The topic was selected on the basis of relevance. Online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are already popular with many individuals due to their ability to help people build connections based on common interests. The researcher is also working in the Beauty industry. By conducting research on current trends, he makes an important contribution to the industry.
• Explain briefly what the aims and objectives of this research were.
The study sought to investigate the impact and effectiveness of social media advertisements on business performance and as a life changer in the 21st Century while at the same time identifying gaps in the marketing industry. The objectives of the study were to investigate the impact of social media advertising on business performance, determine effectiveness and efficiency of social media marketing in reaching out to consumers and identify unexploited gaps within social media advertisement.
• Can you summarise what you hoped to achieve by this work?
The use of social media networks by businesses is a relatively new concept for businesses. I hoped to achieve greater insights into the use of social media in marketing specifically in the beauty industry.
• Why was this topic important to you?
The beauty industry and consumers have witnessed a fundamental shift in marketing and communication through the use of Social Media tools. Being in the industry, the topic is of personal interest.
2. Literature review
• Where and how did you search for the literature related to your topic?
The literature used in the study is mainly from peer-reviewed or scholarly articles. The resources were obtained through Internet searches and online databases. A number of keywords were used to narrow and refine the search resources. Key terms used include Social Media, Social Media Marketing and Social Media effects and Social Media.
• What difficulties did you encounter when searching for literature? How did you overcome these?
The major difficulty encountered in searching for literature is the limited access to some materials. To overcome the difficulty, Elsevier was used as the main database where the resources could be accessed in their full version.
• What were your main points of learning from the literature review process?
The main point of learning from the process is that conducting literature reviews helps in clarifying the researcher’s thoughts about the study.
• How did the literature review influence the methods that you chose to use?
The literature review did not influence the method chosen to undertake the study. However, it provided a fundamental framework of knowledge necessary to understand the methodology, findings and analysis.
• You talked a lot about the ideas of ‘author x’ – why did you feel that their work was important to your study?
The author made an important contribution in the area of study. Given that the Internet has revolutionised the 21st century and still is a main player in our society, the author’s work was significantly relevant to this study.
• Which paper, article, journal or book was most influential in your research? Why so?
All materials were important. Each provided essential information and insights to support the study.
3. Methodology
• How did you arrive at your specific research questions?
The process began by identifying the research topic as the broader subject of interest. The next step involved creating a list of potential questions and selecting ones that provided an opportunity for exploration.
• Can you describe the steps that you went through in your methodology?
The first step involved the choice of research approach. The second step involved selecting the participants. The third step involved employing data collection tools to collect relevant data.
• Can you explain why your research methods were selected? Did you consider other research methods? And if so, why did you discount them?
A mixed research approach was adopted for the purpose of the study. Thus, both qualitative and quantitative methods were considered. A Qualitative approach enabled the researcher to answers questions in an analytical manner using defined procedures that are defined prior to the study, to collect evidence and to produces results that were not predetermined. Qualitative approach is useful when it is necessary to describe variations, to describe and explain a relationship between factors, to describe individual experiences and group norms. It is exploratory in nature and is handy when the researcher lacks the knowledge of the vital variables to examine.
The study also made use of quantitative and case study methodologies. Quantitative design supports detailed analysis that is necessary when examining two variables. Case analysis is widely used in studies as a rigorous research strategy in its own right. Case analysis design is appropriate to new research areas where existing theory seems inadequate. When the research area is new, case study research design emerges as an obvious option for the researchers who are seeking to conduct a modest scale research project based on organisations. The choice of the design was appropriate as it supports more detailed investigation of the impact of social media. Case study research design provided the best approach to studying fewer units in a detailed way. The inclusion of various methods was to ensure that the subject under study is thoroughly investigated owing to the complex nature of the topic under review. The mixed-method approach was also appropriate given that the subject is relatively new.
• What problems did you encounter when collecting data? How did you overcome
these difficulties?
Narrative interviews present unique challenges to the interviewer due to the large amount of data collected. The large amount of data posed a problem to the interviewer. A paper-based interview guide was used when conducting the interview. While it was possible to note down the interview response to capture participants’ answers, it also became difficult to focus on conducting an interview and writing notes. The approach can result in low quality of the interview and also detract the development of rapport between interviewee and interviewer. With this in mind, a tape recorder was used to tape-record interviews and later transcript them for analysis. The use of tape recording was appropriate given that the inclusion of open-ended questions required a divergence from the interview guide. The strategy allowed the researcher to capture as much relevant data as possible due to the in-depth responses gathered from the interviewees.
• What were the main ethical issues of conducting this research? How did you deal with them?
Given our modern research setting, there is growing reliance on computers, databases, registries and the Internet. The protection of information is now one of the greatest challenges in research. The need for confidentiality is often weighed against the need to share personal information with the potential to benefit the public good. For this research study; the researcher obtained an informed consent from the participants allowing for the use of their data.
One of the challenges in conducting case study research is the ability to know from whom to request consent for before undertaking observational data collection and whether a verbal or written consent is required. This was an important step in the communication process between the researcher and participants before the start of the research and was expected to continue throughout the study. The main purpose of obtaining informed consent was to provide necessary information to the researcher.
Another ethical consideration during the research activity was that of privacy and confidentiality. Privacy is the desire of the organisations regarding their interest in controlling the access of others to his information. It was made clear that only relevant information would be revealed by the researcher. One of the conditions on which informed consent rests is that privacy would be respected.
• What were the main advantages of your methods?
