Research Methods in Marketing Syllabus
MKT 450 – 0 Section 63
Winter Quarter 2005 – Tuesday and Friday 10:30 AM
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Clinical Associate Professor Robert Schieffer
E Mail is r-schieffer@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Office is Jacobs Center 489
Phones: 847-491-7109 (office), 847-816-3522 (home)
and 847-212-2479 (cell)
• Administrative Assistant is Subarna Ranjit
– (s-ranjit@kellogg.northwestern.edu)
• Office hours are Tuesdays and Fridays after class, or
other times as required by students
Research Methods in Marketing
Syllabus
• Marketing Research is not about collecting and analyzing data
• Marketing Research is about gaining customer insight and making
winning Marketing decisions
• Course objective is to engage students in a thorough understanding and
appreciation of the high impact of Marketing Research on strategic,
marketing and product development decisions. The course has a strong focus
on the application of Marketing Research tools rather than just the execution
of these tools. The course is directed at the Manager who is the user of
Marketing Research, rather than the Market Researcher
• A case packet is required, which includes 5 cases and 13 articles
• Customer Insight is the required book for this course and is posted on the
course blackboard, along with all lecture slides
• The recommended text is Marketing Research Essentials, McDaniel and
Gates, Fourth Edition, 2004. Students seeking an excellent reference for
marketing research methods should invest in this text. This text includes
SPSS statistical software that will be used in class; this software is also
available to students in the computer lab.
Research Methods in Marketing
Syllabus
• Grade calculation: A = 94 and above, B = 87– 93, C = 86 and below
• All assignments are graded on a 100 point scale
• Final grade composition:
– 15% Individual Depth Interview Individual Assignment
– 10% Astra Merck Case Team Assignment
– 10% Contadina Pizza Case Team Assignment
– 10% Zenith HDTV Case Team Assignment
– 10% Iridium Team Assignment
– 45% Marketing Research Team Project
– Class Participation and attendance will serve as a borderline tie-breaker
• EXPECTATIONS: Students are expected to attend all classes and to come
prepared to participate in class discussion. All assigned readings, articles,
lecture notes and cases should be read prior to class. Students should raise
questions on this material at the start of each class, since much class time
will be spent applying the material to cases and current issues.
Research Methods in Marketing
Syllabus
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COURSE STRUCTURE – The course is broadly structured to follow the steps of the
marketing research process, and the content will parallel student’s work on their team
project. The finals week will be devoted to team presentations of the findings and
recommendations of their Marketing Research team project.
TEAMS – Students will organize themselves into teams of 4-5 students and need to
notify me of the names on their team by the end of the day of the first class. All students
are expected to participate fully in the team assignments. Students will evaluate the
contributions of fellow team members on the team assignments and grades will
reflect these peer evaluations.
NO LAP TOP USE IN CLASS – Please leave your lap top in its case during class.
COMMUNICATIONS – All lecture notes and case questions will be posted on the
Course Blackboard prior to each class. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with
the professor after class or in his office for depth discussions.
HONOR CODE – All students will abide by the Kellogg Honor Code. It is a violation
of the Honor Code to discuss any course assignments with students who have taken the
course previously.
CASE DISCUSSION – Students should deal with the situation in the cases as presented
and not seek post-case data on the firm or industry. If you have inside information, you
can share it at the end of our discussion. “Valuable class participation in cases is characterized
by: relevance, advancement, fact-based, logical and originality” (David Besanko)
Marketing Research Project
Guidelines
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6)
7)
Student teams are responsible for identifying the sponsor for their Marketing
Research project. An ideal sponsor has an important marketing decision to make,
needs customer insight to decide between several decision alternatives, and is willing
to provide resources for sample frame, data collection and respondent incentives.
All communications and negotiations with the project sponsor will be with the student
team, not with the Professor.
Student teams are responsible for designing and executing all phases of the project.
Teams should avoid sponsors who have the project designed and want students to
execute it for them.
Students who plan to collect data via the Internet can access surveyz.com from KIS
While students are expected to calculate the required sample size for their project, it
will sometimes be difficult to complete large numbers of interviews in the course of a
10 week quarter. Students should discuss this in their project critique.
Students should not interview Northwestern faculty or administrative staff, unless this
group is the target market and they get the OK of the Professor
If interviews are conducted in places of business, such as stores or shopping malls,
students need to obtain permission from the management of the business
Marketing 450
Marketing Research Project Timing
Weeks 1 & 2
Identification of Research Project Sponsor
Problem Formulation: Description of Problem/Opportunity,
Management Decision, and Decision Alternatives
Week 3
Research Design
Week 4
Secondary Research
Exploratory Research
Week 5
Data Collection Plan and Analysis Plan
Week 6
Sample Design
Questionnaire Pre-Test
Week 7
Data Collection
Week 8
Data Analysis
Weeks 9 & 10
Preparation of Findings and Recommendations
Preparation of Project Critique
Presentation during Week 10 or Finals week
Syllabus - MKT 450 Section 63
Winter 2005 SCHIEFFER
Class
Day
Date
Topic
Readings
1 T
Jan.
