ABS Coursepack LA2125 Module 4 2018 a

Constructing Research Projects 2:SectionsMain AimUnderstand the structure 50

TEXT B [Hartmut, H. & Nüesch, S. 2012. Are multinational teams more successful?, TheInternational Journal of Human Resource Management, 23:15, pp. 3105-3113.]Task 1: Reading for understandingGo through the stages listed below and answer the questions. They have been designed tohelp you to read and understand the article, working from general to specific and usingstrategies for reading. Note that you will also need to work with unknown vocabulary fromthe text.STAGE 1 – Surveying and skimming the text1. Look at the title and the keywords which are listed below the abstract: what is the subject of the article?2. Look through the whole article. What sections does it consist of?3. Read the Abstract. What is the subject of the study? What is its main finding?4. Look at the Introduction What information do you expect to find in it?5. Look at the Theoretical background section. What information do you expect to find? It is divided into sub‐sections. How do they help?6. Look at the Empirical study section. What is its purpose? What is the meaning of ‘empirical’ and ‘variables’?7. Look at the remaining sections. What do you think they will talk about? 51

STAGE 2 – Reading for general understanding and for important detailIntroduction8. Read the topic sentences of all the paragraphs. What information will you find in each paragraph?9. What are the two opposing views expressed in the first paragraph?10. What aspect of racial diversity has not been researched well?11. What is the aim of the paper?12. Why have the researchers decided to conduct a study on a German football team?Theoretical background13. Look at the titles of the sub‐sections again. What does each sub‐section talk about?14. What are the arguments in favour of multinational teams?15. What are the arguments against multinational teams?Empirical study16. What sub‐sections is this section divided into?17. What does each sub‐section talk about? Do you need to read each of them in detail? Why? Why not?Analysis and Results18. What are the purposes of these sections? Do you need to read each of them in detail? Why? Why not?Discussion19. In what way does the paper contribute to the existing body of knowledge, according to the authors?20. What is the conclusion drawn from the results of the study?21. What are the arguments in support of the conclusion? 52

Limitations22. What are the limitations of the study?Implications for managerial practice23. What are the implications of conclusions of the study for HR managers?Task 2: Focus on language1. SynonymsThe words in the left‐hand column of the table below all come from the article youhave just read. Fill in the table, supplying parts of speech and synonyms.WORD PART OF SPEECH SYNONYMScontroversialcooperationheterogeneousalternativescorrelationimpactoutcomefacilitateimplicationsform (team)detrimental2. Expanding your range of vocabularyMake a list of at least 10 words and expressions from the text which can be useful to you.Note their meaning and what parts of speech they are. Should you note any othergrammatical information about them (e.g. are they used with certain prepositions?).When and how can you use them (what context)? Are they general academic words orbusiness words? 53

Task 3: Working with the content of the text 1. Work in groups. Go over the arguments in favour and against working in multinational teams which the authors put forward. How convincing are the arguments? What is your opinion? 2. The final conclusion of the researchers is:Whenever the team task is somehow blurry and team effectiveness is no longer confined toexploitation alone, national diversity is likely to have a less negative or even a positive impacton team performance. Whenever the team task is clearly defined, however, this study suggeststhat performance-oriented work teams should have low national diversity in order to maximizeteam effectiveness.Do you agree? Give examples to justify your point of view.Task 4: Using sources within the textLook at the Introduction and Theoretical background sections again. 1. Find 5 examples of citations. 2. For each citation, answer the following questions: a) What type of citation is it (paraphrase, summary, quotation)? b) How is it referenced? c) What is its function? d) In what way is it integrated in the text? 54

Recognising different sections in a research paperRead the following short extracts from reports found in various journals. Decide whichsection they are from, and why they are appropriate for this section.Example 1: There were several barriers identified by the pharmacists to Informed SharedDecision Making (ISDM). One major barrier was perceived lack of collaboration betweenpharmacists and physicians. Some of the pharmacists said that they were often reluctant tointervene because physicians were not receptive to their interventions. The current literatureagrees with this point of view, suggesting that most pharmacist-physician relationships in thecommunity setting are not at a stage to allow seamless interdisciplinary collaboration.However it was surprising to find such a large number of pharmacists from the hospitalcategory also express lack of teamwork as a barrier.Example 2: In the fatal accident case outlined, health and safety legislation had been at bestmisunderstood and at worse ignored. Consideration of fundamental aspects of health andsafety planning under the Construction Design and Management Regulations (1994) wasclearly lacking, with deficiencies apparent at both pre-contract and sitework stages.Moreover, there was disregard to fundamental health, welfare and safety provision undercurrent legislation.Example 3: During the first 33 weeks, the mean weight decreased among those whocompleted the course by 5.0kg (6.5%) in women (p<0.001) and 11.1kg (8.25%) in men(p<0.001). The initial weight loss was maintained during the first year, but during the secondyear some of the body weight was regained (1.2kg among women and 6.5kg among men).However, at 2 years the mean weight was still significantly decreased by almost 4% in bothsexes.Example 4: Sixteen crabs were fasted for 24 hours and then tested. In control tests, seawater wasused on both sides of the Y-maze. each crab was allowed to acclimate in the maze for 8-12 hours andthen tested with the effluent and seawater control. This was then repeated for the other musclespecies about 10 hours later. Initial response tests were completed within 24 days. 55

Example 5: Tourism-led development is clearly an emerging theme in South African LocalEconomic Development (LED) (Rogerson, 1997, 2001), with tourism promotion gearedtowards community development being perceived as a viable growth option (Goudie et al.,1999; Kirsten and Rogerson, 2002; Mahoney and van Zyl, 2002). However despite theprominence accorded to tourism in South Africa's broad development vision and in manylocal level strategies, as Rogerson notes, in studies of LED '...tourism-led LED is markedlyunder-represented and little discussed' (Rogerson, 2002: 1).Example 6: Taking a memory test not only assesses what one knows, but also enhances laterretention, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. We studied this effect with emotionallyrelevant materials and investigated whether testing facilitates learning only because tests offer anopportunity to restudy material. In two experiments, students studied prose passages and took oneto three immediate free-recall tests, without feedback, or restudied the material the same numberof times as the students who received tests. Students then took a final retention test 5 min, 2 days,or 1 week later. When the final test was given after 5 min, repeated studying improved recallrelative to repeated testing. However, on the delayed tests, prior testing produced substantiallygreater retention that studying, even though repeated studying increased students' confidence intheir ability to remember the material. Testing is a powerful means of improving learning, not justassessing it.Example 7: It may at first seem somewhat surprising that acid-charcoal treatment has so little effecton the structure of serum albumin, since this protein undergoes a molecular unfolding at acid pHwhich exposes hydrophobic residues to the solvent, and charcoal has a tremendous affinity for suchhydrophobic surfaces. A possible explanation may be that at acid pH charcoal particles do in factbecome tightly \"coated\" with albumin which is not substantially released. Lau et al. (37) have shownthat albumin treated Norit has different absorptive properties than does untreated charcoal.Example 8: As the field of artificial life emerged, researchers began applying principles such asstigmergy (indirect communication between individuals via modifications made to the sharedenvironment) to achieve \"collective\" or \"swarm\" robot behaviour. Stigmergy was first described byGrassé to explain how social insect societies can collectively produce complex behaviour patterns andphysical structures, even if the individual appears to work alone. Deneubourg and his collaboratorspioneered the first experiments on stigmergy in simulated and physical \"ant-like robots\" in the early1990s. Since then, numerous researchers have developed robot collectives and have used robots asmodels for studying social insect behaviour. Created by the LearnHigher CETL and is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ for terms of use. 56

