difference in the societies they operate in.
Although the concept of CSR
is around in the business world for many decades, it is gaining
momentum in recent
times as it provides opportunities to improve transparency,

reinforce their commitment
2
towards the external environment and improve brand perception
among the customers
(Daudigeos et al, 2011). CSR is considered by experts as an
approach to sustainable
business development that delivers environmental, social and
economic benefits.
Apart from being viewed as a moral obligation, (Ellis-Hall,
2019) opines that
businesses must view CSR as a vital opportunity to improve
brand reputation, improve
engagement with the customers, enhance employee engagement
and a tool to
promote collaboration and innovation.
Research by Reputation Institute, distributed in Forbes
Magazine, shown that 42% of
individuals assess an organization dependent on the degree of
contribution in CSR
exercises (Ellis-Hall, 2020). Hence it is important to study this
area as it will unfold the

emerging CSR trends in the retail industry and the evolving
customer perceptions
about the same (Fleischman, 2012). As the perception among
the public is critical for
pursuing long-term goals of the business, businesses are
increasingly engaging
positively and actively with communities. (Woo, 2014) suggests
that CSR programmes
allow employees to establish a direct communication with
potential customers thereby
indirectly leaving a positive influence on them about the brand.
As customer loyalty is
one of the major goals of businesses in highly competitive
business environments, the
effectiveness of CSR programmes in achieving this goal will be
investigated
thoroughly in this proposed research (Galan, 2011).
b) Research Aim and Objectives
Investigating the effect of CSR exercises on brand perception
and loyalty among the
customers of IKEA Warrington is the aim of this research.
The following are the research objectives:

3
1. To critically analyse the role of CSR policies in fostering
positive brand
reputation among the customers
2. To investigate the emerging CSR trends in the UK’s retail
industry and critical
success factors in implementing them
3. To critically assess the usefulness of CSR programmes used
by IKEA
Warrington in fostering loyalty among the customers
4. To make recommendations to the case study organisation
IKEA Warrington on
improving CSR programmes based on findings of this research
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
Demonstrating a commitment towards social and environmental
responsibilities are
considered as being imperative for businesses in the current
environment. According
to (Piga, 2012), employees resonate with the CSR performance
of the organisations.
As per study carried out by CONE communications in 2016, 64

percent of the
millennials prefer working for an organisation that indulges in
CSR activities compared
to the businesses that won’t (Coleman, 2019). Indulging in
philanthropic causes is
recognised by businesses as a means to give back to the
communities they operate
in, with an expectation of improving positive social value
among the general public. As
per (Galan, 2011), although the essence of CSR activities is to
address the social and
natural issues in a selfless manner by investing in CSR
programmes, it is now viewed
as a strategic approach to boost brand reputation. (Fleischman,
2012) opines that
incorporating environmental and social concerns into day-to-day
operation and the
planning processes is imperative for sustainable development of
the business.
(Ellis-Hall, 2020) talks about various benefits of CSR
programmes for an organisation
such as organisational growth, better brand recognition, savings
on operational costs,

4
enhanced customer loyalty, complying with legislation and
regulations and fostering
public trust in the company. However, (Daudigeos et al, 2011)
argue that customers
are increasingly become aware of corporate greenwashing and
are wary of the actual
difference made by the business to the social and environmental
causes through their
CSR initiatives. In these cases, CSR programmes, if not
implemented in a transparent
manner, could produce counter-productive results in terms of
improve public
perception and brand loyalty. On the other hand, (Galan, 2011)
argues the principles
of the CSR goes against the financial objectives of a business
organisation as it has
a responsibility towards protecting the financial interests of the
business stakeholders.
According to (Piga, 2012), misalignment of the social causes
that do not properly
reflect the central idea of the business is non-beneficial to the
business.

