Basic Marketing Research: Application to Contemporary Issues with SPSS-Student Edition
- Book Review,
by Naresh K Malhotra, Naresh Malhotra
From the Back Cover
WHEN STUDENTS SPEAK — WE LISTEN. When they asked for an accessible undergraduate market research textbook that would help them succeed, we answered — with Basic Marketing Research: Applications to Contemporary Issues. This text was developed with those students in mind. Your students. The ones who want a practical and intelligible perspective on today's critical issues in market research. With current content and powerful learning tools, this text delivers exactly what your students are asking for: Chapter-opening vignettes and questions draw students into each new topic while setting up chapter concepts. Chapter-opening diagrams lay out the big picture. These diagrams illustrate the breakdown of each chapter, the relationships between topics from chapter to chapter, and the connection between the material and the market research process as a whole. Real-life examples show market research in action as managers use it to solve problems and to make decisions. Brief, current cases and video cases bring market research to life. Use them in class, as homework assignments, or on exams. "Internet Applications" illustrate the relationships between the Internet and each step of the marketing research process. "Internet and Computer Exercises" teach students to apply chapter concepts to real-world situations. Simple acronyms included throughout the text help students remember important concepts. Data analysis procedures are illustrated with respect to SPSS, SAS, MINITAB, EXCEL, and other popular programs. Put the power of real-world software into your students' hands with one of the most frequently used market research packages on the market! Packaged with every text. FINALLY — A MARKET RESEARCH TEXTBOOK WITH YOUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN MIND! ACCESSIBLE. INTELLIGIBLE. STUDENT-FRIENDLY. BASIC MARKETING RESEARCH: APPLICATIONS TO CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
About the Author
Dr. Naresh K. Malhotra is Regents Professor (Highest Academic Rank in the University System of Georgia), DuPree College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been listed continuously in Marquis Who's Who in America since its fifty-first edition in 1997, and in Who's Who in the World since 2000. In an article by Wheatley and Wilson (1987 AMA Educators Proceedings), Professor Malhotra was ranked the number one researcher in the country, based on articles published in the Journal of Marketing Research from 1980 through 1985. He also holds the all-time record for the maximum number of publications in the Journal of Health Care Marketing. He is ranked number one based on publications in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS) since its inception through Volume 23, 1995. He is also number one, based on publications in JAMS, during the ten-year period from 1986 through 1995. He has published more than 85 papers in major refereed journals, including the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Health Care Marketing, and leading journals in statistics, management science, and psychology. In addition, he has also published numerous refereed articles in the proceedings of major national and international conferences. Several articles have received best paper research awards. He was chairman, Academy of Marketing Science Foundation, 1996-1998, and was president, Academy of Marketing Science, 1994-1996, and chairman, board of governors, 1990-1992. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy, and Fellow, Decision Sciences Institute. He served as an associate editor of Decision Sciences for 18 years and has served as section editor, Health Care Marketing Abstracts, Journal of Health Care Marketing. Also, he serves on the editorial board of 8 journals. His book Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, Third Edition, was published by Prentice Hall, Inc. An international edition, European edition, and an Australian edition of his book have also been published, and the book has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Hungarian. The book has received widespread adoption at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, with more than 144 schools using it in the United States. Dr. Malhotra has consulted for business, non-profit, and government organizations in the United States and abroad, and has served as an expert witness in legal and regulatory proceedings. He is the winner of numerous awards and honors for research, teaching, and service to the profession. Dr. Malhotra is a member and deacon, First Baptist Church, Atlanta. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife Veena, and children Ruth and Paul.