Students

MKTG202 – Marketing Research

2018 – S2 Evening

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor/Lecturer
Dr. Jun Yao
jun.yao@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
4ER 653
By appointment
Gia Cat Truong
john.truong@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
MKTG101
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Marketing research is a key activity of successful organisations, enabling them to learn about consumers and markets. This knowledge helps organisations to identify potential opportunities in the market and make strategic decisions that support and sustain their competitiveness in the market. This unit equips students with knowledge about the role and processes of marketing research. The focus of the unit is on developing students’ skills to work in teams to identify appropriate marketing research techniques that can be used to design and implement marketing research projects that solve marketing problems. Students gain knowledge of statistical software and learn how to analyse and interpret statistical output to make marketing decisions, and communicate their findings through oral and written communication.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.
  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Group Project 50% No Week 4, Week 7 and Week 13
Class test 10% No Week 8
Final Examination 40% No University Examination Period

Group Project

Due: Week 4, Week 7 and Week 13
Weighting: 50%

This assessment is for group of 4 to 5 students. 

Submission

A Marketing Research project to be conducted and submitted through iLearn in three parts:

  1. Progress Report A (individual task): 10%. Summary of qualitative research/exploratory study. Suggested topics and marking guide available on iLearn (Progress Report A due by 11:59pm Friday of Week 4, maximum 400 words).
  2. Progress Report B (group task): 16% (8% group + 8% individual). Research proposal for quantitative study. Instructions and marking guide available on iLearn. (Progress Report B due by 11:59pm Friday of Week 7, maximum 1000 words). The 8% individual component of this research proposal is based on the group members' peer evaluations. (Peer Evaluation for Progress Report B due in Week 8 tutorial class).
  3. Final Report (by group): 24% (12% group + 12% individual). Integrated complete marketing research report. Instructions and marking guide available on iLearn. (Final Report due by 11:59pm Friday of Week 13, maximum 3000 words). The 12% individual component of this final report is based on the group members' peer evaluations (Peer Evaluation for Final Report due in Week 13 tutorial class).

Instructions, marking guide and more information about the group project will be provided on iLearn.

Please note: Submit your reports through the Turnitin link on iLearn, no hard copies or soft copies via email, will be accepted. The documents MUST be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, submissions in other formats will NOT be marked. 

Late Submission

  • Progress Report A provides input for Progress Report B, which is the roadmap for your Final Report. You can't work on one without completing the earlier task. That makes it difficult or impossible to postpone the two Progress Reports.
  • No extensions will be granted for the Progress Report A  (individual task) and Progress Report B (group task). Students who have not submitted the tasks prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Application for Special Consideration by an individual student cannot apply for a group submission.
  • No extensions will be granted to the Final Report (group task). There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission - 4 marks penalty on a 20% assignment). Penalties do not apply when an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Application for Special Consideration by an individual student cannot apply for a group submission.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.
  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Class test

Due: Week 8
Weighting: 10%

  • In-class online quiz (Week 8), in tutorial period (10%). The quiz is in the format of MCQs and covers topics studied in weeks 1 to 7 inclusive. More information about the in-class quiz will be provided on iLearn.

Late Submission

  • No extensions or postponements will be granted. Students who have not completed the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the quiz, except for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.

Final Examination

Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 40%

  • A closed-book 3 hours final examination will be held during the University's formal examination period. The final examination provides assurance that the student has attained the knowledge and skills assessed by the exam.

    Please note it is a strict requirement of Macquarie University that students are available for the entire duration of the session they are enrolled in, which includes the scheduled and supplementary examination period. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations (http://exams.mq.edu.au/).

    The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances students may wish to consider submitting an application for Special Consideration.

    If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of approved Special Consideration, the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period.

    The Macquarie university examination policy details the principles and conduct of examinations at the University. The policy is available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/examination/policy.htm

    More information on the final examination will be provided in Week 13 lecture.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Delivery and Resources

Classes

  • 3 hours face-to-face teaching per week consisting of: 1 x 2-hour lecture and 1 x 1-hour tutorial/lab exercises. Tutorials commence in Week 2
  • The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

Prescribed text:

  • D’Alessandro, Lowe, Winzar, Zikmund, Babin (2017) Marketing Research: 4th Asia-Pacific Edition with Student Resource Access. Cengage: ISBN 9780170369824

Recommended texts:

  • Kirkpatrick & Feeney (2016) A Simple Guide to IBM SPSS Statistics - version 23.0. Cengage: ISBN 9781305877719 

  • Allen, Bennett, and Heritage. (2014), SPSS Statistics Version 22- A Practical Guide, 3ed. Cengage: ISBN-10: 0-17-034897-0

  • Emerson, L. (2013), Writing Guidelines for Business Students, 5ed. Cengage: ISBN-10: 0-17-021638-1

These texts can be purchased from the Macquarie University Co-op Bookshop.

They are also available in the Macquarie Library.

Technology Used and Required

  • Students will need to have access to a personal computer, with access to the Internet and word processor software.
  • In laboratories, we will use MS-Word, MS-Excel, and SPSS statistical software.

Unit Web Page

  • The web page for this unit can be found at: iLearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
  • All announcements and resources will be available on the web site. Resource materials include lecture slides, practice questions, case studies and practice exam questions for both the within-semester and final exams. There is also a forum for student interaction and contact with faculty. You should consult the course Website several times per week for messages and updates.

Learning and Teaching Activities

This unit is taught using lectures and tutorials.

  • Lectures serve to highlight key topics and elaborate on important or difficult topics. They are not a summary of, or a substitute for, the textbook or other resources.
  • Tutorials serve to give students practice in applying concepts and developing skills in critical and logical thinking, information gathering and analysis.