Apart from the time and money spent on various CSR activities
by business
organisations, it is also important to assess the actual impact of
these initiatives that
have a strong impact. (Coleman, 2019) suggests that companies
indulging in CSR
activities often highlight their CSR work in monetary terms in
annual reports and other
business communications without providing much information
on the impact created
towards the cause. On the other hand, (Andrews, 2017) opines
that CSR performance
of businesses can translate into truly financial value by
enhancing the social and
environmental awareness among the customers and employees.
The emotional link
that can be established with the target customers through
specific CSR measures
such as supporting animal rights, protecting the environment
and alleviating poverty
as customers feel strongly about these causes and may prefer
the brand over its
competitors (Ellis-Hall, 2019).

Attracting and retailing talent is another important benefit that
businesses can derive
through the well designed CSR programs. According to (Galan,
2011), the positive
5
image achieved by the brand through CSR activities may attract
the potential talented
job seekers who take a sense of pride in working for the
organisations which in turn
help businesses to improve the quality of service delivered to
the customers. As per
(Ellis-Hall, 2019), motivated and engaged employees are likely
to deliver better
performance in terms of delivering services to the customers,
the satisfaction among
the target customers can be increased significantly. Although
research indicates that
CSR programmes by businesses improve positive attitude among
the public,
questions remain if that positive attitude influences brand
loyalty and consumer buying
behaviour. (Coleman, 2019) opines that regardless of its

advantages and pitfalls, the
CSR is evolving to be a strategic approach among the business
organisations to
achieve sustainable competitive advantage and to foster loyalty
among the customers.
5. METHODOLOGY
a) Philosophical position and approach
The question of perceiving social entities as subjective or
objective is the central
question associated with ontology (Thornhill, 2014). Ontology
is the belief system in
which the interpretations by individuals about what constitutes
a fact are considered.
Epistemology on the other hand refers to the study of
knowledge. Positivist research
paradigm is best suited for this research as it will enable the
researcher to follow a
well-designed structure to collect and analyse data during the
research (Flick, 2011).
The methodology that will be used in this research is
quantitative as it makes use of
quantitative tools such as the survey questionnaires to collect
data. Deductive

approach will be used to conduct this research.
6
b) Research methods
Questionnaires will be used in this research to collect primary
data from the chosen
participants to gain insights about the research topic.
Questionnaires are not only
practical but are considered to be very effective in collecting
data from large number
of people without affecting its reliability and validity (Bowman,
2012). It helps the
researcher to collect data in a short period which plays a key
role in completing the
research within the specified timeframe. The estimated number
of questions that will
be included in the questionnaire is 15.
c) Research Design, sample and sampling
The research design refers to a succinct plan and an overall
strategy to achieve the
objectives of a proposed research. It can be understood as a
blueprint that helps the

reader understand how various components of the research are
integrated in a logical
manner to address the central research idea (Thornhill, 2014).
This research design
that will be followed in this research is ‘Case study’ as it most
suited to analyse a
phenomenon and gain a deeper understanding of an issue in
real-life context. The
case study organisation in this research is IKEA, Warrington,
UK. The sample of this
research constitute the customers of IKEA store based in
Warrington. Age groups
between 18 to 65 will be chosen for this research for their
inputs on effects of CSR on
their brand loyalty. Convenience sampling technique will be
used to select the
participants in this research.
d) Data Analysis
MS excel will be used by the researcher to analyse the
questionnaire data with an
emphasis on measuring central tendencies by calculating mean,
median, mode and
standard deviation wherever essential. Bar Graphs, table and

pie-charts will also be
7
used for pictorial representation of data. The analysis of
primary data will focus mainly
on establishing linkages with literature review to unfold any
connections or emerging
themes pertinent to the research topic.
e) Limitations
The anticipated challenges of this proposed research include
obtaining consent of
customers to participate in this research, the completion of
research within the
specified timeframe and the maintenance of social distancing
norms and other safety
measures while interacting with the participants in the wake of
the current ongoing
coronavirus pandemic. Online questionnaires will be used in
place of paper-based
questionnaires if the participants are willing to participate in
research to minimise the
risk of physical contact of the paper-based questionnaire.

f) Ethical Considerations
Conducting the research in a fair and ethical manner is one of
the key responsibilities
of the researcher. The guidelines prescribed by the Faculty of
Business and Law at
UCLAN to conduct the research will be strictly followed to
ensure the research is
conducted appropriately. Before commencing the research, the
‘Ethical Approval
Form’ will be filled and will be submitted to the tutor to
progress with the data collection
and other aspects of the research. The participants of this
research, mainly the
customers of IKEA Warrington, will be given consent forms to
sign to ensure they
voluntarily take part in this research. The participants of this
research will also be
informed that they can withdraw at any time if they wish so.
The files that contain the
collected data will be stored securely using password protected
files to avoid any
unauthorised access.