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Constructing Research Projects 3:Sections in detail - Introduction &Literature ReviewMain AimUnderstand the purpose, structure andlanguage of introductions & literature reviews 58

Constructing Research Projects: Sections in detail – IntroductionThe IntroductionThe introduction to any form of academic writing is of particular importance, in part becauseit is the first element that is read and so it sets the tone for the remainder of the text. Inaddition, introductions have a particular function, to broadly define the subject area whichyour writing relates to and then to indicate which part of that area is addressed in yourwriting. In this respect, introductions in research papers resemble introductions in essays asthey follow the General to Specific pattern, starting with introducing the subject area andnarrowing the discussion down to a particular problem and the reasons why you think thesubject is of interest.Additionally, Swales and Feak (2004) suggest that the introduction to a research paperinvolves three steps which they call moves. Following these steps, the writer of theintroduction gradually introduces the reader to the specialist area in which he or she isinterested: Move 1 • showing that the area is of interest and is problematicEstablish your broad area of interest, the research territory by: • reviewing items of previous research (NOTE: this point is further developed in the literature review section)Move 2Establish a niche, a small part of the • indicating a gap in the researchterritory that you want to occupy by: Move 3 • outlining the purposes of the presentOccupy the niche by: research • listing research questions or hypotheses • outlining the structure of the paper(From Swales, J.M. & Feak, C.B. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, p.244.) 59

Task 1Read the introduction to the article “Are multinational teams more successful?” and answerthe questions below: a) Which sentences introduce the subject area and how is the subject area narrowed down? b) Does the introduction follow the three moves model and if so, where do the moves start? If it doesn’t follow the model, where are the deviations?Teams have become increasingly important to organizations. Crown (2000) considersthe rise of teams in organizations both as dramatic and comprehensive. With theapparent globalization trend in the last decades, more and more teams haveindividuals coming from different countries and having different cultural backgrounds(Earley and Gibson 2002). It is, therefore, not surprising that the subject of nationaldiversity management enjoys high popularity in practice (Rowley and Warner 2007;Sippola and Smale 2007). The question whether teams actually benefit from having amultinational team composition or not is contentious. The positive ‘value-in-diversity’perspective argues that firms may benefit from national diversity within the workforcebecause some relevant skills and knowledge sets might be nation specific (Lazear1999a). Members from other nationalities may bring different but important ideas,expertise, and know-how into the team. The negative perspective on multinationalteams, however, states that combining workers of various different nationalities mayhamper cooperation and collaboration due to the different languages and culturalbackgrounds (Williams and O’Reilly 1998).Although numerous empirical studies exist that analyze racial diversity (e.g. McLeod,Lobel and Cox 1996; Mayo, Pastor and Meindl 1996; Timmerman 2000; Hamilton,Nickerson and Owan 2004; Jehn and Bezrukova 2004; Singh 2007), the aspect ofnational diversity is, despite its practical importance, comparably understudied. Thequestion whether multinational teams outperform or underperform the teams with lessnational diversity has been addressed for student teams solving business cases(Watson, Kumar and Michaelsen 1993; Earley and Mosakowski 2000; Dahlin,Weingart and Hinds 2005), virtual design teams (Gibson and Gibbs 2006), soccerteams (Andresen and Altmann 2006; Brandes, Franck and Theiler 2009; Nu¨esch2009), and ice hockey teams (Kahane, Longley and Simmons 2009). The results ofthe related empirical studies are, however, conflicting and/or inconclusive. All in all,we know surprisingly little about the performance effects of national diversity amongco-workers. 60

This paper aims to readdress the effect of national diversity on team performance byusing a unique panel data set that offers four distinct advantages. First, the teamcomposition and performance data are analyzed for all games played in theBundesliga, the highest German soccer league, during seven consecutive seasons(1999/00 until 2005/06), in total 4284 team observations. No other empirical diversitystudy is based on such a large data sample. Second, German soccer teams are, unlikemost student teams, for example, truly global. Players from almost 50 differentnationalities play in the Bundesliga. While some teams are very heterogeneous,incorporating players from multiple different nationalities, other teams have a greatmajority of German players. Blau’s index of national diversity varies between 0 and0.92 in our sample, covering almost the full possible range from 0 to nearly 1. Third,doing research using sports data imitates laboratory research, as hypotheses can betested in a controlled field environment (Kahn 2000; Wolfe et al. 2005). In professionalteam sports, all teams are governed by standardized rules of competition thateliminate factors that would otherwise substantially increase complexity and reducethe power of this study. Every team has to play with the same number of players (teamsize) and try to win as many games as possible (objective). Games have the sameduration and the same underlying rules. Fourth, unlike other kinds of diversity researchthat rely on indirect performance indicators or subjective ratings by team members ortheir supervisors, team performance in professional team sports is identified byindependent referees according to the rules of the game, leading to a more accurateand objective assessment of team effectiveness. In summary, we believe that game-level data of German soccer teams offers great quasi-laboratory conditions for testingthe national diversity–performance relationship.[From Hartmut, H. & Nüesch, S. 2012. Are multinational teams more successful?, TheInternational Journal of Human Resource Management, 23:15, pp. 3105-3113.] 61

Task 2: Establishing a NicheEstablishing a niche is usually done by indicating a gap in knowledge/research. Thefragments below are examples of how this could be phrased: a) The results of the related empirical studies are, however, conflicting and/or inconclusive. All in all, we know surprisingly little about the performance effects of national diversity among co-workers. b) Because these studies investigated a charismatic leader in an isolated manner from followers, very little is known on how a charismatic leader’s behaviors displayed in interactions with followers affect the profiles of their needs. c) Despite the consensus on the effects of charismatic leadership, however, very few motivational theories on charismatic leadership have been proposed to explain explicitly how it affects followers’ needs. 1) Which of the above sentences adopt the following pattern:  highlighting common features of existing studies  point out a gap in these studies 2) Can you identify any other patterns? 3) Which of the patterns, if any, could be useful for your own research project? 62

