362-248-00 Marketing Research
Background:
The objective of this course is to familiarize you with the Marketing Research process and give you an appreciation of the scope and practical applications of quantitative and qualitative marketing research. This course will take a systematic approach to the identification, definition, and treatment of marketing problems and opportunities. The focus of the course will be on illustrating techniques for specifying data needs and how to collect, analyze, interpret and present data for making marketing decisions. Articles, group exercises, group presentations, and case studies will be used to facilitate learning and discussion.
Marketing Research is a dynamic, creative and enjoyable pursuit. To experience that, you will participate in an original marketing research project for a client. One of the most productive ways by which you learn the research process and the interrelationships among the various stages of research is by doing a research project. You will be part of a team that serves as a full service market researcher to an organization. The end product from the project will be a formal, written, marketing research report, accompanied by an oral report to the client that summarizes what was done and what was found.
Required Text:
Thomas C. Kinnear and James Taylor, Marketing Research, an Applied Approach, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 1996.
Basic Statistics Text--Be sure to have a statistics text available for you to review fundamentals of sampling distributions and statistical analysis.
Other articles, readings, and case studies will be provided by me on an "ad hoc" basis during the semester.
Grading:
Your grade will be based upon how you perform on 3 quizzes, the quality of your participation in an original marketing research project, your group assignments, class attendance and classroom participation as follows:
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Marketing Research Project
A.
Introduction--Each student, as part of a team, will work on a semester-long Marketing Research project for a client in the community. During the first week of the semester the clients will visit the class and make a short presentation about their company and the nature of the marketing research project that they are requesting. You will then fill out a brief questionnaire telling me which project(s) you are interested in and other pertinent information about yourself that I will then use to form teams. This semester there will be three teams each working on a different research project. The team's first assignment is to prepare a two-page proposal for their client (further information will be provided in class).
B.
Being a good partner--For this project to be successful, each team member must be cooperative, flexible, conscientious, responsible as well as competent. At your first team meeting assign roles to each student. Even if these positions are not rigidly adhered to, it helps to establish individual responsibility and accountability at the onset of the project. The assigned roles might be: project leader, editor, liaison to client, field supervisor, analyst, etc. A well-working team not only will produce an excellent marketing research project, but will provide a memorable and valuable learning experience for each team member.
C.
Communication--Effective communication between each team and it's client and between each team and the professor is essential. To enhance communication with your client you will: write a research proposal and send monthly progress reports to your client. To enhance communication with the professor you will: have an initial strategy session with the professor (as a team) and give a weekly debriefing to professor (typically done by leader or liaison to professor) at prearranged meeting times.
D.
Grading--In determining a grade for the project, I will assess the overall quality of the project as well as how the team proceeded with tasks throughout the semester. A peer assessment component may be used in certain situations; we'll discuss that further in class.
Quizzes:
Three quizzes will be given throughout the semester as indicated on the course outline. The last quiz will be a take-home exam.
Group Assignments:
In teams, you will prepare approximately 4 assignments throughout the semester. The expected assignments are: library assignment on secondary information, project-based oral presentation to class, measurement scales exercise, and data analysis assignment. This list of assignments may be altered during the semester. One overall grade will be given to the entire portfolio of work at the end of the semester. The assignments will not be given equal weight; some are rather extensive and time consuming, others should be quick and easy. Designate one team member to maintain the portfolio and turn it in to me at the end of the semester.
Attendance Policy:
You are expected to attend class regularly, complete all reading assignments and actively participate in class discussions and activities.
Office Hours:
I encourage all of my students to seek my help outside of class as needed. I will, of course, try to answer your questions in class. However, if the questions do not occur to you in class, or if you believe that the questions are too involved to be properly taken care of in class, then you are welcome to stop by my office during my regular office hours or by appointment. If you have special needs that require my attention, please stop by my office to discuss it with me.