MKTG 351: Marketing Research Master Syllabus
Representative Syllabus
Students are responsible for being familiar with and following the instructions and policies in this document.
Course Instructor:
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Course Description
Marketing Research presents the concepts and techniques underlying the marketing research process and their role in managerial decision making. This course focuses on the skills required to conduct a marketing research project: qualitative and quantitative research designs, instrument creation, sampling procedures, data collection, data analysis and reporting of findings.
Course Objectives
The objectives of this course are to:
- Describe the marketing research process and the five primary research methods.
- Design and conduct a comprehensive marketing research study, inclusive of research questions. development, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, and recommendation development.
- Demonstrate proficiency with tools used in marketing research, including focus groups, online surveys, and statistical analysis software.
Mason Impact
This is a Mason Impact Course. Students will understand how knowledge is generated, engage multiple perspectives, and investigate a meaningful question.
Concentration and Program Learning Goals
Students majoring in the Marketing concentration will master the following by graduation:
- Research Competency: Research competency using library databases, secondary and primary sources of market and company information, and marketing data analysis skills.
- Marketing Strategies: Ability to formulate effective marketing strategies derived from an understanding of customer behaviors and application of marketing tools and concepts.
- Writing & Formatting: Communication and information literacy skills in the writing and format of the plan that are consistent with the marketing discipline.
By the end of the BS Business program, students will master:
- The social, global, ethical, and legal contexts of business and will be able to reflect on the role of the individual in business.
- The ability to apply knowledge of professional skills necessary for success in business including effective business writing.
- Technical and analytic skills appropriate for success in business.
- The ability to apply knowledge of core business disciplines including accounting, finance, information systems, management, marketing, and operations management.
- How research in the business disciplines contributes to knowledge and how such research is conducted.
Course Materials
Textbook & Software
Textbook
MR 2 (2nd Edition) by Brown and Suter (ISBN: 9780357638590 or 9780357538852).
Qualtrics
Qualtrics is an online survey software. A full Qualtrics account is available for all George Mason students through the University’s subscription.
- To create an account with your George Mason email address.
- You must use this link to get a full account. Access code is posted on Canvas.
SPSS
SPSS is a statistical software. George Mason and the Citrix Virtual Lab uses IBM SPSS Statistics 29. Access to SPSS can be had via:
- George Mason’s Citrix Virtual Lab: SPSS can be accessed remotely from your computer for free using the lab.
- Purchase a Student License: SPSS may be acquired by purchasing a SPSS student license via an IBM SPSS distributor (follow “Buy from an IBM distributor”). The Base version is what is required. You can purchase a higher version (Standard or Premium), if you want access to advanced techniques.
- George Mason’s Computer Labs: SPSS can be accessed at the open computer labs located at each campus. See details.
Microsoft Software: Excel, PowerPoint, & Word
Access to Microsoft software is available free of charge for all George Mason students through the University's Microsoft Apps for Enterprise program. See information on the program and how to download the applications to your computer.
Course Communication
All course communication will take place through Canvas or George Mason email addresses. Any emails from me about this course will either be sent through Canvas or from my George Mason email address.
Announcements/Reminders
Announcements regarding this course will be posted on and/or emailed via Canvas. It is your responsibility to check Canvas and your George Mason email regularly to stay updated with this course.
Email Communications
E-mail is the preferred method of contact regarding any questions about this course. When you email: You MUST use your George Mason e-mail address. Federal privacy laws state that I am not allowed to provide confidential information to any private non-George Mason e-mail addresses. I will not respond to messages sent from or send messages to a non-George Mason email address. To prioritize responding to e-mails regarding this class, use “MKTG 351” and the section in the subject line.
Estimated E-mail Reply Times
Under normal circumstances, you should receive a reply to your e-mail within 24 hours during the week (Monday-Friday) and up to 48 hours on weekends (Saturday/Sunday). An email sent 5PM or later will not be seen until the following day/next weekday. If you do not receive a response within 48 hours, check for any technical issues and follow-up with me. Please plan for enough time when emailing to receive a response.
Courtesy in Communications
It is expected that everyone – instructor and students – will be professional and respectful in all communications.
Asking Questions
I am happy to answer questions that you may have on course material or other matters. For some questions, the answer may be found within our course information sources (e.g., syllabus, Canvas). It is helpful to check there first. If this is the case with your question, I will direct you there. Otherwise, we will work out the best way for your question to be answered (e.g., via email, virtual office hours). Keep in mind that to ensure clarity it may be necessary to be extremely specific in what is written.
