A Guideline for Marketing Research and
Management Field Study Projects

Word Document Version

1-Course Description: This description provides an outline for real-world consulting projects to be performed by teams of students. The instructors will help the team. The client may pay a fee to the Marriott School upon receipt of the reports generated by each team. The deliverables for the consulting job are a professional PowerPoint presentation and a bound written report delivered to the client.

2- Course Objective #1: Produce A Quality Report Most educational experiences consist of treating students as sponges. As sponges, students are required to absorb information and to later deposit it on a piece of paper, called an exam. But you are not average students, and this is not just one more course. The course goal is to gain enough knowledge of research to be an effective marketing consultant and to do a marketing consulting project. Given this knowledge, you will then provide a high quality report that significantly improves the client's business and thereby produces a highly satisfied client. To succeed at consulting and produce a high quality report, the team will be required to employ critical thought, elegantly articulated, wisely managed, and professionally presented. By "critical thought," I mean the ability to start with a given premise and logically derive, therefrom, a conclusion based on evidence and sound logic. This is the first and most important task for the team-to produce a quality report for a client. The preparation of the report begins with the initial negotiations with the client regarding the project scope and an action plan. To begin these client discussions, review and become familiar with the concepts in the chart, entitled: "ENGAGEMENT LETTER---MANAGING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS." This chart is located in Blackboard, and attached to this syllabus. This chart will help manage client expectations, and provide the team with a framework to negotiate and draft the engagement letter. The engagement letter is prepared and executed by the team and the client. The letter is a legal contract that provides a mutually agreed upon plan. The engagement letter is the most important task for the completion of a successful report. Scott Smith should approve the initial draft and final engagement letter before it is presented to the client for execution. Elements addressed in the engagement letter include confidentiality and disclosure, concrete details of the deliverables, indemnifications, time frame for accomplishing various steps of the project, the reporting processes, and the payment of expenses and fees. Please use the sample engagement letter contained in Blackboard as a format. The final letter must retain the legal language protecting BYU from legal action which is found in the sample. Class credit for the engagement letter will be given once it is executed and copies are delivered to Scott Smith and Mark Thomas (if part of a Field Studies Class). The client and the team should also retain a copy. Based on the engagement letter, the team will prepare: A) A timeline outlining the steps taken to complete the project. See the sample in blackboard. The timeline may include such things as a period for gathering data, running pro formas, writing the report, etc. Make sure to leave plenty of time at the end of the semester for writing and editing multiple drafts of the final report, and PowerPoint presentation. B) A Financial Plan for the project. See #6, below. For those who would like further guidance on the process of consulting, contact Scott Smith to check out a book entitled Flawless Consulting.

3- Course Objective #2: Building Quality Relationships In addition to the main course objective of producing a quality report, the second task of class members is to develop quality relationships. This includes the relationships with other team members, the faculty and the client. Every business transaction is based in a relationship. Your future success in business will, to a large degree, depend on the regular development of honest, appropriately open, and (at their best) caring relationships.* All things being equal, people will do business with friends. All things NOT being equal, people will still do business with friends. Therefore, make friends. Making friends begins with quality communications.* Communication skills are therefore just as important as technical skills in most business settings. A consulting team with average technical skills but superior teamwork will consistently outperform a consulting team of highly skilled individuals that don't work together well.* In short, teamwork beats individual competence. Teams normally meet on a weekly basis. Start your team building by getting to know your team members and advisors. Each team should report to the faculty advisor at least weekly. This can be accomplished as part of a weekly team meeting, or as a separate communication. In addition, each student must set an appointment to meet with Mark Thomas sometime during the semester.

4- Course Objective #3: Confident Calm The third and final object of the class is to articulate a personal strategy to maintain an inner state of confident calm, even during times of a stressful consulting project. By week three of the semester, each individual team member will submit to the instructor a short memo containing what you wish to get out of this class, and a plan of how you will develop an attitude of confident calm during the consulting period.* In addition, start from this date forward to keep a personal timeline with dates and type of activity relating to the project. This personal time and activity report will be handed in at the end of the semester in the final memo.

In summary, the goal of the class is to develop the three objectives, listed above: expertise to deliver a quality product, the establishment of quality relationships, and a plan to maintain a personal state of confident calm.

5-Final Memo A final memo is due at the end of the semester from each student. First, this memo should list each of your fellow team members by name and state whether or not that particular team member did his or her fair share on the project (both quantity and quality of work). This memo will be used in grading, and will remain confidential. Except in unusual circumstances, all members of the same team will receive the same grade. Second, the memo should also summarize your efforts to attain a state of confident call during the semester. Third, this memo will contain a report listing the hours spent on the project by activity and date. Fourth, complete the form below and indicate the point allocation and grade you would allocate to each member of your team based on their contribution. Finally, this memo should review of the effectiveness of your instructor and field studies advisor in helping the team, and suggestions, if any, for future classes. Evaluations should reflect both the Quantity and Quality of contribution of each group member in organizing, questionnaire construction, data collection, analysis and preparing/presenting your group project. Instructions: Compute the total number of points to allocate among group members. The total number of points equals 100 times the number of members in your group (count yourself).   Enter the name of each Group Member Point Allocation Which letter grade do they deserve for the project? (A to F Use +, - ) 1 Your Name:       2       3       4       5       6            TOTAL POINTS (100 x number of group members)     Which Letter Grade do you believe best represents your group’s overall performance?          _____ Which Letter Grade do you believe you deserve for your own course grade?                        _____ Please Complete in Private and Return… Thank You

