Syllabus  BA 431 - Term 1, 2005

Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior

Conant Home

BA 431 Home

Syllabus

Schedule

Notes

INSTRUCTOR:   Donald D. Conant

Class Time and Location:   T - Th, 5:00 - 7:30, McChord

Phone:   work: (360) 754-4877, home: (360) 556-7359

E-mail:   Provided in class

Web site:   http://homepages.stmartin.edu/fac_staff/dconant

OFFICE HOURS:   By appointment

REQUIRED TEXTS:  To order at Wiley Publishers click on book title.

Marketing Research Essentials, 4th Edition
Carl McDaniel, Jr., Roger Gates
ISBN: 0-471-44845-1
Paperback
480 pages
April 2003

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

As stated in the Saint Martin’s University catalog, this “course covers 
preliminary research design; instrument development; data sources; 
sampling, processing and interpretation; and evaluation of data.”

Today’s successful businesses are consumer-centric and market focused. 
Marketers utilize marketing research and consumer behavior knowledge to 
gain a competitive business advantage in markets where few significant 
differences exist between product and service offerings. Critical research 
skills and an understanding of consumer behavior are part of the necessary 
skill set for anyone engaged in a growing competitive global environment.

OBJECTIVES:

At course completion, students should have:

Applied market research and consumer behavior theory and concepts to 
solving managerial business problems.

Analyzed in written and oral presentation form, the use, or lack thereof, of 
course concepts as related to specific business situations.

Developed an understanding of and identified opportunities for applying 
course concepts and tools to achieve organizational objectives.

Learned to integrate market research and consumer behavior to the process 
of effective communication between people in any organizational setting.

Gained an understanding of the terms and concepts related to market 
research and consumer behavior that will allow the student to pursue further 
study and to apply their knowledge in practical settings.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: 

MTH 201; BA 330

TEACHING STRATEGY:

The class sessions will be a combination of lectures, interactive exercises, team project work, oral presentations and case discussion. Course content will come primarily from the assigned textbook. Additional content will be incorporated where appropriate.

Students are responsible for reviewing the class schedule and completing assigned readings, homework problems and other assignments.

The primary focus of the class will be the completion of the group project. I will use assignments, research projects, textbook materials and exercises, and other resources to provide you with the tools necessary to complete the group project. I will divide the students into working teams and ask them to solve these problems as a group in the classroom setting.

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1:
Marketing Research Overview and Problem Definition

Week 2:
Secondary Data and Qualitative Research

Week 3:
Survey and Primary Data Collection

Week 4:
Primary Data Collection, Measurement and Consumer Attitude

Week 5:
Questionnaire Design, Sampling Issues and Mid-Term

Week 6:
Sample Size

Weeks 7:
Processing, Analysis, Testing, Correlation and Regression

Week 8:
Communicating Results and Research Management and Ethics

Week 9:
Projects and Final Exam

GRADING:

Grade category and points:

Grade Scale:

REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance/Participation: (20 Points) Attendance is worth 10 points. Due to the technical nature of the material attendance and participation in class discussion will be a subject for evaluation. Each unexcused absence will result in a loss of 2.5 points. Four unexcused absences will result in a 0 for attendance/participation. The main factor in determining participation will be observation of student preparedness and discussion input.

Student participation in the discussion of the Mail Survey Response article is worth 10 points (see schedule). The first session is a discussion of the hypotheses posed in the article. What are the researchers trying to learn from these hypotheses? The next session is a discussion of the sample, its size and the type of sample used (sampling method), and how the survey was administered to the sample. The third session is a discussion of the survey results. Which hypotheses were rejected or not rejected and why?

Market Research/Consumer Behavior Presentation/Project: Written/Oral (20/20 Points)
Position yourself as a market research/consumer behavior executive resource. By working with your colleagues (students on your team), you should be able to reduce the amount of background data you must individually research. One of your first tasks is to interview your client and determine the client’s research question. Your consulting team will propose a research plan. Included in that plan, will be an action outline and justification of the research your team will conduct. Based on your research findings, you will make specific recommendations to your client. Recommendations must be practical (cost effective and time efficient) in addressing your client’s stated research objectives. The presentation and written report will be a collaborative effort by all team members and include concepts, processes and terms studied in class.

Your team may wish to start by following the below outline, which includes (but is not limited to):

a. The engagement interview (the engagement letter)
1. Determine your client’s marketing research objectives.
2. Select an aspect of these objectives that your team will address. Limit the scope of the research to the time period and resources allowed for in the term. Be sure that what your team understands as the research objective(s) is/are also the objective(s) as understood by the client. Summarize the research objective(s) to your client in an engagement letter. This letter will be the first page of your written project.

b. Research Objectives and Goals
1. Clearly state your research objectives and the steps that you intend to follow to accomplish them. Limit the scope of your research to available resources and time.
2. Obtain client approval for your proposed action plan. Divide the steps equally among team members.

c. Research Strategy and Tactics
1. Determine what secondary research data is available.
2. Outline your primary research plan, your secondary research plan, and any additional research details.

d. Conduct the research and make your recommendations.
1. Coordinate actual research with the client. Please note that the client might provide research subjects, facilities and equipment.
2. Your team should coordinate and conduct any focus group research and/or data collection.

e. Present research findings to the client with recommended client action. How you say it is equally important as what you have to say. Use visuals to reduce complexity and be sure you make your points clearly.

f. Questions and Follow up
1. Ask for client questions.
2. Provide the client with suggested follow-on action. Outline for the client the next steps that should be taken to maximize the knowledge gained from the research.

The written portion must be between ten and twelve pages (not including copies of PowerPoint presentation, transparencies or other hand-outs), double spaced, using a 12 point, Times New Roman font. It will be turned in on the day of your oral presentation. Unexcused late projects will be scored as zero.

Written portion grading criteria:
30% - Use of research concepts, including the elements above.
30% - Quality of the research and of the written content.
40% - Research paper form and grammar, and team participation.

The oral presentation must be between thirty and forty-five minutes in length. Each member of the team must participate. For the oral presentation you are encouraged to use PowerPoint, transparencies and hand-outs as appropriate. Do not read the bullet points from your slide. Do not hand out your PowerPoint presentation to the class. PowerPoint is intended to present an outline to the audience so you don’t have to read it and to eliminate excessive paperwork. Include a printed copy of your PowerPoint presentation, transparencies and/or hand-outs with your written report. Materials will not be returned.

Oral portion grading criteria:
30% - Physical presentation; grammar, eye contact, body language.
30% - Use of technology, organization, content.
40% - Team participation and individual contribution.

Both the oral presentation and the written submission must, as a minimum, address the above points to receive the maximum points possible.

Exams: Mid-Term and Final (20/20 Points)
Both the mid-term and the final will be multiple choice, open book, and open note exams. Missed exams and/or unexcused late exams will be scored as zero.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE: The Learning Center offers individual learning consultations, study group assistance, handouts and books on study skills, and free peer tutoring in the following subject areas:  math, chemistry, physics, economics, accounting, Spanish, French, and Japanese.  The tutoring schedules are posted outside the door in Old Main, room 212. To learn more about resources available through the Learning Center you are encouraged to drop by room 208 or visit their website:  www.stmartin.edu/academic/learning_center/index.htm.

SPecial needs:  If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.

Contact Information:

Phone:
work: 360.754.4877
home: 360.556.7359