This assessment asks you to collect as much information as you can about the industry partner problem. You will engage in secondary (desk) research, and some primary research (immersive research – i.e. interviewing) is desired also. You will collect and organise qualitative and quantitative data into a thematically-organised document.Your first step is to watch the industry partner video and diagnose the context of the problem. Every person and/or group is likely to define the problem with nuanced differences, and that will affect the scope of your search.The literature review can encapsulate any number of secondary research sources, including;
- Peer reviewed academic articles
- Industry and market reports (from credible sources – i.e. consulting firms, government, etc.)
- News articles from credible news organisations
The rough guide for the length of the review is2,000 words or 20 pages.Format wise, this does not need to read like a traditional report. Dot points and screenshots are fine, however everything must be clearly referenced (Harvard referencing), labelled, and attributed to the source/copyright owner.It is highly desirableto augment your secondary research by engaging in someprimary researchto support insights generated in your secondary research collection/collation. This might involve ‘participatory research’ or ‘interviewing’. For instance, going to any of the Start-up events near you (Amanda mentioned Start Up Vic events in Melbourne), or perhaps interviewing someone that you know who represents a stakeholder of interest (i.e. entrepreneur/founder, Venture capitalist, etc).You will summarise all insights gained into key points (advise for you to sort it by subheadings of interest), and fill your document with as rich and diversesources as possible. A goodbenchmark for satisfactory coverage may be around 18-20+ references.
The emphasis on secondary research is higher than the emphasis on primary. This is because the Design Thinking students have a higher component of primary research, and one of the foci of this assessment is helping you be conversant with the secondary research process, as a surprising amount useful marketing research insights can be generated from a desk.This1pg overviewexplains more about the focus of the Marketing version of the KPMG industry project assessment, versus to Design Thinking.
Secondary research
- How to search for Academic journal articles (VIDEO)(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- How to search for Industry Reports/Data(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(VIDEO)
- EXAMPLE of a research report with secondary data focus(Denim Market in Singapore)
Primary research: (some guidance on interviewing)
- In-depth interviews – Basic guide (2pg)
- In-depth interviews – Advanced
- Example of a research report with primary data focus(Property rental market)(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Example of a research report with primary data focus(Intern-matching service)(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