8
6. Research Timeline
RESEARCH PHASE TIMEFRAME
LITERATURE REVIEW 4 WEEKS
QUESTIONNAIRE PREPARATION 1 WEEK
COLLECTION OF DATA 2 WEEKS
ANALYSIS OF COLLECTED DATA 2 WEEKS
DISCUSSION & FINDINGS 2 WEEKS
CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
2 WEEKS
PROOF READING 2 DAYS
7. Conclusion
In this report, the aim and objectives of the chosen research
topic are outlined with a
clear introduction and justification for the selection of this
topic. The review of literature

in this report pointed out to the emerging trends in the CSR
including increasing social
awareness among the customers about CSR programmes,
prioritisation of job seekers
of companies based on better CSR performance and the strategic
importance
attached to CSR to sustain competitive advantage.
Questionnaires are selected by the
researcher to collect data from customers of IKEA, Warrington
for this proposed
research considering their advantages in enabling the researcher
complete the
research in time. The ethical considerations and the key
limitations of this research
are included in this report.
9
8. REFERENCES
Andrews R. L. (2017), “The impact of corporate social
disclosure on investment
behavior: A cross-national study”, Journal of Accounting and
Public Policy, 29(2), 177-

19
Bowman S (2012), “Research Methodology- Methods and
Techniques”, Second
Edition, Oxford University Press
Coleman A (2019), “Should business be paying more attention
to CSR”, <
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/ready-and-enabled/why-
corporate-social-
responsibility-is-important/> Accessed Date 01 December 2020
Daudigeos, T., & Valiorgue, B. (2011). Conditions for value
creation in the marketplace
through the management of CSR issues. Second edition,
Routledge
Ellis-Hall W (2020), “The Importance of CSR and Why a
Company Should Embrace
it”, https://www.drpgroup.com/en/blog/the-importance-of-csr-
and-why-a-company-
should-embrace-it Accessed Date 02 December 2020
Flick U (2011), “Introducing Research Methodology: A
Beginner’s Guide to Doing a
Research Project”, First Edition, Sage Publishers
Fleischman G. (2012), “Ethics programs, perceived corporate

social responsibility and
job satisfaction”, Journal of Business Ethics, 77(2), 159-172
Galan J I. (2011), “Effects of corporate social responsibility on
brand value”, Journal
of Brand Management, 18(6), 423-437
Piga, C. (2012). "Corporate social responsibility: A theory of
the firm perspective." A
few comments and some suggestions. Academy of Management
Review, 27, 13-15
10
Thornhill A. (2014), “Research Methodology: Methods and
Techniques”, First edition,
Blackwell Publications
Woo J. (2014), “How CSR leads to corporate brand equity:
Mediating mechanisms of
corporate brand credibility and reputation”, Journal of Business
Ethics, 125(1), 75-86

1
MD4058 – Research and Study Skills
A research on the impact of green marketing on customer
buying behaviour in the UK retail
consumer goods industry, a case study of Unilever, UK.
2
Contents
Introduction
...............................................................................................
................................. 3
Context of the study
...............................................................................................
.................... 3
Research aim
...............................................................................................
........................... 4
Research objectives
...............................................................................................
................. 4

Literature
Review....................................................................................
................................... 4
Green
marketing................................................................................
..................................... 4
Green buying behaviour
...............................................................................................
.......... 4
Relation between green marketing techniques and customer
buying behaviour ................... 5
Methodology
...............................................................................................
............................... 5
Philosophical position and approach
..................................................................................... 5
Research Methodology and methods
..................................................................................... 6
Research design, sample and sampling
.................................................................................. 6
Data Analysis
...............................................................................................
.......................... 7
Limitations
...............................................................................................
.............................. 7

