Lammers: Marketing Research 346 Syllabus, California State University, Northridge

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SYLLABUS
Seminar in Marketing Research

MKT 346, Spring 2009

Dr. H. Bruce Lammers
Department of Marketing
Marketing Research Technology Laboratory
California State University, Northridge

Class ID #12793: 9:30am - 10:45am, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2228 Juniper Hall
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The MKT346 Home Page for this course is at:
http://www.csun.edu/brucelammers/mkt346.html

Course Description & Objectives

MKT 346. Marketing Research (3): Prerequisites: MKT 304, a college-level statistics course, or consent of instructor. BUS 302 and 302L are prerequisites for Business majors.Use of scientific methods in the formulation and solution of marketing management problems. Emphasis is on the use of marketing research as an adjunct to marketing strategy and policy formulation and on extensive application of statistical techniques and decision-theory concepts to primary and secondary data collection and interpretation {from 2008 Online CSUN Course Catalogue}

This course emphasizes the process of designing, conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and applying of marketing research as a means of support for strategic marketing management decisions. After this course you:

should be able to design and execute from start to finish a basic marketing research project
should be able to translate a marketing problem into a feasible research question
should have an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of alternative research designs
should be aware of the many sources of marketing information
should have a practical understanding of statistical analysis techniques
should have an understanding of the managerial implications of statistical results
should be able to effectively communicate (in written and oral formats) marketing research results & recommendations
should be able to contribute effectively as a team member of diverse groups

Marketing Research: Overview of the Course
There is nothing so practical as a good theory. (Kurt Lewin)
In this course, marketing research concepts and theory will be covered with an applied approach. The traditional classroom lectures and discussions of marketing research concepts and theory will be supplemented with hands-on projects and field research. The notion is that the projects and field research, relative to lectures, should help make the conceptual and theoretical material come-alive, make more sense, and last longer in your memory.

Tools of the Trade--and some expectations

Statistical software. In this course, we will make heavy use of computer technology at all stages of the marketing research process. We will be using SPSS Windows (ver. 16.0 or higher) for most of the data analyses during the semester. It is assumed you have had exposure to Windows programs, although you probably have not had much, if any, exposure to SPSS. For now, it is enough to know that SPSS has been around since the old mainframe days and is still considered one of the top statistical analsysis programs available in marketing research. {SPSS is networked in the College of Business and the Department of Marketing computer labs and various other CSUN computer labs (e.g., the Library). However, it is not accessible via internet.}
Word processing and spreadsheet software. In addition to SPSS, you will be expected to hone and proficiently use your own word processing softwarepresentation software skills (e.g., Powerpoint). You will be creating written research reports and it is expected that those reports will be of professional quality created with Word or WordPerfect word processors and Excel or Quattro Pro spreadsheets. Likewise, you will be making oral presentations of your research and it is expected that those presentations will also be of professional quality. Typically, you will use Powerpoint or the equivalent to create your oral presentations.
Internet access and email. Finally, it probably comes as no surprise that you will be expected to become even more expert on email and the internet. You must have ready and easy access to the internet and email to survive in this course. This is not an online course, but much communication and work related to this course happens online.

Groups and Individuals (Collaborative Learning)
Marketing research is seldom done by a single individual in isolation. Working effectively with others is a trait job interviewers look for and score highly. You will be expected to work with others on some group projects. On the other hand, there will also be projects on which you will work individually.

Instructor (about the instructor)
H. Bruce Lammers
3119 Juniper Hall
(818)677-2458 Department of Marketing Office (you must speak to the Dept. Secretary, tell her you are a student in my class)

The best way to reach me is by email, however, I will not be responding to emails on Saturdays, Sundays, nor late at night, unless it rains.

bruce.lammers@csun.edu

Office Hours:

8:45am-9:15am Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in 3119JH (tell the secretary you are a student in my class)
& by appointment,

Required Text Churhill and Iacobucci's 9th Edition

Churchill, Jr., Gilbert A. & Iacobucci, Dawn (2005), Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 9th Ed., Mason, OH: Southwestern Thomson Learning.

ISBN-10: 0-324-20160-5

~ $170 or a lot less online, e.g., half.com, amazon.com, ebay.com, etc.

or

International version of the text
ISBN = 0324225091
from various online sources of your choice (typically much less expensive).