Task 3: Focus on language a) What is the difference between the use of little and few in the phrases in bold above? Read the following sentences and fill in the gaps with ‘little’ or ‘few’. Then look at the underlined verbs and circle the correct option. However, __________ information are/is given on how the behaviour of a charismatic leader affects followers’ needs. However, _______ studies have/has been carried out into the behaviour of charismatic leaders and how it affects followers’ needs. However, _______ researchers has/have attempted to establish how the behaviour of a charismatic leader affects followers’ needs. However, _______ attention has/have so far been given to the behaviour of charismatic leaders and how it affects followers’ needs. b) Below are verbs and adjectives which can be used to establish a gap in knowledge. Which of them are negative and which are neutral? Verbs: However, previous studies… a) …concentrated on qualitative data. b) …failed to consider qualitative data. c) …overlooked qualitative data d) …have been limited to qualitative data. e) …misinterpreted qualitative data. Adjectives: Nevertheless, these attempts to establish a link between the behaviour of a charismatic leader and the followers’ needs are… f) …incomplete. g) …questionable. h) …unsatisfactory. i) …inconclusive. j) …unconvincing.Adapted from Swales, J.M. & Feak, C.B. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: TheUniversity of Michigan Press, p. 259. 63

Task 4Occupying the nicheYou will occupy the niche by stating the purpose of your research and possibly indicating itsstructure.Look at the introduction from Task 1 and underline the phrases which are used to occupythe niche.Task 5Useful phrasesThe phrases below can all be used in introductions to research papers. Decide what functionthey can serve, putting them in the right column in the chart on the next page. The first onein each column has been done for you. a) Despite its safety and efficacy, X suffers from several major drawbacks: b) To date there has been little agreement on what ...... c) So far, however, there has been little discussion about ...... d) The main questions/issues addressed in this paper are: a), b) and c). e) Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas. f) This concept has recently been challenged by ……. studies demonstrating g) It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the … h) The paper has been organised in the following way. i) This paper first gives a brief overview of the recent history of X. j) Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in ...... k) There is increasing concern that some Xs are being disadvantaged ...... l) One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in ...... m) X is a common disorder characterised by ...... n) The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y. o) Despite its long clinical success, X has a number of problems in use. 64

Establishing the One of the most significant current discussions in legal and moralimportance of philosophy is ......the topicHighlighting a However, research has consistently shown that first year students haveproblem in the not attained an adequate understanding of…field of studyHighlighting a More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictorycontroversy in findings about …the field ofstudyHighlighting a However, far too little attention has been paid to …knowledge gapin the field ofstudyOutline of This paper has been divided into four parts. The first part deals with ...structureAdapted from: Morley, J. 2005. Academic Phrasebank: Writing Introductions. Available at http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/introductions.htm, retrieved on 1st July 2012. For more phrases useful for writing introductions go to:http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/introducing-work/ 65

Task 6Select two journal articles which you want to use for your pre-sessional project. Read theintroductions in them and answer the following questions: a) What is their structure? To what extent do they follow the moves presented above? b) How is the topic introduced? How is it narrowed down? c) Is the purpose of the paper stated? d) What words and phrases are used to establish a niche and occupy it?Task 7Now draft an introduction to your research project. Before you start writing, make anoutline. Consider the following questions: - How will you introduce the topic? - How will you narrow the topic down? - How will you establish your niche? - How will you talk about the purpose of the project? 66

Constructing Research Papers : Sections in detail – Literature ReviewTask: Read the literature review below from “Are multinational teams more successful?”Then answer the following questions: 1. What is its purpose? 2. What is its overall structure? 3. What are the characteristics of the key concepts? 4. What are the relationships between these key concepts? 5. What theories and hypotheses are mentioned? 6. What questions are being asked (if any)? 7. How do the ideas presented in this literature review fit into the thesis of the research paper? (the thesis: “This paper aims to readdress the effect of national diversity on team performance”). 8. What views need to be (further) tested? 9. Is there evidence that is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? 10. Why study (further) the research problem? 11. What contribution can the present study be expected to make?Theoretical backgroundThis paper investigates the performance effects of national diversity in teams. In doing so,we define a player’s nationality by his political citizenship. Based on theory, we outlinetwo contrasting hypotheses about the influence of national diversity on team performance.Positive view on multinational teamsScholars with a positive perspective on multinational teams argue that national diversityincreases the team performance as multinational teams have access to a greater variety oftask-relevant knowledge and expertise. The positive view builds on information anddecision-making theory (Gruenfeld, Mannix, Williams and Neale 1996) and considers ateam member’s nationality as a task-relevant attribute that represents helpful informationaldiversity (Williams and O’Reilly 1998). Ayub and Jehn (2006, p. 186) state accordingly:[ . . . ] individuals from different nationalities bring a variety of information and ideas as theycome from different social networks and social and educational backgrounds. Members withdifferent national backgrounds are likely to have different perspectives, skills, informationand knowledge bases, and talents.The benefit of national diversity is linked to the attributed variety of skills of the 67