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The response to my graduate text, Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, has been truly gratifying, with more than 144 universities adopting the book in the United States. The book has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Hungarian, and an International Edition, a European Edition, and an Australian and New Zealand Edition have also been published. Basic Marketing Research: Applications to Contemporary Issues builds on this success and carries it to the undergraduate level. Audience The book is suitable for use in a basic marketing research course at the undergraduate level. Basic marketing research concepts and principles are presented so that they are easy to read and understand. An abundance of diagrams, tables, pictures, illustrations, and examples help to explain the concepts. Other features designed for undergraduate students include an opening vignette that is referred to throughout the chapter, acronyms at the end of each chapter summarizing the key concepts, extensive assignment material (questions, problems, and Internet and computer exercises), and activities (role playing, field work, and group discussion). Organization The book has four parts, based on a six-step framework for conducting marketing research. Part One provides an introduction to marketing research and discusses problem definition, the first and most important step. It also describes the nature and scope of research undertaken to develop an approach to the problem, the second step in the marketing research process. Part Two covers research design, the third step, and describes in detail exploratory, descriptive, and causal research designs. The types of information commonly obtained in marketing research are described, as well as the appropriate scales for obtaining such information. Guidelines for designing questionnaires are presented, and the procedures, techniques, and statistical considerations involved in sampling are explained. Part Three presents a practical and managerially oriented discussion of field work, the fourth step in the marketing research process. It also covers data preparation and analysis, the fifth step. Basic statistical techniques are discussed in detail, with emphasis on procedures, results, and managerial implications. Four statistical packages—SPSS, SAS, MINITAB, and EXCEL—are featured. While four statistical packages are featured, SPSS gets special emphasis. A student version of SPSS is enclosed along with SPSS files for all the data sets used in this book. Communicating the research by preparing and presenting a formal report constitutes the sixth step in the marketing research process, which is also discussed in Part Three. Finally, Part Four contains comprehensive cases and video cases. Key Features of the Text The book has several important or unique features in terms of its content and its pedagogy. CONTENT FEATURES A chapter is devoted to problem definition and developing an approach. These important steps in the marketing research process are discussed thoroughly and extensively (Chapter 2). A chapter covers secondary data analysis. In addition to the traditional sources, computerized databases are also covered extensively. Use of the Internet for secondary data analysis is discussed in detail (Chapter 4). A chapter is devoted to syndicate services. The types of data available from syndicate firms and the applications of such data are described in detail (Chapter 5). A whole chapter is dedicated to qualitative research. Focus groups, depth interviews, and projective techniques are discussed in detail with emphasis on the applications of these procedures. Use of the Internet for qualitative research is discussed in detail (Chapter 6). One chapter presents survey and observation methods (Chapter 7), while another discusses experimentation (Chapter 8). Thus, descriptive and causal designs are covered in detail with due emphasis on the Internet. Two chapters are devoted to scaling techniques. One chapter is devoted to the fundamentals and comparative scaling techniques (Chapter 9). The other chapter covers noncomparative techniques and the basic procedures for assessing their reliability and validity (Chapter 10). A chapter discusses questionnaire design. A step-by-step procedure and several guidelines are provided for constructing questionnaires (Chapter 11). Two chapters cover sampling techniques. One chapter discusses the qualitative issues involved in sampling and the various nonprobability and probability sampling techniques (Chapter 12). The other chapter explains statistical issues, as well as final and initial sample size determination (Chapter 13). A chapter presents field work. We give several guidelines on interviewer training, interviewing, and supervision of field workers (Chapter 14). Four chapters have been devoted to the analysis of marketing research data covering all the basic techniques. Chapters are devoted to: Data preparation (Chapter 15) Frequency distribution, cross-tabulation, and hypothesis testing (Chapter 16) Testing hypotheses related to differences, including the various t-tests and analysis of variance (Chapter 17) Correlation and regression analysis (Chapter 18) The data set used to explain each technique is provided in the beginning of the chapter. Data analysis is illustrated for four statistical packages: SPSS, SAS, MINITAB, and EXCEL. A student version of SPSS and SPSS files for all the datasets we have used are included with the book. A separate section on SPSS appears in the relevant chapters. A chapter covers report preparation and presentation (Chapter 19). PEDAGOGICAL FEATURES The book has a highly applied and managerial orientation. We illustrate in a pervasive manner how marketing researchers apply the various concepts and techniques and how managers implement the findings in order to improve marketing practice. The emphasis on applied marketing research is reinforced by featuring Elrick & Lavidge (E&L) in a significant way in each chapter. (The focus on E&L should not be interpreted as an endorsement for E&L over other marketing research firms—I have no business relationship with E&L and have not provided them with any consulting services. The primary intent is to show how a well-established marketing research firm practices the concepts discussed in each chapter.) Several real-life examples are presented