UWA Business School

Unit Outline

Marketing Research
MKTG2305
SEM-1, 2016
Campus: Crawley
Unit Coordinator: Dr. Uwana Evers

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(Cth).
Copying of this material by students, except for fair dealing purposes under the Copyright Act, is prohibited. For the purposes
of this fair dealing exception, students should be aware that the rule allowing copying, for fair dealing purposes, of 10% of the
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the course material itself
The University of Western Australia 2001

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Unit details
Unit title
Unit code
Availability
Location

Marketing Research
MKTG2305
SEM-1, 2016 (29/02/2016 - 25/06/2016)
Crawley

Credit points

Mode

Face to face

Contact details
Faculty
School
School website
Unit coordinator
Email
Telephone
Consultation hours
Lecturers

Business School
UWA Business School
http://www.business.uwa.edu.au/
Dr. Uwana Evers
uwana.evers@uwa.edu.au
6488 2216
Thursday 10:00am - 12:00pm

Name

Position

Email

Telephone Number

Dr Uwana Evers Unit Co-ordinator MKTG2305.uwa@gmail.com 6488 2593

Tutors
Unit contact hours

Lecture capture system

Online handbook
Unit website
Other contact details

To be advised

Lecture time: Thursdays, 8:00am - 10:00am

Lecture venue: Please refer to http://www.timetable.uwa.edu.au for the unit timetable.
Unless specified otherwise:
Lectures: 2 hours per week AND tutorial/computer lab: 1 hour per week
LCS is implemented for this unit.
http://handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/unitdetails?code=MKTG2305
http://www.lms.uwa.edu.au
For all teaching queries, please contact MKTG2305.uwa@gmail.com in the first instance. Please contact
the relevant Business School discipline team (details below) for assistance with unit administration queries.
For information on enrolments or general course enquiries, please contact the Business School Student
Centre on (08) 6488 2780 or submit in writing via AskUWA system, http://www.uwa.edu.au/askuwa
For enquiries regarding the administration (including tutorial queries) of the unit, please email:
marketing_professional@biz.uwa.edu.au

Unit rules
Prerequisites
Incompatibility

MKTG1203 Marketing Management; for pre-2012 courses: MKTG2203 Marketing Management, or MKTG2204
Consumer Behaviour
MKTG3305 Marketing Research

Unit description
This is an introductory unit in marketing research. It provides an overview of the marketing research process and familiarises students
with fundamental concepts of marketing research and frequently encountered research topics and techniques used in marketing
practice. More specifically, the unit covers formulating marketing research problem statements and objectives, developing a research
proposal and writing a research report. Various research designs are examined, as well as associated data collection forms and data
analysis techniques.

Introduction
Welcome to MKTG2305 Marketing Research.
To be an effective marketer, you must be able to use information about the market. This information can come from many sources,
including market research. But how do you evaluate the usefulness or accuracy of market information? This introductory unit in
marketing research will empower you to tell good research from bad. You will be able to do this by learning about the marketing
research process, the fundamental concepts of marketing research and frequently encountered research topics and techniques.
You will learn about market research by actually doing research. In this formative learning process, you will develop skills to
communicate your thoughts clearly and succinctly. You will also learn to work in a research-team environment, where your individual
effort will contribute to accomplishing your teams research task. The knowledge and skills you obtain from undertaking this unit will
help you to become a marketer who can critique, design, and implement research.
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This course involves statistical analysis to address marketing problems. It is strongly recommended that students have completed
STAT1520 Economic and Business Statistics or equivalent. Students who have not completed an introductory statistics course in their
undergraduate program find the statistics component in this course very challenging.
Please note that while the teaching team will assist with marketing-related statistical analysis, they are not able to provide remedial
statistics support. If you have concerns about the statistics requirement, please contact the course coordinator early in the semester.

