MGM C01
Market Research
Fall 2013
Instructor Contact Information:
Name: Tarun Dewan
Office: IC 382
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3 - 5 pm by appointment
Email: tdewan@utsc.utoronto.ca
Telephone: 416 208 2677
Class day/time: Tuesday, 11 - 1 pm
Class location: IC 302
Course website: http://portal.utoronto.ca
TA: Yifan Dai (Yifan.Dai11@Rotman.Utoronto.Ca)

Course Description:
Marketing research is studied from the perspective of the marketing manager. The course focuses on the initiation, design, and interpretation of research as an aid to marketing decision making. Case studies and projects are used to provide students with some practical research experiences.

Prerequisite(s):
MGMA01H3/(MGTB04H3) or MGIA01H3/(MGTB07H3)
Exclusion: (MGTD07H3), MGT453H, RSM452H

Textbook/Required Course Materials:
Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 10th Ed. by Dawn Iacobucci and Glibert A Churchill
(This text can be purchased from the bookstore or Online through Course Smart at the following url: http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/2047297/9781439081013?__hdv=6.8)
A required case packet is available from https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/20658242
Recommended: Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion by Hy Mariampolski

Lecture Notes and Other Announcements
A course such as this is based on the premise that sharing issues and discussing them enhances learning. The course is based on discussion of cases in class, and bulk of the time will be spent on it. There will be very little lecturing, if any. The role of the instructor will be to guide the discussion, and to ask challenging and provoking questions to bring about a lively debate of the different issues involved in the case. As such, attendance is a pre-requisite to learning in the class. I expect that students will not miss class, and will respect each other by arriving on time. If you have to miss class for any reason, I would expect a written explanation for it. In any case, missing a class session is likely to lead to grade adjustment.

Evaluation and Grading:

|Component |Weight/Value |Due Date |
|Class Participation |20 % |Ongoing |
|Individual Case WriteUps |20 % |Ongoing |
|Group Case Presentation |20 % |Ongoing |
|Group Project Report and Presentation 1 (Ethnography) |20 % |Class 6 |
|Group Project Report and Presentation 2 |20 % |Last Class |

1. Class Discussion (20%) The purpose of this evaluation component is to ensure that you give to the class as much as you get out of it. You will also be able to practice stating and defending your opinions orally in front of a group of people. Credit will be given only for the quality of contributions that you make in class. Two types of preparation out of class will be useful for you to make quality comments. First, you must carefully read and analyze each case before class. Make handwritten notes to facilitate your contribution to the class discussion, especially regarding the specific questions that I leave with you. Second, you will benefit from reading relevant chapters from a text-book such that you are fully familiar with the concepts being discussed in the case. Listening to what others say is often as important as making your own point. Remember, it is class discussion – not just your own participation. Airtime is limited, so don’t talk just for the sake of talking. On the other hand, talking is not easy for some of us for a variety of reasons. This is your opportunity to develop and practice the assertiveness and communication skills that are a prerequisite to success in business. If you have concerns about speaking out in front of others (which some of us find difficult), you should come and talk to me early on in the course. To keep track of your contributions, I will make a note of each student’s participation after each class. Although I do not expect everyone to contribute every class, I do expect you to contribute regularly, and when you do not contribute I expect you to be attentive. In order to give you credit for your contributions, I need to know who you are, so be sure to keep your name card in front of you at all times. I encourage you to make yourself known to me by visiting my office briefly for an informal introduction. Please show respect for everyone, and come to class on time. Reflections: You will also be required to hand in at the beginning of class each week a one paragraph typed description of your learning from the previous class, and your contribution to the class discussion. These paragraphs will help with assessment of your class participation and will form a record of your contribution. Please do not hand in anything for the classes that you do not attend. Remember that class discussion grades will be based on my perception of your contribution to the class. The evaluation would have to be subjective hence you will have to live with my judgment on this. You will get good grades if you contribute to the overall learning of the class. If the participation becomes counterproductive (or you just speak because you want to get noticed with nothing to add to the discussion) you will get negative grades. In any case, to ensure that the discussion is not limited to only a few students, I reserve the right to call upon individual students any time during the class discussion. 2. Individual Case write-ups (20%) For each week the student must go through the theory of the assigned chapter and prepare the case that involves the theory covered and the related software application. The student must submit a one page report with the main results of the simulation. The objective of this report is to ensure that the student went through the chapter and the software before coming to class. The write-ups are due at the beginning of each class. Most cases have assigned questions which must be answered. If no questions are listed, you need to identify the main issues in the case, analyze them and provide defensible recommendations Make sure that your answers are to the point and precise. Write-ups will not be accepted after the class under any circumstances; so please plan the case write-ups well ahead of time. Format: Write-ups should be double-spaced, with adequate top, bottom, and side margins. Reports should be no more than 3 pages long. You can have an appendix with figures, tables, and excel sheets of analysis. I recommend you use the following case analysis framework that consists of four major components: define the problems that company faced, present the alternative solutions, discuss the critical issues bearing on the choice of alternative, and conclude with your selection. 1. Problem definition: In this part, you may discuss, first, the company’s goals, which are a set of objectives the management hopes to achieve. Second, you may discuss the difficulty (obstacles) that prevented the firm from achieving the goals. In the cases where you can identify many distinct problems you may focus on the most important ones, and the ones that the case provide sufficient information for your analysis. 2. Alternatives: In this part, you present a list of best alternative, NOT all alternatives. • The alternatives are competing approaches that are significantly different from each other. • The alternatives should be as fully specified in order to be adequately evaluated. This requires you to think through all aspects of each alternative. • No more than 4 alternatives for meaningful discussions. • You may consider using labels for each of your alternatives (e.g. “McFord” – designing Ford service outlets like McDonald’s, which is fast and convenient.). • Avoid (a) the “wait for more research” type of alternative; (b) alternatives that have little information in the case (you then need to rely on wild guesses). 3. Critical issues: This part evaluates the causal factors affecting alternative success. Presumably each critical issue can illuminate a crucial factor for analysis. For example: How motivated were the orthodontists in promoting Invisalign over regular braces? The answer to the critical issues should help you develop the proposed solution. 4. Conclusion: This part integrates your answers to the critical issues, building on each to show how one alternative is better than another (or all others). Numerical analysis that can support your arguments can be invaluable. When financial data are available, you may create pro-forma profit and loss statements for each alternative. In general, a good conclusion reviews each of the alternatives presented, weighs each against the others, and identifies the key reasons for choice. 3. Group Case Presentation (20%) In the same group as in 3. above, you will prepare a presentation for two cases during the semester. Cases will be assigned in week 1. Your group will present a professional PowerPoint presentation to the class which will include a brief introduction to the case, highlight the main issues, analyse the alternatives and provide tangible recommendations. Each presentation should be about 15 minutes long. All group members must participate in the presentation. The presentation must be emailed to me in advance (please make sure that you use presentation formats and file sizes that can be easily emailed). 4. Group Project Report and Presentation 1 and 2 (20% each) As a group you will be doing an ethnography project and a market research project. At the end of each you will write a report and make a presentation to the class. Details will be discussed in class.

