Market Research (BUS M&L 758)
The Ohio State University
Fisher College of Business
Spring, 2011
Professor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office hours:
Course website:
Dr. Peter Ebbes
560A Fisher Hall
614-292-1155
ebbes.1@osu.edu
W 2pm-5pm (or by appointment)
CARMEN at https://carmen.osu.edu/
Class Schedule (location)
T R 11:30AM - 01:18PM
(215 Schoebaum Hall)
Course Materials
1. McDaniel and Gates, 2010, “Marketing Research”, eight edition, Wiley
2. Other course material put up on CARMEN (https://carmen.osu.edu/)
Course Objectives
Companies need to make decisions. Knowledge is the basis for the decision-making process
(GfK group). The last decade has seen an explosion in the quantity and quality of information
available to managers. This course is about “data”: how to gather it and how to make sense of it.
We will focus on understanding data relevant to marketers, the type’s available, experimental
design, methods of collection and analysis. Course participants will learn to define a marketing
research goal, create an effective measurement instrument (survey, focus group, experiments),
and rigorously analyze the resulting information. We will focus on how the marketing research
process is carried out conceptually, from translating managerial concepts to concrete information
about a firm’s customers and competitors. The main sections of this course include the
following: problem definition, research design, measurement and data collection, data analysis
and reporting.
Course Format
The course will cover various aspects of marketing research. It will involve lectures, class
discussions, computer classes, and tests. You will be involved in both individual and team
projects and presentations. You are strongly encouraged to read the text during the semester.
This will assist your learning, help you to contribute to class discussions, and to score well on the
tests.
In addition, we will conduct a ‘real-life’ project for USA TODAY. USA TODAY is a national
daily newspaper founded in 1982. USA TODAY participates in the OSU Newspaper Readership
Program, which was established in 1999, to promote newspaper reading among students. The
program is currently available in (and limited to) locations throughout the residence halls on
campus. Because of the strength of the current residence hall program (as evidenced by
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newspaper pickup), USA TODAY wants to learn more about how students utilize the newspaper
program, what benefits they see in and receive from it, and how habits may differ among
students who have ready access to the program and those who do not. The insights from this
study will also be shared with OSU administrators and student leaders to help them determine if
the readership program should progress from a residence hall program only, to a campus‐wide
program with full student access to newspapers. You will learn more about this project in due
course.
A ‘real-life’ consulting project gives you hands-on marketing research experience, develops your
analytical skills, and makes you ‘think on your feet’, while working with the client. Teamwork is
the ‘Name of the Game’ in business. It will be a great talking-point on (job) interviews too.
Course Requirement and Grading
Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
Two individual exams
50
Team assignments
-- questionnaire
20
-- final deliverables
20
Class participation/SPSS
10
Total
100
Exams
Two exams will be held; one during class time and one in the week of final exams, as indicated
in the schedule below. These exams are multiple choice exams and will not be cumulative.
Exams will cover the book and materials discussed in class. I will make sure that you get
example questions to practice the exams.
Team Project ‘USA TODAY’
The team project is a ‘living consulting case’ and is intended to give you the opportunity to meet
and work with a real client in real time. Students are to form teams of size 5 each. As a team, you
will work together to develop a questionnaire, collect survey responses, and analyze the data.
The final deliverables include, amongst other things, a presentation, an executive summary and
detailed results from your data analysis.
Each team will make a 15 minute presentation before submitting the final report. The results are
presented to the client and me. I expect presentations to be done professionally such that the
client can understand and use the results.
At the end of the semester, team members will rate one another in terms of their relative
contribution in team projects. As such, shirking team responsibilities is by far the surest route to
oblivion.
Class Participation, Quizzes, and SPSS
10% of your grade is set aside for this component. Regular attendance is expected and you will
be tested on the material covered in class. Student participation is actively encouraged. There
will be quizzes on Carmen every now and then covering several lectures. In addition, I will ask
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you to hand in SPSS assignments that will help you earn credits for this component of your
grade.
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Tentative Course Schedule
Day Date
Topics
Tue 29-Mar. Welcome, course overview, introduction
Thu 31-Mar. Guest speaker USATODAY
Tue 5-Apr.
Overview marketing research process
Thu 7-Apr.
Exploratory research and qualitative analysis
5
Tue
12-Apr.
Survey methods
6
7
8
Thu
Tue
Thu
14-Apr.
19-Apr.
