Business Finance – Management Writing Assignment 1.1

Identify a specific change or disruption that has impacted or influenced
consumer behavior and provide at least three examples illustrating how your
particular brand, company adapted (or failed to adapt) to this change in
consumer behavior. The topic is TD Bank.

Sheet1

[NAME]
[NAME]

Consumer-centric Companies	Choice 1	Choice 2
J. M. Smucker		[NAME]		[NAME]
Adobe
Taco Bell
Warby Parker
PepsiCo, Inc.
OpenAI
FedEx
Microchip Technology
Hyvee
Ritz Carlton
LG
BMW
Hilton Worldwide
Bank of America
Mattel
Lululemon (Athletic apparel)
Allianz
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Chipotle
Cisco Systems
Mercedes Benz Group
Paypal
Dyson
Comcast
TD Bank
Bose
Home Depot
Viking Cruise Lines
UPS Corp
Athleta (Fashion Apparel)
Raytheon Technologies

2

>Sheet

1

31

1

2

3

Writing Assignment Checklist & Scorecard – MKTG	3
Item	Element	Check
Title Page (with Certification of Authorship)
Labeled file: “Expose | Your Name | Selected Company”
Depth & breadth of research on selected Company
4	Intro paragraph (includes hypothesis)
5	Opening sentence has hook, provides context
6	Hypothesis statement properly structured – follows guidance in tutorial
7	Body paragraphs w/ supporting evidence
8	Research findings are pulled into essay paragraphs
9	Essay addresses essay topic
10	Concluding paragraph summarizes key points and refers back to thesis/hypothesis
11	Citations adhere to APA 7th Style
12	Sources/Citations are relevant to essay topic
13	Essay follows rules of basic writing, good grammar
14	Uses 12-point font with 1.5 spacing, in WORD
15	3-5 pages (max of 5 including references)
16	Submission includes cover page, essay, reference page in APA 7th Style and marketing checklist
17	No reverse formatting. Follow plain WORD format
18	No empty words (e.g., great, awesome, nice, good)
19	Submitted as WORD doc. NOT PDF
20	Proofread
21	Adheres to NJCU Zero Tolerance Plagiarism Policy

MKTG 331 Online
Consumer Behavior

Writing Assignment Requirements

Spring 2025 – Online

Professor: Gailanne Barth, M.Ed., MBA, MS

Contact me via Blackboard Message

Special Edition

Introduced in Zoom Session #2

Writing Assignment
TOPIC: Identify a specific change or disruption that has impacted or influenced consumer behavior and provide at least three examples illustrating how your particular brand, company adapted (or failed to adapt) to this change in consumer behavior.

Semester Writing Assignment – 100 Points
Students will work individually to conduct research to write a 3-5-page, APA 7th formatted, academic research paper that addresses technological change and resulting B2C digital-centric consumer behaviors. This is NOT a report.

The proliferation of new technologies such as mobile, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed customer behavior and disrupted the marketplace and more specifically, B2C businesses. As a result, a brand’s marketing practices must also evolve, adapt.
Identify a specific change or disruption that has impacted or influenced consumer behavior and provide at least three examples illustrating how your particular brand, company adapted (or failed to adapt) to this change in consumer behavior.
Begin by conducting secondary research.  Use the NJCU Library database and Google Scholar. Then begin to draft a formal hypothesis statement. 
Refresh your memory by reviewing:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html

If you would like your draft hypothesis reviewed in advance (optional), submit via BB Message by Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025, 11:59 pm, no exceptions. 
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Writing assignment requirements
Let’s dissect this assignment
Select Customer Centric Company from list provided
Conduct research (search examples)
Research: Shifting consumer behavior.
Brands’ response to changing consumer behavior
Follow tutorial on constructing hypothesis statements
Submit draft hypothesis statement for review (optional)
Follow structure for written documents (Intro/Paragraphs/Conclusion)
Follow instructions for writing assignment
3-5-page, APA 7th formatted, academic research paper
References in APA 7th
Assignment Cover Page (w/ certification of authorship)
Strict adherence to NJCU Plagiarism Policy
Proofread prior to submitting assignment
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Writing Assignment
Due Friday, Feb 21
by 11:59pm
No exceptions

