MKF2131

Marketing decision analysis

Unit Guide
Semester 2, 2015

Copyright Monash University 2014. All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968,
this work may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the host Faculty and
School/Department.
The information contained in this unit guide is correct at time of publication. The University has the right
to change any of the elements contained in this document at any time.
Last updated: 17 Jul 2015

Table of Contents
MKF2131 Marketing decision analysis - Semester 2, 2015....................................................................1
Mode of Delivery..............................................................................................................................1
Workload requirements....................................................................................................................1
Additional workload requirements........................................................................................1
Unit Relationships........................................................................................................................................1
Prerequisites....................................................................................................................................1
Prohibitions......................................................................................................................................1
Chief Examiner(s)........................................................................................................................................2
Campus Lecturer(s).....................................................................................................................................2
Caulfield...........................................................................................................................................2
Tutor(s)........................................................................................................................................................2
Caulfield...........................................................................................................................................2
Your feedback to Us....................................................................................................................................2
Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit....................................................................................................3
Academic Overview...................................................................................................................................4
Learning Outcomes.........................................................................................................................4
Unit Schedule.............................................................................................................................................5
Teaching Approach..........................................................................................................................6
Assessment Summary.....................................................................................................................6
Hurdle Requirements...........................................................................................................6
Second marking...................................................................................................................7
Return of final marks............................................................................................................7
Assessment criteria..............................................................................................................7
Assessment Requirements......................................................................................................................8
Assessment Tasks...........................................................................................................................8
Assessment task 1...............................................................................................................8
Assessment task 2...............................................................................................................9
Examination(s)...........................................................................................................................................11
Examination 1................................................................................................................................11
Learning resources....................................................................................................................................12
Feedback to you........................................................................................................................................12
Assignment submission.............................................................................................................................12
Online submission.........................................................................................................................12
Required Resources..................................................................................................................................12
Prescribed text(s) and readings.....................................................................................................13
Recommended Resources........................................................................................................................13
Examination material or equipment...........................................................................................................13
Other Information....................................................................................................................................15
Policies..........................................................................................................................................15
Graduate Attributes Policy.................................................................................................15
Student Charter.........................................................................................................................................15
Student services........................................................................................................................................15
Monash University Library.........................................................................................................................15
Moodle 2....................................................................................................................................................16
Disability Liaison Unit................................................................................................................................16

MKF2131 Marketing decision analysis - Semester 2, 2015

Quantitative analysis for marketing, response models, segmentation and targeting, positioning analysis,
decision analysis, conjoint analysis; advertising decision models, pricing decisions.

Mode of Delivery
Caulfield (Day)

Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per
semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study.
Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled
activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled
activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online
engagement.
See also Unit timetable information

Additional workload requirements

This is a 6 credit point unit, which requires a time commitment of 12 hours per week. This includes three
hours class contact per week for the 12 week semester.
The total time commitment expected for this unit is 144 hours. In addition to the 36 hours of class
contact, you should plan to spend an additional 108 hours during the semester in study for this unit. This
includes time spent in preparing for and completing assessment tasks, together with time spent in
general study, revision, and examination preparation.
Please note that students enrolled in coursework programs in the Faculty of Business and Economics
are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of the scheduled class sessions for each unit. This equates to
at least 80% of the lectures and at least 80% of the tutorials. Please refer to the online Student
Information Index for further details: http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/sii/rules-attendance.html

Unit Relationships
Prerequisites
MKF2121

Prohibitions
MKC2130, MKW2131

MKF2131 Marketing decision analysis - Semester 2, 2015

Chief Examiner(s)
Dr Stanislav Stakhovych (First semester)
Dr Satheesh Seenivasan (Second semester)

Campus Lecturer(s)
Caulfield
Dr Satheesh Seenivasan
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 34184
Email: Satheesh.Seenivasan@monash.edu
Contact hours: By appointment

Tutor(s)
Caulfield
Mr Jun Yao
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 32487
Email: Jun.Yao@monash.edu
Mr Abed Abedniya
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 31070
Email: Abed.Abedniya@monash.edu
Dr Di Wang
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 31580
Email: Di.Wang@monash.edu
Dr Ari Pramono
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 31556
Email: Ari.Pramono@monash.edu
Mr Reza Kachouie
Campus: Caulfield
Phone: +61 3 990 34213
Email: Reza.Kachouie@monash.edu

