MARKETING RESEARCH
GROUP PROJECT GUIDELINES
PURPOSE
The purpose of the research project is to challenge you to think like a marketing
manager/researcher by applying the knowledge you accumulate throughout the course. You will
work in groups to conduct your own research study by formulating a research problem, determining
the research methodology to be used, collecting the data, performing the data analysis,
determining the findings of the research, and writing and presenting the research report to the
class.
STEP 1: CHOOSING A TOPIC
Each group has the opportunity to choose a topic based on their interests. Spend some time
thinking about a topic that you find interesting and stimulating. Here are some ideas:
Consumer adoption of mobile apps for retail buying
Chatbots and Consumer service experience
Online food ordering and consumer loyalty
Measuring quality of a hotel service
Consumer’s attitude towards platinum jewelry
Factors influencing consumption of organic food
Factors influencing adoption of augmented reality in fashion retailing
Credit card adoption among young adults
STEP 2: DEVELOP A BRIEF RESEARCH PROPOSAL (1-2 page)
The second step of the group project is to develop a research proposal. This research proposal
will include your research objectives and an outline of your research design.
Your research proposal must include the following:
I. Background Information
a. Name of company/organization that is the focus of your research
b. Type of industry, business, products/services provided by the company
c. Statement of the problem/opportunity being investigated
d. What, if anything, is already known about the problem/opportunity?
II. Research Objectives
a. State the specific questions that will be answered by the research study to help with
the problem/opportunity being faced.
b. Reasons for pursuing this information (i.e., how will it help management?)
III. Research Methodology
a. What type of data will you collect? (You are required to collect primary data for your
research project. Collecting secondary data is often beneficial, but optional.)
b. Define the research design you will use to meet the research objectives
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i. What data collection technique(s) will you use? (You are required to use at
least one quantitative research method.)
1. Qualitative research (focus groups, in-depth interviews, etc.)
2. Quantitative research (telephone survey, self-administered
questionnaire, etc.)
3. Both qualitative and quantitative research?
ii. Define your sampling plan
1. Who is your target population?
2. Define your sample (minimum of 25 respondents for any type of
qualitative or quantitative research)
3. What type of sampling method will you use? (type of probabilistic or
nonprobabilistic sampling)
4. How and where will you collect the data?
STEP 3: DATA COLLECTION
During this step in the process, you will prepare for data collection and do the field work necessary
to collect the data.
1. Write the questionnaire
2. Pre-test questionnaire (5 respondents)
3. Make revisions to the questionnaire, if necessary, based on the pre-test.
4. Conduct survey (minimum of 50 respondents)
STEP 4: ANALYSIS OF DATA
During this phase, you will prepare your questionnaire for tabulation and analyze the data.
1. Code your questionnaire prior to data input. You should have procedures for coding open-
ended questions.
2. Analyze and interpret the results using techniques discussed in classroom
3. Present the results in summary graphs and tables.
4. Determine the conclusions of the research and make recommendations (3-5 action points)
to management that are clear and actionable.
STEP 5: WRITE AND PRESENT THE RESEARCH REPORT
Your written report should include the following. The number of pages are meant to be
guidelines.
1. Title Page (1 page)
2. Table of Contents (1 page)
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3. Executive Summary (1 page max.)
The executive summary is considered by many to be the most important part of the
research report. There may be only a few people who will have the time to read the entire
research report in detail. Most people will only focus on the executive summary so it is
important not to try to summarize the entire report, but rather provide a concise summary of
the following:
a. Brief statement of problem & research objectives
b. Major findings
c. Conclusions
d. Recommendations
4. Problem Definition (1 page)
This section should provide an overview of the company/organization being researched and
the problem/opportunity being faced. It is important that your background provide enough
information so that the audience will understand why the study was conducted.
a. Background to the problem
b. Statement of the problem
5. Research Objectives (1 page)
In this section, you should clearly and concisely state the research objectives (often in the
form of questions) and the actions that management will take as a result of the research.
The reader should know exactly what questions you are attempting to answer as a result of
the research and the type of information that you will collect.
6. Research Methodology (2 pages)
The type of research design used should be thoroughly defined. First, you should clearly
state what type of research you used (qualitative vs. quantitative, what type of qualitative
and quantitative method) and why you chose this research design. In addition, state the
advantages/disadvantages and limitations to each type of research methodology used.
Include a copy of your questionnaire in the appendix and describe any efforts to pretest the
questionnaire. Also, include a copy of your coded questionnaire in the appendix as well.
The reader should know who you collected the data from, where you collected the data, and
when you collected the data. Define the type of sampling method used. State any
problems encountered in the field, such as respondent cooperativeness, nonresponse,
difficulties in understanding the questionnaire, and any other aspects of data collection that
might have affected the quality of the results.
7. Data Analysis & Results (3-4 pages)
This section presents the information collected in the research study and usually comprises
the majority of the report. Use frequency tables, percentage tables, and/or graphs to depict
the responses for each question in your questionnaire. There should be a chart or graph
for each question as well as a brief analysis. You should present at least 3 cross
tabulations with your analysis as well.
8. Conclusions and Recommendations (1 page)
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This section of the research report tells the client what the results mean and what action
should be taken as a result of these results. This is where we should not be reporting data
again, but instead interpreting the data and making recommendations to management.
a. State the Conclusions – this is a statement of what the findings mean.
You should restate each research objective and explain the research results that
answer those research objectives.
b. State the Recommendations – this is a statement of the course of action(s) that
should be taken as a result of the conclusion.
9. Exhibits/Appendices (as many pages as necessary)
This is where you will include information that is not deemed sufficiently important in the
main body of the report. The type of information generally included in the appendix
includes:
a. Copy of actual questionnaire
b. Information relating to sampling, such as maps marked with locations of where the
interviewing took place
c. Reference list of secondary data sources