Name and Pronoun Use
If you wish, please share your name and gender pronouns with me and indicate how best to address you in class and via email.
Course Grading Policy & Assignments
Grading
Your grade will be determined by the total points that you earn on each of the graded assignments in this course. You may earn up to 1000 points. To determine your final course letter grade, compare the total points you earned on your graded assignments with the scale below.
Final course letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:
| Grade | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| A+ | 970-1000 |
| A | 940-969 |
| A- | 900-939 |
| B+ | 870-899 |
| B | 830-869 |
| B- | 800-829 |
| C+ | 770-799 |
| C | 700-769 |
| D | 600-699 |
| F | 0-599 |
This course requires a minimum grade of a C to satisfy CCB degree requirements. Students will not be permitted to make more than three attempts to achieve a C or higher in this course.
Note on Final Course Grades: Final grades are not negotiated. No adjustments will be made to final course grades on an individual basis. Do not ask for your individual final grade to be “rounded up”. The answer will be no. There is no rounding, and there is no curve.
- Extra credit = extra work. It is highly unlikely that extra credit will be offered in this class; if it is, it will be offered to the entire class and not on an individual basis. Focus instead on performing well on the course assignments.
Course Assignments
The graded course assignments in the class will have the following point values:
| Course Assignments | |
|---|---|
| Exams | |
| Exam 1 | 225 |
| Exam 2 | 225 |
| Individual Assignments | |
| Human Subjects Training | 35 |
| Qualtrics Online Survey | 75 |
| Data Analysis Assignment | |
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20 |
|
80 |
| Marketing Research Study (Team Project) | |
| Research Topic Presentation | 50 |
| Qualitative Guide | 20 |
| Survey | 20 |
| Qualitative (Focus Groups/Interviews) Data | 30 |
| Quantitative (Survey) Data | 30 |
| Research Report | 125 |
| Participation | |
| Introduction Discussion | 5 |
| Research Topic Discussion | 25 |
| Audience Feedback: Topic Presentation | 30 |
| Survey Questions Discussion | 5 |
| Total Points | 1000 |
Course Assignment Submission Policies
Canvas Submissions
All course assignments must be submitted on Canvas. Only assignments that have been successfully submitted on Canvas will be graded. Attempts that have been started but not submitted are not visible to the instructor and cannot be graded. You are responsible for ensuring all your assignments are submitted properly.
All course assignments must be submitted in the specified format. This is to make sure that your assignments can be viewed. Your professor’s George Mason University computer is a PC.
All course assignments where you must upload files to Canvas are set up to allow for multiple submissions. Unless noted in your submission text, the last submission will be the one graded.
- If you upload the wrong assignment: Resubmit the assignment with the correct version. Include a note that the new submission is the correct submission.
- If your files are too large to upload in one assignment: Submit each file as its own assignment. Include a note explaining what each submission refers to.
Deadlines
Students are expected to complete and submit all course assignments by the stated deadline. All deadlines are based on the Eastern Time Zone where George Mason University – Fairfax is located. For each submission on Canvas, a time stamp is recorded. The exact time stamp for the submission on Blackboard will determine if the assignment is on-time or late.
- To illustrate: If an assignment that is due by 11:59PM has a time stamp of 12:00AM -- or even 11:59:01PM --it will be considered late.
- To ensure that your submission is on-time, give yourself plenty of time to upload the assignment.
Extensions: Extensions or changes to the due dates are not offered on an individual basis, except for medical reasons that have a doctor’s written notice. If any exceptions are to be considered, they require evidence in the form of a doctor's note or other tangible documentation.
Late Submission Policy
The late submission policy is as follows:
- No late submissions will be accepted for Participation (Discussion Boards).
- No late submissions will be accepted for Exams. A make-up exam may be given for those that qualify according to the Make-Up Exam Policy.
- Late submissions will be accepted for Individual Assignments and/or the Marketing Research Study Assignments. Late submissions for these assignments are subject to a 10% deduction per day starting immediately after the deadline.
Details on Course Assignments
Exams
There will be 2 exams (Exam 1 and Exam 2). Each exam will only cover material covered up until the point of the exam. Any material in this course may be used to derive exam questions. Each exam can be a combination of multiple choice-style, short answer, and essay questions. Each exam is closed- book/closed-note and must be completed independently. There is one timed attempt for each exam. Each exam must be completed on Canvas using Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor within its specified exam window.
