MANAGEMENT 3220: Marketing Research
Spring 2005, TTh 8:00- 9:15
Instructor: Dr. Mike Basil
Phone: 329-2075
Office: E518
Hours: TTh 11:00-noon
Email: michael.basil@uleth.ca
Text:
Zikmund, William G. (2003). Exploring Marketing Research, 8th Edition. Thomson
South-Western Publishers.
Course Description:
The class covers the research methods that are used to understand the marketing of products
and services. These techniques are used in product development, pricing, placement and
promotions. However, these same research methods are also applied in all of the “sciences,” so
understanding them will help you read and better understand a variety of information sources
including studies, newspaper articles, and expert opinions.
We will start with an overview of ways of knowing. We will focus on the "social science"
empirical approach as it is applied in marketing. Our primary concern is how to make use of
focus groups, observations, surveys and lab experiments to provide the best possible
information to marketers. We will also study how to design studies, collect data, control
extraneous factors, and analyze data. There is no better way to learn than doing, so the group
project will give you practical experience in carrying out your own study. You may want to
submit the report of this research to a regional academic conference. At the end of the class
you should understand the primary techniques used to gather data – focus groups,
observation, surveys and experiments – and how and when to apply these methods. I hope
that this information will make you a more informed citizen, help you land a job as a research
assistant, allow you to read research articles, and understand what researchers do.
Objectives of the course:
1. An understanding of the scientific method
2. Familiarity with observational, qualitative, survey, and experimental procedures
3. An understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach
4. Understanding principal statistical techniques and their application
5. The ability to understand published research
Grading will be based on:
Quizzes (10 @ 4% each)
Group project (15%, 25%)
Participation and Professionalism:
40%
40%
20%
Grading Scale
The standard Faculty of Management grading scale will be used.
A+
95-100
B
78-81
C62-65
A
90-94
B74-77
D+
58-61
A86-89
C+
70-73
D
50-57
B+
82-85
C
66-69
F
Below 50
MANAGEMENT 3220: Marketing Research
p. 2
Special Needs:
Please inform me of special needs such as learning disabilities, religious obligations that
conflict with class schedule, physical limitations affecting class participation, and medical
limitations affecting class participation at the beginning of the semester. I will work with you
to help meet your needs to the extent possible.
Academic offences:
I will deal with academic offences including cheating and plagiarism in the strictest manner
allowed by the University of Lethbridge. Please refer to the calendar for specific penalties.
Quizzes:
You will need to read in advance. (I recommend this for every class, not just this one). There
are three reasons for this. First, research is quite convincing in showing distributed learning
lasts much longer. Second, earlier exposure to the ideas will let you think about them in ways
that help critical thinking. Three, we will have weekly quizzes. Questions will be drawn from
the book and from lecture. Information that is in both places is likely to be on the quiz.
Group research project:
Each student will participate in a group research project. This will involve library research,
designing the study, collecting the data, analyzing the data, and presenting the results in
written form. Examples of project include examining the viability of a new product, sports
attendance, perceptions of film trailers, or other projects that have real-world applications.
Proposals
Each group will need to develop a written research proposal. All proposals should be based on
a review of the literature. These help find out what needs to be studied and what questions
need to be asked. As we will discuss in class, developing a solid understanding of what need
to be studied is half the battle. These proposals should tell us what it is we need to find out
and how best to find it out. The proposals must be presented to me in written form by
February 10. I will make suggestions on the proposals that I believe will make the research
more practical and theoretically interesting.
Data collection
After the proposals are approved, groups will collect data. Generally, two forms of data will be
collected – focus groups and surveys.
Focus group
After the proposal is approved, groups will conduct at least 2 focus groups. The questions and
“top-line” summary of the results will be turned in by March 10. These will be used to develop
survey questions.
Survey
Based on the proposals and focus group results, groups will then develop a survey and collect
data. If your group uses another technique, this needs to be approved by me in advance.
Data analysis
Each group will be expected to perform the data analysis strategy that is appropriate for their
data. Although most of these will be performed in Excel, more advanced techniques may
MANAGEMENT 3220: Marketing Research
p. 3
require the use of SPSS, software that is available on many Faculty of Management computers.
Final Reports
Groups will prepare a 20-page written report of their research. This must be prepared
according to the standard procedures in the field. It should include the literature review, focus
group report, methods, results, and conclusions. Additional instructions are given in the text
and will be covered in class.
I hope that some of these projects will be submitted to academic conferences. A conference
paper will give you a nice idea of what graduate school is about and will be evaluated highly.
A conference paper can also distinguish you from other job candidates and show that you have
a good understanding of marketing research.
Participation
Each group member will evaluate each other on the quality and quantity of their contribution.
The individual participation scores will make part of the project grade.
Participation and Professionalism:
Your participation in and outside of class will be evaluated according to "four Ps."
1. Presence: The textbook provides information, but class builds on this.
2. Participation: Presence is important, but active learning is better. Make sure to do
the assigned reading before class and actively participate in class discussion.
3. Perceptiveness: Participation is good, but insightful participation is even better.
Perceptive and intelligent comments relate class to situations outside of class.
4. Professionalism: Work in a polite, professional manner and demonstrate a positive
attitude.
I believe that students create their own learning environment. So participation marks will be
scaled according to your contribution to the class according to the following descriptions:
A: The student’s contribution is substantial. Ideas show insight and provide a good
direction for the class. If this person wasn’t here, the quality of the discussions
would be noticeably diminished.
B: Ideas are often substantive, insightful, and provide a useful direction for the class.
The student is an important resource person, and their absence would be noticed.
C: Some ideas offered are substantive, useful, and offer a good direction. If this person
were not here, the quality of the discussions would be slightly diminished.
D: This person contributes little to the class discussions. If this person were not here,
we would hardly notice.
F: Contributions are irrelevant, distracting, repetitious, obvious, or confusing. If this
person were not here, time would be saved for more constructive discussion.
MANAGEMENT 3220: Marketing Research
Schedule [and reading assignments]
January 6 - Theories and ways of knowing [no reading]
11 - The marketing research process [Chapter 3]
13 - Ethics [Chapter 4]
19 - Literature reviews/Defining the research problem [Chapter 5]
21 - Qualitative research [Chapter 6]
26 - Secondary research [Chapter 7]
28 – Survey research [Chapter 8]
February 1 - Survey research [Chapter 9]
3 - Observational research [Chapter 10]
8 – Experimental research [Chapter 11]
10 – Test marketing [Chapter 12] and Case
Group project proposals due
15 - Measurement [Chapter 13]
17 - Questionnaire design [Chapter 15]
March 1 - Sampling [Chapter 16]
3 - Editing and Coding [Chapter 19]
8 - Univariate and descriptive statistics [Chapter 20]
10 - The logic of statistics [Chapter 21]
Focus group report due
15 - Tests of association - Chi-square [Chapter 21]
17 - Comparisons of means - t-tests [Chapter 22]
22 - Comparisons of means - ANOVA [Chapter 22]
24 - Correlation and regression [Chapter 23]
29 - Multivariate analysis [Chapter 24]
31 - Case
April 5 - Statistics Review
7 - Presenting the results [Chapter 25]
12 - Statistical consulting and advice
14 - 20 Final report due
p. 4