Marketing Research Notes
Subject Overview
Marketing Research equips students to conduct research for marketing decisions — the research process and secondary data sources, causal research designs and observation research, questionnaire design and reliability/
Subject at a glance
4
Units
23
Topics
4
Credits
4
Infographics
Unit-wise Syllabus
4 units — open any unit for detailed topic-wise notes, diagrams and important exam questions
- Definition
- nature and scope for marketing decisions
- marketing research process
- descriptive/exploratory/causal research types
- commercial and non-commercial secondary data sources
- 1
Define the problem
- 2
Develop the approach and hypotheses
- 3
Research design
Exploratory, descriptive or causal
- 4
Fieldwork and data collection
- 5
Prepare and analyse data
- 6
Report and present
Study guide
This unit covers marketing research definition and scope, the process, descriptive, exploratory and causal research and secondary data sources. Learn when each research type is appropriate.
- Causal research designs (after-only, before-after, time series, Latin square, factorial, ex-post facto, randomized block)
- direct and indirect observation research
- developing a research proposal
After-only
Treat, then measure
Simple; no baseline
Before-after
Measure, treat, measure
Shows change; testing effect possible
Before-after with control
Adds an untreated control group
Stronger causal evidence
Factorial
Two or more factors at once
Shows interactions
Study guide
You study causal designs (after-only, before-after, time series, Latin square, factorial, ex-post facto, randomised block), observation methods and research proposals. Write a short research proposal.
- Principles of writing questionnaires
- true score model
- measurement errors
- nominal/ordinal/interval/ratio scales
- coefficient alpha and internal consistency
- types of reliability and validity
- generalizability
Question
Is the measure consistent?
Does it measure the right thing?
Types
Test-retest, split-half, internal consistency
Content, construct, criterion
Statistic
Cronbach's alpha (≥ 0.7 is acceptable)
Correlations with criteria, factor loadings
Relationship
Needed for validity
Implies reliability
Study guide
You study questionnaire principles, the true score model, measurement errors, scales, coefficient alpha, reliability, validity and generalisability. Pilot a questionnaire and compute its reliability.
- Understanding SPSS
- creating SPSS sheets and data entry
- basic descriptive statistics
- assessing reliability and coefficient alpha
- scale refinement and item analysis
- correlation analysis
- factor analysis
- regression analysis
- 1
Define variables in Variable View
- 2
Enter data in Data View
- 3
Run descriptive statistics
- 4
Check reliability
Cronbach's alpha
- 5
Run factor analysis
KMO, loadings
- 6
Run correlation and regression
Study guide
You use SPSS for data entry, descriptive statistics, reliability, scale refinement, correlation, factor analysis and regression. Run a complete analysis on a small survey.
Why Marketing Research Matters
Marketing research gives evidence for brand, product and pricing decisions, and research and analytics roles are in strong demand.
How to Prepare for Marketing Research
- Run a mini survey from design to SPSS output.
- Learn which analysis suits which question.
- Report findings with clear visuals.
Marketing Research: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cronbach's alpha?
Coefficient alpha measures the internal consistency of a scale, showing whether its items measure the same concept.