Ethical Considerations
...............................................................................................
............ 7
Research Timeline
...............................................................................................
.................. 8
Conclusion
...............................................................................................
.................................. 8
Reference
...............................................................................................
.................................... 9
3
Introduction
The primary aim of this research to establish the reasons that
lead retail consumer goods
companies to implement green marketing techniques and to
explore how these techniques
influence buying behaviour of customers. The first part of the
study provides the context, aim

and objectives of the study and the rationale for choosing the
topic. The second part analyses
and reviews the available literatures on the research question.
The third part is where the
researcher has explained the methodologies that will be
followed in the study. The research
timeline and conclusion has also been provided at the end of
this study.
Context of the study
Green marketing has been defined by Mahmoud (2018) as the
combination of environmental
concerns and marketing mix and marketing communications of
organisations. Green
marketing is also a successful strategy that educate consumers
on the merits of buying and
using environmentally friendly products and services and
thereby influencing their purchasing
behaviours. Yet, green marketing techniques are not as simple
as they seem to be and several
implications interconnect and challenge each other (Ranjan and
Kushwaha, 2017).
To materialise green marketing techniques, companies need to
have complete awareness on the

factors/ reasons that could persuade their consumers to make
green purchases (Karunarathna
et al., 2020). There are several factors influencing customer
buying behaviour and their ability
of decision making is one among them. Nedumaran (2020)
identified that customers in
developed nations like USA, UK etc. are driven by eco-
awareness and promote green
purchases. But there are contradictory studies which cite that
green marketing techniques have
no role in influencing consumer buying behaviour, especially in
consume goods sector. At the
same time, latest literatures suggest that customers are the
largest group of stakeholders to any
company and therefore, the latter has the responsibility to
generating awareness and changing
buying behaviour of the former.
In UK, not many studies have been found which explored the
role of green marketing
techniques in influencing customer buying behaviour in the UK
retail consumer goods industry,
and there is growing need for more research in this context.
Being one of the fastest growing
and largest contributing sectors in UK, this study has chosen the

consumer goods retail industry
in the country. As environmental destruction, global warming
issues etc. are rising up, it
becomes necessary to explore on the possibilities of role of
green marketing techniques in
influencing customer buying behaviour in the chosen industry.
4
Research aim
The main aim of the current research is to investigate on the
impact of green marketing on
customer buying behaviour in the UK retail consumer goods
industry. The research will be
completed using the case study on Unilever in London.
Research objectives
• To establish green marketing techniques employed by the
management of Unilever for
its customers
• To determine the reasons behind implementation of green
marketing techniques by
Unilever

• To establish whether, and if so to what extent, the green
marketing techniques of
Unilever influences the buying behaviour of its customers in
London.
• To provide recommendations for Unilever, London, to
efficiently improvise its green
marketing techniques and positively influence customer buying
behaviour.
Literature Review
Green marketing
From the perspective of companies as well the society, green
marketing has become a
significant area of research. Green marketing is very similar to
normal marketing techniques;
but the main difference is that green marketing integrates
marketing techniques that promote
the production, pricing, differentiation, distribution and
consumption of environmentally
friendly and safe products and services. It is the range of
techniques that take initiative to alter
manufacturing processes, alter product lines and packaging
methods, and transform advertising
(Shabbir et al., 2020).

Green buying behaviour
In order to understand the factors that drive consumers to make
green purchases, it is necessary
to understand what is green behaviour. Green buying behaviour
is the act of buying
environmentally safe products and services and which are
recyclable and valuable to the
ecology. Through green buying behaviour, consumers avoid the
act of busying products and
services that harm the society (Jaju, 2016).
As per Groening, Sarkis and Zhu (2018) several factors
influence the decision-making process
of customers before making purchases and awareness about the
impact made by their purchases
is main among them. Various studies done on green marketing
has shown positive relation with
green buying behaviour of customers. Ardey et al. (2018)
observed a positive correlation
5
between customers environmental values and their assurance on
the performance of eco-