Several pointers that apply to this assignment
PLAGIARISM NOT PERMITTED – AUTOMATIC “0” – NJCU Policy
Depth and breadth of research will drive essay.
Pull research findings into the assignment.
Must interpret, synthesize research findings (not just a series of bullet points of facts pulled from a couple of articles). This is NOT a report.
Caution using dated material.
Avoid generalizations, empty words.
Follow assignment requirements, instructions. Refer to syllabus.
Use MS WORD formatting – i.e., do not reverse the background, etc.
Follow APA 7th Style – a MUST for this Writing Assignment
Proofread before submitting.
Submit as WORD doc, NOT PDF

Professor Barth – Exclusive for MKTG 331 Consumer behavior ONLINE
Writing Assignment
Due Friday, Feb 21
by 11:59pm
No exceptions

Assessment Guide

Writing Assignment Checklist & Scorecard – MKTG 331

Item
Element
Check

1
Depth & breadth of research on selected topic/brand
X

2
Title Page (with Certification of Authorship)
 

3
Intro paragraph (includes hypothesis)
 

4
Opening sentence has hook, provides context
 

5
Hypothesis statement properly structured – follows guidance in tutorial
 

6
Body paragraphs w/ supporting evidence
 

7
Research findings are pulled into essay paragraphs
 

8
Essay addresses essay topic
 

9
Concluding paragraph summarizes key points and refers back to thesis/hypothesis
 

10
Citations adhere to APA 7th Style
 

11
Sources/Citations are relevant to essay topic
 

12
Essay follows rules of basic writing, good grammar
 

13
Uses 12-point font with 1.5 spacing, in WORD
 

14
3-5 pages (max of 5 including references)
 

15
Submission includes cover page, essay, reference page in APA 7th Style and marketing checklist
 

16
No reverse formatting. Plain WORD format
 

17
No empty words (e.g., great, awesome, nice, good)
 

18
Proofread
 

19
Adheres to NJCU Zero Tolerance Plagiarism Policy
 

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Writing Assignment Submissions
Submissions must follow APA 7th style.
Please type in Times New Roman, 12-point font 2.0 spacing as required by APA 7th style.
Submissions must include the standard course cover page (with Certification of Authorship) and formal reference page in APA 7th style.
Submissions must include not less than ten (10) references. (The standard course cover page and APA formatted reference page are not part of the 3 – 5-page count).  
Each reference must be cited on the formal reference and AT LEAST FIVE of your references require a corresponding in-text citation.
Of the ten references, your submission must include two (2) sources that are academic peer-reviewed marketing journals. Remaining references must be from credible industry publications and periodicals (see BB Content > Course Tools file for reference list).

Per Course Syllabus
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Hypothesis Statement Tutorial

How to Create a Hypothesis Statement
Hypothesis must be specific to your selected topic.
Develop 2-3 hypotheses – statement that must be true for your idea to work.
Hypothesis 1:
Begin Statement….

Hypothesis 2:
Begin Statement….

Hypothesis 3:
Begin Statement….

Goal of written essay is to prove or refute/disprove your hypothesis.

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Hypothesis Defined
A conjectural statement re: the relationship between two or more variables
An informed, tentative guess
A conjecture
A tentative point of view
A proposition
A preliminary postulate
A preliminary explanation
An informed “hunch” (minimalist definition)
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Hypothesis tutorial
A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
A hypothesis states your predictions about what will happen in a specific circumstance.
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables
A hypothesis must be testable, which means you can support or refute it, prove or disprove it.
A hypothesis often follows an “if/then” format – If this happens, then that may happen.
Example hypotheses:
If children watch TV immediately before bedtime, then they will have difficulty falling asleep.
If you cover a wound with a bandage, then it will heal with less scarring.
When there is less oxygen in the water, rainbow trout suffer more lice.
If we plant carrots deep in soil, it will take them longer to grow than in shallow soil.
If I replace the battery in my car, then my car will get better gas mileage.
A good hypothesis is a statement that specifies:
The dependent variable(s): who or what you expect to be affected
The independent variable(s): who or what you predict will affect the dependent variable
What you predict the effect will be.
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”How To” write a strong hypothesis
Video: “
Six Steps to Formulate a Hypothesis”