21-Apr.
Measurement and attitude scaling
Questionnaire design
Review of basic statistical knowledge, part I
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Tue
26-Apr.
10
Thu
28-Apr.
11
Tue
3-May
12
13
Thu
Tue
5-May
10-May
14
Thu
12-May
Review of basic statistical knowledge, part II
Hand in: MDP/MRP/questionnaire
SPSS Computer lab I (location TBA)
Hand in: computer lab assignment
SPSS Computer lab II (location TBA)
Hand in: computer lab assignment
EXAM I (midterm)
Bivariate statistics: cross tabs / frequency
tables
Bivariate statistics: correlations and
differences between groups
15
Tue
17-May
16
Thu
19-May
17 Tue 24-May
18 Thu 26-May
19 Tue 31-May
20 Thu 2-Jun.
6-Jun. to 9-Jun.
SPSS Computer lab III (location TBA)
Hand in: computer lab assignment
USA TODAY project report,
Experimental research techniques
Observation techniques
Walk in computer lab (location TBA)
Team presentations
Team presentations
EXAM II (finals)
Reading
Ch1
Ch3
Ch4 (ex. pp110-116)
Ch5
Ch6
Ch7 (pp214-217)
Ch10/11 (ex. pp352-361)
Ch12 (ex. pp398-405)
Ch15
Ch14 (pp449-452)
Ch14 (pp452-457)
Ch16 (pp518-531)
SPSS introduction
SPSS descriptives and
simple tests
Sessions 1,2,3,5,6,7
Ch15 (pp497-499)
Ch16 (pp532-538)
Ch16 (pp545-546)
Ch17 (pp564-566, 580583)
SPSS group differences
Ch19
Ch9 (ex. pp284-295)
Ch8 (ex. pp253-259)
USA TODAY project
Ch19
Ch19
Sessions 8,9,13,14,16,17
List of Super-Important (Due) Dates
Session 2: Guest Speaker USA TODAY
Session 9: Hand in MDP and MRP, results explanatory research, and questionnaire USA
TODAY (team effort)
Session 10: Hand in computer lab assignment (pairs)
Session 11: Hand in computer lab assignment (pairs)
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List of Super-Important Due Dates (continued)
Session 12: Exam I (individual)
Session 15: Hand in computer lab assignment (pairs)
Sessions 19-20: Finish USA TODAY report and present results and recommendations
Finals week: Exam II (individual)
BE A PROFESSIONAL IN CLASS
A part of your grade will be determined by your contribution to class. Along with actively
participating in class discussions, it will not hurt you to be “a professional” in class. For instance,
come to class on time, do not engage in side conversations during class, and turn off cell phones
or other communication devices. Inappropriate behavior, such as being rude or disruptive, may
result in a lower grade for the class participation component.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching,
research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, The Ohio State University and the
Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students have read and understand
the University’s Code of Student Conduct and that all students will complete all academic and
scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty. Students must recognize that failure to follow
the rules and guidelines established in the University’s Code of Student Conduct and this
syllabus may constitute “Academic Misconduct.”
The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines academic
misconduct as: “Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University,
or subvert the educational process.” Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not
limited to) plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized collaboration), copying the work of another
student, and possession of unauthorized materials during an examination. Ignorance of the
University’s Code of Student Conduct is never considered an “excuse” for academic misconduct,
so I recommend that you review the Code of Student Conduct, specifically, the sections dealing
with academic misconduct.
If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am obligated by
University Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. If COAM
determines that you have violated the University’s Code of Student Conduct (i.e., committed
academic misconduct), the sanctions for the misconduct could include a failing grade in this
course and suspension or dismissal from the University.
In this course, it is also expected that each student will behave in a manner that is
consistent with the Fisher Honor Statement, which reads as follows:
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“As a member of the Fisher College of Business Community, I am personally committed to the
highest standards of behavior. Honesty and integrity are the foundations from which I will
measure my actions. I will hold myself accountable to adhere to these standards. As a future
leader in the community and business environment, I pledge to live by these principles and
celebrate those who share these ideals.”
If you have any questions about the above policy or what constitutes academic misconduct in
this course, please contact me.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Any student who feels she/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact me privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact the Office for Disability
Services at 614-292-3307 in room 150 Pomerene Hall to coordinate reasonable accommodations
for students with documented disabilities. It is your responsibility to discuss this with me well in
advance of an assignment due date or an exam.
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