different nationalities. If certain skills and knowledge are both national specific andrelevant for team production, national diversity is especially important (Lazear 1999a).The empirical study of Watson et al. (1993) shows that project teams with highnational diversity indeed outperform homogenous teams in the long run when it comes tothe range of perspectives and alternatives generated. Dahlin et al. (2005) find evidence thatmost teams are located at the increasing part of the curvilinear U-shaped function betweennational diversity and the range, depth, and integration of information use of student teamssolving a business case. Andresen and Altmann (2006) find a positive correlation betweenthe national diversity of soccer teams and their sportive success. However, they do notcontrol for unobserved team heterogeneity that is likely to confound the results as Brandeset al. (2009) and Nu¨esch (2009) show. In line with the positive perspective onmultinational teams, we conjecture:Hypothesis 1: National diversity increases team performance, ceteris paribus.Negative view on multinational teamsThe negative view of multinational teams considers a team member’s nationality as a lessjob-related but more relational attribute that complicates mutual interaction andcooperation. This negative diversity perspective typically builds on the social identitytheory (Tajfel and Turner 1979) and the similarity/attraction theory (Byrne 1971). Highnational diversity and team members’ identification with their nationality can easily leadto social categorization processes, in which individuals from different nations make ‘ingroup/out-group’ distinctions (Gibson and Gibbs 2006). Stereotyping clearly accompaniesthese processes. As a result, several subgroups emerge within a team along nationalitiesproviding members with their own strong social identities. This development isdetrimental to team performance. Conflicts may occur between members of differentsubgroups and thereby hinder cooperation and decision-making processes in the maingroup, thus causing the negative effects of diversity on team output (Ayub and Jehn 2006).Another theory that emphasizes a potential negative effect of multinational teams isthe similarity-attraction-paradigm of Byrne (1971). It is based on the assumption that animpression of mutual attraction is established if two persons share the same or similardeep- and/or surface-level characteristics. Mutual attraction facilitates importantcommunication and team integration processes in a second step. Accordingly,dissimilarity leads to less positive team integration and communication processes,which decreases team effectiveness. The explanations of the similarity-attraction theoryare in line with self-categorization and social identity theory and suggest a negative impactof national diversity on team performance.The empirical study of Gibson and Gibbs (2006) shows that virtual teams with highnational diversity score lower in innovation than the more ethnocentric virtual teams.Kearney, Gebert and Voelpel (2009) find a negative relationship between nationaldiversity and the team leader’s rating about the team performance using data of 83 teamsfrom eight different organizations. Kahane et al. (2009) show that teams from the NationalHockey League with foreign players from one European country attain a higher winningpercentage than teams with players from different countries. In line with this negativediversity perspective, we conjecture a second, alternative hypothesis:Hartmut, H. & Nüesch, S. 2012. Are multinational teams more successful?, The International Journal of HumanResource Management, 23:15, pp. 3105-3113. 68

Task 2 - Focus on Language: Tenses in citationsThere are three common patterns of tense usage in citations (Swales and Feak, 2004: 255): a) Past - reference to single studies, e.g. Drake (2010) investigated the effects of change resistance… b) Present perfect – reference to areas of inquiry, e.g. The effects of change resistance have been widely investigated (Jones, 2004; Peters, 2008; Drake, 2010). c) Present - Reference to state of current knowledge, e.g. The causes of resistance to change are complex (Matthews, 2000; McCornick, 2002; Blake, 2009).Do citations in the examples follow the same patterns? 69

Constructing Research Projects 4:Sections in detail – Methodology andResultsMain AimUnderstand the purpose, structure andlanguage of methodology & resultssections 70

Constructing Research Papers: Sections in detail – MethodologyTask 1Read through the following example of a methodology section from a business researchproposal and answer the following questions: 1. What tenses are used in the proposal? Why are they used? 2. Find examples of the passive voice – why do you think the writer uses this sentence structure? 3. Which methods are mentioned? 4. What advantages and disadvantages of methods are discussed? 5. Look at the use of referencing – find examples of intrinsic and extrinsic referencing. What phrases are used to introduce other writers’ ideas (e.g. “according to…”) 6. Find examples of linking expressions and group them by type: addition, adversativity, cause and effect, clarification, contrast, illustration, intensification 7. Find a definition – what phrase is used to introduce the definition?3.7 Research strategyThere are a number of research strategies for the collection of data. Some of the methods aremore suited to the deductive approach whilst others clearly belong to the inductive approach.Choice of the research strategy is guided by various factors, however significant among themis the research question and objectives and philosophical underpinnings. The most prominentstrategies in management research include experiment, survey, case study, action researchand grounded research. For the purposes of addressing the research question and objectives,this research will employ the following strategy: 71

1. Case study: Robson (2002) cited in Saunders et al., (2007) defines case study as a strategyfor doing research which involves an observed investigation of a particular contemporaryobservable fact within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence. Therefore, a casestudy strategy will be employed to investigate the current recruitment approaches in UnitedResponse (UR). The case study strategy is mostly used in explanatory and exploratoryresearch. It has the advantage of combining various data collection techniques critical for thecollection of reliable information. However, according to (Susan, 1997), critics of the casestudy method argue that the study of a small number of cases can offer no grounds forestablishing reliability of findings. Whilst others (Yin, 1984 cited in Saunders et al., (2007 )argued that the intense exposure to study of the case makes the findings bias, and dismissedcase study research as useful only as an exploratory tool. Yet researchers continue to use thecase study as a research method with success in carefully planned studies of real-lifesituations, and problems. Therefore, a single case of the organisation (UR) will be used toaddress the requirements of the research objectives. Advantages of using case study are that,it uses a combination of data collection techniques important for triangulation.2. Survey: Usually used for the collection of a large amount of data from a sizeable populationobtained using a questionnaire administered to a sample of the population (Saunders et al.,2007). The data collected using survey strategy can be used to suggest possible reasons forparticular relationships between variables and to produce models of these relationships.Survey strategy has the advantage of generating findings that are representative of the wholepopulation at a lower cost than collecting the data for the whole population. However,according to Saunders et al., (2007) data collected is unlikely to be as wide ranging as thosecollected using other research strategies. This is because there is a limit to the number ofquestions a questionnaire can contain, and richness of the data to be collected is dependenton the goodwill of the respondents. However in this research a survey strategy will be used.3.8 Qualitative method and Quantitative MethodQualitative method is used by researchers when the intention is to gather the opinions ofexperts or participants. It is subjective in nature and the data collected can include empiricalevidence, values, meanings and experiences. Qualitative research uses an inductivereasoning to generate ideas from data as opposed to the quantitative approach which employsdeductive reasoning and needs to confirm a hypothesis (Naoum, 1999). Quantitative Method- is a method used to collect data impartially by using structured procedures and involvesusing large amounts of samples. A drawback to quantitative research is that the researchbegins with a Friday Longwe 19 theoretical framework and has little diversion from thisframework as a result, quantitative research does not provide for any new concepts to bediscovered during the research (Saunders, 2007). Having chosen the use of semi-structuredinterview, this research will adopt qualitative method for data collection and quantitativemethod for the analysis of those data respectively. 72

