Chaminade University

Consumer Research: COM 437-01-1, including Lab

Fall 2015, TTH 1:00-2:20, class; T 2:30-3:20, Lab; KIEFFER 31

Instructor: Margaret L. Friedman, PhD

Contact: 739-4608, mfriedma@chaminade.edu
Office: Kieffer Hall #28
Office Hours: MWF: 12:30-4:00pm; TTH 10:00am-noon; or by appointment

Integrated Marketing Track Mission Statement:

The Integrated Marketing track gives students the knowledge required to
understand the marketing function in organizations and cultivates students’ ability to
bring an analytical, customer-focused perspective to addressing marketing tasks.
Students also learn to use the tools and practices implemented by successful marketers.

Course Catalogue Description:

This course introduces students to the range of consumer behavior dimensions
that are of interest to marketers as well as the cutting edge techniques and approaches
used to conduct market research in order to reduce risk in strategic marketing decision-
making. Theories from the social sciences are used to help understand both the
psychological and social influences on consumer behavior. Both quantitative and
qualitative research techniques are introduced, as well as the wide range of secondary
sources of information that market researchers typically consult to improve decision-
making. The course content will be applied to real world marketing decision making
situations.

General Purpose of the Course:

Marketers operate in a challenging environment. It is challenging because they
are trying to understand consumer behavior so that they can produce goods and services
that create loyal satisfied consumers. Consumer psychology is inherently complex and
“tricky” to figure out. Also, marketers are faced with the situation where the “right”
answer to their strategy options cannot be known until AFTER their strategies are
implemented! Hence, the more marketers can study and research their options, the better
they are able to reduce the risk of implementing strategies that fail—strategies that fail to
create satisfied, loyal customers. Therefore this course addresses both the concepts that
help us understand consumer psychology and the various research techniques used to
support effective marketing decision-making.
Course Context: Requirement in the Integrated Marketing Track

Integrated Marketing Program Level Learning Outcomes: In completing this class

toward a major in Integrated Marketing, a graduating student will have demonstrated the
following competencies:
 The ability evaluate research methods appropriate to the communication
professions for which they are preparing
 An understanding of how to use and evaluate research methods employed for
studying diverse consumer groups in a global society

Course Level Student Learning Outcomes: After completing this course students will:
 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of consumer research
 Demonstrate an understanding of the theories of both the psychological influences
and social influences on consumer behavior
 Demonstrate an understanding of and ability to implement the typical steps in
conducting a market research project
 Demonstrate an understanding of the traditional types of research designs, as well
as newer ethnographic approaches
 Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between primary and secondary
data and how each is collected (including via the internet)
 Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between quantitative and
qualitative data and how each is collected (including via the internet)
 Demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues related to the practice of consumer
research

Service-Learning Student Learning Outcome: As a result of the Service-Learning

experience, students will demonstrate an understanding of the connections between
academic work and real-life situations.

Texts and other reading materials:

 Introduction to Marketing Research: http://cloudfront.qualtrics.com/q1/wp-
content/uploads/2012/02/IntrotoMarketResearch.pdf (IMR)
 Basic Marketing Research: http://cloudfront.qualtrics.com/q1/wp-
content/uploads/2012/02/BasicMarketingResearch.pdf (BMR)
 The Truth About What Customers Want in the bookstore (The Truth)
 How to Lie With Statistics: http://www.horace.org/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/How-to-Lie-With-Statistics-1954-Huff.pdf (HTL)

LAB: This is a 4 credit course with “lab” that meets once a week. The lab time will be
used more informally to tackle the major projects you will be working on in this class—
namely, the FAFSA project and the AAF Competition. Everything about what we will be
studying is “applied” meaning that it is being carried out on a regular basis in the real
world. It is in the “lab” that we will be using our time to make those connections
between theory and practice.
Requirements and Grading Policies:
 Midterm exam worth 20% of your final grade
 Final Exam worth 25% of your final grade
 Service-Learning project worth 25% of your final grade (Google Earth
Project/COM Major Project)
 Big Mac Activity worth 20% of your final grade
 How To Lie assignment worth 10% of your final grade

Final grades will be determined as a weighted average of the grades you earn on the
assignments as noted above. The customary grading scale of A (outstanding scholarship),
B (superior work), C (average grade indicating a competent grasp of the subject matter),
D (inferior work of the lowest passing grade, not satisfactory for fulfillment of
prerequisite course work), F (failure to grasp the minimum subject matter, no credit
given).

Exams:
Exams will be short answer format and application oriented which means you will
recognize the concepts you are learning about being used in real business situations. You
will use the terms and concepts you are learning about to express yourself in your
responses.

