We live in strange times, but hardly anything is stranger than me being called “Professor Stites.” Nevertheless, it happened.
I have just completed teaching the Spring Semester of MKT-310, “Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior” at Colorado Christian University (CCU) in Lakewood, Colorado. I have to say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Of course, there’s a story here.
It began last fall with an email from the Dean of the School of Business and Leadership, Dr. Gary Ewen. Because of an illness, Dr. Ewen needed someone to teach “Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior” in the spring. The course was due for an update and this would require selecting a newer text and designing the course from scratch. Dr. Ewen had heard of me through a mutual friend and thought my background in general business, my previous experience teaching at a university level and my experience with business statistics would make me a pretty good fit. He assured me that he would be supportive in helping me through the many issues with teaching a revised class in a new environment. Honestly, I had long been hoping for such an opportunity and jumped at the chance.
The first task was to find a textbook that was reasonably up-to-date. The field of marketing research is in transition. Traditional marketing research has tended to be consumer behavior oriented, using focus groups and surveys to elucidate consumer preferences and buying habits. Texts that focus on these aspects tended to be psychology and social science oriented.
The newest trends in marketing research focus on the many different forms of digital marketing. That is, using digital communications to find, understand and influence buyer behavior. Digital marketing is the “hottest thing going.” Some texts seemed to go a bit overboard in their enthusiasm and read like a “Social Media Selling for Dummies.” It wasn’t easy to find a text that taught the fundamentals of marketing research while doing a reasonable job of recognizing the changing landscape.
I was able to find a newly updated text, the 8th edition of Marketing Research by Dr. Alvin Burns, Dr. Ann Veeck and Dr. Ronald Bush. This new edition had added Dr. Veeck, as a co-author. Dr. Veeck added the new dimension of digital marketing research and data analytics. I had the great pleasure of communicating directly with Dr. Burns during the process of selecting the book and in the early design of the course. His help was instrumental to the overall success of the teaching effort.
Then came the really hard work – actually designing the course. This meant writing out the syllabus in detail, scheduling the lectures and tests, deciding between papers and projects and laying out the grading schedule. Dr. Ewen was extremely helpful in this area as were the many tools provided by authors of the text.
Perhaps the greatest contribution to the success of this class came from the students themselves. They definitely wanted to learn and were quite open about how things were going. They responded very positively to hands on projects and anything that seemed like practical knowledge.
The first project we did was with Craig Hospital. With the help of Lisa Stites (daughter-in-law) and her boss, Jake Manley, the students were able to review Craig’s marketing program and suggest improvements. This was such a success that we decided to modify the course schedule a bit to allow for a Final Project rather that a Final Exam.
The Final Project was a complete Marketing Research Project from beginning to end. The Research Question was:
How do CCU students perceive changes at CCU and how do those perceptions impact student retention?
The class organized and hosted a Focus Group, designed and administered an On-line Survey and performed a statistical evaluation of the data they collected using SPSS. The class developed a five-minute video on the Project and presented their findings to the President of the University and a group of Faculty members. Thirty percent of their final grade came from Administration and Faculty evaluation of the presentation. They received very high marks on clarity, thoroughness, persuasiveness and usefulness.
I have to admit that I learned a lot by teaching this class. I was especially struck by the similarities between the Marketing Research Process described by Dr. Burns and the more general process of Evidence-Based Decision-Making. We again see how careful collection and analysis of data results in good decisions unfettered by bias or hubris.
Naturally, the course can be improved, but all in all this class was a great success thanks to the help I received from many quarters. I would certainly do it again!
Ron Stites is the Founder and Principal at Stites & Associates, LLC, a group of technical professionals who work with clients to improve decision making in technology driven companies by applying good management judgment based on objective evidence and sound scientific thinking. Ron has served as an Adjunct Professor for Colorado Christian University. For more information see: www.tek-dev.net or email us at [email protected] .
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