3.9 Research Methods/ Choices1. Use of secondary data: In addition to using primary data collection methods, documentarysecondary data will be used in this research. Documentary data include written materials,company reports, journal articles, books and other records relevant to this research. Accordingto Ghauri and Gronhaug, (2005) cited in Saunders et al., (2007) advantages of usingsecondary data are that it provides enormous savings in resources, it is less expensive thanto collect the data yourself, it helps to contextualise findings within a more general context andfacilitates triangulation of the findings. Nonetheless, secondary data has its disadvantages asthe data will have been collected for a specific purpose that differs from the research objectivesof this research (Denscombe, 1998) cited in Saunders et al., (2007). Furthermore, where datawas collected for commercial reasons gaining access may be difficult and costly. When usingsecondary data, the researcher has no control over the quality of the data. With respect tothese draw backs, access has already been gained in (UR) to use their research facilities anddocumentary evidence which is focused on their recruitment practices. This research will takea critical analysis of secondary data, from UR company reports, and recent publications fromHuman Resource outsourcing firms, to find an alternative resourcing approach for applicablein United Response (UR).2. A self- completion survey method involving the use of structured questionnaires to collectdata will be used in this research. A structured questionnaire is a predetermined set ofquestions designed to capture data from respondents (Hair, 2007). Self –administeredquestionnaires will be administered electronically to a cross-sectional of staff members in URranging from relief support workers, permanent support workers, senior support workers andservice managers from different locations. This will be carried out using UR intranet as alllocations and sites are connected. Advantages of using this, is that it easy to administer andallows for faster and cheaper means of data collection and analysis. However, the draw backis that it is limited to only computer users and cannot probe complex issues. Furthermorequestions on questionnaire are argued to be simple and straightforward and do not allow forsearching of new issues (Shipton 2001).United Response has more than 300 staff employed in the Northwest of England, usingprobability sampling; the questionnaire will be distributed to 45 members of staff. The sampleselection will be based on the recently employed staff across United Response (UR) workingin the Northwest region for the past 12 months with the aim of obtaining their perception of therecruitment process and staff retention policies. Questionnaire containing both closed andopen questions will be developed from the literature review. A small pilot study is beingarranged with selected number of staff at UR to allow for testing, revision and refinement ofthe questionnaire. Longwe, Friday. \"Research proposal: Friday Longwe.\" (2010). Bolton Business School: Examples of Research Proposals. Paper 1. http://ubir.bolton.ac.uk/22/1/bbs_proposals-1.pdf 73

Constructing Research Papers: Sections in detail – ResultsTaskLook at the following excerpt from the results section of a business dissertation focusing onenvironmental issues. 1. Find examples of the passive voice – why is it used here? 2. What tense is used and why? 3. Where does the writer present facts only? 4. Where does the writer interpret data given? 5. Identify linking expressions from different categories - addition, adversatively, cause and effect, clarification, contrast, illustration, intensificationWhen asked about the regularity of environmental discussion, respondents indicatedthat this happened either occasionally (38%) or little (31%) (Figure 5.7). When compared withthe most popular workplace discussions (Figure 5.8), environmentalissues were placed higher than topics such as administration, OrgX, food, gossip,IT and future work.It had been anticipated that environmental issues would not be discussed more thancore aspects of work such as basic job activity, but it was surprising to see that the topicranked closely to OrgX's remit of teaching, learning and research. This was anunexpected result as the three latter activities are primary tasks (S1 (Section 4.2)) of theorganisation, which would suggest that environmental activities are being discussed asregularly as routine business operations. However, it is possible that the topic was rankedhighly as a result of the respondents completing a questionnaire about `environmental issues';a subconscious trigger.The questionnaire was closed with a section of questions focused towards establishing theenvironmental activities employees are aware of in OrgX, and those activities that are pursuedat their home residence (Figures 5.10, 5.9). For all but one of the environmental aspectschosen for comparison, respondents indicated that they pursue more activities at home thanthey are aware of at OrgX (Figure 5.11). Using an ANOVA Single Factor Analysis (Burns andBurns, 2008) the difference between work and home-based environmental activities wastested further (Figure 5.12). 74

Figure 5.11: Comparison of environmental activities at work and at home.Figure 5.12: ANOVA analysis of environmental activity comparison between workand home. 75

Despite this lack of significance, Figure 5.11 clearly shows that some activities are moreprevalent within normative social environments. For example 90% of respondents areprepared to collect glass at their home residences and take it to local collection points whilstshopping. Therefore it is surely plausible that they would use an onsite glass recycling facility,if OrgX were to expand its facilities. Informal discussions with community members alsosupport this claim, with consistent levels of frustration at a lack of awareness and facilitiesonsite.The provision of a dedicated onsite recycling facility could also reduce individual car trips tocommunity centres; due to the rural location of the area walking to recycling locations is usuallynot feasible. Figure 5.13 shows that 2% of respondents indicated that they car pool to OrgXfrom their home residences. Car pooling to OrgX(b) occurs on an ad hoc basis, primarilyarranged by individuals within the same department who are attending the same meeting atthe sister site.There is no formal communication structure to encourage car pooling and the process is highlydependent upon an individual's choice to seek out like-minded colleagues; an indication of alack of support within System 2 to encourage car pooling. Therefore whilst half of therespondents were aware of the potential to car pool between OrgX and OrgX(b), there is noway to monitor if the activity is pursued (Figure 5.10). Car pooling is also not encouraged byOrgX(b)'s policy to reimburse staff members per mile driven in their own vehicles.The questionnaire also analysed the level of perceived environmental responsibility attribution.The results provided in Figure 5.14 clearly demonstrate that most employees felt thatmanagement and facilities departments have primary responsibility to ensure environmentalactivities onsite are improved and maintained. Students and staff were scored as both havingmedium levels of responsibility in pursuing environmental activity within the organisation;overall students received the lowest accountability ranking out of the four groups. Theresponses could suggest that staff respondents are placing responsibility upon managementand facilities personnel, instead of recognising their own individual accountability. Knowles, K. 2010. A holistic framework for environmental change: socio-environmental cohesion for sustainability. PhD, Hull: University of Hull, pp. 199-201. 76

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Aston Pre-sessional Week 4Theme: Marketing Management 78

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WORKING WITH TEXT: Read to discusstexts on Luxury BrandsMain aimUnderstand how to read complex textsin order to participate in a seminardiscussion 80

