Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka
MBA Program
Semester: Fall 2014
Course Code: M 609
Course Name: Market Research
Course Instructor: Md. Iftekharul Amin, Assistant Professor
Room # 203
Mobile: 01678671035
Email: miamin@[Link]
Background
This course is designed to train the students in using the tools and techniques for developing an
analytical framework of marketing, developing solutions of marketing problems, formulations of marketing
strategy, and introductions to research techniques in marketing so that you can conduct research
yourself, manage staff who conduct research for you, and/or deal with professional research firms that
provide you with research services.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to illustrate to you that there is only one thing worse than making decisions
with no data at all, and that is making decisions with bad data. Upon completion of the course, you will be
able to:
Write a management decision problem and a marketing research problem, and discuss the
differences between them.
Clearly articulate the value in conducting exploratory research to define the research problem.
Collect secondary data to refine a marketing research problem.
Plan, conduct, and interpret a mini focus group.
Create a strategy for increasing survey response rates.
Differentiate between situations that call for surveys and situations that call for observational
research.
Create and conduct a small survey, applying a wide range of survey, scale, and questionnaire
techniques.
Recommend
the
best
sampling
technique
for
different
situations
and
defend
that
recommendation.
Create a frequency distribution and a cross-tabulation, conduct basic statistical analysis on the
data, and summarize the results in clear language.
Produce a marketing research report and a recommendation for further research.
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Course Content*
1: Introduction to Marketing Research and Research Design
Topic 1: The Definition of Marketing Research
Topic 2: The Marketing Research Process
Topic 3: Marketing Research and Marketing Decision Making
Topic 4: The Importance of Defining the Problem
Topic 5: The Management-Decision Problem and the Marketing Research Problem
Topic 6: Research Questions and Hypothesis
Topic 7: Basic Research Design and the Types of Research
2: Exploratory Research
Topic 1: Secondary vs. Primary Data
Topic 2: How to Use Secondary Data
Topic 3: Sources of Secondary Data
Topic 4: Introduction to Qualitative Research
Topic 5: Focus Groups
3: Descriptive Research
Topic 1: Survey Methods
Topic 2: How to Choose a Survey Method
Topic 3: Observational Methods
Topic 4: How to Choose Between Surveys and Observation
4: Scaling
Topic 1: Primary Scales of Measurement
Topic 2: Comparative Scales
Topic 3: Non-comparative Scales
Topic 4: Scale Evaluation
Topic 5: Questionnaire Design
5: Sampling
Topic 1: The Concept of Sampling
Topic 2: The Sampling Design Process
Topic 3: Nonprobability Sampling
Topic 4: Probability Sampling
6: Data Analysis and Reporting
Topic 1: Data Collection
Topic 2: Data Preparation
Topic 3: Data Analysis
Topic 4: Communicating the Research Results
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Required Text and Materials
Malhotra, N. K., Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 6 ed, Pearson Education Ltd
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A., Research Methods for Business Students, 5 ed, Pearson
Cooper, D. R. & Schindler P. S., Business Research Methods, 9 ed, Tata Mcgraw Hill
Srivastava, T. N. & Rego S., Business Research Methodology, Tata Mcgraw Hill
th
th
th
Term paper and research paper*
The objective of the Term paper (group) is to provide each student an opportunity to apply what they have
learnt to a real life marketing situation of interest. As a first step, each group would be provided with
several research questions of interest to the group. By the end of the fourth week the group will decide on
what will be their research topic and will start working on it. In the week six the group will present their
proposal in the class. By the end of week eight each group will have their proposal finalized and
approved.
Groups are required to employ one of the advance techniques of marketing research in their group work.
Finally each group will have to write a research article based on the findings of their research.
Each group member at the end of the semester will evaluate other members of the group on specific
parameters provided and submit them. The feedback of other members will reflect on the results.
Attendance*
Students are required to attend all class meetings. Recovering missed lecture content or assignment
information is the responsibility of the student. Fellow students may provide notes for recovery of missed
information. Prior to class, reading assignments must be completed and any other assignments must be
submitted at the beginning of the class period. Participation in class activities, including discussion groups
and in-class assignments, is a component of attendance. Failure to prepare and participate effectively will
negatively impact the learning processes devised for the class.
If you miss more than three classes without prior permission of the course instructor, you can earn
maximum an F (Fail) grade.
Marks for class attendance (Out of 10) will be distributed as follows:
90% - 100% Attendance:
10
75% - Less than 90% Attendance:
60% - Less than 75% Attendance:
Less than 60% Attendance:
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Distribution of points*
Class participation
5%
Assignment s
15%
Term paper
15%
Research paper
10%
Midterm
25%
Final
30%
Obligations of the participant
Participants are required:
To read the appropriate reading materials for each session.
To prepare any exercises given.
To join a group for the course work.
To participate in the preparation of the reports.
To participate in the preparation of the research article.
To attend the lectures.
Grading policy*
85 A
70 C + < 75
55 D < 60
80 B + < 85
65 C < 70
50 D - < 55
75 B < 80
60 D + < 65
F < 50
*Subject to changes
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