Data gathering is the most critical step in the research process as the data significantly contribute to a better understanding of a theoretical framework. It then becomes necessary that selecting the method of capturing data should be done with sound judgment. For this research study, interview approach was used as the tool for data collection. The choice of the method was informed by various factors. First, the consideration that the success and validity of an interview rest on the extent to which participants’ opinion is truly reflected in the study by the researcher. The method also allowed the participant more freedom to express their views in their terms. As a result, the activity generated rich, reliable and comparative data. Additionally, data generated can be analysed in various ways to generate findings. The use of quantitative approach enabled the researcher to describe variations and explain relationship between factors.
• What were the main limitations of your methods?
There are several limitations that characterise the use of case study approach. The first limitation is that it cannot be generalised to fit a whole population. This relates to the applicability of the research findings. Given that the study was conducted in one industry, the findings should be used with caution due to complex, and relatively unstructured phenomena characterise different sectors.
• Looking back at your research, what would you have changed about
your research design and/or the way you undertook the research?
There is nothing that I would change about the research. A lot of planning went into the study. Necessary adjustments were made before commencing the activity.
• How did you ensure that your results were valid or reliable?
The concepts of reliability and validity were addressed in various ways. In this study, the researcher focused on satisfying four criteria. Reliability was determined based on the Cronbach alpha method for consistency upon administration of the issues. In addressing credibility, the researcher made an effort to paint the true picture of a phenomenon under scrutiny. The research design is also valid for the methodology adopted, data analysis and sampling. The small sample size used was to add credibility to the sample. For this study, it was more appropriate to find a sample size comprising only of participants in the beauty industry. Achieving the dependability criterion is difficult in qualitative work. However, the researcher made efforts to enable future investigators to repeat the study. Finally, conformability was achieved by taking steps to show that findings emerge from the information collected and not the researcher’s own predispositions. Additionally, the study included a thick accurate description of participants’ views to support findings. Data interpretation was conducted in a transparent and consistent way.
4. Analysis and Findings
• What evidence/data have you included in your evidence pack?
The evidence pack contains respondents’ information and responses. It also includes data analysis.
• How did you analyse the data? Why did you take this approach?
Thematic analysis was adopted for the purpose of data analysis. Given that research generated a large amount of data, systematic organisation of data was important to prevent the researcher from being overwhelmed by a large amount of data and avoid losing focus on the original research purpose and questions. The researcher used a computer to assist in storing, sorting, categorising and retrieving data for analysis. The data was then categorised into common themes. The method entailed the systematic deconstruction of pieces information with the purpose of determining common themes and effects. The idea was to attempt and collate the data into manageable forms and construct a narrative around the pieces of information. The researcher then examined raw data so as to find linkages between the research objectives and outcomes with reference to the research questions.
• Why did you use a particular statistical test/coding approach/technique?
Were there any alternative approaches that you considered?
The approach allowed generation of descriptive statistics which included frequencies, percentages, cross-tabulations, means, and t-test. The t-test was used because the study attempted to compare the means of two interval dependent variables for two groups.
• Can you describe specific statistical outputs, tables, summaries or graphs that are significant in terms of your study?
After classification, data was tabulated in tables. Tabulation enabled statistical analysis and help in summarising the data. After the completion of the analysis stage, the data was presented using graphs and tables.
• Can you summarise some of the key aspects of your analysis so you can identify the points that were most significant to your findings?
Some of the key aspects of the analysis included the use of tables. Tabulation served as a tool through which errors and possible omissions and inconsistencies were recognised.
• Which of the statistical calculations (or other analytical processes) was most useful to you in helping you to draw conclusions?
The mean was most useful statistical calculation as it simplified data analysis.
• Can you summarise the most important finding from your research?
The research determined that organisation culture and competence is central to the adoption and successful implementation of the social media marketing.
5. Discussion
• How did your results compare to similar studies that you mention in your literature review?
The study confirms the results of similar studies. The study results showed a significant positive relationship between organisational culture and adoption of social media marketing. It also confirmed that the lack of IT skills was a barrier to adoption of any form of technology. The marketer and industry professionals also perceived that social media did not require unique skills and expertise about other types of web-based marketing such as E-commerce or Internet marketing.
• What do the results mean/what are the implications for practice?
The 21st century has embraced social media as one of the driving forces behind increased business growth. Social media is an essential ingredient for business strategy. It is evident that social media has brought immense improved and advanced ways of conducting business in a fast manner. Today, the use of social media by businesses is no longer an added advantage but the actual cause and driver of business strategy. As a result, it has become effective tools for business operations today. This means that businesses should increase the use of social media platforms for marketing purposes.
• What areas would be interesting for further research?
Further research should study the factors that influence the use of social media among businesses.
• Can you describe anything in your research that surprised you, or did your research confirm your prior beliefs or predictions?
The research confirmed my prior beliefs. Social networks have different levels of influences on their user’s behavior. Additionally, consumers belong to different online groups.
6. Conclusion
• If you could go back and change one decision in the project, what would that be?
I would have started the project early enough. By starting earlier, I would have steered away from the last minute rush.
• Looking at the records of supervisor meetings, what sort of discussions did you have and how did they guide you in your project?
The discussions centred on how to carry out the research and present the results. The supervisor also guided me on how to define the research topic.
• What did you learn most about your ability to manage a project of this size?
Time management is key! A schedule or time frame made it possible to complete the project on time.
• How can you now make sure that others might learn from your study?
The study will be published to allow future researchers to repeat the study or use it as a basis for their investigation.
• Is there anything that you did not get chance to say in your written work, or in this viva, that you think is important to share about your research project?
The study was specifically based on social media marketing in the beauty industry. Therefore, future studies can focus on other industries.
