Dissertation

6MARK009W

Current Themes in Marketing

Individual Assignment I

Research Proposal (25%)

4 November 2020 (W7)

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Research Proposal is a shorter version of the dissertation that will form the basis of your research. It helps to plan, design and propose your research approach. Research Proposal assesses whether the student has presented a feasible research topic within a marketing theme critically reviewing current research. It must include certain sections and demonstrate your awareness of the relevant literature and research design. Below are the structure you should follow and the marking criteria. The proposal should be around 1,000 words excluding reference list and appendices.

On successful completion of this assessment you should be able to:

1. Critically evaluate current research using own judgment of ethical, political and legal values.

2. Develop and implement own research strategy, working with a minimum of guidance.

3. Critically review those aspects of current research relevant to a research topic.

Proposal Structure and Marking Criteria

Research Proposal (1000 words)

Cover Page (include the module code, module title, proposal title, student name, tutor name and date)

1. Introduction & Definition of Research Aim

2. Research Question and Objectives

3. Literature Review

4. Methodology

5. Timescale

6. Value of Research

7. References

8. Appendices (if any)

Proposal Marking Criteria

20%

15%

20%

Weight
Introduction & Definition of Research Aim · Introduction of the research topic/area, research aim (purpose)		15%
Research Question and Objectives · A clearly defined research question proposed with achievable research objectives (3 to 4) to help answer the question			20%
Literature Review · Coherent review of literature relevant to the research theme covering core areas, flow and quality of arguments formed and discussion presented
Methodology · Outline of appropriate data collection methods proposed and justified with support from sources · If proposing primary data collection- consideration of data analysis approach justified with support from sources
Viability · Feasibility of research plan in timescale · Discussion of research value in relation to the marketing theme supported with sources
Style and Referencing · Quality of format and academic writing style (coherent and consistent structure, no typos, spelling or grammar mistakes, proofread), and referencing (appropriate citations and reference list)	10%

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Research Proposal

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Research Proposal

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1. Introduction & Definition of Research Aim

The most popular distribution channel in the UK’s hospitality for 2018 is the direct

online booking, as 35% of hotel clients are reserving their stay within their hotel via

venue’s website and app (Mintel, 2018).

Furthermore, London is one of the most visited cities in the world and preferred tourist

destination, as in 2018 the UK’s capital had 20.72 million international arrivals

(Statista, 2018).

By using existing theories and data, this study will discover the digital marketing effect

on the decision-making process of the potential customers at the luxury hotels in

London through identifying the development of the capital’s tourism sector, defining

what luxury hospitality is, determine which are the key players in this market and

recognise their current digital marketing strategies.

2. Research Question and Objectives

The Research Question:

“What is the effect of digital marketing on the potential customer’s

decisionmaking process towards London-based luxury hotels?”

The Research Objectives:

• Objective One: To identify the development of the London tourism sector

• Objective Two: To determine the current digital marketing strategies

(Social Media, Website, SEO, E-mail marketing, Online advertisement,

Virtual Reality, etc.) through defining the market leaders of the luxury

hotels based in London, UK

• Objective Three: To understand how the current trends of digital

marketing are affecting buyer’s decision

Research Proposal

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3. Literature Review

The development of London tourism sector
Based on data from 2018 found in Statista, London is the leading city destination in

Europe, by having 20.72 million international arrivals. The website states that from

these 20.72 million arrivals 9.52 are on holiday, 4.88 are visiting friends and relative

and 3.52 are on a business trip. Moreover, a 2019 research from Statista presents that

for the past 10 years the inbound business trips to London increased with 0.41million,

however, the visits are decreasing since the peak in 2015 (App. 1). The 2017 report of

London & Partners, the official promotional agency of Mayor of London, mentions the

key drivers of visitor’s satisfaction (events, culture, shopping, transport,

accommodation, food, visitor information) and references that 79% of the tourists are

happy with their stay in the capital (App. 2). Additionally, compared to past years, the

Transport for London is improving, as they launched contactless payments

successfully, and one second of all tube and rail payments were made using

contactless cards or mobile devices (TfL, 2019). Also, the capital of the UK is hosting

36 major events in the period of 2013 till 2020 (App. 3). Just for the first three years of

this period, the events impacted extremely to the economic growth of the city as

London earned from cultural and sport event more than £2 billion (Statista, 2016).