Your feedback to Us
Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers
and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through the Student
Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. The Universitys student evaluation policy requires that
every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The
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MKF2131 Marketing decision analysis - Semester 2, 2015

feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied
and areas for improvement.
For more information on Monashs educational strategy, see:
www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/ and on student evaluations, see:
www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

Academic Overview
Learning Outcomes
The learning goals associated with this unit are to:
1. develop a capability for applying marketing models to a range of marketing phenomena
2. equip students with the ability to interpret output and develop management recommendations
3. appreciate the assumptions and limitations of marketing models.

Unit Schedule
Week

Activities

Assessment
No formal assessment or activities are
undertaken in week 0

Unit overview; Introduction to metrics and models;

Market share analysis 1: Hierarchy of effects,
satisfaction and loyalty metrics

Week 1 online quiz

Market share analysis 2: Market share and its

decomposition - penetration, share of wallet, usage,
strategic implications.

Week 2 online quiz

Product management 1: Utilities, Multiattribute

framework, Predicting market shares from utilities,
Logit model.

Week 3 online quiz

Product management 2: New product design using

conjoint analysis. Mini-case 1 will be released in
Moodle.

Week 4 online quiz.

Product management 3: New product diffusion,

simulated test marketing of new product - trial and
repeat model.

Week 5 online quiz.

Communication 1: Evaluating price promotions baseline sales, incremental sales, promotional lift.

Week 6 online quiz.

Communication 2: Advertising media and web metrics. Week 7 online quiz. Mini-case 1 due
Mini-case 2 will be released in Moodle.
before the start of lecture.

Profitability and pricing analysis 1: Margins, variable

and fixed costs, break-even analysis ,target volume
calculation.

Profitability and pricing analysis 2: Customer

Week 9 online quiz.
profitability - customer profit, retention, customer
lifetime value, prospect value, acquisition vs. retention

10

Profitability and pricing analysis 3: Pricing strategy Demand curves, price elasticity, optimal pricing,
residual price elasticity.

Week 10 online quiz. Mini-case 2 due

before the start of lecture.

11

Marketing and Finance: ROS, ROI, incremental ROI,

ROMI, evaluating multi-period investment

Week 11 online quiz

12

Conlcuding remarks and review of Key concepts

No formal assessment is undertaken in

Week 12

SWOT VAC

No formal assessment is undertaken

SWOT VAC

Examination period

LINK to Assessment Policy:

http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/
academic/education/assessment/
assessment-in-coursework-policy.html

Week 8 online quiz

Unit Schedule

Teaching Approach
Lecture and tutorials or problem classes
This unit will be taught over 12 weeks as a 1.5 hour class, and a 1.5 hour tutorial. Students should make
every effort to attend both lectures and tutorials. Lecture attendance is critical, as it is only by attending
lectures that students will understand the concepts used in tutorials.
Tutorials commence in week 1. Students are expected to know how to use Excel to enter formulas and
produce charts. Tutors will not have the time to teach basic Excel skills, nor review marketing
concepts already covered in class.
This unit is supported by a Moodle (MUSO) site, containing lecture notes and other useful material. The
site is also used to make announcements, so students should check it several times a week. It can be
accessed via your my.monash portal https://my.monash.edu.au/ using your Authcate username and
password.
The teaching program will be supported by assessments which will give students the opportunity of
applying their learnings to a range of marketing problems.

Assessment Summary
Within semester assessment: 50%
Examination: 50%
Assessment Task

Value

Due Date

Weekly online multiple

choice tests

10%

Students must submit their test answers weekly

within 90 elapsed minutes after starting each test,
and no later than the scheduled cut-off time: start
time of the next lecture.

Mini-case assignments

20% per mini-case,

totalling 40%

Due dates of mini-case reports is given in

Submission instructions below.

Examination 1

50%

To be advised

Hurdle Requirements
There is a hurdle requirement in this unit.
The learning outcomes in this unit require students to demonstrate in the individual summative
assessment task a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in the unit. This is demonstrated
by the requirement that the student must attain a mark of at least 50% in the final summative
assessment task.
A students final mark is normally the sum of the marks obtained in all of the individual assessment items
in the unit. Where a student fails the unit solely because of failure to satisfy the hurdle requirement a
mark of 48 will be returned for the unit.
The individual summative assessment task is the final exam.

