Part 1 – Marketing Research Planning, Implementation and Analysis

Marketing

My Research Question: The Federal Government agencies are looking for contractors (outside the government) to perform Professional Services as for assistance such as with engineering; environmental, logistics, consulting, or language services. How can contractors (outside the government) market their business to and partnership with Federal Government agencies in order to be a enhanced supplier to the Federal customers?

Instructions

Final Project

• Part 1 – 20% of the final grade

• Part 2 – 20% of the final grade

This final project is in lieu of a final exam.

In most instances, marketing research can be reduced to five questions:

1. What do we need to know?
2. What will we ask?
3. Whom will we ask?
4. How will we ask them?
5. How will we interpret their answers?

This assignment requires you to survey the organization/enterprise at which you are employed, or an organization of which you are a member, such as a church, school, club, etc., and identify one of its most pressing marketing needs about which it should conduct some sort of marketing research. After explaining this in detail, including the needs and reasons for conducting the research, you should then detail the methodology you would recommend that the organization employ to obtain the data.

A simple example of a need might be that the organization is concerned about membership numbers and wants to formulate a course of action regarding future decisions.

Please note: This project requires you to collect primary data using a survey, focus group, face-to-face interview, phone interview, or some other direct sampling technique to collect primary data directly from respondents. It is not a meta data sampling of information about other data in which hundreds, thousands, or millions of responses are collected (such as part of a work-related project). This project requires students to gather and analyze data (specifically, primary data) on their own that is outside of a meta data project.

Part 1 (20% of final grade)

Part 1 of the paper should include the methodology employed to address the first three steps in the marketing research process, which are:

1. Define the research objectives.

2. Plan a research design.

3. Plan a sample if needed.

Submit your final project part 1 by the due date identified in the course schedule. It should be a typed, double-spaced paper (see guidelines under assignment 1 above), no less than three pages and no more than five pages.

Part 1 of the final project will be graded as follows:

Criteria	Does not meet expectations	Minimally meets expectations	Meets some expectations	Meets or exceeds expectations
Need for Research	0 points	1 point	2.5 points	4 points
Student identified and conveyed the most pressing marketing need(s) within the identified organization, explaining in detail why the need is important and should be researched. The student included a list of research questions s/he will ask respondents.	Student failed to identify pressing marketing need(s) and/or why research should be conducted. Student didn’t include a list of research questions that will be asked of respondents.	Student minimally conveyed the importance of research but did not convey in enough detail why research should be conducted and/or the organization’s pressing need(s). Student included incomplete list of research questions that will be asked of respondents.	Student partially conveyed the importance of research but may not have conveyed in enough detail why research should be conducted and/or the organization’s pressing need(s). Student only included a partial list of research questions that will be asked of respondents.	Student fully explained the pressing need(s) of the organization and presented clear and sufficient detail about why a market research project should be conducted. Student included a comprehensive list of research questions that will be asked of respondents.
Target Researchers & Data	0 points	1 point	2.5 points	4 points
Student explained who will conduct the research and who within the targeted organization should be involved in the research project. There was an evaluation of whether and what type of existing internal data should also be included and applied to this research effort.	Student failed to identify who will conduct the research and/or who within the targeted organization should be involved in the project. No mention was made of any existing data that should be included in the research project.	Student minimally explained who will carry out the research and did describe what existing internal data should be included in the research project. Information was confusing and/or inconsistent.	Student partially explained who will carry out the research and may or may not have described what existing internal data should be included in the research project.	Student fully outlined and explained who within the targeted organization should be involved in the research project and detailed which existing internal data should be applied to the research effort.
Speed & Cost of Research	0 points	1 point	2.5 points	4 points
Student identified and justified how quickly the information should be gathered. Further, the student outlined all costs identified with the research, including staff salaries, materials, and any other costs.	Student did not discuss timing for the research project and/or failed to discuss the costs of the research.	Student minimally outlined timing and costs for the research project. Information was confusing and/or inconsistent.	Student only partially or vaguely outlined timing and/or costs for the research project.	Student provided a detailed timing and cost estimate to comprehensively complete the research project.
Type of Research & Participants	0 points	1 point	2.5 points	4 points
Student identified which type of research should be conducted (i.e., descriptive, causal, exploratory, etc.) to successfully capture the necessary data. Additionally, the student identified the correct group of individuals to survey, along with the best methodology to research the targeted participants.	Student failed to identify which type of research should be used in the project and/or failed to correctly identify which individuals should be surveyed.	Student lacked detailed information about the type of research that should be conducted and/or did not identify which individuals to survey. Information was confusing and/or inconsistent.	Student had some information about the type of research that should be conducted but the information was incomplete and/or inconsistent. Student did not provide enough detail about which individuals to survey.	Student correctly identified and explained which type of research should be conducted, providing supporting evidence for their choice. The student also identified the correct group of individuals to survey, along with the best methodology to reach their intended participants.
Formatting & Documentation	0 points	1 point	2.5 points	4 points
Paper uses accurate grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. The paper is between 3-5 pages in length, has a cover page, and uses Arial or Times New Roman font. Margin and spacing requirements are met. Paper conforms to the APA Style Manual.	Contains numerous grammatical and spelling errors. Organization is incomplete and inconsistent.	The paper is poorly organized and difficult to follow. There are significant grammatical and/or spelling errors.	The paper is adequately organized and the ideas are clearly expressed. There are a few grammatical and/or spelling errors.	The paper is well-organized and the ideas are clearly expressed. The paper is free of grammatical and spelling errors and follows the margin, font, and page specifications.
Total Possible Points	0 points	5 points	12.5 points	20 points