Dissertation: Social Media's Role in Public Relation for Brands

This dissertation proposal explores the role of social media in enhancing the effectiveness of public relations, with a specific focus on Marks and Spencer. The research aims to measure how brand communication boosts effective public relations. The objectives include examining brand communication concepts, its relationship to public relations, the importance of brand communication in UK retail, and tools to improve public relations for Marks and Spencer. The research questions address brand communication concepts, its relation to public relations, the importance of implementing brand communication in retail businesses and different tools of brand communication to boost up an effective public relation. The study employs a conceptual framework and an inductive research approach with an exploratory design. Purposive sampling of 30 employees from Marks and Spencer's marketing department will be used, and data will be collected through surveys and secondary sources. Qualitative analysis, specifically thematic analysis, will be used to interpret the data. Limitations include targeting customers for interviews and adhering to ethical principles. The research involves human subjects through surveys.

SCHOOL OF MEDIA, COMMUNICATION & SOCIOLOGY
POSTGRADUATE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL FORM
Dissertation Topic: The role of social media in boosting effectiveness of public relation.
Aim
To measure the role of brand communication to boost up an effective public relation: A study on
Marks and Spencer.
Objectives
 To explore the concepts of brand communication and its relationship with that to public
relation.
 To evaluate the importance of implementing brand communication in retail businesses of
UK.
 To derive the tools of brand communication which can help Marks and Spencer to boost up
an effective public relation.
What is it you hope to find out? (What are your main research questions?)
 What are the concepts of brand communication?
 How brand communication is related to public relations?
 Explain the importance of implementing brand communication in retail business
organisations of UK?
 Describe different tools of brand communication that can help Marks and Spencer to boost
up an effective public relation?
What is your theoretical perspective? (Which theoretical model/s or framework/s will you

draw on to help analyse your findings? Why are these appropriate for this topic?)
It is a conceptual framework of study which will assist the scholar is considering all the aspect of
research topic. It will help in developing understanding core aspect of research aims. Thus, it will
base of primary and secondary data collection.
What is your methodological approach? (How are you going to do the research? Enter your
chosen research method/s, why you chose it/them and the sample. Does your approach have
any particular limitations?).
Research Approach: Approach helps in specifying and generalising information. There are two
types of approaches to research that is inductive and deductive. However, in this study to assess the
role of social media in boosting effectiveness of public relation for Marks and Spencer, the scholar
will implement the use of inductive approach which is help in logical and analytically analysing the
results and information to make general arguments.
Research Design: Design of the research is the most important part of study which helps in

determining types of study. There are different types of research design such as, exploratory,
descriptive, correlation, explanatory etc. Thus, in this study the scholar will implement the use of
exploratory design where the researcher will be focusing on analysing different aspect of social
media and its relation to public relation of Marks and Spencer.
Sampling: Sampling is choosing of small number of sources from number of available sources.
There is various type of sampling methods that is cluster, random, stratified, non-stratified, etc.
However, in this study, the researcher will use purposive sampling with a sample size of 30
employees in the marketing department of Marks and Spencer. Reason for selecting employees of
marketing department is to accumulate specific information related to the tools of brand
communication that can be used by them to boost up an effective public relation.
Data Collection: Collecting information is the most critical part of study because in this it is
important for the investigator to focus on collecting viable information. There are two types data
collection process that is primary and secondary where primary is based on current information and
secondary is based on past facts and findings. Thus, in this study scholar will implement the use of
both the methods that is primary and secondary. The primary information will be collected through
survey in which, questions will be asked from the employees working in the marketing department
of Marks and Spencer. In addition, secondary information will be collected via online, books,
journals, articles, magazines governmental publication etc.
Data Analysis: It is the most critical part of study where the scholar is focused on interpreting
collected data. There are two types of data analysis method that is qualitative and quantitative, where
quantitative analysis is done with the help of mathematical tolls and derives quantifiable results.
Qualitative is descriptive analysis of information and helps in boosting theoretical knowledge over
given topic. This, in this study scholar will implement the use of qualitative analysis where the
researcher will implement the use of thematic analysis and themes will be framed on the basis of
questionnaire.
Research limitation: Limitation will be targeting customers for interview. Further, the scholar will
face difficulty in interpreting results because the individual cannot make biased judgement. In
addition, adhering to ethical principle will be another limitation because in this the scholar will be
bound under ethical boundaries.
In the course of completing your dissertation do you anticipate requiring information that will
involve researching human subjects?
YES
This will typically include gathering data/information from individuals through techniques such as

surveys, focus groups, interviews, or monitoring chat room activities, or blog posts/internet-related
comments.
Note: if you are unsure about what constitutes research involving human subjects then you
should contact the Department Research Ethics Officer for clarification