Unit Schedule

Second marking
Where an assessment task is given a fail grade by an examiner, that piece of work will be marked again
by a second examiner who will independently evaluate the work, and consult with the first marker. No
student will be awarded a fail grade for an assessment task or unit without a second examiner confirming
the result.
Note: Exceptions to this are individual pieces of assessment contributing 10% or less of the final mark,
unless the total of such pieces exceeds 30% of the final mark.

Return of final marks

Faculty policy states that 'the final mark that a student receives for a unit will be determined by the Board
of Examiners on the recommendation of the Chief Examiner taking into account all aspects of
assessment'.
The final mark for this unit will be released by the Board of Examiners on the date nominated in the
Faculty Calendar. Student results will be accessible through the my.monash portal.

Assessment criteria
Assessment Criteria Grading Descriptors available at:
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

Assessment Requirements
Assessment Tasks

Assessment task 1
Title:
Weekly online multiple choice tests
Due date:
Students must submit their test answers weekly within 90 elapsed minutes after starting
each test, and no later than the scheduled cut-off time: start time of the next lecture.
Details of task:
Online multiple choice tests are to be completed by individual students.
These tests are designed to encourage students to incrementally build on their
understanding of the unit.
Marks available
The online multiple choice tests will account for 10% of the total marks for this unit. There
are eleven tests in total, each worth 1% of the marks. Only the ten best results are
included in the calculation of the final marks awarded for this assessment component. The
online multiple choice tests will be assessed via Moodle.
Date, time & location
Multiple choice tests are released weekly at the scheduled end of lectures 1-11.
Instructions to students
Access the multiple choice test from the Moodle website for this unit.
Weighting/Value:
10%
Estimated return date:
Test results will be provided online. It is the student's responsibility to keep a record of
their marks and feedback provided online.
Learning objectives assessed:
develop a capability for applying marketing models to a range of marketing
phenomena
equip students with the ability to interpret output and develop management
recommendations
appreciate the assumptions and limitations of marketing models.
Submission details:
Access is via the Moodle website for this unit.
Penalties for late lodgement:
Extensions of time are not permitted. Students can apply for special consideration
whenever they miss a weekly cut-off (lecture start times from weeks 2-12). All applications
for an extension of the time allocated to an assessment task must be made in writing to
the Unit Leader.
The system does not permit access after cut-off times.

Assessment Requirements

Assessment task 2
Title:
Mini-case assignments
Due date:
Due dates of mini-case reports is given in Submission instructions below.
Details of task:
Mini-assignments
Mini-cases cover two topics that span 2-3 weeks of lecture and tutorial activity. Mini-cases
involve analysing the data using appropriate metrics/models, interpreting results,
developing recommendations and writing a brief report.
Instructions to students
1. Mini-cases are for individual students.
2. Mini-case report is to be completed in the Report Template provided in
Moodle. Formatted appendices that may include tables, charts or other relevant diagrams
should be submitted with your report.
3. Students are required to retain a copy of all submitted mini-assignments until results
are finalised.
4. Mini-case 1 is due on week 7 and Mini-case 2 on week 10 before the start of lecture

Weighting/Value:
20% per mini-case, totalling 40%
Estimated return date:
Students will be emailed a report marksheet to their student email address no later than
14 days after the report due date.
Criteria for marking:
Criteria
1. Understand the role of analytical
techniques for improving marketing
decision-making

Guidelines
This section should mainly
focus on the business
description of the analytic
technique and why it is being
applied here.
2. Apply marketing models and conduct Complete results of the
data analysis using Excel
analysis needs to be
provided.
3. Interpret results from a marketing
Interpretation of key findings
perspective
and explanation for the
results.
4. Develop managerial recommendations Relevant, clear justification
for the proposed
recommendations and
discussion of the
assumptions involved.
5. Quality of writing and report formatting. All tables and charts must be
Writing must be clear and concise, and
appropriately formatted,

Marks
20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

Assessment Requirements

free from spelling and grammatical errors. including numbering,

headings, labels, consistent
number of decimal places
(0-3 as appropriate); any
table/chart/diagram included
in appendices must be
referred to in the text.

Learning objectives assessed:

develop a capability for applying marketing models to a range of marketing
phenomena
equip students with the ability to interpret output and develop management
recommendations
appreciate the assumptions and limitations of marketing models.
Submission details:
Students are required to electronically post their report in the Moodle assignment dropbox
no later than the scheduled end time of their allocated tutorial by the due date and time.
This is the only accepted mode of submission. Failure to do so will incur the penalties
for late lodgement.
Instructions on submitting through Moodle will be provided during the semester.
Electronic assignment submissions
How it works
1. Use only the Moodle assignment submission tool.
2. Minicases have to be submitted only in the template provided.
3. It is essential you adhere to the following format for the naming of the file you wish
to submit:
a) It MUST contain your Authcate name.
b) There must be NO SPACES in the filename.
4. Comments and grading of your assessment will be communicated to you by email.
Penalties for late lodgement:
A penalty of 10% of the marks allocated to this assessment task will be deducted for each
day or part day that the assessment is late. Any late lodgement penalty will be based
on the timestamp issued by MUSO when the report has been successfully
submitted within the electronic dropbox. Penalties include weekend days. For
example, suppose a student submits a mini-case report by the due time and date (say 9
am on a given Monday) and the report is assessed as 80 out of 100; the student would
get 16 marks. If that same report missed the 9 am deadline and was posted on MUSO
later that same day then the students mark would drop to 14. If posted after 9 am on
Friday, the mark would drop to 6. If the report was posted after 9 am on Saturday
following the due date, the mark would be 4.
Assessment coversheet:
All students must agree to Plagiarism Statement posted on Moodle. This is done
only once and will replace old Assignment Cover Sheets. Failure to agree to this
statement will result in inability to submit assignments and receive grades.

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Assessment Requirements

Examination(s)
Examination 1
Weighting:
50%
Length:
2 hours
Type (open/closed book):
Closed book
Hurdle requirements:
There is a hurdle requirement in this unit.
The learning outcomes in this unit require students to demonstrate in the individual
summative assessment task a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in the
unit. This is demonstrated by the requirement that the student must attain a mark of at
least 50% in the final summative assessment task.
A students final mark is normally the sum of the marks obtained in all of the individual
assessment items in the unit. Where a student fails the unit solely because of failure to
satisfy the hurdle requirement a mark of 48 will be returned for the unit.
The individual summative assessment task is the final exam.
Electronic devices allowed in the exam:
None
Remarks:
Instructions to students
Exam has 7 equally weighted questions. Students are required to answer 5 out of these 7
questions. Each question can have several sub-parts and all sub-parts must be
attempted.
Students will be expected to undertake any of the following: calculations; interpretation of
outputs which may be numerical and/or include charts or diagrams; essays on selected
key concepts and methodologies, which may require charts or diagrams. Selected
formulas and equations for selected models will be given at the back of the exam paper.
Use of Calculators
Students will require a calculator for the final examination.
The Faculty has an approved calculator policy that restricts the makes and models of
calculators which students may use. The only type of calculators that will be permitted in
the final examination in this unit will be non programmable and non graphic scientific and
financial calculators.
All calculators now require an 'Approved for Use, Department of Marketing security label.
Practice Exam
A practice exam paper will be available on the unit website at the start of week 11.
Detailed solutions to the practice paper will be available on the unit website at the start of
week 12.

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Assessment Requirements

Learning resources
Monash Library Unit Reading List (if applicable to the unit)
http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html

Feedback to you
Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
Graded assignments with comments
Quiz results

Assignment submission
Online submission
If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the learning
system for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal.