4
Introduction to
Marketing
Research
Customer Insight
Introduction
Review Essentials Ch. 1
2 F
Jan.
7
Marketing
Research Process
Read New Coke case
“Backward Market
Research”
Problem Formulation
Discussion
Cases
Guest
Speaker
Assignment
Due
NEW COKE
(Questions
are at the end
of the case)
Review Essentials Ch. 2
3 T
Jan.
11
Research
Designs
Secondary Data
4 F
Jan.
14
Sources of
Standardized Data
5 T
Jan.
18
Exploratory
Research
Customer Insight Chap. 1
Review Essentials Ch.3
Review Essentials Ch. 5
Dan Hess,
ComScore
Customer Insight Chap. 2
Customer Insight Chap. 3
“Does the Smell of Coffee….”
“P & G Checks Out Real Life”
“The ZMET Alternative”
Proj. Ass. 1:
Research Project
Problem
Formulation
Prof. Meeting
Syllabus - MKT 450 Section 63
Winter 2005 SCHIEFFER
Class
6
7
8
9
Date
F
Jan.
21
Applied
Exploratory
Research
“The Customer Visit”
Review Essentials Ch. 4
T
Jan.
25
Descriptive
Research
Review Essentials Ch. 6
Proj. Ass. 2:
Research
Design
Prof. Meeting
F
Jan.
28
Attitude
Measurement
Sampling Methods
Review Essentials Ch. 8
Review Essentials Ch. 9
Review Essentials Ch. 10
Review Essentials Ch. 11
Individual
Depth
Interview
Due
T
Feb.
1
Causal Research:
Experimentation
“Boost Your Marketing R.O.I.”
Proj. Ass. 3:
Review Essentials Ch. 7
Review Essentials Ch. 12
Review Essentials Ch. 13
Secondary and
Exploratory
Research
Summary Due
Feb.
4
Market
Segmentation
10 F
Topic
Readings
Discussion
Cases
Day
Primary Data
Collection
Data Analysis Overview
Customer Insight Ch. 4
Guest
Speaker
Assignment
Due
Susan Lazar,
The Lazar
Group
(Ask respondent
for individual
depth interview
to begin collage)
Syllabus - MKT 450 Section 63
Winter 2005 SCHIEFFER
Class
Day
Date
11
T
Feb.
8
Topic
Market
Segmentation
and Targeting
Readings
Discussion
Cases
Read Astra/Merck case
(See Blackboard for
questions)
F
Feb.
11
Positioning
13
T
Feb.
15
Product
Optimization and
Conjoint Analysis
Models
14
F
Feb.
18
Product Optimization
Examples and
Advanced Analysis
Models
15
T
Feb.
22
Case Discussion
-- Zenith
Perceptual Mapping
Factor Analysis
Customer Insight Ch. 5
“Perceptual Mapping”
ASTRA/
MERCK
Customer Insight Ch. 6
“Conjoint Analysis”
Read Zenith Case
Assignment
Due
Proj. Ass. 4:
Data Collection
and Analysis Plans
Due
Cluster Analysis
12
Guest
Speaker
ASTRA/MERCK
Assignment Due
(Questions on
Blackboard)
(No Assignment Due,
but Sample Design and
Questionnaire Pre-Test
Should be Completed)
ZENITH
(Questions on
Blackboard)
Zenith Case
Questions
Syllabus - MKT 450 Section 63
Winter 2005 SCHIEFFER
Class
Day
Date
Topic
16
F
Feb. New Product
25 Forecasting
17
T
Mar.
1
Case Discussion
– Contadina Pizza
Ad Research
Brand Equity
Readings
Discussion
Cases
Customer Insight Ch 10
“Product Development”
“Information Acceleration”
Customer Insight Ch. 7
Read Contadina Pizza
Case
18
F
Mar.
4
Pricing Research
B to B Research
Packaging and Name
Research
Customer Insight Ch. 8
“How Much are Customers
willing to Pay?”
“The Price is Right (or is it?)”
19
T
Mar.
8
Case Discussion
-- Iridium
Read IRIDIUM Case
20
F
Mar.
11
Customer Satisfaction
and Loyalty Research
Implementation of
Marketing Research
Customer Insight Ch. 9
Customer Insight Conclusion
“Why Satisfied Customers Defect”
Review Essentials Ch. 14
Guest
Speaker
Jason
Brown,
IPSOS
Vantis
Contadina
Pizza Case
(Questions on
Blackboard)
Assignment
Due
Data
Collection
Completed
and Prof.
Review
Meeting
Contadina
Forecast
(Data Analysis
Completed on
Team Project)
(Project
presentation
and critique
finalized)
IRIDIUM
(Questions at
end of case)
IRIDIUM
CASE
Questions
Larry
Chandler,
Solution
Partners