Hypotheses are essential for all scientific research and study.
By Scribbr
Nov 15, 2019 || 3:30 minutes
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Writing Assignment Framework
Use this simple approach for structuring your writing assignment.

Structure of a General Expository Essay
Commonly used structure for academic writing. Template (3 parts)

This template located in Content Section of BB in “Expository Essay” folder
Use this TEMPLATE to draft your Writing Assignment
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Structure of a General Expository Essay (cont’d)
Commonly used structure for academic writing. Follow this template (3 parts)

This template located in Content Section of BB Ultra
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Use this TEMPLATE to draft your Writing Assignment

Structure of a General Expository Essay (cont’d)
Commonly used structure for many academic essays. Follow this template (3parts)

This template located in Content Section of BB Ultra
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Use this TEMPLATE to draft your Writing Assignment

Getting started – The Intro paragraph Tutorial
Video:
How to Write an Essay: Introduction Paragraph

This tutorial is a “step-by-step” on constructing the Introductory paragraph of your expository essay.
By English Units
August 27, 2019 || 14:54 minutes

Next step – The Body paragraphs
Tutorial
Video:
How to Write an Essay: Body Paragraphs

This tutorial is a “step-by-step” on constructing the Body Paragraphs of your expository essay.
By English Units
August 27, 2019 || 6:59 minutes

FAQ #1 – Writing Assignment
What is original research
Answer:
Original research means that students are to become familiar with NJCU’s Guarini Library database.
The link to the library is located in the Course Content section of BB Ultra. The Library syllabus includes an extensive list of approved references.
How do I conduct original research? Begin by locating and reading not less than ten, (10) references of which TWO must be academic marketing journals or professional journals. Other references must be current professional/business articles on the industry, company, brand, and competitors.
Do not use or cite references in any of the following forms: a textbook, online dictionary or tutorial reference. GOOGLE searches, blogs, company homepages, Wiki, ASK, or ABOUT-like sources are not acceptable.

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FAQ #2: How do I conduct research via Library
Immerse yourself with the Guarini Library — it’s the source for original research.

FAQ #3: What is current vs dated material?
The writing assignment focuses on real-world applications; hence your research and the references you source should be current – i.e., not dated.
It’s OK to go back 5, 10, 15 years to immerse yourself for historical perspective. However, you will want to focus on and reference recent material and content as it will provide those current, real-world examples to support your themes and hypothesis

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FAQ #4: How do I synthesize research findings?
Sorting and synthesizing requires a system for prioritizing what’s relevant.
This is NOT a report. Therefore, you will need to sort, synthesize and interpret your research findings.
Sort your findings into themes, sub-topics, and ideas you want to keep.
Now that you’ve completed your initial “sort” of your research findings, prioritize what’s relevant – i.e., what facts/findings support/refute your thesis?
I find that putting relevant info on index cards helps me sift, sort and prioritize.
Begin to draft a basic outline of your points – keep the outline simple.
Next, draft the hypothesis. Make a conjecture, pose a tentative point of view.
Now, begin to draft your essay – following the “Structure for General Writing” outlined earlier. IMPORTANT: Pull research findings into expose.

FAQ # 5: What is the most important part of this Writing Assignment?
The most important and most essential part is your hypothesis.
Tip: Must pull hypothesis throughout the expose – proving/disproving your hypothesis throughout each of your paragraphs.

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Questions
Inquiries, Questions, clarifications welcomed.
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