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CALIFORNIA
STATE
UNIVERSITY
LONG
BEACH
FEMBA 2002
There are three kinds
of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics. -- Disreali
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Course
Schedule
Grading |
Marketing
Research
Dr. Mary Wolfinbarger
Office: CBA 349 |
Group
Project
Student Grade
Sheet
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Textbook:
Marketing Research: A Practical Approach for the New Millennium,
Joseph H. Hair, Jr., Robert P. Bush and David J. Ortinau (with
SPSS statistical package), ISBN 0-07-235844-0.
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Description of the
Course:
Marketing research is a pervasive
function of modern organizations. If, in fact, the "marketing
concept" is to be implemented, marketers must have a way of
determining what it is that customers desire. As the complexity of the
problems facing the marketing manager has increased in recent years, so
has his or her need for information -- about the market environment,
about the competition and particularly about the customers. It is now a
virtual certainty that every marketing manager (and many managers in
other functional areas and in general management) will come in close
contact with marketing research frequently through his or her career in
business.
Marketing research techniques can
broadly be separated into qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Qualitative techniques include many methods, such as focus groups and
in-depth interviews. Quantitative methods are numerous; although we will
discuss qualitative techniques, in this class we will focus on
experimental and survey research.
We will focus especially on survey
research. Students will learn to develop a questionnaire, code and enter
data, to analyze data, and finally, to prepare a managerial report that
concisely and clearly summarizes results. Students are not expected to
become statisticians; they are, however, expected to learn how to
successfully use and interpret statistics. The uses, as well as the
limitations of specific statistics, and "hard data" in
general, will be explored. Students will learn how to use the
statistical package most widely used by marketing research firms, SPSS.
Course Goals:
- To
improve the student's ability to critically and conceptually analyze
research results.
- To
develop the student's ability to critically evaluate alternative
research designs and to develop and select the most appropriate one
for a particular problem situation.
- To
provide the student with the necessary skills to implement a
research design -- selection of a data collection method,
development of the data-collection instrument, sample design and the
actual collection of the data.
- To
provide the student with an introduction to the various data
analysis procedures that are most frequently used in marketing
research.
- To
provide the student with an introduction to the statistics program
SPSS-PC.
In
brief, this course is designed to make the contacts between management
and marketing research as productive as possible by making each student
an intelligent user and consumer of marketing research. Four learning
vehicles will be used in the course: a) readings, b) lectures, c)
discussion and assignments of problems and readings and d) execution of
a Research Project and d) tests.
Group Project:
The objective
of the research project is to provide you with some experience in
applying the concepts and methods of marketing research to a real
marketing problem. The project will be implemented and a report written
by self-selected three- or four-person teams.
The problem
situation will have to be approved by the instructor. You will be given
considerable freedom to follow your own interests, although it is
expected that the problem be relevant to marketing and that the project
will require a field research strategy that requires gathering
information directly from respondents - - that is, it will require the
design of a questionnaire, collection of some data, statistical analysis
performed on the computer, and preparation of a final
report/presentation.
Project
assignments appear on the course outline. There will be no
extensions on the final report deadline. The report will be a
PowerPoint presentation (although the version you turn in to me may have
additional slides than the version you present)::
Sample Presentation -- Midas
- Key
findings: similar to an executive summary, it contains a brief
background of the project, and major findings.
- A fuller background of the project and a
description of the research design, questionnaire and sample.
- Graphs
with text below them describing (briefly and directly) your analyses and
findings.
The graphs should be easy to understand quickly and make
straightforward, easy-to-understand points.
- Limitations of the research (be careful --
write these honestly, but in a way that develops some confidence in
the findings).
- Conclusions and recommendations: Interpret
results and outline how these may be used by decision maker(s).
- Appendix: Survey instrument and any technical
details and output of interest not included in the body of the report in which a
specialist may be interested.
These do not have to be part of the PowerPoint slides, but may
be attached to them as part of the hard copy you turn in.
Grading
2 tests
………………………….60%
Final Project/Presentation .....30
Assignments &
Class Participation …………..10
Total...................................100%
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Session 1:
Jan
5
Introduction to the Course. Discussion of the Research Project.
The
Marketing
Research Process
Read:
Ch. 1, pp. 3-22
Read: Ch. 2, pp.
