MITB: Market Research

Instructor: Prof. Javier Blanch

E-mail Address: javier.blanch@esic.edu
______________________________________________________________

I. Course 2016-17 Description

This unit aims at giving a substantial and critical understanding of Market Research as a
way to enhance marketing decisions within companies. This discipline is defined as the
function that connects consumers with vendors through the analysis of data that captures
individuals behavior before consumption stimuli. Market research has become a pivotal
area to build robust and meaningful marketing propositions. It helps analyze consumers
from a scientific standpoint to determine the drivers of their needs and behaviors, which,
in turn, has a significant impact on the improvement of the firms long-term relationship
with them.
As most businesses expand across international markets, the role of timely and accurate
market research to guide decision-making becomes increasingly critical. Research to
support international market decisions has significantly evolved over the past two decades
and is supposed to keep on enhancing as globalization processes take place. In this course,
we will try to give students an understanding of the main market research models, tools
and techniques. The objective will be to help develop the capabilities to conduct and
coordinate research that spans diverse research environments as well as devising new
creative approaches to probe the cultural underpinnings of behavior.

II. Learning objectives

At the end of the unit, it is expected that students will have acquired the following skills:
1. Understand the role of Market Research within the framework of strategic decision
making within the field of international trade and business.
2. Acquire the basic knowledge and fundamentals of Market Research models, tools
and techniques.
3. Build robust criteria to plan, execute and control scientific research on consumers
regardless of the cultural and social environment.
4. Develop the expertise to utilize the different quantitative, qualitative and
experimental research techniques which can be applied on a global basis.
5. Learn how to analyze the information provided by the methods that have been
picked up to build the research.

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 6. Utilize findings to impact the corporate international development strategy within
a cross functional environment.
7. Acquire and develop a critical and evidence-based personal thinking when building
and managing a market research project.
8. Learn to structure a sound and coherent personal assessment/evaluation when
approaching an existing piece of research.

III. Teaching methods and learning strategies

The methodology of the course is based on developing educated opinions to make business
decisions, applicable across different international environments, based on conceptual
tools, factual evidence and scientific techniques on data analysis. As such, we will follow a
systematic approach to deal with actual consumer behavior, understanding those
challenges that this scientifically oriented discipline poses to professionals. The unit is
organized around active learning through different means, i) class lectures, ii) discussion
of consumer issues literature and practice, iii) analyses of case studies iv) in-class
exercises and v) students business presentations. As practiced in some other units of
MITB, these activities are designed to drive, reinforce, and personalize the learning
process. To achieve this, a high level of commitment and interaction is needed; therefore,
we encourage preparation for each seminar and meeting through critical reading of
relevant literature, understanding of key concepts, analyses of case studies and in-group
discussions.

IV. Teaching Schedule and Attendance Guidelines

There will be a total of 6 five-hour sessions in which we will be developing the topics shown
here-below. Classes will start at 9:30 am whilst finishing at 2:30 pm. In order to facilitate
a fluent teaching experience and help students to keep an adequate level of attention,
there will be a short break (15 minutes) every two hours.

As mentioned in the MITB Handbook for Students, students should attend a minimum of
80% of the total hours of each unit to get credits for this unit. Non-attendance without a
valid reason will result in the withholding of the credit points necessary for the award of
the Master. Candidates should explain any absence to the unit owner preferably before or
failing that as soon as possible after any seminar they have been unable to attend.

Importantly, students are supposed to behave in a professional manner during the lectures
and/or seminars. They must avoid any type of distraction like reading newspapers,
playing/using the mobile phone, reading emails, using internet, etc. (i.e. any activity not
related to the seminar and/or lecture).