Luxury hospitality and main market leaders in London, UK
There can be found various of definitions of luxury in hospitality, as the Joint Managing

Director of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Paul Kerr, states that nowadays the hotel

luxury can only be expressed by the client’s experience and expectation. In addition

to that, Joanne Watkins, the PR Director Europe of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, says

that the customer’s perception of luxury is changing and for a lot of people it can be

described as space and privacy. Generally, luxury is considered as a mix of an

extraordinary design and facilities which customers cannot experience in their homes

(PwC, 2007). London is one of the cities with the highest occupancies rates in Europe

and 12% of the hotel sector in the city is owned by five-star luxury accommodations

(London & Partners, 2016). Based on the hotel expert Fiona Duncan, the best luxury

hotels in London are The Savoy, The Ritz London, The Connaught, Mandarin Oriental

(Hyde Park), The Lanesborough, Claridge’s, The Goring.

Research Proposal

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Current Digital Marketing tools in hospitality and their effectiveness
The article of Boston Hospitality Review states that the key digital marketing tools used

by hospitality nowadays are the Online Review Sites, Social Media, etc (Lanz, 2016).

The author of the article explains that the Online Review sites such as TripAdvisor and

Yelp are vital for the hotels, as the client’s review have the potential to be brand

advocates. Furthermore, 68% of the UK responders said that they find the online

reviews more important rather than other type of information in their buying decision

process (Statista, 2015). Lanz mentions that social media marketing could be an

efficient and cost-effective way of interacting with current and potential clients. In order

to achieve the success in the social platforms it must be used existing information to

generate specific, targeted content based on the wanted audience and the purpose of

the channel. Additionally, the effectiveness of social media advertising targeting in

2019 is vast as 79.7% of the customers made a purchase (Statista, 2019). An article

in Forbes suggests that one of the most efficient ways in of hotel social media activity

is video since 66% of tourist are watching travel-related videos before reserving their

journey (Maxwell, 2017).

4. Methodology

The methodology of this research paper is based on secondary data, investigation

method which could provide contextual and comparative information. Nevertheless,

the secondary data could have been collected for other purpose, its access could be

costly and difficult, and its quality cannot be controlled (Saunders, 2019). The

secondary desk research will start with finding information about the development of

the tourism in London. Then the discussion will continue determine the luxury

hospitality and identifying the key market leaders in the London luxury hotel industry

based on another desk research. Afterwards, with the founded data an investigation

connected to these leaders current digital marketing strategies is going to be made.

Moreover, for answering the research question, primary research would not be

needed, as there are various sources that identify the research aim.

Research Proposal

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5. Timescale

*SDR= Secondary Data Research

Research Proposal

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6. Value of research

Currently, digital marketing is one of the biggest trends and there are various studies

which are analysing it. Furthermore, hospitality, significant part of tourism, and sector’s

buyer behaviour are an important theme investigated by academics and professionals.

However, there are not still enough studies about how this new trend is impacting on

the luxury hospitality in London, one of the biggest tourist destinations. This research

impacts the London luxury hotels understand their potential customers behaviour in

the purchase phase through identifying the effect of hotel’s digital marketing strategies

on clients.

7. References

Research Proposal

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Duncan, F. (2018). The best luxury hotels in London. [online] The Telegraph.
Available at:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/unitedkingdom/england/lo
ndon/articles/top-10-the-best-luxury-hotels-in-london/ [Accessed 2 Nov. 2019].

Lanz (2016). Hotel E-Commerce: Navigating the Complex Hospitality Digital
Marketing Landscape. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Vol.4(1).

London & Partners. (2016). London Hotel Development Monitor Uncovering Hotel
Opportunities. [online] Available at: https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-
andp/assets/hotel_development_monitor_may_2016 [Accessed 2 Nov. 2019].

London & Partners. (2017). A tourism vision for London. [online] Available at:
https://files.londonandpartners.com/l-
andp/assets/london_tourism_vision_aug_2017 [Accessed 24 Oct. 2019].

London & Partners. (2017). THE IMPACT OF EVENT TOURISM ON LONDON’S
ECONOMY. [online] Available at: http://files.londonandpartners.com/l-
andp/assets/event_tourism_report_web_2016 [Accessed 1 Nov. 2019].

Maxwell (2017). Council Post: Simplifying Digital Marketing For Hotels. [online]
Forbes. Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/01/simplifying-
digitalmarketing-for-hotels/#7f6215557b42 [Accessed 3 Nov. 2019].

Mintel. (2018). Hotels – UK – November 2018. [online] Available at:
https://academic.mintel.com/display/928720/ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2019].

