Marketing Research

BUS 358: Marketing Research
Assignment 3 – Case Study: Dell Computers, Inc., research survey
This assignment takes place in two parts. Part One focuses on evaluating a questionnaire. Part Two focuses on interpret the outputs of data analysis. In spaces provided below, answer all questions contained within both parts of this assignment.

Part One – examining a questionnaire

This assignment asks you to read the case study of Dell, Inc., which is printed in the document, Assignment 3 – Dell research survey.pdf. Please read this case study so that you understand the context in which a research group conducted a study.

The last four pages of the case study shows the research questionnaire administered by Dell, Inc. to address the problems presented in the case study. Examine this questionnaire carefully.

Next, answer the following questions about the questionnaire:

(a) Q1, Q12, and Q13 all use ordinal scales. Re-write these items so that the variables are measured as ratio scales. (Note: this question does not require you to have watched Lecture 7. This question is strictly for review and for practicing working with different measurement scales.) (Type your answer directly into the box below)

(b) Examine Q4, Q5, and Q6. Presumably, all three items measure the same construct: satisfaction/loyalty. Assuming that the researcher would like to average the scores from this multi-item scale, what fatal measurement flaw prohibits them from being able to average the scores for all three items? (bonus question, worth three bonus points: of the three items, which could be averaged together in their current state?) (type directly into the box below)

(c) Q10 uses multi-item scales to measure three personality characteristics related to early adoption (labeled Market Mavens, Innovativeness, and Opinion Leadership). In 100 words or less, explain all the steps that are necessary for the researcher to calculate scores on these variables, after the study is completed and the data has been collected, in order for data analysis to move forward. (hint: Innovativeness items will be treated differently than the items from the other scales.) (type directly into the box below)

Part Two – interpreting descriptive statistics

Now, please imagine that a research team has compiled the data from the questionnaire and has begun analyzing it. The second part of this assignment asks you to examine their preliminary results, and then to address the following questions (type directly into the box below the outputs):

1. The variables gender (Q14), age (q12), household income (q13), and level of school education (q11) were examined, using frequency tables. Summarize and interpret these variables, in 100 words or less.

Frequency Tables
Gender
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Male 194 52.2 52.2 52.2
Female 178 47.8 47.8 100.0
Total 372 100.0 100.0

Which of the following best describes your age?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 18 to 19 15 4.0 4.0 4.0
20 to 24 33 8.9 8.9 12.9
25 to 29 40 10.8 10.8 23.7
30 to 34 43 11.6 11.6 35.2
35 to 39 48 12.9 12.9 48.1
40 to 44 57 15.3 15.3 63.4
45 to 49 36 9.7 9.7 73.1
50 to 54 34 9.1 9.1 82.3
55 to 59 37 9.9 9.9 92.2
60 to 64 12 3.2 3.2 95.4
65 to 69 8 2.2 2.2 97.6
70 to 74 3 .8 .8 98.4
75 to 79 6 1.6 1.6 100.0
Total 372 100.0 100.0

Which of the following best describes your households total yearly income before taxes?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid under $20,000 24 6.5 7.2 7.2
$20,000 – $29,999 27 7.3 8.1 15.3
$30,000 – $49,999 86 23.1 25.7 41.0
$50,000 – $74,999 90 24.2 26.9 68.0
$75,000 – $99,999 41 11.0 12.3 80.2
$100,000 or over 66 17.7 19.8 100.0
Total 334 89.8 100.0
Missing No Answer 38 10.2
Total 372 100.0

What was the last grade of school you completed?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Some High School or less 13 3.5 3.5 3.5
High School Graduate 32 8.6 8.6 12.1
Some College/Technical School 119 32.0 32.0 44.1
College Graduate or higher 208 55.9 55.9 100.0
Total 372 100.0 100.0

2. The items making up the Market Maven scale (items q10_1 to q10_4) were averaged to form a Total Market Maven Score. Then, the same procedure was followed for the items making up the Innovativeness scale (q10_5 to q10_10). The overall sample means and standard deviations for these scales are reported below. On which trait do consumers show greater variability, and how do you know (25 words or less; type directly into the box below the outputs).

Descriptive Statistics
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
market_maven 372 1.00 7.00 4.4164 1.56394
Valid N (listwise) 372

Descriptive Statistics
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
innovativeness 372 2.20 6.40 4.1369 .58704
Valid N (listwise) 372

3. Next, respondents’ scores on total hours per week spent online (Q1) were recoded into two groups: 5 hours or less (light users) and 6 hours or more (heavy users). The new variable that was created through this calculation was labeled light_heavy_users. A frequency analysis of light_heavy_users was performed, and the results are below. Please interpret, in 25 words or less (type directly into the box below the output).
light_heavy_users
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid light users 159 42.7 42.7 42.7
heavy users 213 57.3 57.3 100.0
Total 372 100.0 100.0

4. A new variable was computed, by summing the total number of things that respondents reported ever doing online (q2_1 to q2_7). The new variable that was created through this calculation was labeled total_internet_things. A frequency analysis of total_internet_things was performed, and the results are below. Please interpret, in 50 words or less (type directly into the box below the output).

total_internet_things
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid .00 6 1.6 1.6 1.6
1.00 23 6.2 6.2 7.8
2.00 33 8.9 8.9 16.7
3.00 36 9.7 9.7 26.3
4.00 68 18.3 18.3 44.6
5.00 91 24.5 24.5 69.1
6.00 70 18.8 18.8 87.9
7.00 45 12.1 12.1 100.0
Total 372 100.0 100.0

5. Finally, a cross-tabulation analysis was performed, examining the correspondence between light_heavy_users and gender (q14). The results are below. In 50 words or less, please interpret the results (type directly into the box below the outputs).

light_heavy_users * Gender Crosstabulation
Count
Gender Total
Male Female
light_heavy_users light users 70 89 159
heavy users 124 89 213
Total 194 178 372

All answers should be typed directly into the boxes provided, and this document should be saved and re-uploaded.