MKT 3220 MARKETING RESEARCH WINTER 2017 INSTRUCTOR: SANDEEP ARORA. Contact information

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1 MKT 3220 MARKETING RESEARCH WINTER 2017 INSTRUCTOR: SANDEEP ARORA Contact information Office: 662 Drake Centre Office phone number: Office hours: Tuesday (4 to 5 PM) (and by appointment)

2 Course objectives This course is designed for business students who want to pursue a career in marketing, but can also be taken by other students interested in marketing research. The aim of the course is to teach students the methods, principles, and theories of modern marketing research and to apply these to practical business settings. You will learn the concepts and terminology used by marketers and marketing researchers and train in methodological tools to obtain a competitive advantage in the business world. The specific objectives of the course are: 1. To understand that marketing problems require information and how this information is obtained and delivered 2. To learn how to set up a research design 3. To know and understand the different methods of data collection 4. To know and understand the different methods of data analysis 5. To train you to apply methods of data collection and analysis to solve marketing problems 6. To train you to analyze real life marketing problems 7. To improve your business writing and presentation skills 8. To gain more experience working in teams 2

3 Textbook Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. and Dawn Iacobucci ISBN: Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Edition: 11 th (8 th / 9 th / 10 th editions will also be fine) You should be able to find inexpensive used copies of 8 th (ISBN ), 9 th (ISBN ), or 10 th (ISBN ) editions of this textbook online. 3

4 Format We will have two lectures every week during the semester. You will benefit from reading the assigned topics in the textbook before the lectures. We will also have some lab sessions during the semester where we will apply the theoretical concepts learnt in the lectures. Basis for Final Grade 1. Exams The purpose of the exams is to encourage you to study the material included in the textbook and discussed in class. Your ability to apply concepts is assessed through class discussion, team projects, and case submissions. We will have two exams throughout the semester- one midterm and one final. We will follow the structure of the textbook. However, some exam questions are related to material that is only discussed in lectures, not in the textbook. Always take your class notes as a starting point when studying for the exams. The textbook serves a supporting role. 2. Team projects You and your team will apply marketing research principles and techniques to a number of practical business situations. It will improve your ability to apply and to gain a better understanding of these techniques and principles. It will also improve your professional skills of presentation and writing and give you an experience of working in a team. Please see the policy regarding team projects and presentation to avoid free riders in your group. We will have three projects during the semester but each team will only submit written reports for two projects. Your team will not submit written report for the project that it presents. Project reports: You and your team members will write a short report for two projects (2-3 pages text plus a maximum of 10 pages for appendices). The team project descriptions will be made available on D2L. All projects will deal with a realistic marketing problem faced by a company. Additional information is needed to support the decision. Your team will act as a team of consultants that is hired to collect that information, provide a recommendation to the board of directors of that company, and answer any questions raised in the project. 4

5 Notes: Project reports are due at the start of the class on the day they are due. Submit a hard copy of your project report before the beginning of the class on the date when the case is due. Always keep an extra copy of your report. 3. Team presentation Your team will prepare a PowerPoint presentation for one team project and present in class (Teams 1 and 2 present team project 1, Teams 3 and 4 present team project 2, etc.) See the class schedule for the exact dates. As your presentation time is limited, it is extremely important to carefully prepare and coordinate, focusing on the most important issues. See the grading criteria for team projects for details on how your presentation will be graded. Note: Your team does not have to submit written report for the project that it presents. Each team will also serve as a board of directors when another team presents. Take this role seriously and ask relevant questions. Your grade will also depend on your performance being on the board. Duration Audience Presentation media 10 minutes + 5 minutes for Q&A Assume your audience is the board of directors that has hired you as a consultant to solve one of their marketing research issues. When one team is presenting, the other team will serve as the board of directors. The board of directors and I will raise serious questions on the research and suggested solutions, to which the presenting team will have to respond. 1. me your PowerPoint file at least 1 day before class. (If you can, bring a copy on a flash drive) 2. Print copies of your slides as a handout and pass them on to the board and me. 3. Short business cases (individual submissions) The short business cases will improve your professional skills of concise business writing and presentation. Your briefs are to be a single page, accompanied by a maximum of three relevant exhibits that are attached in an appendix. We will have two short cases during the semester. You will 5