PwC. (2007). Hospitality Directions Europe Edition. [online] Available at:
https://pwc.blogs.com/files/european-luxury-hotels—sept-2007 [Accessed 2
Nov. 2019].

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business
students. 8th ed. Harlow: Pitman Publishing, 338-376.

Statista. (2015). Importance of online reviews in relation to other sources of
information in the buying decision process in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015,
by sector. [online] Available at: https://www-
statistacom.ezproxy.westminster.ac.uk/statistics/489738/uk-online-reviews-in-
relationto-other-sources-in-buying-decision-process/ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2019].

Statista. (2017). Economic impact of major cultural and sporting events in London
from 2013 to 2016 (in million GBP). [online] Available at: https://www-
statistacom.ezproxy.westminster.ac.uk/statistics/692011/uk-london-major-
eventseconomic-impact/ [Accessed 2 Nov. 2019].

Statista. (2018). Tourism in London. [online] Available at: https://www-
statistacom.ezproxy.westminster.ac.uk/study/22502/overseas-tourism-in-london-
in-theunited-kingdom-uk-statista-dossier/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].

Statista. (2019). Number of inbound business visits to London from 2005 to 2018 (in
millions). [online] Available at: https://www-statista-

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com.ezproxy.westminster.ac.uk/statistics/473732/business-visits-london-uk/
[Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].

Statista. (2019). Online or social media advertising targeting effectiveness as of
January 2019. [online] Available at: https://www-
statistacom.ezproxy.westminster.ac.uk/study/12393/social-networks-statista-
dossier/ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2019].

8. Appendices

App. 1: Number of inbound business visits to London (2005/ 2018)

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App. 2: Proportion of visitors satisfied with various aspects of their London experience

App. 3: London-supported major events in London

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1. Introduction & Definition of Research Aim
2. Research Question and Objectives
3. Literature Review
The development of London tourism sector
Luxury hospitality and main market leaders in London, UK
Current Digital Marketing tools in hospitality and their effectiveness
4. Methodology
5. Timescale
6. Value of research
7. References
8. Appendices

An investigation into Social Media influence

on Consumer Complaint Behaviour

Research Proposal

Name:
Student ID:
Seminar Leader: Dr Pinar Demir
Course: Business Management (Marketing)
Module: 6MARK009W Current Themes in Marketing
Words Count: 1089

Table of Content

Introduction & Definition of Research Aim …………………………………………………………………

2

Research Question ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Literature Review ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

– Consumer Complaint Behaviour …………………………………………………………………….. 2
– Social Media Influence on Consumer Complaint Behaviour ……………………………………

3

– Complaints Management ……………………………………………………………………………… 3

Methodology ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Time Scale …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4

Value of Research ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
References ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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1. Introduction & Definition of Research Aim

Consumer Complaint Behaviour has interested marketers for many years, and it has greatly evolved

since the Internet became a part of people’s everyday life (Naylor, Williams, 2018). Digital platforms,
including social media, have been commonly used by consumers to communicate both with each other
and the companies they purchase products or services from. Therefore, social media as known today
has significantly changed the way and the reason why consumers decide to have their complaints heard
by business (Davidow, 2018). The aim of this research ​is to attempt to analyse how social media
influences Consumer Complaint Behaviour in order to provide recommendations on how to manage
complaints in social media to increase customer satisfaction and build customer loyalty profitably.

2. Research Question

How does social media influence Consumer Complaint Behaviour?

​ Research Objectives

– To identify factors that impact Consumer Complaint Behaviour
– To analyse how social media influences Consumer Complaint Behaviour
– To explore ways of managing Complaints in social media
– To assess how managing Complaints in social media influences customers’ satisfaction level

3. Literature Review

3.1 Consumer Complaint Behaviour

Consumer Complaint Behaviour has been of marketers’ interest for at least the last three

decades. Multiples research papers investigated different factors that influence consumers’ decisions on
whether to complain or not in any given scenario (Dahl and Peltier, 2015). Some researchers discovered
that many customers simply stop buying from the company or take part in the negative word-of-mouth
instead of trying to return or exchange the product they are not happy with (Stephens and Gwinner,
1998; Blodgett and Anderson, 2000). Furthermore, a number of authors came to the conclusion that
there are different situational variables that affect Consumer Complaint Behaviour. Chebat et al. (2005)
believed that the “likelihood of complaint success” influenced customers’ behaviour. If customers trust
the seller to respond to complaints, they are determined to make their complaints heard. In the opposite
case they not only terminate any business with the seller, but also warn their family and friends not to
interact with this company (Grégoire and Fisher, 2006). In addition, they would express their opinion
about the company through negative reviews online (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley, 2014).

