1

Course Syllabus

Course Code: BM2510/BM2502 Course Title: Market Intelligence

Academic Year: 2024/2025 Semester: 1
No. of Session: Session 1/2/3
Course Instructor: Assistant Professor Division: Marketing
HUANG, Xun (Irene)
Office Location: Gaia 06-085
Email Address: [email protected]

Office Hour: Please email the instructor for additional consultation sessions.

Course Description and Scope

This course aims to develop student’s basic skills in conducting and evaluating marketing research
projects. It is primarily designed for those who intend to pursue a career in marketing research and for
those who will rely on marketing research information for decision-making. The main emphasis is on
problem formulation, research design, methods of data collection, and data analysis.

Throughout this course, you will be guided into thinking like a Marketing Manager when applying
marketing research concepts and tools to assist marketing decision-making. Specifically, at the
fundamental level, this course will introduce you to key marketing research concepts and methods,
thus equipping you – as future managers – with the knowledge to make effective marketing decisions.
More broadly, you will learn to appreciate the relevance of marketing research for marketers,
policymakers, and organizations.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

The overall objective of this course is to build your knowledge base in market intelligence. Specifically,
this course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:

• LO1: Identify research problems and formulate marketing research objectives/questions.

• LO2: Develop and evaluate the appropriateness of alternative research designs.
• LO3: Apply the techniques/skills of different methods of data collection.
• LO4: Analyse simple research data to offer insightful information for decision-making.

Learning & Teaching Methods

Seminars : 2 hours 50 mins per week

S1: Monday 2:30pm to 5:20pm at S4-SR12; ITL-SA1 (W9-10)
S2: Tuesday 9:30am to 12:20pm at S4-SR19; FTR3 (W9-10)
S3: Tuesday 2:30pm to 5:20pm at S4-SR19; FTR3 (W9-10)

Students will have the opportunity to practice SPSS in data analysis during Weeks 9 and 10.
Therefore, the sessions for Weeks 9 and 10 will be conducted in ITL-SA1 (for students in S1) and
FTR3 (for students in S2 and S3).

Seminars commence in Week 1 and end in Week 13.

The seminars adopt an active-learning approach so that students can discover, develop and
transform knowledge that they can retain for further processing and reconstruction in the future.
Activities consist of interactive lectures, discussions and presentations, and out-of-classroom group
 2

projects. The primary aim of these activities is to help students better understand the concepts,
theories and tools learned and relate them to the real world. Emphasis will be placed on active
student participation and discussions. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the
relevant issues. The class will be divided into small groups or teams for discussion and project
purposes. Starting on day one, students should interact extensively and get to know their fellow
classmates. This will help greatly in students’ efforts to form project groups.

Team Formation: Each student will join a team consisting of 5 students. After forming a team, please
submit the group list form (using the template of the group list form) to NTULearn by the end of Week
2 (6pm, Sunday, August 25). Students who miss the deadline will be randomly assigned to a team. To
facilitate group discussions, students are required to sit with their group members in every lecture
session. Each student must also complete the mandatory peer evaluation survey, which will be sent to
your email by the Teammates platform early Monday morning of Week 13. The survey must be
completed during Week 13. To prevent free-loading, peer evaluation results may be used to adjust
team grades in calculating the final individual grades when necessary.

The following are some short descriptions of different course components:

Course Assessment

Components ILO NBS Learning Weig Team/Individual Rubrics (Attached in

Tested Goals htage appendix)

ILO1 Oral
1. Class Class Participation
ILO2 Communication; 15% Individual
participation Rubric
ILO3 Critical Thinking
Business Project
Team (40% for the Rubric (Team)
Teamwork &
content of slides and
Interpersonal Skills;
ILO1 written report) Oral Presentation
2. Business Written
ILO2 50% Rubric (Individual)
case project Communication;
ILO3 Individual (10% for
Oral
the individual oral Teamwork and
Communication
presentation) Interpersonal Skills
Rubric
3. Participative
ILO2 Participative Learning
learning Creative thinking 15% Individual
ILO3 Paper Rubric
paper
ILO1
Acquisition of
4. Quiz ILO2 20% Individual N.A.
knowledge
ILO3
Total 100%

Important Notes:

For group presentations, it is mandatory that every member of the group presents one part. In our
assessment of the content of group work, students are assessed as a group to ensure that each
member contributes to the group project. However, there will also be a component of individual
presentation to evaluate each teammate’s oral presentation performance. Moreover, students found
not to be contributing to their group work and not fulfilling their team responsibilities will be penalized
(see rubric on how they will be assessed on “Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills Rubric”).

To ascertain their performance on this rubric, a mandatory peer evaluation survey will be administered
online at the end of the course. Students will be asked to complete specific survey questions
regarding their appraisal of their own contributions and their teammates’ contributions. The peer
evaluation survey is mandatory given that the team assessments account for 40% of the course.
 3

Teammates, a website that hosts the survey and is widely used among academics as a tool to
conduct peer evaluations, will collect this data and compute each individual team member’s estimated
contribution to each assignment based on a formula that includes both claimed contribution (i.e.,
appraisal of one’s own contribution) and perceived contribution (i.e., peers’ appraisal of one’s
contribution). The peer evaluation survey will be sent to your email by the Teammates platform early
Monday morning of Week 13, and must be completed during that week. If students consistently
receive low scores from their group members in the peer evaluation survey, Teammates will flag
these students, and we will adjust their scores based on the points indicated by the Teammates
algorithm.

Formative feedback:

Based on a seminar style, the classes are designed for you to raise issues and voice your points of
view. During the class sessions, you will have ample opportunities to work on a problem with the
guidance of the instructors. The instructor will provide feedback directly during such class and in-class
team discussions. The instructors will also give feedback for the participative learning paper, and
business case proposal.

Further description of assessment components:

Class Participation All students are expected to attend every class session. Students should do the
assigned readings or tasks before coming to class. It is important that students arrive on time and do
not leave early, as late entrance and early exit are disruptive and inappropriate. Students are
encouraged to contribute to in-class discussions, examine current issues, and bring in news articles
for class discussion. Evaluations of class participation are mainly based on the contributions and
relevance of students’ spoken responses in each class throughout the whole semester. For instance,
students are expected to participate actively in team discussions and present their ideas in class.
Activities in the class online discussion forum will also count towards class participation. After all
lecture sessions are completed, students are required to submit a learning posting (not more
than 400 words) on the class online discussion forum by the end of Week 11. In this posting,
students should describe an interesting observation or news that they have recently come across and
apply a principle or theory that was taught in class to this observation or news. Students should
explain the principle or theory and how it applies to the phenomenon as clearly and concisely as
possible.

Business Case Project – This assignment requires student teams to do a case study of an existing
(local or international) company, identify business-related problems, and propose solutions. Students
should select a company that has sufficient scope for the project and at the same time give them
access to the information needed. The sources of information can come from published materials
(e.g. company reports, research journals, newspaper articles, magazines, websites) and/or from
primary data collection (interviews, surveys, focus groups). Students are required to conduct at least
one interview and at least one small-scale survey. The detailed instructions for doing the business
case project can be found at the end of the syllabus.

Participative Learning Paper – Students are required to complete a store observation report for the
course and describe their experience in the paper. The paper should not be longer than 2 pages
(double-spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12). The detailed instructions for doing the store
observation report can be found at the end of the syllabus.

Semester-end (Week 13) Quiz – The in-class assessment gauges the extent to which students
understand and acquire the course-specific knowledge disseminated in lectures and through class
activities. The quiz will include 40 multiple-choice questions and will be conducted during class time.

Course Policies and Student Responsibilities

Student responsibilities include punctuality, participation, and attendance.

1. Punctuality: You are expected to be punctual and arrive before the start of class, as late arrivals
will be disruptive to class activities and considered disrespectful to the instructor and fellow
students. For submission of course requirements, you are required and expected to follow the
submission deadlines. Late submissions will be penalized accordingly.
 4

2. Participation: Once in class, you are expected to contribute to class discussions and exercises as
well as ask questions whenever in doubt. You are also expected to observe respectful behaviour
such as raising your hand before speaking, not interrupting other students, not using electronic
devices unless required for problem-solving exercises, and not causing any distractions to fellow
students.

3. Attendance: Students are reminded about the importance and requirements of attending classes.

Readings and References

No textbook is required for this course. However, students are strongly encouraged to read the
following book.

Malhotra, Naresh K. (2019), Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation. 7th Edition, Pearson.

Academic integrity

Good academic work depends on honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as a
student relies on adhering to the principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honour Code, a set
of values shared by the whole university community. Truth, Trust, and Justice are at the core of NTU’s
shared values.

As a student, it is important that you recognize your responsibilities in understanding and applying the
principles of academic integrity in all the work you do at NTU. Not knowing what is involved in
maintaining academic integrity does not excuse academic dishonesty. You need to actively equip
yourself with strategies to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, academic
fraud, collusion, and cheating. If you are uncertain of the definitions of any of these terms, you should
go to the academic integrity website (https://www.ntu.edu.sg/life-at-ntu/student-life/student-conduct)
for more information.

Students are required to follow the following protocols with respect to academic integrity:

1. Read the Academic Integrity Handbook carefully at the following links:

https://entuedu.sharepoint.com/sites/Student/dept/ctlp/Shared%20Documents/AI%20Handbook%20v
er2022.pdf

2. Submit your assignments through Turnitin, if they have been created as Turnitin assignments.
Please enclose the report generated which states the extent of “matched-text.”

Copyright Statement

All course materials, including but not limited to, lecture slides, handouts, and recordings, are
for your own educational purposes only. All the contents of the materials are protected by
copyright, trademark, or other forms of proprietary rights.

All rights, title, and interest in the materials are owned by, licensed to, or controlled by the
University, unless otherwise expressly stated. The materials shall not be uploaded,
reproduced, distributed, republished, or transmitted in any form or by any means, in
whole or in part, without written approval from the University.

You are also not allowed to take any photographs, film, audio records, or other means of
capturing images or voice of any content during lecture(s) and/or tutorial(s) and reproduce,
distribute and/or transmit any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without the written
permission from the University.

Appropriate action(s) will be taken against you including but not limited to disciplinary
proceeding and/or legal action if you are found to have committed any of the above or infringed
the University’s copyright.
 5

Tentative Weekly Schedule

Week Topic Learning Objectives Agenda Assignments Due

Course Introduction Course Overview Interactive lecture

1
(12/13 Introduction to Marketing Understand marketing research is a systematic process
Aug) Research and why it is important. Recognize the classification of
marketing research.

Defining Marketing Introduce the steps of conducting marketing research and Interactive lecture Group work: Submit the
2 Research Problem & defining the marketing research problem. Gain an team formation list to
(19/20 Research Design understanding of the objectives and characteristics of NTU-Learn by Aug 25,
Case discussions:
Aug) three key types of research: exploratory research, 2024 (6pm, Sunday).
Comfort Foods; Walmart;
descriptive research, and causal research.
NFL Fans

Exploratory Research Learn the differences between primary and secondary Interactive lecture
data. Gain an understanding of three types of qualitative
Case discussion: Nike
3 research, namely, focus group interviews, depth
(26/27 interviews, and projective techniques. Briefing about business
Aug) case project, and draw
lots for final presentation
order

Descriptive Research: Acquire knowledge about the two fundamental methods of Interactive lecture Group work: Submit
4 Survey and Observation obtaining primary quantitative data in descriptive research: business case project
Case discussion:
(2/3 Sep) surveys and observations. Gain an understanding of idea (1-page proposal)
Starbucks; High Tech
various survey methods and observation techniques. to NTU-Learn by Sep 8,
Company
2024 (6pm, Sunday)
Business Case Project
5 The instructor will schedule online meetings with each Discussion Session via
Proposal Feedback &
(9/10 team to provide feedback on the business case proposal. Zoom
Discussion Session (via
Sep)
Zoom)
6 Causal Research: Gain an understanding of the concepts related to Interactive lecture
(16/17 Experimentation experimentation. Explore the different types of
Case discussion: Soya
Sep) experimental designs.
 6

Milk; Aflac

Measurement and Scaling Develop an understanding of the four primary scales of Interactive lecture Individual work: Submit
measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales. participative learning
7 Case discussion: eGo
Furthermore, acquire knowledge about the comparative paper (store observation
(23/24 Bike
and noncomparative scaling techniques. report) to NTU-Learn by
Sep)
Sep 29, 2024 (6pm,
Sunday)

Recess Week

Questionnaire and Gain an understanding of the steps involved in Interactive lecture

Sampling questionnaire design. Learn strategies to overcome issues
8 In-Class exercise:
related to inability and unwillingness to answer the
(7/8 Oct) Questionnaire Critique
questionnaire, as well as explore different question
structures. Acquire knowledge about non-probability and
probability sampling techniques.

Data Preparation and Develop an understanding of the essential steps involved Interactive lecture and
9 Basic Analysis in data preparation. Engage in hands-on practice to learn practicing SPSS in IT Lab
(14/15 how to check descriptive statistics of a dataset, recode
In-Class exercises:
Oct) variables, and perform basic analyses.
Restaurant Preference;
Tommy Hilfiger; Internet
Usage; Nike

T-Tests, ANOVA, and Participate in practical exercises to acquire the skills Interactive lecture and
10 Regression Analysis necessary to conduct t-tests and ANOVA for hypothesis practicing SPSS in IT Lab
(21/22 testing of differences. Additionally, learn how to perform
In-Class exercises:
Oct) correlational and regression analyses to explore
Internet Usage; In-Store
relationships between variables.
Promotion; Nike; Attitude
toward the City
11
Project presentations (I) Apply a principle or theory from one of the previous Business case project Individual work: Submit
(28/29
classes to an interesting observation or news that you presentations a learning posting on the
Oct)
have recently come across. online discussion forum
 7

at NTU-Learn by Nov 3,
2024 (6pm, Sunday)

Project presentations (II) Integrate the concepts and tools learned in the course into Business case project Group work: Submit final
a coherent, detailed, well-thought-out analysis of a firm. presentations version of project slides
12
Provide well-thought-out recommendations based on your and report for business
(4/5 Nov)
analysis. case project by Nov 10,
2024 (6pm, Sunday)

Individual: Complete the

13
Quiz online peer evaluation
(11/12
The quiz will take place during class time; the venue will be announced later. survey by Nov 17, 2024
Nov)
(6pm, Sunday)
 8

Business Case Project

Project Objectives – The objectives of the business case project are manifold. It is hoped that
through this project you will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the course concepts by
applying the research methods learned. Besides honing the knowledge and skills learned in the
course, it is hoped that you would learn how to do business-related research, how to tackle marketing
challenges in real-world scenarios using marketing research tools, and how to present your ideas
clearly and sell them to your audience.

Project Overview – This is a group project. In your teams of five, you will conduct a case study on an
existing company. Imagine that your group has been hired as marketing consultants for this company.
Based on secondary research or initial observations, your group needs to identify two marketing
research problems that the company should address to enhance its competitiveness. Your group will
need to conduct at least one interview with 1 person (could be customers, employees, etc.) and a
small-scale survey (with approximately 20-40 respondents) to gather insights and generate potential
solutions. Summarize the interview findings and analyze the questionnaire responses using software
like SPSS. Based on your analysis, outline your findings and provide recommendations.