6 work on these cases individually. Notes: Briefs are due at the start of the class in which the case is discussed. Submit a hard copy of your case brief before the beginning of the class on the date when the case is due. Always keep an extra copy of your case brief. 4. Toolkits (individual exercises) The purpose of these toolkits is to give you hands-on experience of tools that you would require for your class projects. You would work on two toolkits during the semester. The instructor will give you a handout with a description of the steps for completing a toolkit. To complete a toolkit, you would have to just follow the instructions given in the handouts and submit the results to the instructor. 5. Class participation To get the maximum benefit from this class, you should prepare for, attend, and participate in class. For each session, you should read the assigned book chapter(s), and the assigned business press article (if any). The assigned book chapter(s) for each session is mentioned in the course schedule. Class participation points are given to encourage your active class participation and discussion. Your participation points will depend on your active contribution to the class discussion. Please note that the quantity and quality of your participation will affect your participation grade. If you find it uncomfortable to speak up in class, I encourage you to visit me during office hours and work on this skill. To facilitate accurate recording of class participation grades, please make sure that you sit on the same seat in every class and that you have a table name card displayed in front of you. 6

7 Grading criteria Your final grade will be computed based on the following assignments. Exams (60%) (30 % midterm exam and 30% final exam) The exams will encourage you to study the basic material (definitions and applications of marketing research concepts and techniques), i.e., the text and lectures. The exams may consist of a number of multiple choice and open-ended questions. Some openended questions may be more short answer-type questions and others may involve calculations. The distribution of points is indicated on the exam. Team project reports and presentation (15%) (5% for each project written report and 5% for the project team presentation) The projects will help you apply and further understand marketing research principles in real business settings. They will also give you experience of working in a team. You and your team will complete two project written reports and present one project for this class. You will hand in written reports for all projects except for the project that you present. When grading the team project reports and project presentations, the following issues will be taken into account (where applicable): Written project reports Format and presentation: This would cover the following areas: o Clarity in writing- clear, direct, writing style o Grammatical and spelling errors o Adhering to the prescribed format and page limit (2-3 pages + up to 10 appendices) o Creativity in presenting results - creativity in writing, layout, graphs, etc. Logical reasoning and analysis: This would cover the following areas: o Presenting logical and relevant arguments o Consistency - be consistent throughout the report o Show an understanding and application of marketing and marketing research concepts discussed in the class o Thoroughness - cover all the important aspects of the project 7

8 o Conciseness - be to the point o Sufficient information collected (if applicable) Recommendations/ conclusions: This would cover the following areas: o Relevance of recommendations/ conclusions to the problem o Recommendations supported by information given in the project o Recommendations consistent with the analysis o Practical implications of the recommendations- can be implemented and has relevance in the real world Presentations Clear communication to audience - both visual and verbal Creativity in presenting results - creativity in writing, layout, graphs, creative recommendations (if applicable) Use of marketing and marketing research concepts - relates to marketing and marketing research concepts discussed in class Thoroughness - cover all the important aspects of the project Response to questions - direct answers; show you know the materials Professionalism Note: If a student is found not to be contributing to the team at a sufficient level as deemed by all remaining team members and the instructor the group can request to have that student removed from their team. This student will then have to complete the team project reports and presentation individually. Short individual cases (10%) (5% per case brief) The case briefs will help improve your professional skills of concise business writing and communication. You will write two individual case briefs. When grading the case briefs, the following issues will be taken into account (where applicable): Format and presentation: This would cover the following areas: o Clarity in writing- clear, direct, writing style o Grammatical and spelling errors o Adhering to the prescribed format and page limit (one page + up to 3 appendices) o Creativity in presenting results - creativity in writing, layout, graphs, etc. Logical reasoning and analysis: This would cover the following areas: 8

9 o Thoroughness - cover all the important aspects of the case o Presenting logical and relevant arguments o Consistency - be consistent throughout the report o Show an understanding and application of marketing and marketing research concepts discussed in the class o Conciseness - be to the point o Sufficient information collected (if applicable) Recommendations/ conclusions: This would cover the following areas: o Relevance of recommendations/ conclusions to the problem o Recommendations supported by information given in the case o Recommendations consistent with the analysis o Practical implications of the recommendations- can be implemented and has relevance in the real world Toolkits (5%) (2.5% per toolkit) These are simple exercises that will expose you to tools that you would find useful in the class projects. To complete these exercises, you just have to follow the steps given in the exercise handout and submit the results to the instructor. Please note that you have to complete the toolkits individually. Class participation (10%) These points are given to encourage you to prepare, attend, and participate in class. To receive full credit for participation, you need to actively participate in the discussions. Your participation grade will depend on how many times you contribute in the class (quantity of participation); if your contribution to the class discussion is proactive; and the relevance & insightfulness of your contribution (quality of participation). To facilitate accurate recording of class participation grades, please make sure that you sit on the same seat in every class and that you have a table name card displayed in front of you. 9

