BUSI 331 is Liberty's marketing research course. Its written work is two forums, a marketing research report built in four parts around a survey you design and run, and a 1,000 to 1,500-word web analytics research paper.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as BUSI 331 Marketing Research, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as BUSI331.
What BUSI 331 covers
The catalog description: This course will provide students with an overview of qualitative and quantitative marketing research methods. Students will identify and apply appropriate research methods to support evidence-based decision-making.
The course gives an overview of qualitative and quantitative marketing research methods and asks you to identify and apply appropriate methods to support evidence-based decision-making. The text is Malhotra, Essentials of Marketing Research: A Hands-On Orientation.
Two exams (300 points) have no guide here. The research report (400 points) is a real study: you define a problem, design and deploy a survey, analyze the data in Excel and report results and recommendations.
Textbook named in the published guide: Malhotra, N.K. Essentials of Marketing Research: A Hands-On Orientation (2015). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
BUSI 331 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marketing Research Report Part 1 Research Problem | 100 | 200 to 300 words on the problem; 300 to 500-word literature review |
| 2 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 100 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 250 to 350 words |
| 4 | Marketing Research Report Part 2 Survey Design | 100 | 200 to 300 words on quantitative research; 200 to 300 words on methodology; a questionnaire |
| 5 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 100 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 250 to 350 words |
| 6 | Marketing Research Report Part 3 Data Submission | 100 | Three tables with 150 to 250 words each, and at least one chart |
| 7 | Web Analytics Research Paper | 100 | 1,000 to 1,500 words |
| 8 | Marketing Research Report Part 4 Project Submission | 100 | Results 350 to 550 words; conclusions and recommendations 300 to 500 words; plus earlier parts and appendices |
Week 1: Marketing Research Report Part 1 Research Problem
Identify a company or issue and the research problem in 200 to 300 words, with a 300 to 500-word literature review of at least 4 scholarly sources. How to write BUSI 331 Week 1 Marketing Research Report Part 1 Research Problem.
Week 2: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 300 to 500-word thread with 2 peer-reviewed sources, a biblical integration and 4 citations, and two 250 to 350-word replies. How to write BUSI 331 Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 4: Marketing Research Report Part 2 Survey Design
Explain your quantitative approach and methodology (200 to 300 words each) and submit a questionnaire, then deploy the survey. How to write BUSI 331 Week 4 Marketing Research Report Part 2 Survey Design.
Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 2
The second forum, with the same rules. How to write BUSI 331 Week 5 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 6: Marketing Research Report Part 3 Data Submission
Organize your coded survey data in Excel and submit three tables, each with 150 to 250 words of commentary, and at least one bar or pie chart. How to write BUSI 331 Week 6 Marketing Research Report Part 3 Data Submission.
Week 7: Web Analytics Research Paper
A 1,000 to 1,500-word paper defining web analytics and its tools and evaluating an online retailer's website with web analytics resources. How to write BUSI 331 Week 7 Web Analytics Research Paper.
Week 8: Marketing Research Report Part 4 Project Submission
The complete marketing research study: earlier parts plus a 350 to 550-word results section, a 300 to 500-word conclusions and recommendations section, and appendices. How to write BUSI 331 Week 8 Marketing Research Report Part 4 Project Submission.
How BUSI 331 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The four report parts are 100 each (400), the two forums 100 each (200), the web analytics paper 100, exams 300 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Marketing Research Report Parts 1 to 4 | 400 |
| Discussion Board Forums (2) | 200 |
| Web Analytics Research Paper | 100 |
| Exams (2) | 300 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach BUSI 331
Choose a research problem in Week 1 that you can actually survey people about: customer satisfaction at a local business, student preferences for a campus service, or consumer attitudes toward a product category. You will need enough respondents by Week 6 to fill three tables.
Deploy the survey as soon as Part 2 is approved, using a free survey tool, so data are ready for Part 3.
Questions students ask
What is the BUSI 331 marketing research report?
A four-part study: the research problem and a short literature review; the survey design and methodology; data submitted as three Excel tables with commentary and a graph; and the complete study with results, conclusions, recommendations and appendices.
What is the BUSI 331 web analytics paper?
A 1,000 to 1,500-word APA paper that defines web analytics and modern tools, evaluates an online retailer's website with web analytics resources and shows how they could guide the company's decisions.
Working through BUSI 331 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.