Syllabus 2007/2008 MIO035

Syllabus academic year 2007/2008

APPLIED BUSINESS ANALYSIS

MIO035

Higher education credits: 6. Grading scale: TH. Level: A (Second level). Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish. Optional for: I4ai, INEK4. Course coordinator: Associate professor Carl-Johan Asplund, Carl-Johan.Asplund@iml.lth.se, Produktionsekonomi. Prerequisites: MIO150 Business Marketing or other equivalent course. Assessment: The course is examined through three separated parts. 1) A proposal for an examination plan (in a group with at least two persons), 2) An individual literature test, 3) A critical evaluation of an investigation. The course points are balanced between the proposal (45%), the written literature examination (25%) and the evaluation of the critical evaluation of an investigation (30%). Case seminars, computer seminars and guest seminars are obligatory. Home page: http://www.iml.lth.se/pm/.

Aim
The main goal is that the student will be able to formulate the need of an investigation, for example and market analysis, and to conduct this and also to be able to judge the results and qualities (for example the information- and decision values). The two perspectives that permeate the course are to give the student both a theoretical and a practical competence about the above mentioned in industrial business situations.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

be able to use the main methods, models and concepts used in market investigations in order to formulate, conduct and interpret an information and knowledge need in companies and public organizations. Especially the importance to be able independently formulate and to define the need for an investigation and relate this to a relevant method of investigating.

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

have developed a capacity and skills to conduct a market investigation. This includes being able to formulate, define, interpret and to present investigations in for example in a decision making situation in a company.

Central areas are therefore:

the purpose and construction of a market analysis
the main methods and instruments of market analysis
statistical approaches and instruments to be conducting an investigation, for example a market analysis
quality assessments of the information value of these methods, analyses, and instruments in for example decision situation in a company or public organization

After the course the student shall be able to use the established terminology and in an explicit way be able to communicate and present these to other functions and networks within and outside the company.

Contents
The course contain the following principal elements: Identify and be able to define a marketing need, to decide the relevant method of investigation (qualitative and quantitative) and choice of instrument for investigation; for example (web) survey, interview, focus group and to collect primary and secondary data. They will also be able to reduce the collected material, categorize these and to interpret the collected material, for example a target group need of a certain product or service. The working format in the course includes both individual work as work in group and seminars concerning the above. Cases are also used as well as guest lectures.

The above course elements permeate by that the students are given the opportunity to create their own proposals to marketing investigations as well as create a knowledge how the students critically and reflectively can judge an achieved marketing result.

Literature
Bjerseth, J and Ek, L. Internet Compendium 2007 (latest edition) including articles and relevant links.
Bjerseth, J and Ek, L. Case material and lecture notes (displayed through the home page).
Lehmann, D.R och Winer, R.S. Analysis for marketing planning. McGraw Hill (latest edition ) (selectin of chapters ). (Coordinates the course MIO 035 Business marketing.)
Lekvall, P och Wahlbin, C. Information för marknadsföringsbeslut, IHM förlag, Göteborg, 1993 (latest edition).