| Course | MRKT 4003 Introduction to Marketing |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Marketing research design |
| Length | 1,170 words, about 4 pages plus title and reference pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | American College of Education |
| Program | B.S. in Business Administration and Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MRKT 4003 Module 2
Will They Rent, at What Price and Why? A Two-Stage Marketing Research Design for an E-Bike Rental Program Aimed at Returning Riders
Student Name
American College of Education
MRKT4003: Introduction to Marketing
Module 2 Assignment
Instructor Name
October 19, 2026
Introduction
Module 1 analyzed how adults aged 50 to 70 returning to cycling might decide to try an e-bike rental at our Boise shop. That analysis rested on staff experience and published research, not on what our own prospective customers say. Before the shop commits to fleet size, prices and advertising, it needs evidence. This paper designs a research project to provide it: the decisions the research must inform, the questions it will answer, a two-stage design with an added advertising test, sampling, sample questions, analysis, ethics, timeline and budget.
Decisions, Questions and Objectives
Good marketing research starts with the decisions it must inform, not with a list of things that would be interesting to know. The shop faces three decisions before spring: how many e-bikes to put in the rental fleet, what to charge for half-day and weekend rentals, and which messages to use in advertising. Each decision becomes a research question. How many people in the segment would rent an e-bike in the first season? At what prices does interest fall off sharply? Which reasons for riding, health, time with family, freedom or simply fun, most motivate them? The objectives follow: estimate likely demand, identify an acceptable price range and rank motivating messages for this segment.
Stage 1: Exploratory Interviews
Exploratory research comes first, because the shop does not yet know which motives, fears and words matter to this segment. Twelve one-on-one interviews of about thirty minutes, with people aged 50 to 70 who rode in the past and now ride rarely, will explore why they stopped, what would bring them back, what worries them about e-bikes and how they would describe the experience they want. Participants will be recruited through the shop's past customer list, a local senior center and a hiking club. Interviews, rather than focus groups, suit this topic because participants may be reluctant to talk about physical limits or fear of falling in front of others. The interviews will shape the survey's wording and answer options. Each interview will also walk through the stages of the customer journey, from first noticing a reason to ride through what happens after a first trip, so that the shop learns which touchpoints, from a friend's story to a review, matter most at each stage (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016).
Stage 2: Descriptive Survey
A survey of about 300 people in the segment will measure how common the patterns found in the interviews are. It will be distributed online through the shop's email list, the senior center's newsletter, two neighborhood associations and a partner physical therapy clinic, with paper copies available at the shop. Questions will follow survey design guidance to keep items short, ask one thing at a time and order questions from general to specific (Dillman et al., 2014). Sample items include: "How likely are you to rent an e-bike for a half day this spring?" on a five-point scale; "Which of these would most make you want to ride again?" with options drawn from the interviews; and a sequence of price questions asking at what half-day price the rental would seem a bargain, reasonable, getting expensive and too expensive to consider.
Stage 3: A Small Advertising Test
Stated preferences do not always predict behavior, so the design adds a field test. Two versions of a social media advertisement will run for two weeks to Boise-area users aged 50 to 70, one built around the message that wins the survey and one around the runner-up, each linking to a booking page. The test measures actual clicks and bookings, not stated interest, which gives the shop a check on whether survey answers translate into action. Because advertising platforms define audiences broadly, the test will be interpreted cautiously.
Sampling and Its Limits
The survey uses a nonprobability sample recruited through the shop's networks and community partners, because no list of returning riders exists. That choice limits how far results generalize. People on the shop's email list are probably more interested in cycling than the segment as a whole, so stated demand will likely be inflated. The design addresses this by weighting the shop's own customers less heavily in demand estimates, by recruiting through partners with no tie to cycling, among them the senior center and a family clinic, and by treating demand estimates as an upper bound to be checked against the advertising test. Malhotra (2019) notes that nonprobability samples are common in applied marketing research but require researchers to state such limitations plainly.
Analysis
Interview notes will be coded for recurring motives, fears and phrases, which become survey options. Survey analysis will be descriptive: the share of respondents likely or very likely to rent; the price ranges from the four price questions, plotted to show where interest drops; and rankings of motivating messages, compared across age groups and between those who have and have not ridden in the past five years. Demand will be estimated by applying a discounted likelihood rate to the estimated size of the segment in the shop's trade area, a standard approach that converts intention into a cautious forecast. The advertising test will compare click-through and booking rates between the two messages.