- Students are responsible for setting up Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor. Directions on how to set it up and expectations guiding its use are posted on Canvas.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be given if a student has a university-validated excuse. Requests for a make-up exam must be timely (e.g., before the exam if issue is known or as soon as possible [within a day] of the exam if sudden). Without exception, students who request a make-up exam will be asked to provide appropriate documentation before a make-up exam is scheduled. Failure to provide official documentation will result in a score of zero for the exam. The instructor reserves the right to determine the nature and date of the make-up exam.
Individual Assignments
There will be 4 individual assignments. Each focus on a different aspect of the marketing research process. Detailed directions for each assignment are posted on Canvas. Briefly, they are:
- Human Subjects Training: To complete George Mason’s IRB approved training course on how to ethically work with human subjects in research.
- Qualtrics Online Survey: To create and activate a sample online survey comprised of various question types, formatting, and logic in Qualtrics.
- Data Analysis Assignment (2 in total): To prepare and edit data in SPSS (Data Preparation) and to analyze data using a variety of techniques in SPSS (Data Analysis).
Marketing Research Study (Team Project)
The course project will be to design and conduct a marketing research study on a marketing topic of your choice. All topics are subject to the approval of the instructor. This project is to be completed in teams. This project is designed to provide the opportunity to become familiar with a variety of research methods and every stage of the research process. Briefly, the components of the marketing research study are:
- Research Topic Presentation: A presentation proposing a marketing topic for the study
- Research Instruments:
- Qualitative Guide: A focus group or interview guide created for your marketing topic based on qualitative best practices
- Survey: A survey created for your marketing topic based on questionnaire design best practices
- Data Collection:
- Qualitative (Focus Groups or Interviews) Data: The collection of primary qualitative data via focus groups or interviews using the qualitative guide
- Quantitative (Survey) Data: The collection of primary quantitative data via an online survey using the survey research instrument
- Research Report: A written report answering research questions on your marketing topic through the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative primary data
Detailed directions on the marketing research study are posted on Canvas. Please read them carefully and follow the directions closely.
Participation
There will be opportunities to interact with your classmates regarding aspects of the marketing research study. They are related to Introduction, Research Topic, Research Topic Presentations, and Survey Questions.
Course Schedule*
| Weeks | Date | Topic | Materials | Assignments Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome & Week 1 |
Course Overview Marketing Research Overview |
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Due: In-Class Introduction Discussion |
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| Week 2 | Marketing Research Process Topic Areas: Marketing Research Process Research Designs |
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| Week 3 |
Research Proposals Preparing Research Reports and Presentations Research Study Time with Teams |
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Due: By Start of Class Research Topic Discussion Human Subjects Training |
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| Week 4 | Research Topic Presentations |
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Due: By Start of Class Due: In-Class Due: Wednesday by 11:59PM |
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| Week 5 | Focus Groups & Interviews Topic Areas: Focus Groups/Interviews Writing Open-ended Questions Qualitative Data Analysis |
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| Week 6 | Observations & Experiments Topic Areas: Design of Observations Design of Experiments Validity |
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Due: By Start of Class Qualitative Guide |
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| Week 7 | Exam 1 |
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Due: In-Class Exam 1 |
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| Week 8 | Surveys - Part 1 Topic Areas: Survey Overview Writing Closed-ended Questions Measurement Survey Administration Online Survey Software: Qualtrics |
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| Week 9 | Surveys - Part 2 Topic Areas: Questionnaire Design Sampling Response Rates Errors in Survey Administration |
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Due: By Start of Class Qualtrics Online Survey Survey Questions Discussion |
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| Week 10 |
Data Preparation Data Analysis & Interpretation – Part 1 |
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Due: By Start of Class Survey |
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| Week 11 |
Data Analysis & Interpretation – Part 1 (continued, if needed) Data Analysis & Interpretation – Part 2 |
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Due: By Start of Class Data Preparation Assignment |
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| Week 12 |
Data Analysis & Interpretation – Part 2 (continued, if needed) Data Visualization |
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| Week 13 |
Research Study Time with Teams (Content Overflow, if needed) |
Due: By Start of Class Data Analysis Assignment |
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| Week 14 |
No Class This Week. Thanksgiving Recess |
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| Week 15 | Research Reports |
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Due: Thursday 12/05 by 11:59PM Research Report Qualitative Data Materials Quantitative Data Materials Team Evaluation |
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| Exam Period | Exam 2 |
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Due: In-Exam Period Exam 2 |
* Calendar may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. If adjustments need to be made, notice will be given to students on Canvas.
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