NBS8514 : Marketing Research
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Saurabh Bhattacharya
- Lecturer: Dr Elaine Tan
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The module aims to develop an understanding of the methods used in marketing research and their role in supporting marketing decision-making.
Marketing research is crucial to the adoption of a marketing philosophy by organisations. It provides a link between the consumer and public, through the information that is used to identify and define marketing opportunities and marketing problems, to initiate marketing action, to monitor marketing performance, and to improve understanding of marketing as a process.
The module addresses the stages of the marketing research process, from the identification of a problem and definition of the research objectives to the presentation of research results. It also equips students with the knowledge and skills to undertake a dissertation in marketing. In particular, the module focuses on the issues of defining marketing research problems, identification of data requirements and sources, choice of research design, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of results. Semester 1 covers secondary research and qualitative research methods, whilst semester 2 covers quantitative research methods.
Teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars, and other structured content.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus* includes the following themes:
- Marketing Research Process
- Secondary research and conducting a literature review
- Qualitative research methods
- Quantitative research methods
- Measurement and scaling
- Questionnaire design
- Sampling
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis
- Presentation of results
- Ethical issues in marketing
*Subject to change
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 54:00 | 54:00 | Time for students to complete formative and summative assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 12 | 2:00 | 24:00 | Each Lecture is of 2 hrs. PIP Lectures (4 PIP lectures in Semester 1 & 6 PIP Lectures in Semester 2) Synchronous Online (Zoom): (2 Synchronous Online Lecturers in Sem 1). |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | PIP Computer Cluster (SPSS demonstration and practice and analysis of output) (Semester 1) |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 66:00 | 66:00 | Based on Approximately 3 hours per teaching week (3*22) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | PIP Seminars (Qualitative) (Semester 2) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Digital Activity: Recorded Material (Updated Annually): Ethics in marketing research, Survey fieldwork, Hypothesis testing, Output interpretations [Descriptive stats, t-test, ANOVA, Regression, EFA], etc. (Semester 1). |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 39:00 | 39:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
In this module, through a combination of Lectures, Seminars, Computer Clusters, and other structured activities, students will be introduced and taught the core concepts of Marketing Research (Qualitative and Quantitative).
In the first semester, through a combination of lectures, computer clusters and other structured activities, students would be introduced to quantitative research methods, which is a major content for Semester 1 Exam. The computer clusters and lectures will help students apply appropriate quantitative research methods, interpret marketing data, solve complex problems, and justify decisions. Students will also design and justify the application of appropriate research and data analysis methods to create new knowledge in a marketing context.
In Semester 2, through a combination of learning and teaching activities, students would be introduced to qualitative research methods, which will help them undertake Group Coursework. Students will also apply appropriate qualitative research methods on semi-structured interviews collected from consumers to solve complex problems and create new knowledge.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | In-Person PC Exam having MCQs & open-ended questions. Negative marking for wrong answers to MCQ questions. If a move to completely online Exam necessary, same format but not in-Person. Inspera Platform will be used. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 2 | M | 50 | MR Group Project (4000 words; 6 to7 students per group) based on Qualitative Research |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | Analyse quantitative research outputs. |
| Written exercise | 2 | M | Written exercises in Semester 2. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Assessment Semester 1: The in-Person PC-based Exam at the end of Semester 1 allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the various quantitative research methods and data analysis techniques. The Exam will have both Multiple Choice Questions and Essay Questions. The Multiple Choice Questions will have negative marking for wrong answers.
Alternative Assessment Semester 1: However, in Semester 1, should a move to completely online assessment be necessary, then the Exam will be happen online but not in-Person.
Assessment Semester 2: The group project in Semester 2 assesses the group's ability to apply research techniques taught in class to a specific marketing research project. Group work also encourages students to contribute actively and collectively to the learning process. It enables them to develop a range of transferable skills, including teamwork, planning and organisation, and presentation. To ensure that all members participate actively and offer a sustained contribution throughout the group project assessment, each group will maintain a group diary to document team meetings and assigned actions for each member. Each student’s contribution to the group project will be peer-assessed, and the scores of peer assessment will be used to derive the individual student’s final marks for the group project. The peer assessment will ensure that the marks are allocated fairly based on an individual’s contribution to the group project.
Alternative Assessment Semester 2: However, in Semester 2, should a move to online assessment be necessary, then instead of a group project, a 3-hr Online Exam will happen (Part A: One Compulsory Essay Question and Part B: Two Essay Questions out of Three).
Formative Assessment:
In Semester 1, the cohort will undertake problem-solving exercises (Lab 1 to 5). Feedback on this will be provided during the seminars and in the asynchronous lectures.
In Semester 2, students will be asked to analyse some qualitative research outputs (problem-solving exercises) in Seminar 2. Formative feedback will be provided.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NBS8514's Timetable