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Session 2017 Date General Topic Covered
1 February 7th Introduction to Market Research.
Research designs and sources of
information.
2 February 8th Measurement theory.
Sampling and data collection.
2 February 9th Exploratory research: qualitative
methods.
3 February 14th Descriptive research: quantitative
techniques.
4 February 15th Causal research: experimentation.
5 February 20th Presentation of business cases and
conclusions.
Content
a) MR role and conceptual framework
b) Evolution of MR
c) Stages of the MR process
d) Types of research designs
e) Sources of error
f) Classification of sources of information
Reading: Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of textbook
a) Theoretical fundamentals
b) Sampling procedures
c) Sampling through internet
d) Sources of error
e) Reliability and validity
f) Types of scales
g) Making a survey/questionnaire
Reading: Chapters 8 and 11 of textbook
a) Fundamentals of Qualitative methods
b) Focus groups
c) In-depth interviews
d) Brainstorming
Reading: Chapter 5 of textbook
a) Fundamentals of Quantitative methods
b) Surveys
c) Tracking & Panel
d) Omnibus
e) Observation
f) On-line techniques
g) Hypothesis testing and statistical tests
Reading: Chapter 6 of textbook
a) Theoretical fundamentals
b) Experimental research stages
c) Laboratory and field experiments
d) Quasi-experimental designs
e) Limitations experimental designs
Reading: Chapter 7 of textbook
a) 15 min. presentation
b) 20 min. case discussion
c) Wrap-up and key conclusions
Reading: Howell, D. D. (2008). Four Key
Keys to Powerful Presentations in
PowerPoint.

V) Assessment

1. Individual report (55%)

This part of the assessment will take the form of a written 3,000-word report (excluding
references, citations, footnotes, endnotes, and appendices) that will be submitted on
March 20th, 2016. Assignment will be due by midnight on this date and late submissions
will get a mark capped at 60. The report will consist on a research design that substantiates
a market research for an existent or imaginary product or service. The student will pick
up a company operating in any of the sectors defined for each of the 10 industries
described in the Industry Classification Benchmark (FTSE International Limited, 2010;

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www.icbenchmark.com). A compulsory requisite is that the chosen organization will have
to be approved by the instructor. Students will be able to move on with their proposal as
soon as they receive formative feedback, by the lecturer, to guide the development of the
work. To guarantee anonymity students will be able to place their proposal on a blind drive
folder where they will receive feedback.

This report will have to be structured around the following 6 key components:

1. Design of the exploratory, descriptive and/or experimental phases of the research.

2. Definition of the relevant information that has to be gathered.
3. Specification of the measurement procedures to be utilized.
4. Building of the appropriate tools to pick up the information needed.
5. Delimitation of the size of the sample and the sampling procedures.
6. Development of the plan to analyze the data.

The assessment criteria will be based on i) the strengths of the recommendation and the
ability to build a sound research design, ii) the appropriate use of the tools, techniques
and research models on which the recommendation is based and iii) the practical and
results-oriented nature of the work.

The essay is expected to be grounded on both academic literature and the candidates own
judgement; therefore, it should go beyond commonsensical arguments and should be
written as if it was to be presented to an existing firms management. It is highly
encouraged not to exceed the proposed size of the essay, avoiding over-length works.
Marks will be deducted if the student does not comply with this word limit rule.

2. Presentations developed in groups (35%)

Students, split in groups of 5-6 participants, will have to analyze how a selected company
carry out market research, in the specific industry sector in which it competes and in a
particular international market, excluding its home base. They will have to illustrate how
the company develops new products to be launched into the marketplace and/or reinforce
the equity of the existing ones. They will be presenting their findings, to the rest of their
classmates, according to the schedule shown in section IV.

The main focus of the presentations will be on offering the audience that relevant
information about how the company approaches, from a scientific standpoint, consumer
research to build their marketing propositions and stay long-term competitive.
Presentations are expected to be analytical and data-based oriented; they should be
performed as if the team was addressing their management to conduct a competition
analysis of their main rivals in the market.

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The content of the presentation should be based on those relevant conceptual frameworks
developed in the field of market research, as far as we have analyzed them in class.
Furthermore, group members are supposed to capture their own experience, opinions, and
knowledge on the subject. As far as it is mandatory for the program, conclusions and
recommendations should have a founded academic level and, therefore, go well beyond a
commonsensical elaboration. Due to the imperfect nature of information, assumptions
should be made and properly explained.