in each chapter. These examples describe in some detail how marketing research addresses specific managerial problems and the decisions that were based on these efforts. Often, information available from published sources has been supplemented to make these examples more illustrative. Each part of the book contains short cases. The conciseness of the cases allows you to use them in examinations. Some long cases are also provided, including some cases with statistical data. These cases are current to sustain student interest. Each part of the book contains video cases drawn from the Prentice Hall video library. These video cases have been rewritten from the marketing research perspective. The accompanying questions are all marketing research questions. The videotapes are available to instructors who adopt the book. A contemporary focus has been achieved by integrating the coverage of total quality management, international marketing research, technology, and ethics in marketing research throughout the text. Each chapter also contains a section entitled "Internet Applications:" The text discusses how the Internet connects to each step of the marketing research process. Each chapter also contains "Internet and Computer Exercises," which present opportunities to apply these concepts in real-life settings. Each chapter opens with a set of questions to arouse student curiosity and to give the student a sense of the chapter's structure. Each chapter also contains an opening vignette, used as a running example throughout the chapter. Each chapter but the first opens with a diagram that gives the focus of that chapter, its relationship to the previous chapter(s), and its relationship to the marketing research process. Also included is a diagram that provides an overview of the chapter, showing the major topics and linking them to figures and tables. Data analysis procedures are illustrated with respect to SPSS, SAS, MINITAB, and EXCEL, along with other popular computer programs. This book serves well as a text for whatever statistical package the instructor is using. However, special emphasis is given to SPSS and SPSS files are provided for all the datasets used in the book and the statistical outputs in the chapters. Each chapter contains one or more helpful acronyms that summarize the important concepts. Acronyms are the most popular mnemonic technique college students use. Theoretical and empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of mnemonic techniques and their usefulness as pedagogical tools is discussed in my paper in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (Spring 1991): 141-150. Extensive "Exercises" and "Activities," which include Questions, Problems, Internet and Computer Exercises, Role Playing, Field Work, and Group Discussion, appear at the conclusion of each chapter. This section provides ample opportunities for testing the concepts covered in the chapter. Instructional Support The book is supported by a rich set of supplements, detailed below. The Web site can be accessed at www.prenhall.com/malhotra. This site contains the following: The entire Instructors' Manual (password-protected) Test Item File (password-protected) Power Point Slides containing a chapter outline and all the figures and tables (password-protected) Data for Cases 3.1 (Ford Taurus), 3.2 (Marriott), 3.3 (Microsoft), 4.1 (DuPont), and 4.2 (Gucci). These data can be downloaded with ease as either text files or SPSS files. SPSS data files are also provided for the data used to illustrate the statistical concepts in Chapters 16, 17, and 18, as well as for the relevant Internet and Computer Exercises in these chapters. Links to other useful Web sites. To obtain the user id and password to the Web site, please contact your local Prentice Hall representative or contact me (e-mail: naresh.malhotra@mgt.gatech.edu, tel: 404-894-4358, fax: 404-894-6030). The Web site is being enhanced continually. Instructor's Manual. Written by the author, the entire Instructor's Manual is very closely tied to the text. Each chapter contains transparency masters, chapter objectives, author's notes, chapter outlines, teaching suggestions, and answers to all end-of-chapter exercises and activities (questions, problems, Internet and computer exercises, role playing, field work, and group discussion). In addition, solutions are provided to all the cases, including those that involve data analysis. Solutions are also provided to all the video cases. The disk enclosed with the Instuctor's Manual contains the following: SPSS and text files containing data for Cases 3.1 (Ford Taurus), 3.2 (Marriott), 3.3 (Microsoft), 4.1 (DuPont), and 4.2 (Gucci). SPSS data files for Tables 16.1, 17.1, 17.6, and 18.1. SPSS data files for Internet and Computer Exercises in Chapters 16, 17, and 18. SPSS output files for all the analyses presented in Chapters 16, 17, and 18. Test Item File. Written by Andrew Yap, this valuable test item file contains a wide variety of tests for each chapter, which allows you to create your own exams. Video Cases. A set of videotapes containing these cases is available to adopters. The solutions to these cases are provided in the Instructor's Manual and are also available on the Web site. Professor Martha McEnally (UNC-Greensboro) originally wrote these video cases, which I have rewritten from a marketing research perspective. PowerPoint slides. These slides contain all the figures and all the tables for each chapter of the book. A student version of SPSS and SPSS files for all the datasets used in the book.
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