Marketing

Table of Contents

1. Topic pack - Marketing - introduction
2. 4.1 The role of marketing - notes
3. 4.1 The role of marketing - questions
4. 4.2 Marketing Planning - notes
   1. Marketing planning
   2. The marketing mix
   3. The Total Product Concept
   4. Ethics of marketing
   5. Marketing audit
   6. Porter's five forces
   7. Porter's five forces - activities
   8. Marketing objectives
   9. Market research - introduction
   10. The role of market research
   11. Primary and secondary research
   12. Primary research - information gathering techniques
   13. Observations - case studies
   14. Group-based market research
   15. Market research - summary
   16. Questionnaires
   17. Sampling
   18. Methods of sampling - introduction
   19. Main methods of sampling
   20. Sampling errors
   21. Market segmentation
   22. Consumer Profiles
   23. Types of segments
   24. Demographic segmentation
   25. Psychographic segmentation
   26. Psychographic segmentation - case study
   27. Geographic segmentation
   28. Industrial markets
   29. Targeting
   30. Positioning
   31. Corporate image
   32. Position/perception maps
   33. Unique selling point/proposition USP
   34. Marketing strategies and tactics
   35. Sales forecasting
   36. Qualitative forecasting/data
   37. Forecasting and correlation
   38. Forecasting techniques
   39. Constructing time-series analysis
   40. Moving average
   41. Four point moving average - worked example
   42. Identifying the seasonal variation
5. 4.2 Marketing planning - questions
6. 4.3 Product introduction - notes
7. 4.3 Product - questions
8. 4.3 Product - simulations and activities
9. 4.4 Price - notes
10. 4.4 Price - questions
11. 4.4 Price - simulations and activities
12. 4.4 Promotion - notes
13. 4.5 Promotion - questions
14. 4.6 Place (distribution) - notes
15. 4.7 International marketing - notes
16. 4.7 International marketing - questions
17. 4.8 E-commerce - notes
18. 4.8 E-commerce - questions
19. Printable version

Sampling errors

Two forms of error can creep in when samples are being prepared, and conclusions drawn from the results. These can be considered as bias and statistical.

• Bias - this is where external effects influence the result. The selection of who makes up the sample may be biased in favour of friends, for instance. The form of the questions may induce a particular answer, and so also introduce bias.
• Statistical sampling error - even with no bias, there will be error. No two samples will give the same result (except by fluke.) Thus there will be random variations from sample to sample, and between sample and population. Sampling error is the combination of the 'within sample' error and the 'between sample and population' error. Luckily you will not have to work it out.

This is all summed up using confidence limits and standard error. The important thing to remember is that results will not be fully accurate using a sample. However, an estimate of the error or accuracy is possible knowing the sample size and the experimental method.

Is a sample reliable?

To be of use to a firm, results should reflect the intentions of the total population. This is quite an ambitious target. Sampling errors will almost certainly arise and we need to be aware of these. Most researchers accept that two types of error occur most regularly. These are those directly related to the sample and those, which are not.

Think carefully about you think could cause each of these types of error, and then follow the links below to compare your notes with ours.

Errors related to the sample

Errors not related to the sample