The main objective of this exercise is develop and reinforce critical analytical thinking,
therefore, it wont be right or wrong answers/proposals. After the presentations we will
have a class discussion on how to deal with the specific issues and challenges shown in
the document shared by the group. The assessment criteria for presentations follow:

1. Clarity on the definition of the business problem and objectives.

2. Consistency and coherence of the arguments managed.
3. Correct use of those tools and techniques studied in the program.
4. Feasibility of the solutions/proposals.
5. Appropriate and explicit links between theory and practice.

Students will have to pick-up a single company among any of the industries/sectors
described in the Industry Classification Benchmark (FTSE International Limited, 2010;
www.icbenchmark.com), based on their personal preferences and field of expertise, and
explain how they build and develop their market research. They will have to refer to the
fundamentals, organizational structures and capabilities that allow them to design, place
and execute state-of-the-art market research; students will illustrate their business cases
mentioning and analyzing as many product/brand real examples as possible.

The chosen company should be widely recognized for the way they conduct top-notch
market research as a key plank to build their international business. Nevertheless, they
may vary on the level of sophistication and know-how of their methods. As an example,
some of these companies could be: Unilever, Google, Home Depot, Patagonia, Starbucks,
Marriott, Netflix, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Nestl, Amazon, Nike, Pepsico, Under-
Armour, Apple, LOreal, Facebook, Zara, Samsung, American Express, Coca-Cola, Disney,
Ikea, BMW, Louis Vuitton, etc.

Under no circumstances will the presentations exceed 15 minutes and the structure and
design will entirely be decided by the group as long as they fit the specified norms.

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3. Class participation (10%)

Participation in the development of the class, in the form of contributing to the cooperative
argument-building as well as suggesting alternative ways of approaching material, is
highly encouraged. Students who demonstrate a very active involvement will get marks
for the quality of their participation as it demonstrates a good preparation of the subjects
presented. Also, relating the topics discussed to readings and other material or even
personal experiences will be particularly valued. Those students contributing, in a very
significant way, to ongoing discussions, helping to keep the analysis focused and
responding thoughtfully to other students' comments, may receive credit up to 15% of the
final grade.

4. Course Grades

The grading system utilized as well as the course specific marks will be assigned to
students following the guidelines captured in our MITB Students Handbook 2016-17. As
per the grade descriptors, the student will need a minimum mark of 60 to pass the Market
Research unit.

A mark below 60 is considered to be a failing grade. Therefore, the student will be

assessed, again, in order to gain credit for the class, through additional assignments,
whose subject and scope will be determined in advance. Worth-noting, academic honesty
is non-negotiable and all assignments submitted in fulfillment of course requirements must
follow the guidelines specified in the course handbook.

VI) References

Textbook

Malhotra, N. K. (2015). Marketing research: An applied orientation. Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Pearson.

Books

American Marketing Association (2004). The Marketing Research. American

Marketing Association, Chicago, USA.

Belk, R. W. (Ed.). (2007). Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing.

Edward Elgar Publishing.

Berg, B. L., & Lune, H. (2004). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences

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(Vol. 5). Boston: Pearson.

Berghoff, H., Scranton, P. and Spiekermann, U. (2012).The Rise of Marketing and

Market Research. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Bradley, N. (2007).Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques. Oxford University

Press, Oxford.

Comfort, J. (1998). Oxford Business English SkillsEffective Presentations. Oxford

University Press.

Grover, R., &Vriens, M. (Eds.). (2006).The handbook of marketing research: uses,

misuses, and future advances. Sage Publications.

Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J. and Anderson, R.E. (2009). Multivariate Data
Analysis. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Hawkins, Delbert, Best, Roger, Coney, Kenneth (2003). Consumer Behavior:

Building Marketing Strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin 9th Edition.

Hinkle, D. E., Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (2003). Applied statistics for the
behavioral sciences.

Iacobucci, D., & Churchill, G. (2009). Marketing research: methodological

foundations. Cengage Learning.

Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2013). Principles of Marketing 15th Global Edition.
Pearson.

McDonald, M. (2007). Marketing Plans. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, England.

McQuarrie, E. (2005). The Market Research Toolbox: A Concise Guide for

Beginners. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Solomon, Michael R. Consumer Behavior. New York: Prentice Hall 6th Edition,
September 2003.