Other authors name different causes of Consumer Complaint Behaviour, including complainers’
characteristics. Phau and Baird (2008) believe that what influence the complaining behaviour is the
prevailing sense of justice. They also point out that complainers are not likely to be conservative and
that they would show positive attitude regarding complaints. Sharma et al. (2010) add that impulsivity

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and high level of involvement encourage complaint behaviour in customers, while self-monitoring
associates negatively with it.

3.2 Social Media Influence on Consumer Complaint Behaviour

Social Media became a popular digital platform where consumers can publicly share their

positive or negative reviews directly with a seller or a service provider (Dahl and Peltier, 2015).
According to Morgan (2017), 25% of complainers shared their negative experiences with companies
through social media in 2016. Wide variety of digital platforms help those who want to complain to
proactively reach a brand or service provider (Davidow 2018). Clay (2012), Dugan (2012) and Stieler
(2016) agree that both consumers and firms manage social media profiles, and corporate Facebook and
Twitter pages become easily accessible by consumers and are targeted by them when there is a need to
complain. Additionally, Evans et al. (2014) state that companies use social media platforms actively to
engage customers in a conversation.

Marketers name different reasons behind consumers’ decision to use social media platforms for
complaints, including being altruistic and wanting to warn other consumers, expressing negative feelings
or looking for an opportunity to have a revenge (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004; Grégoire and Legoux, 2009;
Sparks and Browning, 2010). Naylor (2017) agrees that altruistic reasons play a big role in the
Complaint Behaviour formation, as well as refunds, products exchange or discount offer. As Bacile, Ye
and Swilley, 2014 state in their research, consumers communicate with companies through social media
platforms as they believe that there is“ some degree of ownership involved”.

3.3 Complaints Management

Complaints that used to be seen as threats, have started to be considered more as opportunities.

According to Blodgett and Li (2007), complainers with a thirst for justice develop loyalty and shop with
sellers more often if they are satisfied with the result of their complaint. Blodgett and Anderson (2000)
and Matos et al. (2011) add that this kind of interactions encourage customers to participate in a positive
word-of-mouth. Lang and Hyde (2013) agree that public complaint resolution through social media
positively impacts both consumer loyalty and brand image. Davidow (2018) states that engaging
complainers to co-create helps to keep customers satisfied and resolve issues profitably for the
company. Stefura (2010) adds that such successful complaint management can become a
differentiational factor for a company.

4. Methodology

It is proposed to conduct exploratory research as it allows to develop the initial ideas and discover
directions for future research (Wilson, 2012). Its main benefits are low expenditure costs and low
time-consumption. In order to do that, external secondary data collection will be required, using
academic sources and professional journals, such as the Journal of Consumer Satisfaction,
Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior. Various reliable sources have been discovered, which lets the
researcher assume that secondary data collection is sufficient to get an insight into the topic.

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The data collected through secondary research will be organised by topics and their relevance to the
research aim. It will be analysed, and conclusions as well as suggestions for further research will be
drawn (Bell et al., 2019).

The main limitations associated with the secondary data collection are that in the present case data
was gathered for different purposes and may not be linked directly with this particular research question
and objectives. Some of the information can be outdated. This is to be remedied by finding confirmations
of particular frameworks still being used in the current discussion (Bradley, 2010).

5. Time Scale

6. Value of Research

The research offers insights into Customer Complaint Behaviour in Social Media and how it has
changed in the digital era. There is a clear need in providing marketers with tools and frameworks to
manage complaints in social media to benefit the company (Dahl and Peltier, 2015). The researcher
hopes to assist marketers with that, while discussing better ways to build trust and loyalty amongst
customers and keep their satisfaction level high. Taking into account that digital platforms have evolved
and transformed drastically within a short period of time, continuous research is required to keep the
knowledge relevant (Evans et al., 2014).

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7. References

Bacile, T., Ye, C. and Swilley, E. (2014). From Firm-Controlled to Consumer-Contributed: Consumer
Co-Production of Personal Media Marketing Communication. ​Journal of Interactive Marketing​, 28(2), pp.117-133.

Bell, E., Bryman, A., Harley, B. and Bryman, A. (2019). ​Business research methods​. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.