Working with Text: Read to DiscussUnderstanding the contentIn your coursebook, Unit 11, lesson 11.2 you listened to a lecture on brands.Task 1: Discuss with a partnerAre you interested in luxury brands? If so, which ones? What is their appeal to thoseconsumers that buy them? What makes luxury brands stand out from the crowd? Are therecertain brands that you aspire to own in the future? Do you think luxury brand consumersthink about what has been involved in bringing their favourite products to market?Task 2Read the excerpt from the article “Managing the growth tradeoff: Challenges andopportunities in luxury branding” and make notes in your own words on the characteristicsof luxury brands. You will be using what you learn in your seminar.INTRODUCTIONLuxury brands are perhaps one of the purest examples of branding, as the brand andits image are often key competitive advantages that create enormous value and wealthfor organisations. Pegged as a $ 220 billion industry at retail by some observers,marketers for luxury brands such as Prada, Gucci, Cartier and Louis Vuitton managelucrative franchises that have endured for decades.Just like marketers in less expensive and more ‘down-to-earth’ categories, however,marketers guiding the fortunes of luxury brands must do so in a constantly evolving –and sometimes rapidly changing –marketing environment. Globalisation, newtechnologies, shifting consumer cultures and other forces necessitate that marketersof luxury brands be skilful and adept at their brand stewardship. Marketers of luxurybrands face continual challenges, and being a skilled marketer is becoming a vitalprerequisite for success.This paper begins by briefly outlining 10 characteristics that help to define luxurybranding (see Table 1). Although these 10 characteristics suggest some strategic andtactical guidelines, we offer more detailed discussion of one particularly difficultchallenge for luxury branding – the need to manage growth tradeoffs. We placeemphasis on two key areas – brand equity measurement and brand architecture – thatcan help luxury brand marketers design marketing strategies and tactics to addressthese tradeoffs.TEN DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF LUXURY BRANDS(1) Maintaining a premium image for luxury brands is crucial; controlling thatimage is thus a priority. It goes without saying that the success of a luxury brand ispredicated on establishing a premium image that can justify a luxury price. This 81

premium image often revolves in some way, extrinsically, around prestige and,intrinsically, around novel, unique product or service features.Given that the target market for luxury brands is often the affluent or near-affluent, thispremium image typically needs to be designed to be globally relevant. Obviously,given its importance, marketers of luxury brands must be diligent in ensuring that thebrand ’ s image, especially its more intangible aspects, is strong, consistent andcohesive over time.(2) Luxury branding typically involves the creation of many intangible brandassociations and an aspirational image. Part of the appeal of a luxury brand is that thebrand takes on so much meaning. Many luxury brands have storied histories and richheritages. They also carry symbolic value in their status and achievement. As such, there is astrong aspirational component to their image that creates a ‘trickle down’ effect to a broaderaudience via public relations, word-of-mouth and so on. Non-users become prospects, in part,by virtue of a desire to emulate or at least enjoy the same rewards as current luxury brandusers. Much of the transfer of this brand affiliation from current users to prospects is carriedout via non-paid media channels and interpersonal influences of various kinds. Through thesesocial influence mechanisms, many prospects add the luxury brand to their consideration setof possible discretionary purchases.(3) All aspects of the marketing programme for luxury brands must be aligned to ensurequality products and services, and pleasurable purchase and consumptionexperiences. Although luxury brands, compared with many other types of brands, gain theirvalue in their intangibles, it is also imperative that the more direct performance considerationsare of sufficiently high quality to match or exceed customer expectations. 3 Premium pricesnecessitate this to some extent anyway, but luxury brands must be sure to not raise any doubtsin customers’ minds as to the merits of their purchase. Because of these high expectations,all aspects of the purchase and consumption experience matters, putting pressure onmarketers of luxury brands to achieve flawless value delivery every step of the way.(4) Brand elements aside from brand names – logos, symbols, packaging, signage andso on – can be important drivers of brand equity for luxury brands. Given the fundamentalimportance of the brand to the value proposition for luxury brands, brand elements themselvesare very important. Brand names, logos, symbols, packaging, signage or any othertrademarkable information for luxury brands may help to convey a premium, prestige image.They can facilitate brand awareness, and can serve as important signals of quality andprestige to customers themselves or to people who customers care about.(5) Secondary associations from linked personalities, events, countries and otherentities can be important drivers of brand equity for luxury brands. Another way thatmarketers of luxury brands can reinforce the inherent value they place in their products andservices is to link them to other entities – people, places and things – that have their ownpositive images and associations. These associations can then become indirectly linked to theluxury brand as a result. The use of popular celebrities, prestigious events or a desirablecountry of origin is common in luxury branding, as these entities often have valuableassociations that help to reinforce those of the luxury brand.(6) Luxury brands must carefully control distribution via a selective channel strategy.Because of the highly targeted market segments involved and the need for exclusivity andprestige, retail distribution is usually highly selective and controlled, to ensure that it closelyaligns with the brand promise. For maximum control, many luxury brands have their own retailoutlets and company stores. Online experiences are challenging for luxury brands, which 82

usually have a strong inter-personal component, although some brands are making progressalong that score.(7) Luxury brands often employ a premium pricing strategy with strong quality cuesand few discounts and markdowns . To justify a premium price, luxury brands must createstrong intrinsic and extrinsic value for their customers. In addition, they must also reinforcethat value with well-chosen quality cues, for example, attractive packaging, personalisedcustomer service and generous warranties. Perhaps the strongest quality cue of them all,however, is the price itself, and for this reason alone luxury brands use discounts and anyother form of price markdowns very selectively. Excessive price movement or volatility couldsend the wrong signal as to the worth of the brand.(8) Brand architecture for luxury brands must be managed very carefully . Because ofthe competing needs, on the one hand, to be selective, discerning and exclusive in all aspectsof the marketing for luxury brands and, on the other hand, to continue to grow revenue andprofitability, brand architecture becomes crucial. Brand architecture reflects the number andnature of common or distinctive brand elements applied to the different products sold by thefirm. In other words, which brand elements can be applied to which products and what is thenature of new and existing brand elements to be applied to new products? Because there isoften a vertical dimension to a luxury brand ’ s growth strategies in that lower-priced offeringsare developed to attract new customers, brand architecture becomes even more critical, asdiscussed in more detail below.(9) Competition for luxury brands must be defined broadly, as they often compete withother luxury brands from other categories for discretionary consumer dollars. Indeveloping the positioning of luxury brands and their associated marketing programmes andactivities, it is important to recognise that luxury brands do not just compete with other brandsin their category as much potentially as with other luxury brands in other categories. Giventhat luxury brands by definition go beyond the basic necessities offered by other brands intheir category, their purchase is more discretionary. In this regard, luxury brands may competeto gain access to consumers ’ consideration sets with vacations, home remodelling projectsor any other potentially discretionary purchase in any other category.(10) Luxury brands must legally protect all trademarks and aggressively combatcounterfeits.Finally, because of their significant price margins and premiums, luxury brands are vulnerableto much illegal activity in the form of counterfeiting and so on. Marketers must proactivelyprotect their brand in as many ways as possible, as well as vigorously enforce any infractions. From Keller, K. 2009. Managing the growth tradeoff: Challenges and opportunities in luxury branding Journal of Brand Management 16, pp 290 – 301)Notes: 83