Unit content
This course covers the fundamental concepts and stages of marketing research within an overall structural framework, including how
to: integrate stages of research, carry out research in a scientific manner, read and analyse research reports, and apply research
skills. The following topics are covered:
Introduction to Marketing Research and the Research Process
Problem Definition, Research Approach and Design
Secondary Data Sources and Qualitative Methods
Survey Methods and Questionnaire Design
Measurement and Scaling Issues
Sampling: Theory, Design and Issues
Data Collection and Preparation
Data Analysis: Frequencies, Hypothesis Testing and Cross-Tabulation
Data Analysis: Testing for Significant Differences, Correlation and Regression
Observational Techniques, Experimental Design

Unit goal
Marketing Research students will solve real world problems in order to become confident, competent professionals. Students will gain
practical skills in obtaining, interpreting and applying data to make informed, effective business decisions.
This course aims to provide students with a background in research methods, and will cover issues related to conducting marketing
research, data analysis, and methods of evaluation related to marketing. Knowledge of these topics will enable students to both
implement and evaluate marketing research during their professional careers. It is assumed that students enrolled in this course have a
basic understanding of marketing terminology and concepts.

Educational principles and graduate attributes

In this unit, you will be encouraged and facilitated to develop the ability and desire to:
Demonstrate your skills and knowledge by critically evaluating and devising solutions for market research problems.
Organise, prepare and discuss course work and materials prior to attending lectures and tutorials.
Develop more effective communication skills through class participation.
Develop competencies to work more effectively in teams through the completion of group work in the tutorials and the group
project.
Demonstrate self-management and independent learning skills through the completion of the prescribed weekly work.

Bachelor of Commerce program goals

The following table illustrates the coverage of the goals for the Bachelor of Commerce program at UWA in MKTG2305.

Program Goals
Specialised knowledge and skills
Communication
Teamwork
Research skills
Personal, social and ethical awareness

Taught Practiced Assessed

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Learning outcomes
Students are able to (1) demonstrate knowledge and skills in market research through study and research-based inquiry; (2) produce
clear, specific, effective and succinct market research communications; (3) develop skills and knowledge to critically evaluate and
devise solutions for marketing problems; (4) develop skills to complete individual tasks that contribute towards a team-based research
project; (5) demonstrate self-management and independent learning skills; and (6) demonstrate personal awareness of the social and
ethical impact of market research.

Unit schedule
Week

Week
Lecture topic
commencing

Text
Tutorial
Chapter

29 February

NO TUTORIALS

7 March

Introduction to marketing research and

the research process
Problem definition,
research approach and design

2, 3

14 March

4-6

21 March

Secondary data sources, qualitative

research
(Seminar on UWA library resources)
Survey methods and questionnaire
design

28 March

Measurement and scaling issues

9, 10

Introductions, tutor
expectations, team
allocation,
value of marketing
information exercise
Mayo Clinic Case: Staying
Healthy with Market
Research
Secondary data evaluation,
projective techniques
exercise
Who Wants to be a
Millionaire Quiz

4 April

Mid-semester exam in lecture venue no additional lecture content this week

11 April

Data analysis 1: Frequencies,

16
hypothesis testing and cross-tabulation

Mid-semester
study break
8

18 - 22 April

25 April

7, 11

17, 18

2 May

Data analysis 2: Testing for significant

differences, correlation and regression
Data collection and preparation

10

9 May

Sampling theory and design 1

12

11

16 May

Sampling theory and design 2

13

12

23 May

7, 8

13
Preexamination
study break
Semester 1
examination
period

30 May
6 - 10 June

Observational techniques and

experimental design
Exam revision

Laboratory

Lab 1:
Introduction to
SPSS
Lab 2: Data
analysis 1

Lab 3: Data
analysis 2
Lab 4: Data
analysis 3
Lab 5: Data
analysis 4
Lab 6:
Research
report analysis

14, 15

NO TUTORIALS
NO TUTORIALS

11 - 24 June

Teaching and learning responsibilities

Teaching and learning strategies
Lectures are held each week and students are strongly encouraged to attend. Lectures will be where the theory and methods of market
research are presented. Additionally, aspects of the team project will be discussed in lecture sessions. As it is impossible to fully
discuss all the aspects of a given topic within the lecture time provided, students are required to read the relevant chapters from the
prescribed textbook prior to attending the lecture. Class time will be spent developing and expanding upon the material presented in the
required text.

