Module BUSS40715: Marketing Science

Department: Business School (Business) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

BUSS40715: Marketing Science

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To develop an understanding of the philosophical foundations of different research methods
• To establish the links between research questions and research design
• To appreciate the application of the main quantitative and qualitative research designs
• To be able to design a research project appropriate to the research question.

Content

• Is marketing science? – the debate between science and art/humanity
• Theory development & conceptualisation
• Philosophical foundations of qualitative research methods
• Questionnaire design
• Experimental design
• Scale development
• Quantitative data analysis (1) – t-tests, chi-squares, correlation, ANOVA, regression
• Quantitative data analysis (2) – moderating & mediating effects, reliability analysis, factor analysis
• Philosophical foundations of qualitative research methods
• Interviews & focus groups
• Observation & ethnography
• Qualitative data analysis (1) – meaning categorisation/condensation, deductive & inductive approaches
• Qualitative data analysis (2) – introduction to NVIVO

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will:
• Have an advanced understanding of how to identify relevant and rigorous marketing research questions
• Have an advanced understanding of marketing theory development, conceptualisation and hypotheses/proposition development
• Have a critical understanding of the philosophical foundations of marketing research methods
• Be able to critically evaluate different marketing research methods & designs

• By the end of the module students will:
• be able to identify appropriate advanced marketing research questions
• be able to develop an appropriate conceptual framework based on marketing-focused problems and issues
• be able to design and conduct quantitative research into relevant marketing topics – including questionnaire and experimental design
• be able to design and conduct qualitative research into relevant marketing topics – including the key forms of observation
• be able to analyse qualitative and quantitative data relating to marketing.

• Effective written and oral communication skills
• Planning, organising and time management skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• The ability to use initiative
• Advanced skills in the interpretation of data
• Advanced computer literacy skills
• Groupworking skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module will be taught in 3-hour blocks to allow a greater level of engagement with students and to enable a flexibility of approach as appropriate. The teaching blocks will comprise a balanced mix of lecture-type teaching, group work, lab sessions, case studies, discussion and seminar style working such as will enable the learning outcomes to be met.
• The module is summatively assessed by a combination of individual written assignment and group poster presentation to maintain a balance of assessment methods and to promote, and test, the development of groupworking skills. The assignments will also test students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter and their ability to apply their knowledge and specialist skills in the context of specific issues in marketing research/marketing science.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Various exercises during the sessions focusing on the understanding of the module’s main concepts: in-class research question formulation exercise; in-class qualitative and quantitative data analysis exercise.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University