Turnitin
All assignments for this course including reflections, individual case assignments and group projects will be submitted through the Blackboard portal using Turnitin.
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to Turnitin.com for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University's use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site

Policy on Missed Assignments/Examinations:
All assignments are due at the start of the appropriate class. Late assignments will not be accepted.
The university has created a new standardized form for students who are requesting special academic consideration based on illness or injury. The form focuses upon the degree of incapacitation that the illness or injury has upon the student’s academic functioning and the timeline of that incapacitation, rather than on diagnosis and /or details of the problem. All students must now have a health professional complete this new form: http://www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca/getattachment/index/Verification-of-Illness-or-Injury-form-Jan-22-2013.pdf.aspx Academic Support
The Department of Management, in collaboration with the UTSC library, will be providing academic research support in the IC Building. To refine your research skills or to learn more about various scholarly resources, please contact the Librarian for Management and Economics students.
Lola Rudin, Subject Librarian, Management and Economics, Room IC375
Please email for a one-on-one research appointment.
Email: lrudin@utsc.utoronto.ca Web: http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/utsc_mgmt
The English Language Development Centre (ELDC) helps students develop the critical thinking, vocabulary and academic communication skills essential for achieving academic and professional success. Personalized support includes: RWE (for academic writing); Communication Cafés (oral); Discussion Skill-Building Cafés; Vocabulary Cafés; seminars/workshops; personal ELD consultations; drop-in sessions. http://ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/eld/
The Writing Centre (TWC) offers invaluable services to students (learn to become a better writer!) and offers many different kinds of help: drop-in sessions, individual consultations, workshops, clinics, and online writing handouts. http://ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/twc/

Academic Misconduct
Students should note that copying, plagiarizing, or other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Any student caught engaging in such activities will be subject to academic discipline ranging from a mark of zero on the assignment, test or examination to dismissal from the university as outlined in the academic handbook. Any student abetting or otherwise assisting in such misconduct will also be subject to academic penalties.

Detailed Course Outline:

|Week |Date |Topic/Case |Text Chapter and Reading |
|1 |Sept 3 |Introduction, Recap and Overview, Case Analysis |1, 2, Analysing a Case, Case Analysis |
| | |Case: Case Analysis Coach |Coach |
|2 |Sept 10 |Research Design |4 |
| | |Case: Introducing New Coke | |
|3 |Sept 17 |Investing in Market Research |3 |
| | |Case: The Coop: Market Research | |
|4 |Sept 24 |Qualitative Research |5 |
| | |Case: Boston Fights Drugs | |
|5 |Oct 1 |Causal Designs |6 |
| | |Case: Nestle Refrigerated Foods: Contadina Pasta & Pizza (A)| |
|6 |Oct 8 |Group Project 1 (Ethnography) Presentations | |
|7 |Oct 22 |Market Research for New Products | |
| | |Case: Boston Beer | |
|8 |Oct 29 |Data Collection |7,8 |
| | |Case: Blue Mountain Resorts: The Night Skiing Decision | |
|9 |Nov 5 |Questionnaires and Forms |9,10, 11 |
| | |Case: Juice Guys (A) | |
|10 |Nov 12 |Analysing Data |12 - 18 |
| | |Case: Omnitel Pronto Italia | |
|11 |Nov 19 |How to present your results |19 |
| | |Case: Intelliseek | |
|12 |Nov 26 |Group Project 2 Presentations | |