Service-Learning project:
Your service-learning project will involve planning and implementing a research
project needed to help solve a real world question. One of the projects involves an
innovative idea related to Google Earth and Native Hawaiian history. The other project
involves stimulating student interest in the COM major at CUH. This work will be done
in teams, as is typical in the area of market/marketing research. While each of you will
work on one or the other of the two projects, all of you, as a class, will act as sounding
boards for each other. Research is always a collaborative effort and it typically benefits
from having “new eyes” participate. Therefore, as you develop your respective projects,
you will share your work with each other in order to benefit from more objective,
hopefully, input constructive criticism. More detail will be provided by the “clients”
commissioning this work, Candice Sakuda and Cliff Bieberly, respectively.
Big Mac Activity:
This work is, theoretically, a continuation of work you have done previously, for
example in BU 200 or MKT 301. It is intended to help you see how the particular
functions of a business you study fit together to create an effective organization. In this
class you practice gathering secondary data, the typical first step in any market/marketing
research project. As you may know, McDonald’s is currently experiencing some serious
difficulties, after a decade-long stretch of growth. Why? That is a big, open-ended,
ambiguous question, as is often the case in market/marketing research. After studying
what secondary research is all about, you will use this new knowledge to begin to address
what might be going on at McDonald’s and make recommendations as to what further,
more focused research is needed. The specific requirements of this assignment will be
provided later. Due: 10/6

How To Lie:
Each of you will be given an article to read about how numbers/statistics can be
manipulated. You will analyze the example in order to share the “bottom line” lesson
about what to watch out for when interpreting research results. Due 11/17.

Reminder:
You have chosen to attend a Marianist University to obtain your undergraduate degree.
Fr. Chaminade, one of the founders (during the French Revolution) of the Marianist order
of Catholic Brothers, felt that education is an important way to transform society.
Marianist educational institutions offer a particular perspective on the educational
process. Specifically, the Marianist values include:
 Education for formation in faith: What is learned is both intellectual and spiritual
 Provision of an integral quality education: What is learned comes from many
sources and many different points of view, and is intended to result in growth and
development of the whole person (mind, body and spirit)
 Education in family spirit: Learners are treated with care, respect and acceptance
 Education for service, justice and peace: What is learned should be seen as a
resource to help others and to address injustice in the world
 Education for adaptation and change: What is learned equips the whole person to
meet an uncertain and ever-changing future and to be an agent of positive change
These values, from a marketing point of view, are important points of differentiation that
distinguish the Chaminade University brand of education from its competitors. They will
be integrated as much as possible into the content and format of this class.
Miscellaneous Information:
 Pay attention to exam dates and due dates for assignments. Make-up exams are
allowed only in the event of a physician-excused absence. Late assignments will not
be accepted unless the instructor has been notified of a problem in advance of the due
date.
 Classroom/professional etiquette: NO “technology” in the classroom—this means
cell phones, tablets, laptops or any other device/activity that will distract you and the
people around you (for example, doing homework for another class). You will be
 It is suggested that you at least skim the reading assigned BEFORE class. You do not
need to spend a lot of time studying the reading assignment prior to class, but you
should have an idea of the topics covered so that you are prepared for what is
discussed in class. After class, then you should review the reading assignment in
greater depth.
 There is no extra credit work available in the course. Do well on the work assigned
so that there is no need for extra credit.
 Academic Honesty: Students are responsible for promoting academic honesty at
Chaminade by not participating in or facilitating others’ participation in any act of
academic dishonesty, and by reporting incidences of academic dishonesty (such as
theft of tests, records, and other confidential materials, altering grades, and/or
plagiarism) to their instructors.
 Chaminade University is required by law to provide equal access to qualified
individuals with disabilities. Accommodations are made to ensure that students have
equal access to the same educational benefits other students have. The Chaminade
Counseling Center handles disability accommodation requests. You should contact
that office (Diane Ford, 739-4603) if you have special needs regarding this class.
 Chaminade University recognizes the inherent dignity of all individuals and promotes
respect for all people. Sexual misconduct will NOT be tolerated at Chaminade. If you
have been the victim of sexual misconduct, we encourage you to report this matter
promptly. As a faculty member, I am interested in promoting a safe and healthy
environment, and should I learn of any sexual misconduct, I must report the matter to
the Title IX Coordinator. Should you want to report to a confidential source you may
contact the following: Counseling Center or any priest or brother serving as a
sacramental confessor or any ordained religious leader serving in the sacred
confidence role.
 Course Calendar

DATE TOPIC Assignment

Week 1
8/25, 27 Overview of Market/Marketing Research IMR Ch 1

Week 2
9/1, 3 Consumer Behavior The Truth 1-25

Week 3
9/8, 10 Consumer Behavior The Truth 26-50

Week 4
9/15, 17 Research Design (incl sampling issues) BMR Ch 2

Week 5
9/22, 24 Secondary Research BMR Ch 3

Week 6
9/29, 10/1 Descriptive Methods: Interviewing IMR Ch 4, 5

Week 7
10/6, 8 Catch up and Review MIDTERM EXAM

Week 8
10/13, 15 Qualitative Methods BMR Ch 6

Week 9
10/20, 22 Reporting Results Handout

Week 10
10/27, 29 Reporting Results HTL Ch 1-4

Week 11
11/3, 5 Reporting Results HTL Ch 5-8

Week 12
11/10, 12 Reporting Results HTL Ch 9, 10

Week 13
11/17, 19 Catch up

Week 14
11/24 Research Reports

Week 15
12/1, 3 Research Reports

Final Exam: Tuesday, 12/8, 8:30am-10:00am

IMR = Introduction to Marketing Research

BMR = Basic Marketing Research
The Truth = The Truth about What Customers Want
HTL = How to Lie With Statistics
Syllabus is subject to change, as needed.