friendly products. several other factors in green marketing could
influence the buying decisions
of customers, says Shamim and Ali (2017). Some among them
are recycling, use of
biodegradable products, elimination of plastics, saving trees
through reduction in use of paper,
avoiding plastics, reducing electricity and water consumption,
eliminating use of aerosols,
promoting organic food products etc. Eco-labelling is also an
important factor that has
promoted green buying behaviour among customers in recent
periods (Yadav, Dokania and
Pathak, 2016).
Relation between green marketing techniques and customer
buying behaviour
In accordance with Dangelico and Vocalelli (2017), green
marketing techniques focus on the
intensity level of cognitive persuasion strategy. Also, marketers
find that the growing high
involvement of consumers in selecting environmental-friendly
goods is the reason behind green
purchasing behaviour. Syaekhoni, Alfian and Kwon (2017) but
suggested that this is not the

same with every consumer and every market and each market
should require different green
marketing techniques so as to influence the buying behaviour of
customers. Initiating
environmental awareness is definitely the main factor behind
these techniques. Consumers
need to know that at one point both them and the environment
are interconnected and only
those marketers who can let consumers know on this will
succeed in influencing their buying
behaviour. Green marketing techniques are definitely successful
in improving the quality of
life and environmental sustainability. But the process of
influencing customer buying
behaviour through green marketing techniques is still complex
and companies need to take
extra efforts on the same. It is imperative for the companies to
determine and survey customer
needs in a subjective manner to understand about their opinions,
thoughts and expectations on
changing their buying behaviour (Shamim and Ali, 2017).
Methodology
Philosophical position and approach

The current study will pursue interpretivism philosophy and
deductive approach and will make
use of primary data in order to accomplish the aim and
objectives. As mentioned by Snyder
(2019) use of interpretivism philosophy will help in determining
why and how green marketing
techniques influences the buying behaviour of customers and
also to incorporate human
interests into the study. Deductive approach is best suitable for
this study as it will allow in
testing the validity of the known theory on green marketing
techniques and customer buying
6
behaviour in the context of retail consumer goods sector and to
test the facts from a broad
perspective to specific perspective. Moreover, the researcher
will be able to quantify the
observations and clarify the causal relationships between the
variables under study (Dodds and
Hess, 2020).
Research Methodology and methods

This research aims to establish whether and to what extent, the
green marketing techniques
influences the buying behaviour of Unilever customers in
London and therefore, gathering of
primary data from the population under study will benefit in
gaining accurate and updated
information on the research subject. The researcher will be able
to ensure that the data is
authentic and non-duplicated and is unique in relation to the
context of the study (Ørngreen
and Levinsen, 2017). Using primary method, the data
pertaining to Unilever in London can be
specifically analysed and interpreted and the data will include
both qualitative and quantitative
information. When the qualitative data would assist in
understanding the feeling and emotions
of the population under study on green marketing techniques,
quantitative data will help in
determining the preciseness of such techniques on customer
buying behaviour. Moreover, use
of qualitative and quantitative will help in cross-examining and
validating the information
gathered from one another and ensure consistency in research
findings (Basias and Pollalis,

2018).
Research design, sample and sampling
This study is based on the case study analysis of Unilever
consumer goods company in London
and the population under study would include all managers and
customers of Unilever. As it is
difficult to study every member in the targeted population,
representatives of each group will
be chosen as samples. The researcher aims to give equal
important to every member in the
population and therefore, samples will be chosen by applying
simple random sampling
technique. It has been studied by Taherdoost (2016) that case
study assists in gathering large
amount of information on a company in an in-depth manner.
Case study also benefits in
conducting research remotely and to remain relevant during the
data collection process and
turn opinions into verified facts. As the most common and
suitable techniques in case study
analysis, interviews and surveys will be done in this study with
3 managers and 50 customers
of Unilever London, respectively. Interviews are beneficial in
recording the qualitative