Davies, I. Lee, Z. & Ahonkhai I. 2012. Do Consumers Care about Ethical-Luxury?,Journal of Business Ethics, 106, pp 37-51Task 3: Focus on general understanding 1. Look at the title and the keywords which are listed below the abstract: predict what the subject of the article is. 2. Skim through the whole article identifying headings and sub‐headings. Are the sections typical? How do they assist you in deciding on the relevance of the article to potential research? 3. Now survey the sections more closely. Review and consider their purpose and structure. Do you notice any variances in the pattern of organisation?Task 4: Focus on specific aspects of the text1. Abstract What is the subject of the study? What is its main finding?2. Introduction What information do you expect to find in it? How is the pattern of organisation structured? Look at the theoretical background sub‐sections. What information do you expect to find there? What gap in existing research is identified? Identify the research question/s?3. Method How has data been collected? What data was used and why? 84

4. Results Look carefully at the sub‐sections. Does this help clarity in understanding the results outlined? Notice the tables; how clearly does the writer interpret the data shown? How are the results summarized? Select one table and write your own paragraph to describe the data.5. Discussion Write a one-paragraph summary of the discussion section in your own words.6. Conclusion, Limitations and Implications Outline the findings of the study. What limitations are highlighted by the writer?7. Prepare for seminar discussion After reviewing your seminar task, start thinking about your Group Project. 85

Student-led SeminarsMain AimUnderstand the purpose and nature ofseminars 86

Student-led SeminarsIt is likely that you will be called upon to 'lead' a seminar. Formats do vary from course tocourse but this commonly involves giving some kind of presentation to a small group ofpeers on a given topic or subject. In some cases you will be assigned a topic whilst on othersthere may be a degree of choice. Topics may include discussion of a research article, aselected text or source, a review of current thinking etc.It is also common practice that the seminar leader would also be asked to initiate adiscussion on the presentation topic with colleagues. Sometimes these two aspects of theseminar are given to a pair of students with one student taking the role of the 'presenter'whilst the second takes the role of the 'facilitator'.How to lead a good seminarGiving a seminar presentation is a little nerve racking but remember, it is for everybody andyour anxieties will be halved if you are well prepared.You will probably be given some guidance from your tutor on how to research and prepareyour talk. Pay particular attention to the timing allocated. For example, students may beasked to prepare a 10 minute presentation (e.g. given) and lead a discussion for a further 10minutes. Time-keeping is part of what you are expected to be learning and so over-runningis to be avoided if possible.Your tutor and the course information will give you specific instructions of what s/he wantsyou to present and how to present it – remember to follow this guidance carefully.Tips to leading a Discussion effectivelyYou can lead a discussion by:  introducing yourself and stating the purpose of the discussion  asking questions to stimulate the discussion  making sure no one dominates the discussion by inviting and encouraging contributions from all students  ensuring only one member of the group speaks at a time  ensuring the discussion remains relevant and doesn't drift off topic  summarising or rephrasing a speaker's point  summarising the discussionLearning Centre (2011). Discussion Skills for Tutorials & Seminars. Available from:http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/disc.html [Accessed on: 25/02/2012]. 87

Now watch the video and make notes on “Student Led Seminars”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvoGtyv4S_AMaking Effective contributions and leading seminarsAsking questions and joining in discussions are important skills for university study. In manysubjects, you will receive marks for tutorial participation, which reflect how active you havebeen in tutorial discussions.Why have discussions at University? to understand a subject or topic area more deeply to explore ideas and exchange information to expand and clarify your knowledge to improve your ability to think critically to improve your language skills to increase your confidence in speaking a discussion can change your attitudes and ideas a discussion can helps a group make a particular decision or come to a conclusion a discussion gives you the chance to hear the thoughts and ideas of other studentsStrategies for Improving Discussion SkillsIf you find it difficult to speak or ask questions in tutorials and seminars, try the followingstrategies.ObserveAttend as many seminars and tutorials as possible and notice what other students do. Askyourself: How do other students enter into the discussion? How do they ask questions? How do they disagree with or support the topic? How do other students make critical comments? What special phrases do they use to show politeness even when they are voicing disagreement? How do they signal to ask a question or make a point? 88

Learn to ListenListening is an essential skill and an important element of any discussion. Effective listeners don’tjust hear what is being said, they think about it and actively process it.  Be an active listener and don’t let your attention drift. Stay attentive and focus on what is being said.  Identify the main ideas being discussed.  Evaluate what is being said. Think about how it relates to the main idea/ theme of the tutorial discussion.  Listen with an open mind and be receptive to new ideas and points of view. Think about how they fit in with what you have already learnt.  Test your understanding. Mentally paraphrase what other speakers say.  Ask yourself questions as you listen. Take notes during class about things to which you could respond.PrepareYou can’t contribute to a discussion unless you are well-prepared. Attend lectures and make sureyou complete any assigned readings or tutorial assignments. If you don’t understand the material ordon’t feel confident about your ideas, speak to your tutor or lecturer outside of class.PractisePractise discussing course topics and materials outside class. Start in an informal setting withanother student or with a small group. Begin by asking questions of fellow students. Ask them aboutthe course material. Ask for their opinions. Ask for information or ask for advice. Listen and respondto what they say. Try out any discipline-specific vocabulary or concepts. Becoming accustomed toexpressing your views outside class will help you develop skills you can take into the more formalenvironment of a tutorial group.ParticipateSet yourself goals and aim to increase your contribution each week. An easy way to participate is toadd to the existing discussion. Try to speak at least once in each discussion. Start by making smallcontributions:  agree with what someone has said or  ask them to expand on their point (ask for an example or for more information)  prepare a question to ask beforehandYou can then work up to:  answering a question put to the group  providing an example for a point under discussion  disagreeing with a point. 89

Voicing an Opinion in a SeminarParticipating in a tutorial discussion can be a bit scary, especially when you want to disagree with apoint of view and are not sure how to, or of which language structures to use. Voicing your opinionand using effective arguing techniques are valuable skills.You may have a great idea, but you need to communicate it effectively and support it. The threeessential parts to a point of view are:Three Steps to Voicing an Opinion1. A valid opinion (a believable point of view) I believe that ... I think that ... From what I understand ... As I understand it ...2. A reason why This is due to ... Because ... What I mean by this is ...3. Evidence This can be seen by ...(relevant and up-to-date examples, statistics, For instance ...explanations and/ or expert opinions). If you For example ...have actual data, examples or expert An example can be seen ...opinions on hand, refer to the source. (Author's name) states that ... (Author's name) suggests... Statistics from (give a source) indicate ...'Arguing' at University: How to disagree effectivelyDisagreeing can be problematic as people often speak before they think things through. You may betrying to disprove another speaker's point, but it is also important to disagree politely. Try thefollowing.Three steps to use when disagreeing with another speaker1. Acknowledge their I can see your point - however ...thoughts/ ideas That's a good point, but ... I see what you're getting at/ where you're coming from, but ... I see what you mean - however...2. Then explain why you That's not always the case because ...disagree That's not necessarily true because ... This idea isn't supported by statistics/ evidence ... I thought the author meant that ...3. Offer your opinion From what I've read ...complete with reason and The statistics seem to indicate that ...support I think what (author's name) may actually be suggesting is ... Other studies by (author's name) show that ... 90

