BX2174 Assessment 1: Research Proposal You must select one of the following two business decisions/problems for your Research Proposal. A. Generation Y Consumers (Marketing & Human Resources) Generational theory seeks to understand and characterise individuals according to their membership of a generational cohort. Generations or generational cohorts can be defined as “proposed groups of individuals who are born during the same time period and who experienced similar external events during their formative or coming-of-age years (i.e., late adolescent and early adulthood years)” (Noble & Schewe, 2003, p. 979). Generational cohorts are shaped by the larger sociocultural environment of different time periods just as groups of individuals are shaped by regional variations in culture (Twenge, Campbell & Freeman, 2012). Members of a generational cohort, like individuals belonging to the same culture, share a set of broad values and traits which can be used to predict attitudes and behaviours. Generation Y are defined as people born between 1982-1994 and most members of this generation are now in young adulthood, are starting their careers, make up the bulk of the young singles and couples markets and are a critical group of consumers. Gen Ys grew up in a media-saturated postmodern world where technology was pervasive. They were the first generation to grow up with high-definition television, mobile phones, the Internet and social media. This technology brought natural disasters and global conflicts such as the ‘war on terror’ into the home in vivid detail. Gen Ys are characterised as confident, determined and tolerant, with respect for authority and a strong sense of civic responsibility. The growth of social media has been fuelled by a generation which values relationships, connections and networking (Twenge & Foster, 2010). It has been claimed that Gen Y are more community oriented, caring, and interested in environmental causes than previous generations were. While a lot of claims have been made about Gen Y, these are often contradictory and/or based on little evidence. Businesses that provide goods and services to this consumer group need a better understanding of the values, attitudes, characteristics and likely behaviours of this significant consumer market. References Noble, S., & Schewe, C. (2003). Cohort segmentation: An exploration of its validity. Journal of Business Research, 56(12), 979-987. (this journal is available electronically through JCU library ejournals) Twenge, J. M., & Foster, J. D. (2010). Birth cohort increases in narcissistic personality traits among American college students, 1982–2009. Social Psychological & Personality Science, 1, 99 –106. Twenge, J.M., Campbell, S.M., Hoffman, B.J., & Lance, C.E. (2010).Generational differences in work values: Leisure and extrinsic values increasing, social and intrinsic values decreasing. Journal of Management, 36(2), 1117-1142. (this journal is available electronically through JCU library ejournals) B. Leisure Shopping (Marketing, Retail Management, Tourism) Many small towns and villages on the rural margins of urban or tourism centres have turned to specialist retail as a development option and have pursued a strategy of offering tourist shopping as a way to support local businesses, especially those involved in the production of arts, crafts, and specialist food and beverage (Murphy, Moscardo, Benckendorff & Pearce, 2008). Research provides evidence that it can be difficult to get people to actually buy local products while visiting the villages (Murphy et al, 2008) and that it is likely that purchase behaviour is linked to different aspects of the shopping experience (Machleit, Meyer & Eroglu, 2005; Turley & Milliman, 2000). The challenge for shop owners and shopping precinct managers and marketers is to design shopping experiences in such a way that they encourage buying. References Machleit, K.A., Meyer, T., & Eroglu, S.A. (2005). Evaluating the nature of hassles and uplifts in the retail shopping context. Journal of Business Research, 58(6), 655-663. (this journal is available electronically through JCU library ejournals) Murphy, L.E., G. Moscardo, P. Benckendorff and P. Pearce (2008). Tourist Shopping Villages: Exploring Success and Failure. In A. Woodside and D. Martin (Eds) Tourism Management: Analysis, behaviour and strategy (pp. 405-423). Wallingford: CABI. (available through reserve online) Turley, L.W. and Milliman, R. (2000) Atmospheric effects on shopping behaviour: A review of the experimental evidence. Journal of Business Research 49 (2), 193-211. (this journal is available electronically through JCU library ejournals)