opinions on green marketing techniques and customer buying
behaviour and surveys are
beneficial in gathering large amount of quantifiable data
relating to the research issues, in less
cost and time (Snyder, 2019).
7
Data Analysis
The data analysis in this study will be done using descriptive
method by assessing the
frequencies and percentages of incidences of various data. In
order to represent the gathered
information in a meaningful manner, graphs and charts will be
used and this will be done using
MS Excel. The researcher also aims to cross-compare the
findings from primary data with the
information from literature review to form a constructive
conclusion to the study.
Limitations
With the outbreak of novel coronavirus pandemic, collection of
primary data has become

tedious and complex. Meeting every human participant in the
study directly is doubtful and
this shall be a major limitation of the study. It is due to this
reason that the samples have been
restricted to small size consisting of 3 managers and 50
employees in Unilever, London.
Besides, the time and cost are very limited for the study and so,
the study is limited to just one
company i.e., Unilever, in one location which is London. The
study will not using any statistical
tools like SPSS and this is also expected to limit the output and
findings of the study. As the
study is done on a single company at a single location, the
generalisation of findings is limited
to the chosen sample.
To overcome the impact made by the global pandemic, the
researcher plans to conduct data
collection through online mode. The time, cost, effort and stress
involved in online data
collection is less when compared to physical data collection and
the researcher will be able to
concentrate more on data analysis and interpretation. The
researcher aims to obtain emails of
employees and customers of Unilever in London and send them

a formal request which would
detail the purpose of the study. The managers of Unilever will
be approached for an online
face-to-face interview on agreed dates, time and duration. The
selected group of customers will
be provided with survey questionnaire via Google form and this
will be shared to their emails.
Concurrently, those customers who find it difficult to record
their feedback via emails will be
provided with the same Google form questionnaire via
WhatsApp, upon their approval and this
shall ease the process of data collection and reduce the
limitation caused by the pandemic, to a
great extent (Dodds and Hess, 2020).
Ethical Considerations
This study will strictly follow the rules and regulations
prescribed by the Data Protection Act
(DPA) 2018 and personal data of all participants will be
maintained with utmost
confidentiality. No information shared by the participants shall
be shared with a third party and
8

the data gathered will be made use only for this research study.
Upon completion of the
research, the data will be properly destructed, abiding the DPA.
Research Timeline
Activities Month (Nov 2020 to July 2021)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Formation and approval of research topic,
aims and objectives
Acceptance of research proposal
Developing overview and introduction to
research
Review and analysis of existing literatures
Primary data collection
Analysis of data
Interpretation of data
Research findings
Conclusions and recommendations

Final submission
Conclusion
As cited by Mahmoud (2018) the popularity for green marketing
is increasing day by day as it
is known to be environment friendly and promoting human life
sustainability. Many empirical
researches conducted in developed nations have recognised the
role of green marketing
techniques in popularising environment friendly purchasing
behaviour among consumers. But
influencing purchasing behaviour among consumers using green
marketing techniques is still
complex and this aims to establish whether the green marketing
techniques of Unilever UK
influences the buying behaviour of its customers in London. As
part of the research, the existing
literatures have been reviewed in this report the methodology to
be followed for the study has
been detailed. This study has also provided the research
timeline at the end.

9
Reference
Ardey, R., Rithika, S., Singh, N. and Mehendale, S. (2018)
Impact of Green Marketing on
Consumer Buying Behaviour–A Methodological and thematic
Review. Asian Journal of
Management, 9(1), pp.802-806.
Basias, N. and Pollalis, Y. (2018) Quantitative and qualitative
research in business &
technology: Justifying a suitable research methodology. Review
of Integrative Business and
Economics Research, 7, pp.91-105.
Dangelico, R.M. and Vocalelli, D. (2017) “Green Marketing”:
an analysis of definitions,
strategy steps, and tools through a systematic review of the
literature. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 165, pp.1263-1279.
Dodds, S. and Hess, A.C. (2020) Adapting research
methodology during COVID-19: lessons
for transformative service research. Journal of Service
Management.