6- Financial Plan and Team Financial Report Every project has time and money constraints. We must produce quality reports from within those constraints. To help the team work within its constraints, a team accountant should be appointed who will prepare the initial Financial Plan (due at the beginning of the project) and the final Financial Report for the team (due at the end). The Financial Plan will contain the total anticipated flow of funds for the project. If needed, it will also contain a long distance calling code assigned to the team. The final Financial Report contains the actual flow of funds and receipts for the project. All expenses incurred by students (including mileage, copying, etc.) must be pre pre-approved by the Field Studies Office. The Financial Report contains places for prior approval of all expenses and the dates payments are made. The team accountant will meet with the Field Studies Office (If this is a Field Studies project) at the first part of the semester to receive instruction on how these two reports are to be completed.

7-Final Class Report The final class will be as schedule on the course outline. In this final meeting, each team will give a 15-minute verbal and PowerPoint summary of their project. (Note that 15 minutes is a strict limit…the bell rings and you sit down). At that meeting, an award will be given to each member of the winning team.

8-Grades The project for this class will be difficult to complete well, due to the natural ambiguities of real world projects, and the hidden complexities of social life. Hence, successful students in this class will be required to work hard and take pride in their work. Remember, you represent BYU. Your grade will depend on the three components outlined above-successful completion of the verbal and written report; the development of quality relationships; and a realistic strategy to maintain confident clam. The primary factors in determining your grade are the completion of a stellar engagement letter, and the delivery of quality final reports. Normally, the team will be graded all the same. We live and we die as a team. However, there are times when persons on the same team will receive different grades. Do not forget to keep track of the time you spend on the project by date and activity in order to complete your final memo. Normally, 80 to 100 hours per student is needed for completion of the project. That amounts to about 6 hours per week. Below is a list of the point system used in grading. Student team leaders will be required to remind students of their deadlines and report their progress weekly to their instructor (and the field studies office if it is a field studies project):   Activity (Paragraph # from above) Points Due Initial Add/Drop Deadline 0 Week 2   EXECUTED Engagement Letter by Team (#2 above) 20 Week 3   Task Timeline and Financial Plan (#2 & #6 above) 10 Week 3   Personal Strategy Memo (#4 above) 10 Week 3 Midterm Exam Chapters 1 - 17 as per outline Ongoing Team Reports to Instructor Weekly   Individual Visit with Instructor   By appt. Final Team Financial Report (#6 above) Week 10*   Team Oral Client Report (#1 & #2 above)   Week 10*   Team Written Client Report (#1 & #2 above)   Week 10*   Attendance at Final Class (#7 above) Required As Scheduled   Report Oral Presentation and ppt 110 Last Week   Report Written Presentation 50 Last Week   TOTAL PROJECT POINTS 200               *These dates may be extended based upon negotiations with the client, and approval of the instructor.

8-Ethical Considerations Compliance with the BYU honor code is required in this and all classes in the Marriott School. Implicit in the honor code is the student's proper relationships with clients. As consultants, the student should strive to act in a professional manner that seeks to place the interests of BYU and the client ahead of personal gain. This means that the students and faculty should adhere to the engagement letter signed during the consulting process. All confidential material gained as a result of the field study should be disclosed only to persons within the working group, unless special permission is obtained in writing. In addition, the consultant should provide honest and objective analysis, free from inappropriate conflicts of interest.

9- Expenses The engagement letter should outline who, when, and how anticipated expenses are to be paid. Expenses may be paid directly by the client, paid by the field studies department, or paid by the student (who can be reimbursed with appropriate receipts and prior approval). The preferred method for payment of expenses is by having Mark Thomas pay through the field studies credit card. However, students may incur expenses that can be reimbursed, if pre-approved. If you wish to be reimbursed for expenses, contact Mark Thomas or Kirsten Higginson prior to incurring expenses for reimbursement procedures. Students should not have to pay for project expenses from personal funds. However, reimbursement of your expenses may not be possible if proper procedures are not followed. All receipts for expenses turned in for reimbursement should contain a separate breakout of taxes. If long distance telephone calls are part of the project, a special telephone code can be assigned to the team, which will charge those costs to a project account in the field studies office.

10-Team Selection and Future Meeting Times Team selection will be arranged in class. Meeting times will be according to the above schedule and the class schedule. DYNAMICS OF BUSINESS The goal of the class is to develop these three objectives: pride in a quality report (the task), the establishment of quality relationships, and a plan to maintain a personal state of confident calm.