IMC 611
Examines the role of marketing research within an IMC campaign. Students learn to identify research problems and select appropriate quantitative and qualitative designs to address them. They will examine sampling, questionnaire design, data processing and how to communicate research needs and results.
This course makes use of a progressive assignment. Students select a company with an identifiable marketing problem that can be addressed using marketing research, and develop a research proposal to address that problem. Research proposals are detailed in describing the situation, problem, background, and specific methods for sampling, data collection and analysis. While students may never need to write a research proposal, going through this process and learning the underlying scientific methods will teach them how to better evaluate research proposals. In the future, students may also be in a position in which they must contract for research, and will need to create an RFP (Request for Proposal). Having the knowledge gained from this course will help students make more informed decisions regarding what they will ask research companies to accomplish.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of IMC 611, students will be able to:
- Explain how research can be used to identify and solve marketing problems.
- Cite the ways in which the Internet is used in marketing research.
- Identify a research problem and objective.
- Recognize when and how to use both qualitative and quantitative research designs.
- Use secondary research to answer marketing questions.
- Recognize when probability and nonprobability samples are used.
- Create research questionnaires using different types of questions and scales.
- Explain the concepts of data analysis, interpretation and presentation.
- Write a research proposal.
Course Topics
- Introduction to Marketing Research: Design and Process
- Secondary Research and Setting Research Objectives
- Qualitative Research: Focus Groups and Other Methods
- Quantitative Research: Sampling and Surveys
- Measurement and Questionnaire Design
- Data Processing and Statistical Analysis
- Marketing Research Proposals, Reports and Ethics