Groening, C., Sarkis, J. and Zhu, Q. (2018) Green marketing
consumer-level theory review: A
compendium of applied theories and further research directions.
Journal of Cleaner
Production, 172, pp.1848-1866.
Jaju, A. (2016) A study of the Impact of Green Marketing on
Consumer Purchasing Patterns
and Decision Making in Telangana, India (Doctoral dissertation,
Dublin, National College of
Ireland).
Karunarathna, A.K.P., Bandara, V.K., Silva, A.S.T. and De Mel,
W.D.H. (2020) Impact of
Green Marketing Mix on Customers’ Green Purchasing
Intention with Special Reference to Sri
Lankan Supermarkets. South Asian Journal, 1(1), pp.127-153.
Mahmoud, T.O. (2018) Impact of green marketing mix on
purchase intention. International
Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 5(2), pp.127-135.
Nedumaran, D.G. (2020) Green marketing on customer
behaviour towards usage of green
products.
Ørngreen, R. and Levinsen, K. (2017) Workshops as a Research
Methodology. Electronic

Journal of E-learning, 15(1), pp.70-81.
Ranjan, R.K. and Kushwaha, R. (2017) Impact of Green
Marketing Strategies on Consumer
Purchase Behaviour. Review of Management, 7.
10
Shabbir, M.S., Bait Ali Sulaiman, M.A., Hasan Al-Kumaim, N.,
Mahmood, A. and Abbas, M.
(2020) Green Marketing Approaches and Their Impact on
Consumer Behavior towards the
Environment—A Study from the UAE. Sustainability, 12(21),
p.8977.
Shamim, N. and Ali, M. (2017) Impact of Green Marketing on
Consumer Buying
Behavior. Nigerian Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and
Management
Review, 62(5490), pp.1-15.
Snyder, H. (2019) Literature review as a research methodology:
An overview and
guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, pp.333-339.
Syaekhoni, M.A., Alfian, G. and Kwon, Y.S. (2017) Customer

purchasing behavior analysis
as alternatives for supporting in-store green marketing decision-
making. Sustainability, 9(11),
p.2008.
Taherdoost, H. (2016) Sampling methods in research
methodology; how to choose a sampling
technique for research. How to Choose a Sampling Technique
for Research (April 10, 2016).
Yadav, R., Dokania, A.K. and Pathak, G.S. (2016) The
influence of green marketing functions
in building corporate image. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management.
11
1

UCLan Coursework Assessment Brief
2020-21
Module Title: Research and study skills Module
Code: MD4058 Level 7
Research Skills Coursework – Research
Proposal
This assessment is worth 50% of the
overall module mark
PREPARATION FOR THE ASSESSMENT
This assessment is based on the seven lectures and seminars that
are timetabled for this Semester. Full details
are on Blackboard.
You are required to use the remainder of the 100 hours self-
directed study time to read relevant text books and
journal articles as per the reading list in the MIP and using
Library resources.
The sessions will give you a conceptual grounding in research
methodologies as well as practical guidance for the
design of a viable research project. Emphasis will be placed on
the systematic nature of the research process so
that you can see the links between research philosophy,
methodology, methods and data analysis.
The research proposal is designed to assess your ability to both
conduct a search and review of existing literature

and design an appropriate research strategy. This research
proposal informs the subsequent dissertation module
which can be taken in year 2 of the course.
RELEASE DATES AND HAND IN DEADLINE
Assessment Release date: January 2021
Assessment Deadline Date and time: Sunday 18th April 2021 at
5pm
Please note that this is the latest time you can submit.
Your feedback and mark for this assessment will be provided on
Blackboard, 15 working days after the deadline
date.
The University requires students to adhere to submission
deadlines for any form of assessment in accordance
with the precepts contained in The Student Charter.
Your research proposal should:
• Demonstrate your understanding of the research process and
design.
• Present your research aim (research question) and objectives.
• Explain how your research is derived from and interrelated to
the existing literature.
• Make clear philosophical and methodological underpinnings of
the research.
• Provide an outline of data collection methods that could be
used in the Dissertation.
• Demonstrate your awareness of research ethics.