Blodgett, J. and Anderson, R. (2000). A Bayesian Network Model of the Consumer Complaint Process. ​Journal of
Service Research​, 2(4), pp.321-338.

Blodgett, J. et al. (2015). Customer complaint behavior: An examination of cultural vs. situational factors. Journal of
Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior ​25: 61-72.

Blodgett, J. and Li, H. (2007). ​Assessing the effects of post-purchase dissatisfaction and complaining behavior on

profitability: a monte carlo simulation – ProQuest​. [online] Search.proquest.com. Available at:

https://search.proquest.com/openview/ca19b093e92d8e51aa26713f57abbc17/1?cbl=46531&pq-origsite=gscholar

[Accessed 4 Nov. 2019].

Bradley, N. (2013). ​Marketing research​. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chebat, J., Davidow, M., Codjovi, I. (2005), Silent Voices: Why Some Dissatisfied Consumers Fail to Complain?,

Journal of Service Research​,

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(4), 328-342.

Dahl, A. and Peltier, J. (2015). A historical review and future research agenda for the field of consumer satisfaction,
dissatisfaction, & complaining behavior. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior
25: 5-25.

Davidow M. (2018) A Manager’s Guide to Complaint Management. ​Journal of Consumer Satisfaction,

Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior​, 2, 11-12

Evans, D. and Cothrel, J. (2014). ​Social customer experience: engage and retain customers through social media​.

Indianapolis, Ind.: Sybex/John Wiley & Sons.

Hennig-Thurau, T. (2004). Customer orientation of service employees. ​International Journal of Service Industry

Management​, 15(5), pp.460-478.

Grégoire, Y. and Fisher, R. (2006). The effects of relationship quality on customer retaliation. ​Marketing Letters​,

17(1), pp.31-46.

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Grégoire, Y., Legoux, R., Tripp, T., Radanielina-Hita, M., Joireman, J. and Rotman, J. (2018). What Do Online

Complainers Want? An Examination of the Justice Motivations and the Moral Implications of Vigilante and

Reparation Schemas. ​Journal of Business Ethics​, 160(1), pp.167-188.

Lang, B. and Hyde, K. (2013) Word of mouth: what we know and what we have yet to learn. ​Journal of Consumer

Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior.​ 26, p1-18. 18p.

Matos, C., Fernandes, D., Leis, R. and Trez, G. (2011). ​A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Customer Reactions to

Service Failure and Recovery​. [online] Taylor & Francis. Available at:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08961530.2011.578058 [Accessed 4 Nov. 2019].

Morgan, B. (2017). ​Top Takeaways From The 2017 Customer Rage Study​. [online] Forbes.com. Available at:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2017/11/03/top-takeaways-from-the-2017-customer-rage-study/

[Accessed 4 Nov. 2019].

Naylor, G. and Williams, J. (2017) Complaining Complimenting And Word-Of-Mouth In The Digital Age: Typology

And Terms. ​Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior​, 20, 1-14

Phau, I. and Baird, M. (2008). Complainers versus non-complainers retaliatory responses towards service

dissatisfactions. ​Marketing Intelligence & Planning​, 26(6), pp.587-604.

Pfeffer, J., T. Zorbach and K. M. Carley (2014), Understanding Online Firestorms: Negative Word-of-Mouth
Dynamics in Social Media Networks, ​Journal of Marketing Communications,​ 20 (1-2), 117-128.

Pruden, D. and Vavra, T. (2015). An experiment in managing word of mouth. ​Journal of Consumer Satisfaction,
Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior​ 25: 104-110.

Sharma, P., Marshall, R., Alan Reday, P. and Na, W. (2010). Complainers versus non-complainers: a
multi-national investigation of individual and situational influences on customer complaint behaviour. ​Journal of
Marketing Management​, 26(1-2), pp.163-180.

Sparks, B. and Browning, V. (2010). Complaining in Cyberspace: The Motives and Forms of Hotel Guests’
Complaints Online. ​Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management​, 19(7), pp.797-818.

Stephens, N. and Gwinner, K. (1998), Why Don’t Some People Complain? A Cognitive-Emotive Process Model of
Consumer Complaint Behavior,​ Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science​, 2

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(3), 172-189

Stieler, M. (2016). ​Creating Marketing Magic and Innovative Future Marketing Trends​. Bayreuth: Academy of

Marketing Studies.

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Stefura, G. (2010). Customer complaining behaviour – its effects on companies’ evolution. ​Studies and scientific
researches. economics edition​, (15).

Wilson, A. (2012). ​Marketing research​. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall.

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