This is a paper that is focusing on the parents decision making process ethnographic research. The paper also provides additional questions to use in writing the assignment paper.
The parents decision making process ethnographic research
Assignment Question: You are a project leader for Future Family, a marketing research agency that specialises in researching families and their shopping behaviour. Your agency has recently been commissioned by Toy Land to carry out ethnographic research to gain insights into the decision making process of parents with young children (age 4-12) when shopping for toys.
Toy Land has outlined the following research objectives:
(1) to gain insights into the decision making dynamics between parents and young children (age between 4-12) when shopping for toys.
(2) to explore the extent to which pester power influences parental toy shopping behaviour. (3) to understand how packaging influences young children’s (age between 4-12) attraction to particular toys. (4) to understand how parents deal with pester power when toy shopping. As the project leader for Future Family, you are asked to write a research proposal on how you intend to carry out this ethnographic research. You are to reflect on the ethical concerns that may impinge on this particular study. Also, how you would address them during your fieldwork.
The parents decision making process ethnographic research
Your essay should critically discuss how a market researcher should address the:
(1) issue of consent,
(2) likelihood of incurring harm on participants,
(3) invasion of privacy and (
4) use of overt/covert methods when conducting an ethnographic study. Note: Please do not conduct primary research. This assignment asks that you propose your research ideas. You are not to conduct fieldwork for this assessment as this requires ethical approval from the module leader. Please also note that Toy Land is a fictional organisation.
Further Guidance You may wish to consider the following guidance: The assignment should:
1. begin with a brief introduction outlining the aims and the structure of the assignment;
2. define and explain the definition of ethnographic research.
3. provide a rationale as to how ethnographic research can be apply to address the research objectives stipulated by Toy Land.
4. propose data collection methods the research would employ in gathering ethnographic data (e.g. participant observation, in situ interview, mystery shopping etc.) 5. Your essay should critically discuss how a market researcher should address the: (1) issue of consent, (2) likelihood of incurring harm on participants, (3) invasion of privacy and (4) use of overt/covert methods when conducting an ethnographic study. For each of these, please explain how you intend to address and/or eliminate them. 6. conclude with a reflection on the limitations of this study and recommendations for future research.
