Your outline should, of course, include your name and the name of the exam. This should be followed by the title of your presentation. Immediately under this is a brief introduction to the topic area as well as a particular focus on a central issue, question or hypothesis. The relevance of the topic should be clarified and you are encouraged to define your audience, relating the question to that particular group. Subsequently, you should introduce the theories to be used and why they are relevant to the focus of the issues under consideration (as defined in the introduction). There should be a brief description of how the theories and materials chosen will be used to answer the question.
The second part is the outline of the talk – a kind of ‘contents page’. This should be sufficiently detailed to allow your audience to know what you are going to do in advance, but uncluttered enough to allow the audience easy orientation. (Note that in the example below, the outline is NOT sufficiently detailed in the analysis part. Also the bibliography has been removed.)
The last part of the delimitation and outline consists of the bibliography. Note that the bibliography is subject to the same formal demands as a bibliography in your written work at university, and that it should reflect wide and detailed knowledge of your subject and theory. At the same time, however, you must not include material that is not strictly relevant to the presentation.
EXAMPLE OUTLINE/DELIMITATION
Your Name
Outline and Delimitation for the Academic Communication Exam 2006-2007
Outline and Delimitation for the Academic Communication Exam 2006-2007
Academic Communication Delimitation
Bottled Culture: The Impact of Culture on Consumption as a Lesson in Marketing.
Introduction and Research question:
In September 2004, the new Carlsberg Pilsner bottle replaced the old standard recyclable bottle, which had been in production since 1949. Many otherwise loyal Carlsberg Pilsner consumers would not buy the beer in its new bottle, and more than 150 bars, bodegas, and cafés started a petition demanding the old bottle back in production before they would buy the beer again.
After just six months with the new bottle in production, sales numbers were down almost 50% and Carlsberg publicly admitted that they had made a mistake in taking the old bottle completely off the market. They subsequently made the old bottle available to consumers again.
This leads to the central question posed in this presentation: Why did so many consumers not want to buy exactly the same beer in a different bottle?
This is a question that will be of interest to my invited audience of twelve international marketing executives and six lecturers in communication and marketing. The presentation will be in English and will last just under twenty minutes. There will be time for a few questions after the presentation.
Theory:
To give an answer to this question, I will firstly use culture-binding theory to categorise the Carlsberg Pilsner bottle as a relatively culture-bound product for the consumers who would not buy the beer in its new bottle. Secondly central and peripheral consumption contexts theory will be used to explain why, since Carlsberg Pilsner is consumed within central consumption contexts, a change in bottling could make consumers stop buying the beer. Thirdly a framework for analysing the effect of culture on consumption will be used to further explain why many consumers of the Carlsberg Pilsner would not buy the beer in its new bottling.
Disposition:
I will start off with an introduction which will briefly explain the background for the change in bottling and what affect this change had on many consumers and sales numbers.
This will be followed by the main body where the theories will be put to use to explain why many consumers would not buy the beer in its new bottling. Finally, I will sum up the findings in a conclusion that offers an answer to the question of why consumers might resist new packaging and which discusses the lessons that might be learnt from a marketing fiasco.
Detailed Outline of the Presentation
1. Introduction
- Why the Carlsberg marketing fiasco is a lesson for us all
- The Carlsberg experience
- Focusing on the central question
- Agenda
2. Theory
- culture-binding theory
- consumption context theory
(a) central
(b) peripheral
- culture and consumption
3. Analysis
- ?????
- ?????
- ?????
4. Discussion
5 Conclusion
1. Introduction
- Why the Carlsberg marketing fiasco is a lesson for us all
- The Carlsberg experience
- Focusing on the central question
- Agenda
2. Theory
- culture-binding theory
- consumption context theory
(a) central
(b) peripheral
- culture and consumption
3. Analysis
- ?????
- ?????
- ?????
4. Discussion
5 Conclusion
Bibliography:
