Methods for Service and Marketing Research [ELMSM407]

Learning outcomes

Regarding student’s competences, the course mainly develops knowledge and reasoning, scientific and systematic approaches and personal development and to a lesser extent the other competences of the competency framework, i.e., corporate citizenship, innovation and entrepreneurship, professional development, teamwork and leadership as well as communication and interpersonal skills.

Objectives

The course Methods for Service & Marketing Research has two main objectives. First of all, it aims at training students in quantitative methods that are useful for solving marketing/service research problems. The second objective is to confront student with marketing/service problems, real data and statistical softwares in a decision-making perspective. This course thus deals with concepts, methods, and applications of decision modelling to address current issues faced by marketing managers. It provides students with skills to translate conceptual understanding into specific operational plans. Through the use of SAS for case studies and classroom exercises, students are trained to get the prestigious SAS Certification Young Potential (SCYP).

Content

The course starts with a general introduction to the marketing research process with a service perspective as well as to marketing decision models and modelling (the so called “marketing engineering” approach). The methods (and topics) covered are exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods (measurement), regression analysis, simulation and optimization techniques (pricing), regression analysis with dummies and analysis of variance techniques (testing relationships between service marketing constructs), cluster and discriminant analysis (segmentation & targeting), judgment-based models (advertising budgeting). More specifically, this course aims at helping students understand by means of various examples and case studies, how analytical techniques and computer decision models can enhance decision making by converting data and information about markets to insights and decisions. It also provides students with software tools (SAS and Excel) that will enable them to apply the methodological approaches taught in the course to real marketing decision problems.

The topics covered are (2-hour session - example of content):

• Session 1: Introduction to service marketing research and decision-making
• Session 2: Reminder of the research process
• Session 3: Response models and modelling
• Session 4: Case study discussion – e.g., advertising budging with judgment-based estimation models
• Session 5: Linear and nonlinear regression analysis techniques (from estimation to prediction)
• Session 6: Case study discussion – e.g., solving a pricing decision problem
• Sessions 7 & 8: Measurement issues – scale development and testing with factor analysis techniques (EFA and CFA, scale reliability and validity testing)
• Session 9: Case study discussion – e.g., measuring service marketing constructs
• Session 10: Segmentation and profiling issues with cluster and discriminant analyses
• Session 11: Case study discussion – e.g., segmenting, targeting and positioning for a new smartphone
• Sessions 12 to 13: testing relationships between service marketing constructs (moderation and mediation analyses with linear regression and analysis of variance techniques)
• Session 14: Case study discussion – e.g., from service quality to satisfaction and loyalty