28-51
Read: Ch. 3, pp.
54-83
In-class group assignment (at least you can get started):
Form
a group of 3 or 4. Review Exhibit 2.7 and pp. 48-51.
Following the outline and the example, put together a research
proposal for your class project.
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Session 2: Jan
12
Exploratory and/or
Qualitative Methods
Secondary Methods
Read:
Ch. 4, (Secondary Research, pp. 90-114
Read: Ch. 8, pp. 214-241,
Illustration 243-250
Read: Ch. 19, pp. 631-634 (Writing up focus group research.)
Video: Oregon Public Broadcasting: Evaluations of Communications
OR Ernest Dichter Positions Barbie.
Turn in project proposal.
In-class group assignment:
Develop your own focus group
interview on the topic of why FEMBAs choose to return to school
and how they choose the university/program in which they are
enrolled. What characteristics of the program contribute
to satisfaction/satisfaction (and in other questions you would
like to ask to evaluate the program)? (You can use Exhibit
4 on pp. 247-248.)
This assignment should be turned in
next week.
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Session 3: Jan
19
"By
virtue of having been asked a question, a respondent ceases to be a real
person." -- Robert A. Lutz in
Guts
Primary Data Collection/ Questionnaire Design and Attitude Measurement
Read: Ch. 12, 370-402
Read: Ch 13, 406-435
Read: Ch. 14, 438-465
If we have time in class: Know San Diego (Video)
In-class discussion and
assignment:
Hallmark
Questionnaire (will receive in class) -- What needs to be done to make this questionnaire
better? You do not have to re-write the questionnaire, but make a
concise but complete
list of changes that need to be made to the
questionnaire.
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Session 4: Jan
26
Sample Design and Data Collection
Data
Entry, Hypothesis Testing,
Data Entry in SPSS,
Some Basic Data Presentation -- Bar Charts, Pie Charts, Tabulation,
Descriptive statistics
Read: Ch.
11, pp. 326-362
Read: Ch. 15, pp. 480-505
Read: Ch. 16, pp. 519-531
Optional: Worth reading if you have ANY interest in Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) -- Database Management, Ch. 6, 148-178.
Due: Questionnaire for Project
In class group assignment: (if we have time) Answer
questions for AOL Case, pp. 367-368.
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Session 5:
Feb
2
Exam #1
After
exam, plan to meet your group and make any final changes
to questionnaire (which you will get back today). You need
to begin data collection next week. |
Session 6:
Feb
9
Crosstabulation/ Crosstabulation in SPSS
(topic is lightly covered in your
text, but will be more completely covered in class)
Read: Ch. 15, pp. 505-509
Analysis of Variance/Analysis of Variance in
SPSS
Read: Ch. 16, pp. 539-544
Collect data this week. At least 100 per group should give you sufficient
power to
do many types of analyses. I will accept less (around 60), but it's not
as much fun to analyze small data sets! This doesn't have to be handed
in to me |
Session 7: Feb
16
Correlation and Regression
Analysis/Regression in SPSS
Read: Ch. 17, 557-577
Reliability and Validity (lecture only, time permitting)
Optional:
Other
Multivariate Techniques, An Overview, Ch. 18, 585-604.
(Let me know if you have a particular interest in any of these
techniques... I'm VERY familiar with factor analysis --
including confirmatory factor analysis; somewhat familiar with
cluster analysis -- particularly hierarchical clustering; and
somewhat familiar with multidimensional scaling
techniques. One additional technique that I have used that
is not covered in the text is Structural Equation Modeling.)
Assignment: Your data need to be completely entered
this week. You can bring your data set and work with me in
the lab on your analyses.
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Session 8: Feb
23
Experimental Design
Read:
Ch. 10, pp. 286-317.
In-class discussion and assignment (receive in class): NY
Times Article: Does the Internet cause
depression? (Evaluation of the design of an experimental study.)
We should have some time to go to the lab so that I can answer
any questions you still have about your project and statistical
analysis.
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Session
9:: Mar
2
Project Presentations. Dazzle Me.
Twenty
five percent of your project grade determined by your
classmate's evaluation of your presentation.
Receive take-home portion of final (running computer analysis) --
can work on in lab after presentations if desired. |
Session 10:
Mar 9
In-class portion of final
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