The course can be edited as per the requirements of the students

Objective:

To provide an exposure to the students pertaining to the nature and scope of marketing research, which they are expected to possess when they enter the industry as practitioners. To give them an understanding of the basic techniques and tools of marketing research.

Scope of the Course

• Marketing research:
  • Nature and Scope of marketing research
  • Role of marketing research in decision making
• The research process
  • Steps in the research process
  • Designing the research proposal
• Data
  • Sources of data
  • Primary data
  • Secondary data
• Survey method of data collection
• Observation method of data collection
  • Types of observation
• Interview method of data collection
  • Depth interview
  • Focus group interview
• Questionnaire method of data collection
  • Steps in design of questionnaire
• Secondary method of data collection
  • Advantages and disadvantages of secondary data
  • Criteria for evaluating secondary data
  • Secondary sources of data in Indian context
• Measurement and scaling
  • Concept of measurement and scaling
  • Types of scales
    • Nominal
    • Ordinal
    • Interval
    • Ratio
  • Attitude scales
    • Thurstone
    • Likert
    • Semantic
    • Differential
  • Reliability and validity of a scale
  • Sampling
    • Sampling techniques
  • Data analysis
    • Z test (mean, diff. Of mean, diff of proportion)
    • T test (mean)
    • Painted T test
    • Chi square test
    • ANOVA

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the importance of market research as a management decision making tool
• Define market research
• Understand the business value of market research and the role it plays in the development and implementation of strategy
• Understand when market research is needed and when it should be conducted
• Classify market research as exploratory, descriptive and causal
• Stages of market research process
• Understand the nature and scope of market research and its role in designing successful marketing programs
• Understand the purpose of the research proposal and outline a research proposal

• Define the nature and scope of primary and secondary data
• Difference between secondary and primary data
• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different types of data
• Evaluate various sources of data
• Difference between qualitative and quantitative research
• Understand various forms of qualitative research
• Understand survey method, focus groups, depth interviews, observation and questionnaire methods along with their advantages and disadvantages

• Define the nature and scope of secondary data
• Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of secondary data and their uses in various steps in marketing research process
• Evaluating secondary data using specifications, errors, currency, objectives, nature and dependability criteria
• Describe various sources of secondary data
• Understand syndicated sources of secondary data

• To know how a researcher might answer the question “What is to be measured?”
• Understand the concept of measurement and scaling
• Discuss the primary scales of measurement
• Classify scaling techniques – comparative and non-comparative
• Discuss the considerations involved in implementing primary scales of measurement
• Discuss the criteria involved in scale evaluation
• Define the criteria for good measurement
• Learn how to assess reliability and validity of a scale

• Understand why a sample instead of entire census is taken
• Discuss issues concerning identification of target population and sample identification
• Understand common sampling frames
• Understand sampling errors
• Understand advantages and disadvantages of sampling types
• Understand that data analysis consists of summarizing, rearranging, ordering and manipulating data
• Understand the significance of data analysis and insights that can be availed from data analysis