Formal Research Structure
For emphasis, the primary purposes for formal research are repeated here:
find and understand raw data and information
enter the discourse, or conversation, of other writers and scholars in your field
learn how others in your field use primary and secondary resources
For the formal or primary academic research assignment, where you will take your place in the scholarly conversation, consider an organizational pattern
typically used for primary academic research. This organization consists of these sections—introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions and
recommendations.
The research paper flows from the general to the specific and back to the general in its organization. The introduction uses a general-to-specific movement in
its organization, establishing the thesis and setting the context for the conversation. The methods and results sections are more detailed and specific,
providing support for the generalizations made in the introduction. The discussion section moves toward an increasingly more general discussion of the
subject leading to the conclusions and recommendations, which then generalize the conversation again.
Background and Rationale
The recent outbreak of COVID-19 globally shifted paradigms for traditional business and
marketing communication practices from the core (Guo, Liu, Shi & Chen, 2020). Businesses operating
on conventional mediums, namely bricks and mortar strategies, are most likely to experience a
downfall in market share and return on investments (ROI) (Villa & Monzon, 2021). Today, most
businesses have shifted to digital platforms and e-commerce channels to reach the target audiences
(Almeida, Santos & Monteiro, 2020). Large-scale companies made direct investments to adopt the
transforming ecosystem in operations (Hasanat et al., 2020). Successful brands are creating rapid
transitions in marketing strategies by integrating digital solutions in the communication process
controls (Reardon et al., 2020). This research aims to investigate the emerging role of digital branding
in the COVID-19 business environment. This research would address if the digital marketing solutions
were the ‘new normal’ for the progressing brands operating worldwide with a diversified product and
service portfolio, customer segments, and cultural exposures, considering a change in the
communication practices.