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The lectures will be recorded for electronic distribution. Additionally, PowerPoint slides for each session will be posted on LMS prior to
the lectures. Recordings are available on the Lecture Capture System ECHO (formerly known as Lectopia). These are intended for
revision and also where you are unable to attend a lecture. They should not be seen as a substitute to attending class. This is a
challenging unit and class attendance and participation is especially important.
This unit is designed to provide team-based and problem-based learning. You will address a practical research problem in your team
project. To effectively achieve this you will need to keep up with the prescribed work and consult with your tutor about your progress.
This course includes both tutorial and laboratory sessions. These are important opportunities to be able to apply the models and
principles learnt in the lectures, and develop an understanding and practical experience with the SPSS statistical package. The tutors
and lecturer will also help you with your project during consultation. You should seek clarification of how to apply market research
methods, and which methods are more suitable. The lectures and tutorials will include material from outside the text. This material will
be included in the assessments of this unit.

Teaching and learning evaluation

You may be asked to complete two evaluations during this unit:
The Student Perception of Teaching (SPOT) and
The Students Unit Reflective Feedback (SURF)
The SPOT is optional and is an evaluation of the lecturer and the unit.
The SURF is completed online and is a university wide survey and deals only with the unit. You will receive an email from the SURF
office inviting you to complete the SURF when it is activated.
We encourage you to complete the forms as your feedback is extremely important and can be used to make changes to the unit or
lecturing style when appropriate.

Attendance
Participation in class, whether it is listening to a lecture or getting involved in other activities, is an important part of the learning
process; therefore it is important that you attend classes. More formally, the University regulations state that to complete a course or
unit students shall attend prescribed classes, lectures, seminars and tutorials.
Success in this unit is dependent on your effort. Tutorial and lab participation will be marked and you will need to attend at least 80% of
these classes. Students failing to attend at least 80% of tutorials/labs during semester will receive a fail grade for this assessment
component, unless they present adequate documentary evidence to justify their absence. You can make up a maximum of three
tutorials/labs. In make-up classes, you should get both tutors to sign the class make-up form that can be found at the end of this
document. If you attend a make-up class, you will not be awarded any participation marks (Note: This will not apply if your missed
class is on a University holiday.)

Charter of student rights and responsibilities

The Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities upholds the fundamental rights of students who undertake their education at the
University of Western Australia.
The University's charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities is available at
www.governance.uwa.edu.au/procedures/policies/policies-and-procedures?method=document&id=UP07/132

Student Guild contact details

Contact details for the University Student Guild can be found atwww.guild.uwa.edu.au/. The Guild Education Officer is available to
provide assistance and advice on a range of issues.

ACE/AISE/CARS
The academic orientation for undergraduate students includes three online units which must be completed within the first 10 weeks of
enrolment:
AACE1000 Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE)
INDG1000 Indigenous Study Essentials
CARS1000 Communication and Research Skills
Postgraduate and MBA students must complete only AACE1000 Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE).

Information for students with disabilities

The University has a range of support services, equipment and facilities for students with a disability. If you would like to receive advice
on these services please email uniaccess@uwa.edu.au or visit www.student.uwa.edu.au/life/health/uniaccess

Assessment
Assessment overview
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Typically this unit is assessed in the following ways: (1) tutorial participation; (2) mid-semester examination; (3) research report; and (4)
final examination. Further information is available in the unit outline.

Assessment mechanism
# Component

Weight Due date

1 Class participation
10%
2 Weekly online quizzes 10%
3 Mid-semester
examination
4 Brief presentation +
feedback

5 Research report
6 Final examination

Relates to
outcomes

20%

Weeks 2-11: 1% each tutorial and lab

Weeks 2-5, 7-12: Quiz available on the LMS Friday to Sunday following the
Thursday lecture (1% each quiz)
Week 6: 7 April, 8:00am (lecture venue)

10%

Week 11: Group presentation uploaded to the LMS by 19 May, 5:00pm (7%) 1-5

20%
30%

Week 12: Feedback on the LMS on the research presentations of the other
three teams in your class by 23 May, 5:00pm (3%)
Week 13: 3 June, 3:00pm
Semester 1 examination period: 11 - 24 June

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1,3-6
1,5
1,5,6

1-5
1,5,6

Assessment items
Item title

Description

Submission
procedure

#1 - Class participation

It is important for your learning that you not only attend class, but actively
participate and engage with the content and your fellow classmates.

