Marketing Dissertation

A marketing dissertation is a lengthy, in-depth, and original research project undertaken by an individual in the final phase of his or her marketing degree studies.  There are two primary types of reports: university dissertations, which are written by college seniors; and doctoral dissertations, which are written by Ph.D. candidates.  Doctoral dissertations are more common than university dissertations.

A marketing dissertation is simply a dissertation focused on some aspect of marketing.  Due to the nature of marketing, which entails extensive research and testing to determine the most successful marketing strategies, it is likely that marketing dissertations will be original studies aimed at testing a particular marketing approach or theory.  In this way, a marketing dissertation will differ from other university documents in business-related fields that may focus purely on research and analysis regarding specific business practices and theories.  Marketing dissertations will draw on research in order to conduct a complete marketing study using human participants.

The marketing report should begin with a chapter outlining the marketing strategy being tested in the report study and why that strategy is worthy of investigation.  For instance, if the report study were focused on determining whether internet and email were more effective than television for marketing high-end audio systems, the beginning chapter should clearly outline the reason for the investigation (perhaps it is because the high-end audio system industry is suffering), and explaining the researcher's specific strategies for determining whether internet and email marketing could improve the high-end audio system industry.

In the next chapter, commonly known as the literature review, the student should present a plethora of relevant research about the topic and the strategies that are going to be used to investigate that topic.  For instance, in this marketing dissertation, the student would likely present a variety of information regarding the previous marketing strategies of the high-end audio system industry and a report of high-end audio revenues over a period of time.  It would also examine studies that have shown how focusing the marketing of high-end products on the internet has affected those industries.

The third chapter of the marketing report should present a detailed report of how the researcher executed the study.  For instance, it would discuss who the target audience of the campaign was, how the marketing was planned and implemented, and any feedback from participants.  It would also include relevant statistics and demographic information regarding the participants of the study.

The fourth chapter of most marketing dissertations will be a results chapter, in which the outcomes of the study are thoroughly explained.  

The final chapter of the report will discuss the implications of the results for both the high-end audio industry and marketing at large by suggesting how the information revealed through this study may be applied to other high-end marketing campaigns.

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