MKTG90011 · Marketing Research
The Complete Exam Bible · S1 2026Marketing Research
Marketing Research teaches how to turn a manager's question into evidence and back into a decision — the seven-step research process, secondary and qualitative research, measurement on the right scale, research designs, sampling, and the statistical toolkit (t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, regression and PCA) organised around one make-or-break skill: which test for which question. Assessment is a 50% final exam, a 40% group research project and 10% of quizzes, and the same decision logic drives all three — so this guide teaches each method to exam standard: the test the examiner expects, the SPSS output to read, and the one-line APA sentence that earns the mark.
What MKTG90011 covers
Twelve seminar weeks → one exam-ready map — the research process, then the statistical toolkit organised around test selection. Each links to its free chapter guide.
How MKTG90011 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Final exam | 50% | Exam period · on-campus digital LMS quiz under a lockdown browser · 2h + 15 min reading · MCQ + long-answer |
| Group research project | 40% | Team of 4–5 · the real-client “Loneliness Economy” study — report + deck, built across the semester |
| Quizzes | 10% | 5 × 2% across the teaching weeks — confirm the exact split in your subject guide |
The which-test decision — the signature exam skill, step by step
- +1Name the scale of each variable. The outcome (monthly spend, in dollars) is metric (ratio); the grouping variable (segment) is nominal with four categories.
- +1Count the groups. There are four independent groups of different customers — not two, and not the same people measured twice.
- +1Pick the test. One metric outcome compared across 3+ independent groups → one-way ANOVA (a t-test only handles two groups; chi-square is for two categorical variables).
- +1State the hypotheses + read the output. H₀: all four segment means are equal; H₁: at least one differs. Read the ANOVA table's F statistic and its Sig. (p); if p < 0.05, reject H₀.
- +1Report it (APA). e.g. “Mean spend differed significantly across segments, F(3, 396) = 7.21, p < .001”, then run a post-hoc test (Tukey) to say which segments differ.
Key terms
- Management decision problem (MDP)
- The actual decision the manager faces, stated as a choice (e.g. “should we launch product X?”). It is translated into one or more marketing research questions (MRQs) the study can actually answer — getting this translation right is the most-rewarded step in the whole process.
- Scale of measurement
- How a variable's numbers carry meaning — nominal (labels), ordinal (ranked), interval (equal gaps, no true zero) or ratio (true zero). The scale type decides which statistics are legal: you can count a nominal variable but cannot average it.
- Reliability vs validity
- Reliability is consistency — the same measure gives the same answer on repetition (checked with Cronbach's α ≥ 0.7). Validity is accuracy — the measure actually captures the construct it claims to. A measure can be reliable yet not valid, but not valid without being reliable.
- The which-test framework
- The decision rule that selects a statistical test from two facts: the scale of each variable and the number of groups. Categorical × categorical → chi-square; one metric outcome over two groups → t-test; over 3+ groups → ANOVA; two metric variables → correlation; predict a metric outcome → regression; reduce many items → PCA.
- p-value
- The probability of seeing a result this extreme if the null hypothesis were true. If p is below the significance level (usually 0.05) you reject the null and call the result statistically significant — it does not measure the size or importance of the effect.
MKTG90011 FAQ
Is MKTG90011 hard?
It is conceptually broad rather than mathematically deep: the challenge is choosing the right method and reading SPSS output correctly under time, not heavy calculation. The single hardest-to-master skill — and the most rewarded — is “which test for which question”, which once drilled becomes reflex.
How is MKTG90011 assessed?
A 50% final exam, a 40% group research project (the real-client “Loneliness Economy” study) and 10% of quizzes (5 × 2%). The exam is an on-campus digital LMS quiz under a lockdown browser, about two hours plus reading time, with MCQ and long-answer; confirm this year's exact split and permitted materials on your own subject guide.
What is on the MKTG90011 final exam?
The research process and problem definition, secondary and qualitative research, measurement and the four scale types, research designs, sampling, and the statistical toolkit — the which-test framework, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, regression and PCA. Many items give you SPSS output and ask you to pick the test, read the p-value and reach a decision.
Do I need to be good at statistics for MKTG90011?
You need to understand the logic, not derive the formulae. The subject runs on SPSS, so you read output rather than compute by hand, and a non-programmable calculator is permitted. The skill examined is selecting the correct test and interpreting its result in plain words, not manual algebra.
Is using AskSia for MKTG90011 cheating?
No. AskSia is a study reference written in our own words — we host none of your lecturer's files, and Sia teaches you the method to earn the marks; it does not complete or sit your assessments or your group project.
How to study for the exam
Make the which-test decision tree reflex — it is the single highest-value hour in the subject, because it drives both the exam's “choose the test” items and the project's mandated H1–H6 (chi-square, two different t-tests, one-way ANOVA, multiple regression). For every test, learn the trio that earns the marks: the statistic to read, its Sig./p, and the one-line APA report sentence. Because the same decision logic powers the 50% exam and the 40% project, the work you do for one piece directly serves the other — so practise naming the test from the scale of each variable and the number of groups until it is automatic, then build your permitted bring-in notes around it after confirming the exact materials allowed on your exam cover sheet.
