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2023/2024

Consumer and Market Research

Code: 103150 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501935 Advertising and Public Relations OT 4 0

Contact

Name:
Elaine Aparecida Lopes Da Silva
Email:
elaine.lopes@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

 


Objectives and Contextualisation

The subject is part of the subject Research in Communication, together with the subject Research Methods in Communication.

Learning objectives of the subject:

1. To provide students with a global vision, from a scientific point of view, of market and consumer research techniques (quantitative and qualitative).

2. Review the basic and most commonly used methods in market and consumer research, in the advertising communication industry and market research.

3. Train the student to use and apply any research method autonomously, from its review and study and the development of laboratory practices.


Competences

  • Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
  • Relay complex concepts and data simply, using conventional tools for presenting and publicly disclosing research findings.
  • Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use the different analysis methods and tools that are common in communication research.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the indicators of sustainability of academic and professional activities in the areas of knowledge, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions.
  2. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  3. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.
  4. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  5. Describe the characteristics that differentiate quantitative studies from qualitative studies in the analysis and resolution of communication problems.
  6. Develop public presentations to defend case studies on advertising and public relations campaigns.
  7. Distinguish the methods and techniques of auditing organisational communication.
  8. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  9. Identify and select the object of study, the most relevant sources, hypotheses, variables, analysis protocols and the validation-verification of results.
  10. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within one's own area of knowledge.
  11. Lead group discussions.
  12. Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
  13. Propose new ways to measure the success or failure of the implementation of innovative proposals or ideas.
  14. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  15. Propose viable projects and actions to boost social, economic and environmental benefits.
  16. Propose ways to evaluate projects and actions for improving sustainability.
  17. Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
  18. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  19. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  20. Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  21. Use oral presentation techniques in presenting research.
  22. Weigh up the risks and opportunities of both one's own and other people's proposals for improvement.

Content

  1. Characteristics of the scientific method, its application to the problems of advertising research and markets.
    • Commercial research and its context: marketing and commercial research.
    • Statistics, demography, psychology, sociology, comunicology and scientific method as frames of reference for market research.
  2. The approach to research problems:
    • Common problems in market research:How should our brand / product / service be presented to the consumer?
      • Can the market be organized into groups of homogeneous consumers?
      • What does the consumer think of our brand?
      • How are the products used?
      • How to modify the perception of our brand by consumers?
      • What is our ideal price?
      • How are our customers?
      • How can we communicate with our customers?
    • The selection and delimitation of a problem
    • The object of study in commercial research:
      • Product / service / brand, population or messages?
    • Universe, population, sample and sampling
  3. Group dynamics and projective techniques.
    • The objectives of a group dynamics.
    • Organization and structure of the group.
    • The functioning of group dynamics.
    • Analysis and interpretation of data.
    • Projective techniques
  4. Depth interview.
    • Characteristics of the interview in depth.
    • Types of interviews.
    • Analysis and interpretation of data.
  5. Ethnographic studies.
    • Types of ethnographic observation
    • Methodological aspects.
    • Pseudo-purchase and mysterious purchase.
  6. Surveys
    • Dimensionalization
    • Preparation of questionnaires.
    • Types of surveys.
    • Approach based on homogeneity (probabilistic, not probabilistic).
    • Sample theory.
  7. Online research techniques.
  8. Functioning,organization, and usual tasks in a market research company.

Methodology

The subject will be developed in two parallel, articulated and complementary lines:

a) The linear review of a set of basic contents on scientific method and applied research techniques.

b) Work on a specific research problem focused on the objectives of promotion and sale of a specific product or service.

While theoretical sessions review conceptual models and research techniques, in practical sessions, students will progress in a parallel and consistent way in the approaches and the evolution of the investigation of a specific case of reference (real or simulated) , on which all the acquired knowledge will be applied.

The students will be organized in groups. Each group will work on the case from a specific and differentiated perspective, agreed between the professor and the group itself. In each group, students will be organized into roles and will specify the tasks assigned to each member. Each and every one of the tasks developed must be signed by the students who made them.

The subject will be complemented with seminars in which professionals of the sector will explain their working methods.

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject.

The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

 

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Resolution of cases in the classroom 37.5 1.5 5, 7, 9
Theory sessions 15 0.6 5, 7, 9
Type: Supervised      
Group tutorials 7.5 0.3 5, 7, 9
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of works (presentation in class and written memory) 42.5 1.7 5, 11, 7, 8, 9, 10, 22, 16, 12, 13, 15, 20, 19, 18, 6, 21
Research, readings, synthesis test preparation 40 1.6 4, 1, 17, 5, 7, 9, 20, 3

Assessment

This subject continues evaluation and does not foresee single evaluation.

The final grade will be obtained from the sum of the percentages corresponding to the four items evaluated. To pass the subject, the sum of the four items must reach 5:

- Presentation and preparation of the first research report: 30% of the final grade.

- Presentation and preparation of the second research report: 30% of the final grade.

- Classroom practices: 10% of the final grade. These practices are support for the research work (first report and second report) Attendance at the work follow-up tutorials and the delivery of the practices are mandatory in each session.

- Written synthesis test: 30% of the final grade.

Recovery.

Students will be entitled to the recovery of the subject if they have been assessed for the set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade of the subject.

The following activities can be recovered:

- Exhibition and preparation of the first research report.

- Exhibition and preparation of the second research report:

- Written synthesis test.

Plagiarism.

In the event that the student commits any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instructed. In the event of several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.


Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Practices 10% 0.5 0.02 5, 7, 9, 20, 19, 18
Presentation and preparation of the first research report 30% 2 0.08 17, 2, 5, 11, 7, 8, 9, 10, 22, 16, 12, 13, 15, 20, 19, 18, 6, 21
Presentation and preparation of the second research report 30% 3 0.12 17, 2, 5, 11, 7, 8, 9, 10, 22, 16, 12, 13, 15, 20, 19, 18, 6, 21
Written synthesis test 30% 2 0.08 4, 1, 17, 5, 7, 9, 14, 20, 3

Bibliography

 

Alvarez-Gayou,J.L. Cómo hacer investigación cualitativa: fundamentos y metodología México, Paidós.2003

Báez, Juan. Investigación Cualitativa. ESIC. 2007

Grande I y E.Abascal. Fundamentos y técnicas de investigación comercial, ESIC. 8ª ed. 2006

Grande, Ildefonso y Abascal Elena. Análisis de Encuestas, ESIC 2005

Krippendorff, Klaus: Metodología de análisis de contenido: teoría y práctica. Barcelona. Paidós, 1990

Luque Martinez L. Técnicas de análisis de datos en investigación de mercados, Pirámide 2.000

Malhotra, Naresh K., Investigación de mercados. Quinta edición México. 2008

Martinez ,Pepe. Cualitativa-mente. Los Secretos de la Investigación Cualitativa. ESIC

Merino, M.Jesús y Yaguez, Estefanía. Nuevas tendencias en investigación y Marketing.ESIC.2012

Olabuenaga, Ruiz J.I. Metodología de la Investigación cualitativa Ed. Deusto 5º ed. 2012

Pedret R, Camp F,Sagnier L. La investigación Comercial. Colección Management, DEUSTO 2007

Strauss A,y Corbin J, Basic of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques, Londres, Sage.1998

Soler, Pere: Investigación de mercados. Principios básicos. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación. 2001.

 


Software

No software is necessary.