Students are expected to read in advance of lectures, and participate in all lecture presentations. There is also an applied marketing research project assisting students to apply concepts introduced in course to the marketing environment. This will be introduced within the lecture presentations. 

Weekly Progress

The unit website, iLearn, is divided into weekly sections. Students will need to pass a mini-quiz based on previous weeks' content in order to progress to the next week's iLearn content. The mini-quizzes do not count towards a grade, they however do contribute to skill development and an understanding of how the unit will progress. 

Satisfactory Completion of Unit

  • It is normally expected that students attempt all assessment tasks for this unit. Students are required to accumulate at least 50% of the total marks possible in order to satisfactorily pass this unit.

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

Reading

Notes/tutorial activities

1

Course Introduction

Marketing Research

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 1

No tutorials this week, tutorials commence in Week 2.

2

Problem Definition and Research Process

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 2

Introduction and group formation.

3

Qualitative Research

Secondary Research

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 3, 4

Define marketing research problem.

4

Survey Research

Observation

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 5, 6

Interview and focus group.

Individual Task: Progress Report A - Qualitative Research Summary due by 11:59pm Friday 24 August.

5

 Measurement and Scaling

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 8

Survey research methods.

6

Questionnaire Design

Sampling Technique

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch. 9, 10

Linking research questions and hypotheses with measurement.

7

 Causal Research and Experiment

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.7 

Sampling techniques. 

Group Task: Progress Report B - Quantitative Research Proposal due by 11:59pm Friday 14 September.

 

Mid Session Break

    

8

Data Editing and Coding

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.11

In-Class Quiz in tutorials: 2-5 October.

Submit your Peer Evaluation for Progress Report B in tutorial class.

9

Data Analysis Part I: Univariate Analysis

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.12 

Online questionnaire design using Qualtrics.

10

Data Analysis Part II: Bivariate Analysis - Test of Difference

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.13

Summarising data with SPSS (data cleaning and coding before analysis).

Cross-tabulation and Chi-square test.

11

Data Analysis Part III: Bivariate Analysis - Test of Association

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.14

Hypothesis testing related to difference: t-test and ANOVA.

12

Data Analysis Part IV: Multivariate Analysis

Report Presentation

Zikmund et al., 2017 Ch.15, 16

Hypothesis testing related to association: correlation and regression.

13

Examination Review and Preparation

Zikmund et al., 2017 All chapters

Exam preparation Q&A

Group Task: Final Research Report due by 11:59pm Friday 9 November.

Submit your Peer Evaluation for Final Report in tutorial class.

 

Learning and Teaching Activities

Tutorial exercises

In-tutorial activities are designed to help students experience qualitative and quantitative research tasks and gain immediate feedback.

Weekly mini-quizes

To progress to next week's content on iLearn, students must first pass a mini-quiz based on previous weeks' content.

Qualtrics

Qualtrics is the #1 online questionnaire tool in the world.

SPSS

SPSS is the standard statistical package used in Marketing and Social Research.

Group Project

Students work in teams to design, carry out, and report on a marketing problem of their choosing.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Academic Honesty

The nature of scholarly endeavour, dependent as it is on the work of others, binds all members of the University community to abide by the principles of academic honesty. Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:

  • all academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim
  • all academic collaborations are acknowledged
  • academic work is not falsified in any way
  • when the ideas of others are used, these ideas are acknowledged appropriately.

Further information on the academic honesty can be found in the Macquarie University Academic Honesty Policy at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Grades

Macquarie University uses the following grades in coursework units of study:

  • HD - High Distinction
  • D - Distinction
  • CR - Credit
  • P - Pass
  • F - Fail

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Grading Policy which is available at:

http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grading Appeals and Final Examination Script Viewing

If, at the conclusion of the unit, you have performed below expectations, and are considering lodging an appeal of grade and/or viewing your final exam script please refer to the following website which provides information about these processes and the cut off dates in the first instance. Please read the instructions provided concerning what constitutes a valid grounds for appeal before appealing your grade.

http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/new_and_current_students/undergraduate_current_students/how_do_i/grade_appeals/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.
  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Group Project
  • Class test
  • Final Examination

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Group Project
  • Final Examination

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Explain and evaluate marketing research theories and concepts to identify marketing problems.
  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.

Assessment tasks

  • Group Project
  • Class test
  • Final Examination

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply marketing research concepts and techniques to solve marketing problems in collaboration.
  • Use statistical software to analyse and interpret marketing information and communicate findings orally and in writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Group Project
  • Final Examination

Changes from Previous Offering

  1. Learning outcomes have been revised to better support university's Graduate Capabilities.
  2. PeerWise Quiz Game has been removed as an assessment task.
  3. The weight of Group Project has been increased from 40% to 50%.

Research & Practice, Global contexts & Sustainability

Research & Practice

  • This unit uses research by Macquarie University researchers (Zikmund et al., 2017 and other resources on iLearn).
  • This unit uses research from external sources (Zikmund et al., 2017 and other resources on iLearn).
  • This unit gives you opportunities to conduct your own research and to refine your interest in consumer research or other contemporary marketing practices in different contexts.

Global contexts & Sustainability

  • This unit enables students to understand the new generation consumers and their patterns, preferences, and behaviours in global marketing context in Internet era through the research project.
  • Students are expected to attain higher level of awareness of sustainability by investigating into the characteristics, market size, profitability, potential, variation of market and lifelong value of consumer groups and understanding business's commitment to the protect consumer wellbeing, environmental and social benefits.