Dominican University

 

GSB 771

 

Marketing Research

 

Instructor

 

Karen Kranz

E-mail: karen.kranz@sbcglobal.net

 

Course Description

 

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the field of marketing research, focusing on practical applications within corporate marketing departments and advertising/communications agencies. Traditional quantitative and qualitative research approaches will be discussed, as will more recent methodologies including ethnography and web based measurements.  Modules will include strategic implications of research, survey research methods, focus groups and one-on-one interviewing, questionnaire design, experimental designs, the ethics of research.  

 

Course Objectives

 

  1. Students will enhance their understanding of quantitative and analytical research methods and identify appropriateness of such methods for various research questions.

 

2.      Students will develop an understanding of the applications of research in           marketing and advertising decisions and the implications of research on product and creative development

 

  1. Students will enhance their understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and identify appropriateness of each type of research for various marketing and advertising questions.
    1. Students will compare and contrast qualitative quantitative research methods.
    2. Students will be able to select appropriate methodologies for specific research projects.
  2. Students will articulate ethical aspects of research, including data collection, analysis, and application.
    1. Students will understand appropriate use of human subjects and ethical dimensions of data collection.
    2. Students will understand aspects of the ethical use of research results in advertising and marketing, including the use of proprietary data, inappropriate use of data for decision-making, and ethics of professional researchers.

 

Required text:

 

Hair, Bush, and Ortinau, Marketing Research, McGraw-Hill, 2003, Second Edition

 

Course Grading:

 

There will be two essay exams and a research project.  Each test will be worth 25% of the final grade; the project with be worth 50% of the final grade.

 

 

Schedule:

 

Date

Topic

Reading

September 7
  • What is Marketing Research all about?
  • The Research Process
  • The Ethics of Research
  • The marketing research report & presentation

 

 

 

Hair, Chapters 1, 18

September 14
  • The Marketing Research process
  • Major environmental factors
  • Phases of information research process
  • Transforming data into information
  • Transforming information into insights

 

 

 

Hair,  Chapter 2

September 21

 

Qualitative Research:

  • Focus Groups
  • One-On-One
  • Copy Testing Example, Caterpillar

 

Class project discussed and assigned

 

 

 

Hair, Chapter 6.7, 8

September 28

 

 

 

 

Quantitative Methods--Survey Methods

  • Ways to Collect Data
  • Questionnaire Design

Class projects reviewed for direction and approval

 

 

Hair, Chapters 9, 13,14

October 5
  • Methods and Planning
  • Testing for significant differences
  • Preparing graphical representations of data
  • Take home exam

 

 

Hair, Chapters 10,15

 

 

 

October 12
  • Calculating means, modes, medians as a measure of tendency
  • Understanding hypothesis testing
  • T-tests
  • Chi square
  • correlation

 

  • take home exam due

 

 

 

 

October 19
  • Secondary Research
  • Claritas, Vals
  • Simmons, Yankelovich

 

handouts

October 26
  • Ethnography
  • Video ethnography
  • Disposable camera studies
  • Prototype observations
  • Human factors
  • Physical human factors
  • Cognitive human factors
  • Social human factors
  • Cultural human factors

handouts

November 2
  • Account Planning
  • Roles of the account planner
  • Research’s role in account planning
  • Strategic planning in the corporation
  • Strategic planning in the ad agency

handouts

November 9
  • Managing research in the organization
  • Turning data into insights
  • Interpretation and decision making

 

November 16
  • The role of research in creative development
  • The role of research in product development
  • Final exam – take home

 

November 23
  • Holiday- no class

 

November 30
  • Final exam due
  • Review class projects

 

December 7
  • Review class projects