Ongoing

This mark is ongoing and awarded primarily for your attendance and participation
in your tutorial and computer labs. Details on how this assessed will be provided
in class and on LMS.
#2 - Weekly online quizzes These quizzes are designed so that you will keep up-to-date and master the unit Via LMS
content each week.

#3 - Mid-semester
examination

#4 - Brief presentation +
feedback

The weekly quiz will be available on LMS on the Friday to Sunday following the
Thursday lecture. It will include content from the lecture and specified textbook
chapters. Each quiz is worth 1% of your final grade.
This exam will assess your knowledge and understanding of Weeks 1-5 of the
unit.
An exam will be held in Week 6 (Thursday 7 April, 8am-10am). The test will be
based upon material presented in lectures, tutorials and your textbook. Format to
be advised.
This assessment has two purposes: (1) to convey key information in a clear,
Via LMS
concise and professional manner, and (2) to receive peer feedback on your
analyses and findings prior to the submission of your research report.
1. Presentation (one 4-5 minute video per team only; assessed individually)
Imagine you must give a brief presentation to your manager on your research
findings. In your team, you must prepare a short video where each team
member conveys part of your research findings from your research report.
Grading criteria will be provided on LMS. Your group presentation must be
uploaded to LMS in Week 11 by Thursday 19 May 5pm. This component is worth
7% of your final grade.
2. Feedback
Individually, you must then provide feedback on the research presentations of the
other three teams in your class in Week 12 by Monday 23 May 5pm. Your
feedback will be individually assessed by the criteria provided on LMS. This
component is worth 3% of your final grade.

#5 - Research report

Data analysis, interpretation, and report writing are important skills to take into
the the work place.
This is a group assignment (working in teams of four or five) that will involve
production of a research report. Data will be provided from a recent survey along
with a research brief including a number of client-focused research questions.
Groups will need to analyse the provided data and write a research report that
directly responds to the clients research questions. The final report is targeted
at your client and must be of a professional standard. Bear in mind that you are
not writing for statisticians, but business managers who may only have limited
understanding of research and statistics. Make your report understandable,
translate the findings into actionable items, and most importantly, write in plain
English.

#6 - Final examination

Specific grading criteria will be provided on LMS.

This examination will be conducted by the UWA examinations office. The
examination will be two hours. The format will be discussed in the second half of
the semester.

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Via LMS

Academic literacy and academic misconduct

The University of Western Australia takes very seriously the matter of academic misconduct by students and has policies in place that
define misconduct (including plagiarism) and the penalties that apply. The consequences for misconduct can be severe, including
exclusion from the University.
All students are expected to make themselves aware of the definitions and the policies relating to academic misconduct, found at the
websites below, and with any additional requirements or stipulations that may be provided by individual coordinators
www.governance.uwa.edu.au/procedures/policies/policies-and-procedures?policy=UP07%2F21

Appeals against academic assessment

The
full
regulations
governing
appeals
procedures
http://rules.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/rules/student_rules/

are

available

in

the

University

Handbook

at

Penalties for late submission

A penalty of 5 per cent of the total mark allocated for an assessment item is deducted per day for the first 7 days (including weekends
and public holidays) after which the assigned work is not accepted. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the assignment is
due.

Penalties for exceeding word limit

Where an assignment exceeds the word limit, a penalty of 1 per cent of the total mark allocated for the assessment task applies for
each 1 per cent in excess of the word limit.

Textbooks and resources

Recommended texts
Malhotra, N 2013, Basic Marketing Research: Pearson International Edition, 4th Edition, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
ISBN 10: 1-292-02048-2; 13: 978-1-292-02048-8.

Software requirements
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel or similar applications and SPSS. You should be able to produce documents to
business standards with these tools. Access to a computer is required. Computers with the required programs are available for student
use in the UWA computer laboratories. You are required to use SPSS for data analysis tasks in this unit.