How Results Will Be Used
Each finding is tied to a decision before data are collected. If estimated first-season rentals exceed 400 half-day equivalents, the shop will start with twelve e-bikes; if they fall below 200, with six. Rental prices will be set inside the range most respondents call reasonable, below the point where many call them expensive. The message that ranks highest in the survey and performs best in the advertising test will lead the spring campaign. Deciding in advance how each result will be used prevents the common habit of collecting data and then ignoring the parts that are inconvenient.
Ethics, Timeline and Budget
Participation will be voluntary and anonymous, interview recordings will be deleted after notes are written and respondents will be told how their information will be used. The research will run over ten weeks: interviews in weeks 1 to 3, survey design and testing in weeks 4 and 5, survey fielding in weeks 6 to 8, the advertising test in weeks 8 and 9 and analysis in week 10. The budget is about $2,400: $600 in gift cards for interviewees, $300 for printing and survey software, $1,200 for the advertising test and $300 for a drawing among survey respondents.
Conclusion
The research design moves from three business decisions to three questions and then to a sequence of methods: exploratory interviews to learn the segment's language, a descriptive survey to measure demand, price sensitivity and motives, and a small field test to see whether stated preferences become clicks and bookings. Its limits are stated and partly corrected, and each result is linked in advance to a decision about fleet size, price or message. Module 3 uses the expected results to set the marketing mix.
References
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (4th ed.). Wiley.
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69-96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420
Malhotra, N. K. (2019). Marketing research: An applied orientation (7th ed.). Pearson.
MRKT 4003 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
The second module of MRKT 4003 generally asks you to design research that would answer a real marketing question. Expect to state the business decision behind the research, turn it into research questions and objectives and choose methods, often combining exploratory and descriptive approaches. Prompts usually want sampling, example questions, an analysis plan, ethics and sometimes a timeline and budget. Be honest about the limits of your sample and explain how you will interpret results in light of them. The strongest designs say in advance how each finding will change a decision, which keeps the research focused and prevents data collection for its own sake. Pilot your survey with a few people from the segment before fielding it, and say what the pilot changed.
Inside the MRKT 4003 Module 2 example
Starting from three decisions the shop faces before spring, the paper derives three research questions and matching objectives. Three stages follow: one-on-one interviews chosen over focus groups because of sensitive topics, a survey with sample items and a four-question price sequence and a small advertising test that checks stated preferences against real clicks and bookings. A sampling section explains why demand will likely be inflated and how the design compensates. Analysis is described for each stage, decision rules link results to fleet size, price and message, and a section covers ethics, a ten-week timeline and an itemized budget. Each decision rule sets a numeric threshold before any data arrive.
Where the points sit in the MRKT 4003 Module 2 rubric
Research designs in this course are graded on logic, fit and practicality. Faculty look for a clear link from business decision to research question to method, appropriate choice and sequencing of exploratory and descriptive techniques, a defined sample with honest discussion of limits, sensible example questions and an analysis plan that produces usable answers. Designs that state how results will be used, include ethics and fit a realistic budget and timeline earn extra credit. Surveys that ask everything, or methods unconnected to decisions, tend to lose points. Clear structure and APA 7 citations of research methods sources complete the rubric. A pilot test of the instrument and thresholds set before data collection show disciplined planning.
MRKT 4003 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Research design assignments often produce long surveys that would not answer the business question. If your design needs a tighter link between decision and method, better sample questions or an honest sampling section, our writers can help. Describe the business, the decision it faces and any constraints on time or money, and add the prompt; our team will prepare a research design with objectives, methods, sample questions, analysis and decision rules. Small businesses, health organizations and nonprofits all fit this assignment. Research planned around decisions is research that actually gets used. Survey pilots and decision thresholds are built in.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official American College of Education document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MRKT 4003 Module 2 questions, answered
What does MRKT4003 Module 2 usually ask for?
The second MRKT4003 module often asks you to design marketing research to answer a business question, including objectives, methods, sampling and how results will be used.
What is the difference between exploratory and descriptive research?
Exploratory research, such as interviews, discovers ideas and language; descriptive research, such as surveys, measures how common those ideas are in a larger group.
Why add a field test to a survey?
Because what people say they will do often differs from what they actually do; a small test of real behavior, such as ad clicks or bookings, checks the survey.
Where can I find a free MRKT 4003 Module 2 sample paper?
This page has one: a bike shop designs interviews, a 300-person survey and a two-week ad test to set e-bike rental fleet size, prices and messages, with a $2,400 budget.
Is a convenience sample acceptable for a class research design?
Often yes, if you explain why no better list exists, describe the likely bias and say how you will interpret results cautiously.