10 Final grade Course grades are earned according to the following scale: A+ 93% and above A 85% % B+ 80% % B 70% % C+ 65% % C 60% % D 50% % F 49.9% and below 0 = 0 Please note that I will be rounding off your grade to the first decimal place for calculating the final grade. 10

11 Policies To maintain a conducive learning environment and as a respect for your classmates and the instructor, I request you to adhere to the following policies. Class policies Please arrive to the class a little before time. You do not want to walk into the class late thereby disturbing your classmates Please refrain from conducting personal conversation during the sessions as it may distract others around you If you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate to catchup on what happened in that class. You could always refer to the lecture notes that I would post on D2L Case, toolkit, and project policies Cases/ toolkits: All cases and toolkits are individual submissions. Please the work on them individually. Seeking help from or collaborating with anyone constitutes academic dishonesty Team projects and presentations: All team members are expected to contribute equally to team assignments. If a student is found not to be contributing to the group at a sufficient level as deemed by all remaining group members and the instructor the group can request to have that student removed from their group. This student will then have to complete the team project reports and presentation individually Late submissions: All the case briefs, toolkits, and project write-ups submissions are due at the beginning of the class on their due dates. Unexcused submissions turned in late will lose 5% per day or part thereof. Three days past the due date, your assignment is not worth any marks 11

12 Undergraduate Bonus Credit Research Participation Program Students can participate in up to four online research studies this term to earn bonus credit. Each study takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and provides a 0.5% bonus to your course grade. There is a maximum bonus of 2% per course. Please note that each study can only be completed once for extra credit: completing the same study more than once will not provide additional course credit. Benefits of the Program: This program is designed to give students a glimpse into how marketing theory is developed through participation in marketing research studies conducted by faculty here at the Asper School of Business. Participation in academic research studies also enhances the value of the degrees from Asper. University reputations are affected by the quality of research conducted by their faculty: participating in these studies helps Asper professors publish in scholarly journals, consequently improving the school s reputation. Procedure: You will be notified via prior to each study so that you may participate online. At the end of each study, you can choose a course to which you assign the bonus credit. Please take a screen shot of the page where you assign the bonus credit, for your records. At the end of each study session, you will be debriefed, i.e., you will be informed as to what was being studied in each study. This debriefing will allow you to see how marketing theory is developed through academic research. All studies that you participate in are approved by the Psychology/Sociology Research Ethics Board, University of Manitoba. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the subject pool administrator at mktg_research@umanitoba.ca. Alternative Assignment: Should you wish to earn bonus credit, but not wish to participate in research, the following option is offered as an alternative assignment for bonus credit. This alternative assignment is designed to take approximately 15 minutes of time, the same time that would be spent if you were participating in the research program. 12

13 Students are to find one short research report in the Journal of Consumer Psychology or Psychological Science and will be required to read the article and submit a one page summary of the main findings to mktg_research@umanitoba.ca by the end of the particular study period a student chooses not to participate in (i.e. if the study period is from Feb 1 15, this is the period in which the alternative assignment has to be done and submitted). Credit will be given to the student as if they participated in the research study. Any questions about the assignment or suggestions for articles should be directed to mktg_research@umanitoba.ca. 13

14 Tentative Class Schedule (exam dates not tentative) L. No Date Topic Notes 1 Jan 18 Course introduction What comprises marketing research (Ch 1) 2 Jan 23 Marketing intelligence (Ch 2) 3 Jan 25 4 Jan 30 Marketing intelligence (Ch 2) Marketing research process and problem formulation (Ch 3) Marketing research process and problem formulation (Ch 3) Research designs, exploratory research (Ch 4) Last day to drop the class- Jan 31 5 Feb 1 Research designs, exploratory research (Ch 4) Case 1 due 6 Feb 6 Descriptive research (Ch 5) Deadline for team signup 7 Feb 8 Causal designs (Ch 6) 8 Feb 13 Causal designs- experimentation (Ch 6) 9 Feb 15 Causal designs experimentation (Ch 6) Case 2 due Feb 27 Lab session 1 Experimental design Room 247 Drake Mar 1 10 Mar 6 11 Mar 8 Midterm exam Data collection I (Primary/ secondary data; communication methods) (Ch 7/8) Data collection II (Communication methods; questionnaire design) (Ch 7/8) Team project 1 due Team 1 & 2 present 12 Mar 13 Data collection III (Questionnaire design) (Ch 9) Toolkit 1 submission due (individual) 14

