UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, BUSINESS ECONOMICS & LAW
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MARK 612-‐MARKETING RESEARCH – COURSE SYLLABUS Instructor: Kangkang Wang, Assistant Professor
Class Time: 6:30-‐9:30 pm Monday
Office Hour: Monday 3-‐5 pm, or by appointment Office: BUS 3-‐30H
Email: [email protected] Office Phone: 780 492 2810
Course Website: https://ulearn.ualberta.ca
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The task of marketing is to facilitate exchanges that satisfy both consumer needs and
organizational objectives. In today’s complex market environment, the success of marketing activities is affected by a number of environmental factors and this reality creates uncertainty and difficulty for marketing decision makers. As a result, there is an urgent need for
organizations to obtain quality information to assist them in designing the optimal marketing strategy, which can be achieved through marketing research.
Marketing research is the systematic process of planning, collection and analysis of data to improve marketing decisions within an organization. This course provides you with an overview of marketing research process and methods. The chief objective is to acquaint you with the skills and techniques required to conduct solid marketing research. You will gain an
understanding of marketing research through this course as well as develop the necessary skills such as designing questionnaires, collecting primary and secondary data, analyzing data and writing a research report.
TEXTBOOK (optional)
Marketing Research Essentials (Second Canadian Edition) by McDaniel, Gates, and Sivaramakrishnan. John Wiley & Sons Canada, LTD, 2013
ASSESSMENT
Attendance 15%
Class Participation 25%
Group Project 40%
Individual Projects 20%
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, BUSINESS ECONOMICS & LAW
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In determining a student’s final grade, the instructor will consider the student’s overall individual performance in an absolute sense, as well as the student’s performance relative to his/her peers.
Attendance (15%)
Each of the 12 classes accounts for 1.25 points in a student’s final grade. The total is 15 points.
Students need to notify and get approval from the instructor beforehand if they are unable to attend a particular class.
Individual projects (20%)
Students need to complete two individual projects using the knowledge learnt in class. Details about the project will be revealed after related materials have been covered.
Group project (40%)
Students need to form groups of 3-‐4 people and carry out a comprehensive research project.
The research project should be about a real marketing problem faced by a local company or a company with local presence in Edmonton. Some important dates for the project are given below.
Group formed Jan 18
Research proposal due Feb 1
Final report due Apr 11
Presentation Apr 4
Research proposal (10%) – each group should submit a written research proposal. The proposal should state the research background and research objectives, explain why the current
research needs to be carried out, and describe the data collection and analysis methods they expect to use. The proposal should not exceed 5 pages (12 point font, double space, 1 inch margin). The research proposal should be submitted through Ulearn before the beginning of the class on the due date.
Presentation (15%) – each group needs to make a presentation in class at the end of the semester. Group members can choose the presenters and form of presentation they like.
Final report (15%) – final report is due one week after the last day of class. It should be a comprehensive research report that includes but is not limited to the following elements:
background introduction, research objective, data collection method and data description, data analysis, and managerial implications. The final report should be submitted through Ulearn before the end of the day on the due date.
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, BUSINESS ECONOMICS & LAW
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Important: group member evaluation -‐ at the end of the semester an evaluation form will be distributed and each group member will have an opportunity to anonymously evaluate other members in the group. These evaluations are an important assessment of each member’s contribution to the group project. If the evaluations indicate certain people are significantly
“free-‐riding” other group members, their project mark will be discounted.
CLASS SCHEDULE (tentative)
Date Lecture Topic Note
Part 1: Marketing Research Fundamentals
Jan 4 Course introduction
Jan 11 Research methodology basics and common pitfalls Individual project 1 available
Jan 18 Class cancelled Group member list due
Jan 25 Questionnaire design
Feb 1 Survey and sampling Research proposal due
Feb 8 Data editing and summary statistics Individual project 1 due
Feb 15 Reading week, no class
Feb 22 Hypothesis testing
Feb 29 Regression Individual project 2 available
Mar 7 Using statistical software for data analysis Class location TBA Part 2: Seminars on Select Marketing Topics
Mar 14 Seminar on status goods marketing
Mar 21 Seminar on targeting Individual project 2 due
Mar 28 No class
Apr 4 Presentation of research project
ACADEMIC INTERITY
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at
www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm ) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, BUSINESS ECONOMICS & LAW
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RECORDING OF LECTURES
Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor. UNIVERSITY POLICY ON COURSE OUTLINES Policy about course outlines can be found in §23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