Additional resources and reading

Berenson, M and David, ML, 1996, Basic Business Statistics: Concepts and Applications, 6th edition, Prentice Hall
Swift, L and Piff, S, 2014, Quantitative Methods for Business, Management & Finance, Palgrave Macmillan.
Coakes, S and Lyndall, S 2007, SPSS: Analysis without Anguish: Version 14 for Windows, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Field, A 2009, Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, 3rd edition, Sage Publications.

Journals
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Retailing
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing
Australian Business
Marketing News
Journal of the Market Research Society

Journal of Marketing Research

Journal of Advertising Research
Business Review Weekly
Harvard Business Review
European Journal of Marketing
Market Research Europe
Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Websites & other resources

Google
American Marketing Association
Assoc of Marketing Research Organisations
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Aztec Information System
European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
Government Communications Unit
Market Research Quality Assurance Inc.
Market Research Society of Australia
Marketing Research Roundtable
Newspoll
OzTAM
World Advertising Research Centre

www.google.com
www.marketingpower.com
www.amro.com.au
www.abs.gov.au
www.aztec.com.au
www.esomar.org
www.gcu.gov.au
www.mrqa.com.au
www.mrsa.com.au
www.marketresearchinfo.com
www.newspoll.com.au
www.oztam.com.au
www.WARC.com

Other important information

Standard of assessment
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The Business School must ensure that the processes of assessment are fair and are designed to maintain the standards of the School
and its students. The School follows the UWA marks and grades distribution:
Higher distinction
Distinction
Credit pass
Pass
Fail
Fail
Failed component

(HD)
(D)
(CR)
(P)
(N+)
(N)
(FC)

80-100%
70-79%
60-69%
50-59%
45-49%
0-44%

The scaling of marks to ensure comparability between classes is an acceptable academic practice. The School and Board of
Examiners have the right to scale marks where it is considered necessary to maintain consistency and fairness.

Special consideration/alternative arrangements

If you are unable to attend a class, tutorial or examination due to circumstances beyond your control and are seeking an extension for
submission of an assignment or a deferred exam, please read valid reasons for special consideration
a t www.student.uwa.edu.au/life/health/uniaccess/special-consideration, complete the application form and submit at the Student
Centre.
PLEASE NOTE that deferred exams are not available in Summer School units.

Acknowledging sources of information and the Business School policy on plagiarism

Student Services provides an online plagiarism portal that includes a definition of plagiarism and a link to FAQ
www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning/online_services/plagiarism_portal
Turnitin' Originality Checking & Plagiarism Prevention is used in the Faculty to allow both educators and their students check written
work for improper citation or misappropriated content. More information about 'Turnitin' can be found at
http://turnitin.com/static/index.html

eBooks and open book exams

eBooks cannot be accessed at an examination. Please check your exam details and purchase a printed version of any book you would
select to take into an open book exam.

Approved calculators for examinations

The University permits only the use of calculators in examinations when the calculator has an approved sticker and the examiner
permits their use. If the student does not have an approved sticker on their calculator, they will not be permitted to use the calculator.
Calculators can be approved at the Business School Student Centre or at Student Administration. Further information is available on
the Business School website at www.business.uwa.edu.au/students/assessments

Referencing
It is important that the referencing of any sources used in your written work is done properly, if only to substantiate the points you are
making in your assignment or project. The Harvard style is the preferred and there are some notes for guidance which have been
prepared by the library staff: Citing your Sources Harvard Style http://libguides.library.uwa.edu.au/harvard
The EndNote software package is a really good system for building up a database of references. Not everyone will want to invest the
time in using this system but you should consider it if you intend to build up resource materials or plan to undertake extensive research
in a particular area. The library staff have also developed a tutoring package: A Quick Guide to Using EndNote which provides the
basics for using EndNote with an essay http://libguides.library.uwa.edu.au/endnote

Quality assurance
Your assessed work may also be used for quality assurance purposes, such as to assess the level of achievement of learning
outcomes as required for accreditation and audit purposes. The findings may be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality
of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential, and the outcome will not affect your
grade for the unit.

Last day to add a unit offered in a semester

The final date to add a unit is the end of week 2 of the semester. For further information on important dates for 2016, refer to
www.student.uwa.edu.au/course/dates/important

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