UNIT I

Unit - I (8 sessions ) Marketing Research Definition, Scope, Significance, Limitations, Obstacles in acceptance. Ethics in marketing research. Marketing Intelligence system Research process Management dilemma (problem) decision problem research problem hypothesis statement characteristics of a good hypothesis drafting the research proposal. Various sources of market Information Methods of collecting Market Information - Secondary data sources problems of fit and accuracy. Syndicated services. Unit - II (10 sessions ) Marketing research techniques: Market development research: Cool hunting socio cultural trends, Demand estimation research, Test marketing, Segmentation Research - Cluster analysis, Discriminant analysis. Sales forecasting objective and subjective methods Marketing Mix Research: Concept testing, Brand Equity Research, Brand name testing, Commercial eye tracking package designs, Conjoint analysis, Multidimensional scaling - positioning research, Pricing Research, Shop and retail audits, Advertising Research Copy Testing, Readership surveys and viewer ship surveys, Adtracking, viral marketing research.

Unit - III (6 sessions ) Marketing effectiveness and analytics research: Customer Satisfaction Measurement, mystery shopping, Market and Sales Analysis .Exploratory designs Descriptive designs - Longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis. Qualitative research techniques i) Based on questioning: Focus groups, Depth interviews, Projective techniques. ii) Based on observations: ethnography, grounded theory, participant observation. Causal research Basic experimental designs internal and external validity of experiments. Unit - IV (6 sessions ) Primary data Questionnaire design - Administration and analysis considerations in design Attitude measurement scaling techniques. Observation method of primary data collection. Web based primary data collection issues of reach, analysis, accuracy , time and efficiency. Sampling sampling methods sampling and non sampling errors sample size calculation population and sample size - large and small samples - practical considerations in determining sample size. Unit - V (10 sessions ) Data analysis Univariate Bivariate Multivariate. Simple and cross tabulation, simple and multiple regression, Factor analysis. Hypothesis testing Types of tests and test selection, One sample test, Two- Independent Sample tests, Two-related sample tests. Chi-square test, tests for large and small samples.

1. To understand the marketing research as a subject. 2. To learn the steps involved in the marketing research process. 3. To understand the components of the research request. 4. To learn the advantages and disadvantages of survey, observation, and experimental research techniques. 5. To understand how to interpret and analyze the data 6. To become familiar with how the research process is initiated and how a report is written.

UNIT I

According to American Marketing Association: "Marketing Research is the systematic gathering, recording and analysing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services. According to Philip Kotler: "Marketing research is a systematic problem analysis, model building and fact finding for the purpose of improved decision-making and control in the marketing of goods and services. According to Paul Green and Donald Tull: "Marketing research is the systematic and objective search for, and analysis of, information relevant to the identification and solution of any problem in the field of marketing. According to David Luck, Donald Taylor and Hugh Wales, "Marketing Research is the application of scientific methods in the solution of marketing problems."

Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal of marketing research is to identify and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix impacts customer behaviour.

It has been described as "the function that links the consumers, customers, and public to the marketer through information information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process.

Marketing means buying and selling activities. Research means a systematic and complete study of a problem. It is done by experts. It uses scientific methods. Thus, we can say, Marketing Research is a systematic method

of collecting, recording and analysing of data which is used to solve marketing problems.

Provides relevant, accurate and timely information which generates evidence about customer behavior. Relevant what information do we need to make a decision? Accurate measures drivers, influencers,-- correct respondents. Timely -- point in time predicts or supports past and future events. Information collect data which addresses issues.

Assessing Market Potential Sales forecasting Describing market say penetrated, potential, available, target etc. Predicting future demand Segmentation in Industrial, organizational and Business-to Business Market. Product Research Price Research Promotion Research Advertising Research Media Research

Marketing Research (MR) is not an exact science though it uses the techniques of science. Thus, the results and conclusions drawn upon by using MR are not very accurate. The results of MR are very vague as MR is carried out on consumers, suppliers, intermediaries, etc. who are humans. Humans have a tendency to behave artificially when they know that they are being observed. Thus, the consumers and respondents upon whom the research is carried behave artificially when they are aware that their attitudes, beliefs, views, etc are being observed. MR is not a complete solution to any marketing issue as there are many dominant variables between research conclusions and market response. MR is not free from bias. The research conclusions cannot be verified. The reproduction of the same project on the same class of respondents give different research results.

Inappropriate training to researchers can lead to misapprehension of questions to be asked for data collection. Many business executives and researchers have ambiguity about the research problem and its objectives. They have limited experience of the notion of the decision-making process. This leads to carelessness in research and researchers are not able to do anything real. There is less interaction between the MR department and the main research executives. The research department is in segregation. This all makes research ineffective. MR faces time constraint. The firms are required to maintain a balance between the requirement for having a broader perspective of customer needs and the need for quick decision making so as to have competitive advantage.

Huge cost is involved in MR as collection and processing of data can be costly. Many firms do not have the proficiency to carry wide surveys for collecting primary data, and might not also able to hire specialized market experts and research agencies to collect primary data. Thus, in that case, they go for obtaining secondary data that is cheaper to obtain. MR is conducted in open marketplace where numerous variables act on research settings.

This conceptual framework to learn more about the many applications of marketing research is called the administrative process, and it consists of the four phases managers frequently go through: (1) settings and establishing strategies (2) developing marketing plan (3) putting the plan into action, and (4) evaluating the effectiveness of the marketing plan.

Phase 1: Setting Goals and Establishing Strategies: Useful information can be obtained on a variety of topics Changes in the size or trend of demand or changes in the structure or composition of the market Changes in media trends Needs, wants and/or dissatisfaction in relevant market segments

Phase 2: Developing a Marketing Plan: When developing marketing plans, managers often use marketing research to identify key market segments. Managers can identify important product and advertising considerations to include in their plans. Marketing research can also be used to test how appealing certain proposed product attributes and advertisements are to the target market Phase 3: Putting the plan into Action: In these types of application the research is likely to measure (a) if the plan is achieving the desired level of retail availability (b) if the target market segments are seeing the advertisements (c) if the copy is communicating the intended message (d) if the promotions are achieving the desired trial rates (e) how much consumers are using, and (f) the proportion of buyers who repurchase.

Phase 4: Evaluating the plans Effectiveness: To compare results with the objectives Aggregation and compilation of most of the information obtained during planning and action phases Special emphasis on sales, market share, marketing costs, and contribution to profit Measure brand awareness, trial rates, repeat purchase rates, preferred brands, and other measures of marketing results.