15 13 Mar 15 Data collection IV (Questionnaire design) (Ch 9/10) 14 Mar 20 Sampling I (Ch 11) Team project 2 due 15 Mar 22 Sampling II (Ch 11/12) Team 3 & 4 present Mar 27 Lab session 2- Sampling Room 247 Drake 16 Mar 29 Data analysis I (Ch 14 & 15) 17 Apr 3 Data analysis II (Ch 14, 15, & Ch 15 Appendix) Toolkit 2 submission due (individual) 18 Apr 5 Data analysis III (Ch 17) Team project 3 due 19 Apr 10 Data analysis IV (Ch 17) Team 5 & 6 present 20 Apr 12 Data analysis V (Ch 17 & Appendix) Apr 17 Lab session 3- Regression Room 247 Drake 21 Apr 19 TBA Data analysis VI and course wrap-up (Ch 17 & Appendix) Final exam 15

16 Other pertinent information 1. Mid-term and final examinations will be deferred in cases of illness, death in the family, and other such extenuating circumstances. DOCUMENTATION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE WILL BE NECESSARY BEFORE THE DEFERMENT IS GRANTED. Note however that the deferment will be at the discretion of the instructor. Students must show their University Identification and sign a class list next to their name for their exams. 2. Please refer to the University Calendar for regulations regarding plagiarism and cheating. Violation of these regulations will result either in a failing grade or in expulsion from the faculty. Important: Effective September 1, 2013, the U of M will only use your university account for official communications, including messages from your instructors, department or faculty, academic advisors, and other administrative offices. If you have not already been doing so, please send all s from your UofM account. Remember to include your full name, student number and faculty in all correspondence. For more information visit: 16

17 Academic integrity It is critical to the reputation of the I.H. Asper School of Business and of our degrees that everyone associated with our faculty behaves with the highest academic integrity. As the faculty that helps create business and government leaders, we have a special obligation to ensure that our ethical standards are beyond reproach. Any dishonesty in our academic transactions violates this trust. The University of Manitoba General Calendar addresses the issue of academic dishonesty under the heading "Plagiarism and Cheating". Specifically, acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to: - using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without referencing the source of these words - duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source - paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communications, ideas from a verbal presentation) without referencing the source - copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment - providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment - taking any unauthorized materials into an examination or term test (crib notes) - impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination - stealing or mutilating library materials - accessing tests prior to the time and date of the sitting - changing name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned - submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without discussions with the instructors involved. 17

18 Group projects and group work Many courses in the I.H. Asper School of Business require group projects. Students should be aware that group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic dishonesty. Because of the unique nature of group projects, all group members should exercise special care to insure that the group project does not violate the policy on Academic Integrity. Should a violation occur, group members are jointly accountable unless the violation can be attributed to a specific individual(s). Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage students to work together in groups (or at least do not prohibit it) before submitting individual assignments. Students are encouraged to discuss this issue as it relates to academic integrity with their instructor to avoid violating this policy. In the I.H. Asper School of Business all suspected cases of academic dishonesty are passed to the Dean's office in order to ensure consistency of treatment. 18

19 AACSB assurance of learning goals and objectives The Asper School of Business is proudly accredited by AACSB. Accreditation requires a process of continuous improvement of the School and our students. Part of student improvement is ensuring that students graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their careers. To do so, the Asper School has set the learning goals and objectives listed below for the Undergraduate Program. The checked goal(s) and objective(s) will be addressed in this course and done so by means of the items listed next to the checkmark. Goals and Objective in the Undergraduate Program 1 Quantitative Reasoning Goals and Objectives addressed in this Course Course Item(s) Relevant to these Goals and Objectives A. Determine which quantitative analysis technique is appropriate for solving a specific problem. B. Use the appropriate quantitative method in a technically correct way to solve a business problem. ü ü Entire course Entire course C. Analyze quantitative output and arrive at a conclusion. ü Cases & projects 2 Written Communication A. Use correct English grammar and mechanics in their written work. ü Cases & projects B. Communicate in a coherent and logical manner ü Cases & projects C. Present ideas in a clear and organized fashion. ü Cases & projects 3 Ethical Thinking A. Identify ethical issues in a problem or case situation B. Identify the stakeholders in the situation. C. Analyze the consequences of alternatives from an ethical standpoint. D. Discuss the ethical implications of the decision. 4 Core Business Knowledge ü Entire course 19