Deadlines – The final version slides and written report are due on 10 November 2024, 6pm. To guide
your progress, a 1-page proposal will be due by the end of Week 4 (8 September 2024, Sunday,
6pm). The proposal will not be graded (the instructor will provide each team with feedback in the
Zoom discussion session of Week 5).

Company Selection – You should select a company that would provide sufficient scope for your
study. There are no restrictions on the type of company that you can select (i.e., any industry, profit or
non-profit, international or local, etc.). However, it is desirable (but not mandatory) that you select a
company that could give you access to the information you need to complete your case study. Feel
free to approach the course instructor if you have questions about choosing a company for your
project.

Content of Case Study – Your case study should contain the following:
• Background and a brief history of the company
• Identification and justification of two chosen marketing research problems
• In-depth analysis of the two marketing research problems that you choose to focus on, including
key insights drawn from your interview, survey, and other research sources.
• Propose strategies for the company could adopt based on the earlier analyses, including detailed
recommendations on how to solve each marketing research problem.
• Include the interview transcript (including interviewer’s questions and interviewee’s responses)
and questionnaire in the appendix.

Sources of information in your research can come from published materials (e.g. company reports,
research journals, newspaper articles, magazines, websites) and from primary data collection
(interviews, surveys, focus groups).

Project Presentation – You will present your case study in class (week 11/12). The presentation time
should be kept to no more than 20 minutes. The slides should be a concise version of the report. They
should look professional and not too wordy. In the submitted slides, please indicate which groupmate
presented each part.

Format for Report – Note that comprehensiveness of the report, the flow of the content, writing (i.e.,
clarity, spelling, grammar), and justification of ideas are important. All work must be typed and double-
spaced, using Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch page margins. Include a cover page
listing all group members’ names, your class date and time, and the title of your project. Use headings
and subheadings to structure your case study. When referencing external sources such as journals,
news articles, websites, interviews, etc., ensure proper citation within the text and compile these
references in an APA or MLA formatted "References" section at the end of the report. The report
should exceed no more than 20 pages, excluding the cover page, table of contents, references, and
appendices.
 9

Store Observation (Participative Learning Paper)

Assignment – Through observation, identify gap(s) or problem(s) in a consumption context and make
managerial recommendations to fix them.

Format for Participative Learning Paper – The paper should not be longer than 2 pages (double-
spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12)

Deadline – The participative learning report is due on 29 September 2024 (Sunday, 6pm). Please
submit your participative learning paper (store observation report) to NTU-Learn.

Location - Select a marketplace location of your choice (e.g., Ikea, Giant, Starbucks, McDonald’s,
Hawker Center, cosmetic or computer stores). It can involve the sales of physical products or
services. (Tip: Pick a location with lots of foot traffic.)

In your report, include the following:

• The setting (name of the store and location, date and time of the observation, traffic in the
store, etc.)
• What goal the business/organization is trying to achieve?
• The gap you have identified between the organization’s objectives and the consumer
experience.
o Tip 1: Participating in the activity can help to identify the gap.
o Tip 2: Provide quantitative information about the people (e.g., duration of interactions,
number of people you observed) and demographic details (e.g., old or young, people
alone or with families)
• What will you recommend for improving the customer experience?
 10

Appendix

1. Rubrics for Class Participation

Traits Performance
Not Yet Substantially Developed
Rarely participates in-class discussion; Hardly Actively participates in all the in-class discussions;
focuses in class (e.g., using mobile phone, Engages fully in class (e.g., fully concentrating on the
Engagement unnecessary chatting) class contents)
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
Not Yet Substantially Developed
Does not show critical evaluation of the various Draws on course and reading content for the lesson;
market situations discussed in the class; shows critical evaluation of the various market
Ability to critically evaluate various market contributions rarely add value to the conversation/ situations discussed in the class by presenting
relationship situations discussion. arguments and drawing conclusions through reasoning;
moves the conversation/discussion to new insights by
engaging in polite, constructive dialogue.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
 11

2. Rubrics for Business Case Project

Traits Performance
Not Yet
Project does not have comprehensive content or Substantially Developed
a concise problem statement because of the Project has comprehensive content; demonstrates the
identification of irrelevant issues, a limited ability to construct a clear and insightful problem
Comprehensiveness of the content and
understanding of identified issues, and a statement with evidence of all relevant contextual
quality of the interpretations
misrepresentation or misinterpretation of the factors.
issues.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed

Not Yet Substantially Developed

Application of course theories and Fails to apply any course theory and principle in Appropriately applies the relevant course theories and
principles the project. principles in the project.

Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed

Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Does not provide any insightful, innovative, and
Provides insightful, innovative, and feasible
feasible recommendations in the project; selects a
recommendations in the project; identifies multiple
strategy without regard to fit; fails to consider the
Insightfulness, innovativeness and strategies for solving the problem that can be applied
key relationships among the various elements
feasibility of recommendations within a specific context; the recommendations are
such as context, evidence, or assumptions;
made considering assumptions, data, context, and
maintains or defends views based on
evidence.
preconceptions.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
Not Yet Substantially Developed
Delivers poor-quality slides and written report; Delivers high-quality slides and written report; content
content is erroneous or irrelevant; heavy reliance is accurate, thorough, and directly on point; strong
on questionable sources or anecdotal evidence; support and references from credible sources are
Quality of the written report organizational pattern (such as the way the provided; content is presented coherently, with a clear
materials are sequenced and their transitions) is and consistent structure. Uses language in a manner
confusing. Inappropriate use of language which that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with
obfuscates understanding. clarity and fluency.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
 12

3. Rubrics for Participative Learning Paper

Traits Performance
Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Paper does not have comprehensive content;
Paper has comprehensive content; demonstrates the
identifies issues that are irrelevant; demonstrates
Comprehensiveness of the content and ability to construct a clear and insightful description of
limited understanding of key issues;
quality of the interpretations the observation with evidence of all relevant contextual
misrepresents (or is confused about) the issues;
factors; the quality of the interpretations is high.
the quality of the interpretations is poor.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Fails to generate any creative and original ideas
Able to generate creative and original ideas for the
for the proposed recommendations; fails to
proposed recommendations; demonstrates the ability to
demonstrate divergent perspectives in proposing
Ability to generate creative and original utilize divergent perspectives when proposing
recommendations; ignores or fails to
ideas for the proposed recommendations recommendations; demonstrates an ability to connect,
acknowledge alternate or divergent perspectives
synthesize and transform ideas in appropriate and
or ideas; fails to generate ideas or solutions in
novel ways.
novel ways.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
 13

4. Rubrics for Individual Presentation (Oral Communication)

Traits Performance
Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Central message is not explicitly stated in the
Central message is precisely stated, and main points
presentation, and main points are not clearly
Clarity of communication are clearly identified.
identified.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
Substantially Developed
Not Yet
Speech rate, volume, and tone facilitate audience
Vocal delivery is too soft or too fast to understand;
comprehension; Eye contact, posture, gestures,
Eye contact, posture, gestures, movement and
Ability to building rapport with audience movement and facial expressions make the
facial expressions are inappropriate and
presentation compelling, and speaker appears polished
significantly distracting.
and confident.
Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
 14

5. Rubrics for Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills (Peer Rating)

Traits Performance
Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Unclear about his/her own role; refuses to take a
Roles and Responsibility Always fulfills responsibilities; performs his/her role
role in the group; insists to work individually and
within the group with enthusiasm and demonstrates
has limited coordination or communication with
Behaves professionally by upholding willingness to work collaboratively.
others.
responsibility and assuming accountability for
self and others in progressing towards the Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed
team’s goal.
Not Yet
Substantially Developed
Contributions Largely disinterested in working in a group and
Actively attends and participates in all activities and
refuses to participate; observes passively or is
Contributes positive input for the team; provides meaningful contribution in articulating ideas
unwilling to share information with other team
and opinions.
effectively utilizes one’s knowledge and members.
expertise. Not Yet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Substantially Developed