Now, be prepared for counter-argument and further discussion!Remember, confidence is the key. If you do your tutorial preparation and think things through, youcan speak with confidence and believe that your contribution will be valid.Discussion EtiquetteIn order to successfully negotiate tutorial discussion, courtesy is important. List at least five “do’sand don’ts” when participating in tutorials discussions, then check your answers with the listoverleaf. Do’s Don’ts 91

The following are a few ground rules for appropriate conduct.Do’s Respect the contribution of other speakers. Speak pleasantly and with courtesy to all members of the group. Listen well to the ideas of other speakers; you will learn something. Acknowledge what you find interesting. Remember that a discussion is not a fight. Learn to disagree politely. Respect differing views. Those who hold them are not necessarily wrong. Think about your contribution before you speak. How best can you answer the question/ contribute to the topic? Try to stick to the discussion topic. Don't introduce irrelevant information. If the discussion does digress, bring it back on topic by saying something like 'Just a final point about the last topic before we move on' or 'that's an interesting point, can we come back to that later? Be aware of your body language. Keep it open and friendly. Avoid gestures that appear aggressive. Speak clearly. Don't whisper; even if you're feeling uncertain about your ideas or language.Don'ts Don't take offence if another speaker disagrees with you. Putting forward different points of view is an important part of any discussion. Others may disagree with your ideas, and they are entitled to do so. Never try to intimidate or insult another speaker or ridicule the contribution of others. Don’t use comments like 'that’s stupid' or 'you're wrong'. Learn to disagree and argue appropriately. Take care to use a moderate tone of voice. If you sound angry or aggressive others will not want to listen to you. If you are a confident speaker, try not to dominate the discussion. Pause to allow quieter students a chance to contribute. Avoid drawing too much on personal experience or anecdote. Although some tutors encourage students to reflect on their own experience, remember not to generalise too much. Don't interrupt or talk over another speaker. Let them finish their point before you start. Listening to others earns you the right to be heard. 92

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Group Project:Student-led Seminar DiscussionMain AimGain practice leading and participatingin seminars 94

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Task: Student-led SeminarIn designated workgroups of 4 - 5, get ready to lead a seminar on the topic below. This willinvolve preparing to give an informal group seminar presentation on your research findingsand highlighting questions raised from your research which will encourage classparticipation, leading a peer group discussion following your presentation and finally,summing up the discussion. Your seminar presentation should last for approximately 10minutes, the discussion for 15 minutes and summing up for 5 minutes.You have listened to a lecture which touched on brands and brand strategy and haveworked with texts relating to luxury brand characteristics and the concept of ethical luxury.The task requires you to investigate some of these aspects further through focusedresearch, which you will then feedback to the group and open up for discussion and debate.Choose a luxury brand and begin by identifying the components of the brand, like its logo,also its USP and its brand equity. Search for any studies or data into buying criteria, quality-price differential, recognition and awareness of the brand and consumer preference orloyalty. Provide any evidence you can find on the influence of ethical consumption on thechosen brand (positives and negatives). Then prepare a brief analysis into what you thinkabout the personality of the brand that can be opened up for discussion. You should alsofind examples of three characteristics that define your luxury brand (see list below).Possible markets: luxury cosmetics, perfumes, jewellery and watches, bags and shoes,clothing, food products, cars…Defining characteristics of luxury brands (1) Maintaining a premium image for luxury brands is crucial; controlling that image is thus a priority. (2) Luxury branding typically involves the creation of many intangible brand associations and an aspirational image. (3) All aspects of the marketing program for luxury brands must be aligned to ensure quality products and services and pleasurable purchase and consumption experiences. (4) Brand elements besides brand names – logos, symbols, packaging, and signage and so on – can be important drivers of brand equity for luxury brands. (5) Secondary associations from linked personalities, events, countries and other entities can be important drivers of brand equity for luxury brands. (6) Luxury brands must carefully control distribution via a selective channel strategy. (7) Luxury brands must employ a premium pricing strategy with strong quality cues and few discounts and mark downs. (8) Brand architecture for luxury brands must be managed very carefully. (9) Competition for luxury brands must be defined broadly as they often compete with other luxury brands from other categories for discretionary consumer dollars. (10) Luxury brands must legally protect all trademarks and aggressively combat counterfeits. 96

A self-evaluation seminar checklistAfter you have given your seminar presentation take a few moments to review and reflectupon your talk. If you like you can even keep a few notes about how you felt it went usingthe seminar checklist. This will help you refine and develop your skills and learn more fromthe experience of presenting.Your preparation Visual aids, handouts etc. were they useful and clear?Your language and Speed, tone, intonation, articulation, volume etc, were they appropriate?speechIntroduction Did you gain interest and make your objectives clear?Audience attention How did your audience participate, ask questions, show their interestand interaction etc?Body Language and Did you have good eye and contact helpful body language (do you haveconfidence any mannerisms or habits which distract?) Did you appear confident and credible?Sources Did you present your references and sources effectively – were they the best sources to use?Summary and Did you give a clear summary of the main points?conclusions Did you draw out the implications, limitations and assumptions? 97

Constructing Research Projects 5: Sections in detail – Discussion, Conclusion, Abstract & References PageMain AimUnderstand the purpose, structure andlanguage of discussion, conclusion,abstract & reference page sections 98

Constructing Research Papers: Sections in detail – Discussion I. PurposeThe most common purposes of discussion/data commentary (Swales & Feak, 2004:113):  Highlighting the results  Assessing theory, beliefs or general practice in light if the given data  Comparing and evaluating different data sets  Assessing the reliability of the data in terms of the methodology that produced it  Discussing the implications of the dataA discussion normally includes more than one of the above elements.Look at the Results section again and decide what purpose(s) the discussion sectionserves. II. StructureDiscussions are usually organised in the following way: (a) Location element and/or summary statement: refer readers to important information in a table, graph, chart, etc. (b) Highlighting statements: draw attention to the main trends and significant patterns; usually ordered from general to specific where major claims are followed by minor claims. (c) Discussion of implications, problems, exceptions, recommendations, etc.Please note: there will be variations of the above structure depending on the field, topic,data, audience and purpose of the commentary. 99