HI6008 Business Research Project: Advertising and Consumer Behavior

This business research project investigates the impact of social media advertising, specifically on Instagram, on consumer buying behavior. The project begins with an introduction outlining the research topic and the team's collaborative approach to selecting the topic and formulating the research question. A literature review is conducted to identify gaps in current research and understand different viewpoints on social media's role in marketing. The methodology employed is a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection through surveys. The findings are distilled using statistical analysis and coding, with the report highlighting the student's learning experience and the challenges faced during the research process. The reflective journal also details the challenges of teamwork and the knowledge gained throughout the project, emphasizing the practical applications of the research in a professional context.

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJECT
Business research project
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJECT
1.0 Introduction
My topic of research was effect of social media advertising on the buying behaviour
of the consumers. The overall project commenced as a team project where every member
contributed in choosing an ideal topic for research which invokes interest in every group
member. This took considerable amount of time as it was difficult for us to reach consensus
to a specific topic. However, through continuous discussion we were able to identify the topic
that intrigues all the members at the same time.
The next part was identification of the research problem which is the main ground for
shaping up the research question. We studied various research papers and divided our work
equally to identify the research problem effectively. We were able to identify the fact that
even though majority of the companies have been able to understand the need of social media
marketing in the modern era but there is a significant need for proper integration of social
media among the marketers so we have tried to address this aspect of the research by
narrowing down the topic to suitable platform.
However, formulating the research question as per the goal of the research was one of
the most challenging part as it had to be specific so that the research can contribute to present
field of study and have significant amount of originality. We were able to overcome this
obstacle by working together and sharing our expertise on each area in the project. Team
work has been vital for us in developing appropriate research question so that we can submit
our charter at the appropriate time for approval. We have attempted and succeeded in
developing a charter that provide a clear understanding of the work role of different members
and how they contributed effectively.
2.0 Literature review
We had to research past literature and critically evaluate them to understand the gap in
the current literature. Initially, the search process was quite complex and time consuming.
However, we were able to gather relevant literature of the topic which facilitated in
understanding contrasting opinions of authors in different countries. It showed the variation
in the role and progress of social media in different parts of the world. We have tried to make
a significant effort in presenting all those views by summarizing the articles. While
presenting the articles, it was tough to accommodate all the possible dimensions but efforts
from every team member has ensured the best possible systematic literature on the given

2BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJECT
topic. We have made sure that while searching and choosing articles all are highly relevant
and are peer reviewed. This has been done to ensure the quality of the literature developed
and avoid any bad data in the research. On the other hand, we also checked for the relevancy
of the journals in respect to the objective of the research.
3.0 Research methodology
This was our first experience in performing a research project and understanding the
concept of research methodology took us a significant amount of time. Research
methodology consist of significant different methods, frameworks and assumptions. It took
us significant amount of time in figuring out the purpose and use of an appropriate
methodology in research. Initially, we did not have significant knowledge regarding the use
of research methodology and decided on the type of research design that is appropriate for the
research. After significant, we came to conclusion that selecting a mixed research design is
the best possible method of addressing the research objective. We used both quantitative and
qualitative method to collect statistical data and in depth answers on the research question.
We selected 60 respondents randomly from the social media pages to take the survey. We
have done this in order to avoid the bias in the research. The questionnaire was developed by
analysing the objectives of the research. We developed open ended questions for qualitative
data and 5 point Likert scale to gather quantitative data.
4. Distilling the findings
The next part of the research was the most critical part as it required analysis of the
raw data collected through the mixed questionnaire. In order to do so, we decided on using
statistical tools to develop frequency tables and the qualitative data was analysed using
coding. We were faced with difficulty in learning the different concepts of data analysis. We
had to gain in depth knowledge on statistical analysis techniques and qualitative analysis
techniques.
5. Project report writing
Writing the overall report has provided me with significant experience on
understanding the approach to formal writing and the way a research should be approaches.
This has provided me the first-hand experience of being a part of a study that have helped in
gaining knowledge on various aspect of research.

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6. Research experience
This research has provided me with significant knowledge of topics that I have not
encountered before. This journey has been a thorough learning experience as I have
understand the purpose of performing a research. Initially, I was unsure of the topic but I
found the idea of working on complex relationship appealing and interesting. I have thorough
enjoyed the whole process as I have gained knowledge at every step which would me later in
my professional career. However, the group had to go through tough times while dealing
with complex issues as everyone was relatively new to this concept. We tried to keep
ourselves and focused on team bonding to achieve success in this research. I tried to seek
more knowledge throughout the project as it has been a lifetime learning experience working
with people having diverse expertise and personality. I hope that this group assignment would
help me in my professional career where working in groups to achieve common goal in
necessary. Looking back at the experience I am confident that this experience has helped me
grow as a student as well as a person. Writing skill and research skills are critically valued in
any academic setting and I have gained significant knowledge and improved my writing
ability to new heights.