Sunderland, P. L., & Denny, R. M. T. (2007). Doing anthropology in consumer

research. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Zikmun, W.G. and Babin, B.J. (2012). Essentials of Marketing Research, Cengage
Learning, Mason.

Journal Articles

Armstrong, J., Brodie, R. and Parsons, A. (2001). Hypothesis in Marketing Science:

Literature Review and Publication Audit. Marketing Letters 12 (2): 171-187.

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 Arnould, E. J., & Thompson, C. J. (2005). Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty
years of research. Journal of consumer research, 31(4), 868-882.

Belk, R. W., & Kozinets, R. V. (2005). Videography in marketing and consumer

research. Qualitative Market Research: an international journal, 8(2), 128-141.

Bertrand, M., Karlin, D., Mullainathan, S., Shafir, E., &Zinman, J. (2005). What's
psychology worth? A field experiment in the consumer credit market (No. w11892).
National Bureau of Economic Research.

Elliott, R., & Jankel-Elliott, N. (2003). Using ethnography in strategic consumer

research. Qualitative market research: An international journal, 6(4), 215-223.

Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: developing relationship theory in

consumer research. Journal of consumer research, 24(4), 343-353.

Howell, D. D. (2008). Four Key Keys to Powerful Presentations in PowerPoint: Take

Your Presentations to the Next Level. Tech Trends: Linking Research and Practice to
Improve Learning, 52(6), 44-46.

Kotler, P. (2011). Reinventing marketing to manage the environmental imperative.

Journal of Marketing, 75(4), 132-135.

Mejia, A. B., & Ling, P. M. (2010). Tobacco industry consumer research on

smokeless tobacco users and product development. American Journal of Public Health,
100(1), 78.

Steenkamp, J. B. E., & Gielens, K. (2003). Consumer and market drivers of the trial
probability of new consumer packaged goods. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 368-
384.

Van Kleef, E., van Trijp, H., & Luning, P. (2005). Consumer research in the early
stages of new product development: a critical review of methods and techniques. Food
quality and preference, 16(3), 181-201.

Useful websites: Top global market research firms and organizations

American Marketing Association: www.ama.org

Food Marketing Institute: www.fmi.org

GfK Group: www.gfk.com

IMS Health Inc.: www.imshealth.com

Industry Classification Benchmark: www.icbenchmark.com

Ipsos: www.ipsos.com

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IRI: www.iriwoeldwide.com

Marketing Research Association: www.marketingresearch.org

Nielsen: www.Nielsen.com

Synovate: www.synovate.com

Taylor Nelson Sofres: www.tnsglobal.com

Westat: www.westat.com

Lecturers short bio

Javier Blanch holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Universidad de Valencia. He

also has a Master of Science in Behavioral Research from Universidad Complutense de
Madrid (UCM) and is currently in the last stage of his doctoral studies, specializing in
Organizational Behavior Research. His doctoral thesis addresses the subject of leadership
styles and their impact in performance across companies operating in the internet sector
and will be defended viva-voce, in May 2017, at UCM. Javier is an Affiliate of the American
Psychological Association (APA) for which he conducts reviews of papers submitted for
publication. He received a Postgraduate Degree in Business Administration from the
University of Navarra - IESE Business School. He is a post-graduate programs lecturer at
ESIC Business and Marketing School. He has also taught post-graduate programs at
Universidad Complutense de Madrid on the subjects of Strategic Marketing and Consumer
Behavior.

Javier Blanch holds an extensive professional experience (25+ years) primarily in the
FMCG, Pharmaceutical and Consulting industries, within large matrix-based organizations,
mainly in the Marketing and Business Development functions. He worked for Procter &
Gamble for 20 years and held international assignments in Western Europe, U.S.A. and
Northern Asia (Japan, South Korea and China) as Marketing and Business Development
Director.

Additionally, Prof. Blanch has been cooperating and conducting pro bonowork, in several
fields, for Foreign International Referral Network (FIRN) since 2001. FIRN is a nonprofit
organization based in Maryland (USA) that empowers immigrants, refugees, asylees and
other foreign-born individuals by helping them to access community resources and
opportunities.

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