Prerequisites
MKT304 (everyone)
SOM 120 or college level statistics (everyone)
BUS302 and BUS302L (Business majors)
Prereqs are not arbitrary will be strictly enforced. This is not a remedial statistics course.

Basis for Evaluation
HOMEWORK I ...........................05%
QUIZ I ...............................05%
EXAM I ...............................15% (February 19) HOMEWORK II...........................05%
QUIZ II ..............................05%
EXAM II ..............................15% (March 26)
HOMEWORK III .........................05%
QUIZ III .............................05%
EXAM III .............................15% (May 7)
FIELD PROJECT.........................20%
CLASS/TEAM PARTICIPATION..............05%

Grading System
A Plus/Minus grading system will be used in this course.


Grade	Letter Grade
91-100	A
90	A-
89	B+
81-88	B
80	B-
79	C+
71-78	C
70	C-
69	D+
61-68	D
60	D-
< 60	F

Exams (45%)
Examinations cover lecture, text, class discussions and any assigned outside readings. Exams typically are about 60-70% multiple choice and 30-40% essay/problem questions. Cheating on any exam yields an F in the course and probable suspension from COBAE. There will be no make-up exams nor make-up quizzes.

....Dates of Exams:....

EXAM I.... Thursday, February 19
EXAM II... Thursday, March 26
EXAM III...Thursday, May 7

Quizzes -(15%)
There will be three quizzes during the semester. While some of them may be preannounced, some may be unannounced "pop" quizzes. Cheating on any quiz yields an F in the course and probable suspension from COBAE. There will be no make-up exams nor make-up quizzes.

Marketing Research Homework -(15%)
This segment of the course is entirely "hands-on" marketing research. During the course of the semester three marketing research homework projects will be assigned. Each project will involve the hands-on use of the computer and will expose students to a variety of research designs and data analyses, e.g., descriptive research, attitude measurement, reliability analysis, analysis of variance, conjoint analysis, factor analysis, perceptual mapping, discriminant analysis, and the like. Some of the projects may be small group assignments, others may be individual assignments. Some of the projects may entail in-class presentations by the student(s). Homework Projects missed cannot be made up.

Marketing Research Field Study Project -(20%)
This segment of the course involves working on a larger scale marketing research project (field study project), often in teams, but it depends on the nature of the field study project. The details, topics, and procedures will be discussed in class.

Any falsification of research data on homework or field projects will be immediately reported to university and corporate officials and I assure you that serious consequences will result. Falsification of research data will be rewarded with an automatic F grade in the course. Likewise, plagiarism on written or oral reports will be rewarded with an F grade in the course and a one-way visit to the Dean's office.

Participation-(5%)
Teamwork is critical and something the College of Business & Economics and your future employers take very seriously. This course involves several team projects and in-class participation assignments. Team members are expected to work together on time scheduling, task allocation, and work completion. Freeloading is abhorred and will usually result in being fired from the team. Each team will provide an evaluation of the contribution of its members. Peer evaluation is very important as it is the only way for us to evaluate individual member's contributions to team performance. Mere attendance is not sufficient for participation, but lack of attendance is deadly.

Topic Outline
====================================================
Topic                             Text Chapter(s)
====================================================
*INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW               1
*RESEARCH PROCESS                    3
*RESEARCH DESIGNS                      ...Exploratory and Qualitative Designs 4 ...Descriptive Designs 5 ...Experimental(Causal)Designs    6*SECONDARY DATA COLLECTION             7
*PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION               8*DATA COLLECTION FORMS                 9
*ATTITUDE & LIFESTYLE MEASUREMENT     10*SAMPLING PROCEDURES                   11
*SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION             12
*SAMPLING & NONSAMPLING ERROR          13 *DATA ANALYSIS                         14-18
=======================================================
Note: Please be aware that some specific topics may have to be introduced earlier than scheduled in order for us to do the projects. For example, we may have to discuss the rudiments of sampling in order to get started on a project which involves surveying consumer needs. Likewise some of the material in the Data Analysis chapters (14-18) may need to be covered earlier than the text in order to complete homework and the field project. When this happens, you will be informed of any modifications to make in your reading.

Please be aware that a great deal of course-related information is distributed via email and via our home page. It is critical that each person checks his/her email regularly--at least once per day.