MARKETING RESEARCH WORKSHOPS - 2ND TAKE HOME LEARNING ASSESSMENT

Please read the questions carefully and answer all the questions. Begin each answer on a new page.

This assessment is not easy. I advise you to take the assessment in pairs. This will give you a chance to discuss your thought process with someone. When you have questions don't hesitate to get in touch with me. Purpose of the marketing research workshops and any assessment that comes with it is to encourage you to learn the science behind marketing. So, see this assessment as a learning opportunity rather than something that you are graded for. Everything that we discuss in the workshops will make sense at the end. This is not a list of questions that tests how much you know about marketing research. This is an assessment that makes you learn how to think about marketing research. It is take home for a reason. You have time to think, research, and discuss; so, use the timely wisely. I am here to help you learn, not to test you.

Be sure that when you are writing your answers, be clear, explain your thought process neatly, and have a readable handwriting.

This assessment is over 125 pts. You have 10 questions (each is 12.5 pts) There is a bonus question at the end.

So, now, let's start.

(1) Make me go through a sampling plan. And, explain briefly what happens in each stage by giving our Millennial project as an example. [Workshop #12: Sampling Issues]

(2) This question is about sampling. [Workshop #12: Sampling Issues]

(a) What does sampling error mean? What type of sampling error "margin of error" is? Explain in detail.
(b) Explain the link between sample size and margin of error and give an example.

(3) Imagine that you want to know the average education level of women in US. This average exists but obviously you will never be able to know it (unless you're able to measure several millions women' educational status...). What you can do is measure hundreds or thousands of women and calculate the average education level of these people. The average education level among these people is probably not exactly equal to the average education level of women in US (because they are particular women in the whole population) but, if you did a good job (use a representative sample of the population), it should be close enough. The difference between the quantity that you want to know (average education level of women in US) and its estimation through your sample (average education level of women in the sample) is called sampling error.

(a) What are the ways to go wrong with the sampling error? Explain.

(b) Let's say some of the women did not want to answer your survey, and let's say this ratio is 42 %. What do we call it when we want to know that women who answered the surveys are systematically different from women who did not? And, how can we solve that problem?

(4) Local coffee store, Coffee Culture is interested in determining the demographic characteristics of people who shop at their store versus those of people who shop at Starbucks. They also want to know what their image is relative to the competition. They would like to have the information in three weeks and are working on a limited budget. Which survey method(s) would you recommend? Why (in- detail) [Workshop #11: Survey Research]

(5) What types of sampling error might be associated with the following situations? Why?

(a) Conducting a survey about attitudes toward Behrend College Bruno's Café using the List Serv student email directory as a sample frame.

(b) Interviewing respondents only between 8 am to 5 pm on features they would like to see in a new condominium development

(c) Asking people if they have visited the public library in the past two months

(d) Telling interviewers they can probe using any particular example they wish to make up.

(6) This question is about margin of error.

Two students are doing a statistics project in which they drop toy parachuting soldiers off a building and try to get them to land in a hula-hoop target. They count the number of soldiers that succeed and the number of drops total. In a report analyzing their data, they write the following:

"We constructed a 95% confidence interval estimate of the proportion of jumps in which the soldier landed in the target, and we got [0.50, 0.81]. We can be 95% confident that the soldiers landed in the target between 50% and 81% of the time. Because the army desires an estimate with greater precision than this (a narrower confidence interval) we would like to repeat the study with a larger sample size, or repeat our calculations with a higher confidence level."

How many errors can you spot in the above paragraph?

(7) Suppose a consumer advocacy group would like to conduct a survey to find the proportion p of consumers who bought the newest generation of iPhone were happy with their purchase.

a) How large a sample n should they take with 2% margin of error and 90% confidence with a p =.50

b) The advocacy group took a random sample of 1000 consumers who recently purchased this iPhone and found that 400 were happy with their purchase. Find a 95% confidence interval for p.

(8) A professor in a Public Policy department is trying to determine the proportion of university students who support free universal health care system. She asks, "How large a sample size do I need to find it out?" She indicates that margin of error should not be more than 3 %, she wants you to use the 95 % confidence interval, and she says "according to national poll 56 % of people currently support free universal health care system."

(9) This question is about measurement theory.

(a) What does construct mean? How to define a construct "operationally" and "constitutively"?
(b) What does reliability and validity mean? Why are they essential for high quality research results?
(c) Please go through the research philosophies that we discussed (realism, relativism etc) and explain which research philosophy that we may be embracing for the Millennial project and why?

(10) Please identify the problems with each of the following survey questions. And , explain why you think that it is the problem... what are the consequences of asking these questions?

(a) what do you think of the taste and texture of this Sara Lee coffee cake?

(b) Don't you agree that Dell computers are the best by all measures ?
Yes ......... no .........

(c) We are conducting a study for Marriott Hotel: What do you think of the hotel?

(d) How would you characterize your consumption of beer?
...occasional ...... regular ........ frequent ....... None at all

(e) What is your opinion of Penn State Erie campus newspaper, Beacon? Pretty good
Great Fantastic Incredible The Best Ever

(f) You indicated that you read articles on Facebook once a day. Why don't you read more often? I don't have time
Articles are not that interesting Never thought of it

(g) Please answer the questions below: What is your race?

What are your religious beliefs?

What are your political beliefs?

What is your annual household income?

(h) What suggestions do you have for improving the MKTG 342 course content?

(i) How would you rate the career of legendary CEO Steve Jobs?

(j) How likely are you to get an internship and do research project?