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2016 V&R Participant- Sherry Ritchey

Sherry Ritchey, International Business and Management

Marketing Research

Course Syllabus: IMBN 300

Fall 2016 was the first semester International Business and Management offered a Marketing Research class. In determining which projects would be of benefit to not only the students by way of experiential learning but to both the Dickinson and Carlisle communities, we approached Greater Carlisle’s Heart and Soul to offer our services. Their immediate need was a research survey that would be used as a baseline to measure ongoing events. An upcoming event, Heritage Days, had been planned and the role of the research class was to conduct intercept interviews with those taking the tour when their tour ended.  Answers to just a few endemic questions would help the event planner, Heart and Soul, determine what tours were of benefit, what tours may be important to add or to expand, what types of media might be best utilized for future tours to reach out to a larger audience, and certain demographics that would give Heart and Soul a strong sense of who their target audience was.  Once the interviews were completed, the data acquired would be coded, analyzed, and a report sent to Heart and Soul.  

The creation, fielding, and reporting structures for this project would be conducted by the students. In creating the survey tools, they researched Heart and Soul to understand their history and mission and collaborated with Heart and Soul staff to understand the research problem. Once the survey results were analyzed, the students would have a baseline from which to measure future events. Based on the data from the survey, marketing strategy could drive innovative and successful programs and create sustainability for the Heart and Soul Project.

This project enabled students to understand the importance of cultural sustainability.