RESEARCH DRIVEN DECISION MAKING (MBA 8652)
Summer 2014
W 6:00 – 9:00 (Bartley 3001)
Dr. Jeremy Kees, Associate Professor of Marketing
Office: Bartley 3006 (Office hours by appointment)
Phone: 610.519.6145
Email: jkees@villanova.edu
“Tell me and I forget,
Teach me and I remember,
Involve me and I learn.”
– Ben Franklin
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will cover the basics on how to conduct business research with a focus on markets
and consumers. The course will be practical in nature with an emphasis on using research to
make managerial decisions. The course will cover topics in research including research design,
sampling, survey design, and interpretation/application of research results. Data analysis will not
be covered.
VALUE OF THE COURSE:
The ability to utilize research is critical in making well-informed managerial decisions. Most
students will not choose to pursue a career as a researcher; however all students will definitely be
users of research information. A primary goal of this course is to help students learn enough
about research methods to give them confidence in identifying problems that can be solved with
research, choosing the appropriate research design that will address the problem, and using the
research to make strategic decisions. In addition, students will learn to identify the circumstances
under which the different types of study designs and data collection methods are most
appropriate to address the problem at hand.
The focus of the class will not be the nuts and bolts of research (e.g., statistics), but rather on big
picture concepts on how to choose appropriate research designs for various problems and how to
interpret research findings. The course will feature actual industry research projects to further
stress management's use of information/data to drive value-added decision-making.
In sum, the goal is that students will see the value in using empirical evidence to make decisions
rather than anecdotal evidence.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify and define decision problems
Identify what information is needed to solve various types of classic decision problems
Design a research project to suit the problem and collect the relevant data
Interpret research results and make decisions
Implement all aspects of the marketing research process in a ethical and socially responsible
manner
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND CLASS PARTICIPATION:
I always try to avoid a strict lecture environment in the classes I teach. For this class in
particular, I will play the role of “discussion moderator” rather than lecturer. The effectiveness of
this approach is contingent upon the extent to which students come to class prepared. Thus, it is
crucial that you stay current with you reading and spend adequate time becoming intimately
familiar with the readings.
Participation: Class participation is an important component of your grade. I will consider both
the quality and quantity of your contributions to our class. Please notify me in advance if you
must miss class. You are fully expected to contribute to class discussion. This requires you to dig
a bit deeper into the material and find angles to attack the problems that others may not have
thought of.
Attendance: Please be sensitive to the short duration of this class. If you miss more than one
class, you miss one-third of the in-class content! If your work schedule requires you to miss
more than one class, please take this class another semester or choose another class to take.
Mini Applied Project Assignments: Students will work in small teams (2-4 students) to address
a problem of interest to the team. The problem should be a real issue a team member is dealing
with at work. Over the course of the semester, the team will work to properly formulate the
problem, choose an appropriate research design to address the problem, design a measurement
instrument, and design a sampling and data collection plan. There are a total of four assignments
worth 25 points each.
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COURSE MATERIALS:
Required Readings:
Beall, Anne E. (2010), Strategic Market Research: A Guide to Conducting Research that Drives
Businesses
Fowler, Floyd, J (2009), Survey Research Methods (4th Edition)
Other outside readings and datasets will be posted on the course website.
COURSE WEBSITE:
The course website can be found at: http://www85.homepage.villanova.edu/jeremy.kees/
Here, you will find all course materials including the syllabus (this document), schedule,
assignments, readings, etc. The website will be updated periodically as the semester goes on.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY AND CLASS CANCELLATIONS:
If Villanova is open, class will be held at the scheduled time. If you have a long commute to
campus and are nervous about the road conditions, please use your own judgment. If class is
canceled I will notify students by e-mail or via the Blackboard website.
EXAMINATIONS:
You will be expected to take one exam on the last day of class. The exam will cover all material
covered in class and in the assigned readings.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Any instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with swiftly and severely according to the
Villanova University Academic Integrity Code available at:
http://www.vpaa.villanova.edu/academicintegrity/code.html
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
I will do my best to accommodate any student who has a disability that may affect their success
in this course. I ask that you meet with me regarding any special accommodations you may need
by the second week of class.
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GRADES:
Maximum Points Possible
Class Participation
Exam =
Applied Mini-Assignments =
Total possible points =
Grades as a Percentage of Total Points Possible:
50
100
100
250
> 93% = A
90-92% = A87–89% = B+
84-86% = B
80-83% = BHopefully that will cover everyone…
***Syllabus May Be Subject To Change (but probably not)***
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MBA 8652 Course Schedule
Date
Lecture Topic

7/2

Assignment for Next Class
WEEK 1
Course Introduction /
Research Overview
Lecture Topic: Research
Process and Problem
Formulation
DUE
 Andreasen, Alan R. (1985),
“Backward Marketing Research,”
HBR, May/June, 176-182
 Beal: Chapters 1-2, 4-6
 Fowler: Chapter 1
WEEK 2
7/9
 Beal: Chapter 3
 Fowler: Chapter 1 and 13
 Team Assignment #1: Identify your
Problem
 Lecture Topic: Research
Design
 Jake Pasini, Turn5, Inc
WEEK 3
7/16
 Lecture Topic: Survey Design
 Sarah Simmons & Erica
Parker, Harris Interactive
 Fowler: Chapters 6-8
 Team Assignment #2: Design your
Study
Team Assignment #1 (Prob.
Form.)
WEEK 4
7/23
 Lecture Topic: Measurement
 Guest Speaker: Felicia M.
Newman, Principal, Newman
Marketing Research
 Fowler: Chapters 2-5
 Team Assignment #3: Develop your
Measurement Instrument
Team Assignment #2
(Design)
WEEK 5
7/30
 Lecture Topic: Sampling / Data
Collection
 Guest Speaker – George
Leon, Senior VP, National
Analysts
 Team Assignment #4: Design your
Sampling Method and Data
Collection Strategy
 Note Fowler Chapters 9-10 as
excellent reference materials
 Prepare for Final Exam
Team Assignment #3
(Measurement)
WEEK 6
8/6
Kees, MBA 8652
FINAL EXAM
Team Assignment #4
(Sampling/Data Collection)
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