• Present a convincing research proposal that is well planned
and demonstrated in the timescales.
• Present the awareness of possible limitations of the research
proposal.
• Demonstrate independent research that is applied effectively
and appropriately using the Harvard
Referencing System.
To pass the second assessment, you must achieve a grade of
50% or more.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
You must submit your research proposal to Turnitin via
Blackboard. The proposal is in the form of an MSWord
document, using Mozilla Firefox browser, before the above
deadline.
The report should be approximately 2000 words. Reports
between 1800 and 2200 words are acceptable. A word
count should be clearly stated.
Format should be: normal margins; size 12 Calibri or Cambria
font in black apart from headings; 1.5 line spacing;
no decorative formatting should be used; page number should be
included.
2
INSTRUCTIONS
Copy the Research Proposal Coversheet Template (see

Blackboard) onto the first page of your report.
Create a Contents List for the report on the second page.
Include all necessary in-text citations and a list of References at
the end of the report, using the Harvard
Referencing System.
Write an academic research proposal which addresses the
following. The word count for each section is
indicative:
1. Title of the research proposal
2. An introduction to your chosen research area (400 words)
The Introduction should tell the reader what the report is about.
It sets the project in its wider context,
outlines the structure and signposts the reader to the key points.
This is followed by:
a. Background to the research (context of the research). This is
the section, in which you should justify
why the topic you have chosen is of relevance and importance.
You might provide some relevant
facts and figures regarding a particular industry – if possible,
these should highlight any gaps in the
existing body of knowledge. There should not be a significant
overlap with the literature review, but
appropriate references should be made. This part of your report
should contextualise the research
and lead the reader logically to the research aim and objectives.
b. Research aim and objectives:

Begin this section by clearly stating the aim of your proposed
research in one or two sentences (verbs
often used are: to investigate; to explore; to compare). Then
provide a breakdown of the specific
objectives you will undertake in your research in order to meet
the aim (there should not be more
than four objectives). Be as precise as possible. The objectives
should link directly to the research
aim and be numbered (i.e. from 1 to 4).
Please note that if it is more appropriate to use an overarching
research question, followed by a
subset of research questions (no more than four), you can do so.
It is your personal choice.
3. Literature Review (650 words)
You must identify the main theoretical underpinnings of your
work and the key authors in your field of
research. You should make references to the key authors and
themes from the body of academic
literature that is relevant to your researched topic area. It is
important to utilise a range of academic
sources (such as, journal articles, academic textbooks) and
should be appropriately referenced.
4. Methodology: a description and justification of research
methods for your study including (650
words):
a. Your philosophical position and methodological approach to
your study
b. Research strategy, including data collection and a
justification of their appropriateness
c. How you propose to analyse the data you gather
d. Any problems you anticipate and how you might overcome

them
5. Ethical considerations (200 words):
a. How you intend to inform and gain access to the appropriate
informants, data, and / or sites for your
study
b. How data and informants’ identities are protected
3
6. Research timescales (50 words)
Either a short paragraph or a table indicating your planned
research activity and research milestones. It
should demonstrate the viability of your research.
7. Any limitation of your study, for example, design or methods
(50 words)
8. List of References (not to be included in the word count)
You need to include a reference list at the end of your report
and adhere to the Harvard Referencing
Style (for in-text referencing and the reference list). All in-text
references used in the research proposal
must be included in the References list.

HELP AND SUPPORT
• For support with this assessment please contact your module
seminar group tutor during a class.
• For support with using library resources, please contact
[email protected] You will find links to
lots of useful resources in the My Library tab on Blackboard.
• If you have not yet made the university aware of any
disability, specific learning difficulty, long-term health
or mental health condition, please complete a Disclosure Form.
The Inclusive Support team will then contact
to discuss reasonable adjustments and support relating to any
disability. For more informati on, visit the
Inclusive Support site.
• To access mental health and wellbeing support, please
complete our online referral form. Alternatively, you
can email [email protected], call 01772 893020 or visit our
UCLan Wellbeing Service pages for more
information.
• If you have any other query or require further support you can
contact The <i>, The Student Information
and Support Centre. For more information, visit the Student
Information and Support Centre.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this assessment brief is
correct at time of publication. In the unlikely
event that any changes are deemed necessary, they will be
communicated clearly via e-mail and a new version
of this assessment brief will be circulated.

mailto:[email protected]
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MD4058 Assessment Two Research Proposal Marking Scheme (2020-2

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