Required Resources
Library resources
The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time
and be more efficient in your learning and research at URL: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/ or via the
Library tab in the my.monash portal.
Moodle (MUSO)
All unit and lecture materials, plus other information of importance to students, are available
through the MUSO (Monash University Studies Online) site. You can access MUSO via the
My.Monash Portal: http://my.monash.edu.au/
Under Online Systems click the MUSO hyperlink
In order for your MUSO unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be set up and certain
programs may need to be installed such as a compatible Java version (eg version 1.5.0). This can easily
be done by going to http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/browserset.html to update the
relevant software.
Required software and/or hardware
You will need access to Microsoft Excel 2007 or 2010 and Word 2007 or 2010 for this unit. Students may
use this software which is installed in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is
available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.
Equipment and consumables required or provided
You will need access to:

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Assessment Requirements
a personal computer with Windows XP/7/8
the internet via dial-up connection or preferably by broadband
Students may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for
students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.
Study resources
Study resources we will provide for your study are:
Weekly detailed lecture notes outlining the learning objectives, discussion of the content, and
exercises;
Weekly laboratory tasks and exercises;
Weekly online multiple choice tests;
Mini-case assignments 1-2;
A practice examination released in week 11;
Solutions to practice examination released in week 12;
This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
The unit web site on MUSO, where resources outlined above will be made available.

Prescribed text(s) and readings

The following book is highly recommended to have, but is not prescribed (This book covers 8 out of 11
topics discussed in the unit).
Farris, P.W., Bendle, N.T, Pfeifer, P.E. & Reibstein, D.J. (2010) Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide
to Measuring Marketing Performance, 2nd edition, Wharton School Publishing, New Jersey. ISBN
9780137058297.
Note that the text should be available through the campus bookshop.

Recommended Resources
Recommended text(s) and readings
Lilien, G. L. & Rangaswamy, A., (2004) Marketing Engineering: Computer Assisted Marketing Analysis
And Planning, Revised 2nd Edition, Trafford Publishing.
Students may obtain a comprehensive listing of recommended references via the Library link on the unit
Moodle site.

Examination material or equipment

Calculator
Students will require a calculator for the final examination.
The Faculty has an approved calculator policy that restricts the makes and models of calculators which
students may use. The only type of calculators that will be permitted in the final examination in this unit
will be non programmable and non graphic scientific and financial calculators.
All calculators now require an 'Approved for Use, Department of Marketing security label.
13

Assessment Requirements
What do I need to do?
Those units in which you are enrolled where you are permitted to use a calculator in the examination,
you need to obtain an "Approved for Use, Department of Marketing" label.
These labels are available at:
Caulfield - Department of Marketing, Building S Level 7 reception
Clayton - Department of Marketing, Menzies 2.71
The following calculators are recommended but you still require an Approved for Use, Department of
Marketing label.
Citizen SRT-135T
Casio FXM82MS scientific calculator
Casio FX82AU scientific calculator
Casio FX82AU PLUS
Sharp EL-735 or EL738 financial calculator
Other calculators may be approved at the discretion of the Department of Marketing.

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Other Information
Policies
Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and
students are aware of the Universitys academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might
uphold them. You can find Monashs Education Policies at:
www.policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html
Key educational policies include:
Student Academic Integrity Policy and Student Academic Integrity: Managing Plagiarism and
Collusion Procedures ;
Assessment in Coursework Programs;
Special Consideration;
Grading Scale;
Discipline: Student Policy;
Academic Calendar and Semesters;
Orientation and Transition; and
Academic and Administrative Complaints and Grievances Policy.

Graduate Attributes Policy

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/
education/management/monash-graduate-attributes-policy.html

Student Charter
www.opq.monash.edu.au/ep/student-charter/monash-university-student-charter.html

Student services
The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need
advice and see the range of services available at http://www.monash.edu.au/students
You can also access important information from the Faculty of Business and Economics current students
page http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/student/
Caulfield and Clayton students wishing to further develop English language skills in a fun group
environment can join a Conversational English Program. You can access these programs at
http://www.monash.edu/students/conversational-english/

Monash University Library

The Monash University Library provides a range of services, resources and programs that enable you to
save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to www.lib.monash.edu.au or the
library tab in my.monash portal for more information.

15

Other Information

Moodle 2
All unit and lecture materials, plus other information of importance to students, are available through the
virtual learning environment Moodle site. You can access Moodle via the my.monash portal.
Where to go for help
If you're stuck, confused or simply not sure how to approach Moodle, there are a number of Moodle
resources that you can tap into.

Disability Liaison Unit

Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to
discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a
regular basis.
Website: http://www.monash.edu/equity-diversity/disability/index.html
Telephone: 03 9905 5704 to book an appointment with a DLO;
Email: dlu@monash.edu
Drop In: Equity and Diversity Centre, Level 1, Building 55, Clayton Campus.

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