Marketing Research

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
According to Professor Philip Kotler, conventional marketing thinking is unsuitable for tomorrow’s marketing strategies and the challenges of our postmodern age. New times call for new methods and this course seeks to rise to the research challenge by combining the best of the old with the possibilities of the new. It is aimed at students and managers alike, those who are (or will be) the ultimate users of marketing research information. It attempts to inculcate an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of marketing research, whilst recognising their potential contribution. The emphasis of the course will be on the interpretation and meaning of market research findings, rather than the technicalities of their derivation.

CONTENT AND ORGANISATION
The course is broadly structured to reflect the old research/new research paradigms, with each paradigm divided into two distinct categories. The first part focuses on traditional qualitative and quantitative schools of marketing research. Topics covered include problem definition, research design and data collection and analysis. The second part of the course concentrates on cyberal and cultural research perspectives. The former refers to the Internet as a research resource, where quantitative and qualitative approaches combine, whereas the latter pertains to the creative research insights available from the wider cultural sphere.

READING MATERIAL
Stephen Brown (2003), Free Gift Inside!!, Capstone.

RECCOMMENDING READING
Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. (2001), Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 8th Edition, Dryden Press (or any equivalent marketing research text).

Chris Hackley (2003), Doing Research Projects in Marketing, Routledge.

Stephen Brown (2001), Marketing – The Retro Revolution, Sage.

David Carson et al (2001), Qualitative Marketing Research, Sage.

Stephen Brown (1995), Postmodern Marketing, Routledge.

DELIVERY METHODS
Classes will comprise a mixture of lectures, cases and exercises, with an emphasis on student participation. The overall aim is to demonstrate how different marketing research methods can be adapted to real-world problems. More specifically, class discussion will focus on the appropriateness and applicability of research methods and procedures, as well as the broader issues arising.
That said, the course is largely self-directed. In other words, what you get out of the course will reflect what you put in. For example, it is up to you to follow up on, and track down, additional reading material. Itemised reading lists will not be issued, as a rule, nor will salient sources be supplied. The key to developing marketing research skills is practice and it is up to you to develop your own research skills through practice (in the library, in the field, or whatever). Your enjoyment of the course will very much depend on the extent of your personal input and commitment.

CONTACT
I am available for student consultation on Fridays, from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. There is no need to make an appointment. My office, 1D21, is always open on Friday afternoons. I am also available for 30 minutes before and after each lecture, where I'll deal with any issues or concerns arising from the course.

Alternatively, you can email me (sfx.brown@ulster.ac.uk). I will respond to your messages during student consultation times. Thus, if you email me on a Tuesday, you’ll receive a reply on the Thursday, etc., etc.

Don’t ring me or leave telephone messages. I won’t respond to them. If you are desperate to get in touch, try ringing during the above consultation times, but outside then, it’s strictly email only.
Please respect these arrangements.

ASSIGNMENT
Details of the assignment will be posted below:

Assignment

Titanic Reading

LECTURE SCHEDULE

Please note that the schedule may be modified to accommodate guest speakers and/or student feedback.

To view these slides you must have Microsoft PowerPoint installed on your computer. Simply click on the link and PowerPoint will automatically start, opening the slides within this site. Alternatively, should you wish to save these files to your hard-drive, right-click over the link and select the 'save file as' option. Then select and save the file to a directory on your computer that you can find easily, such as My Documents.

Week 1: O Customer Where Art Thou

Required Reading

1. O Customer Where Art Thou

Week 2: New Marketing, New Research?

Required Reading

1. Remembering Marketing
2. Everything Must Go

Week 3: The Nature of Marketing Research

Required Reading

Postmodern Marketing
Saturday Morning Fever

Week 4: Quantitative Research I

Week 5: Quantitative Research II

Week 6: Quantitative Research III

Week 7: Qualitative Research I

Week 8: Qualitative Research II

Week 9: Cyberal Research

Week 10: Cultural Research

Week 11: Review for Final Exam