Strong Positive Emphasis … Marketing Research: Text and Cases

This is an excellent book, and the few minor comments I make represent my interpretation of the role of constructive criticism. Taking the path of good research men, the authors follow a logical approach in organizing the chapters of the book. The first major section offers an introduction to marketing research. The second section is concerned with the steps in conducting a research project. The third demonstrates in detail a number of applications of marketing research to problems the marketing student may encounter. In the first section, the many ways marketing research can be used throughout modern-day business are vividly demonstrated. Each chapter is followed by several case studies, some discussion-oriented, others requiring student participation (as in the construction of a questionnaire). One brief criticism of the effort to indicate the accomplishments of market research is that the strongly positive emphasis may fail to take into account some of the shortcomings-as illustrated, for instance, in the authors’ own comment in chapter 16 about the failure of many new products. Another early chapter discusses the scientific method, pointing out that “research” really refers to the scientific approach or method. They note that the simple gathering of facts does not represent science; and moreover, that the characteristics of a true scientific approach include not only care and accuracy, but the use of creative imagination. In the chapter on research design, they examine the exploratory (search for secondary data and knowledgeable people) and conclusive (descriptive and experimental research) designs. The exploratory, they note, seeks to uncover new relationships, while the conclusive helps to choose between possible courses of action. They are next concerned with collection of data. It is indicated that interviewee refusals may run as high as 55%, and mail questionnaire refusals as high as 90%. They also point out the difficulties of establishing a proper questionnaire format. Here they distinguish among four types of studies: structurednondisguised; nonstructured-nondisguised; nonstructured-disguised; structured-disguised. The reader may be confused by these terms. One is impressed with the authors’ apparent intention of creating a research nomenclature. However, just as Menninger questions the value of psychiatrists’ developing hundreds of classifications for accurate definition of mental illness, I question the use of terminology of this type in a basic research course. This confusion appears in only a small section, while one of the major attributes of the text is its clarity. With the above as background material, the book follows the usual research format with a chapter on formulating the problem. The authors take the broad view of the function of the researcher. They explain the workings of the research position, and particularly outline the means and ways of uncovering the “relevant objectives” of the firm. They also suggest that decision making participation is a present-day role of the marketing researcher. A topic often overlooked, although important, is also included-the anticipation of the findings of the research project. Secondary sources are well covered. The Vertical File Index, Monthly Checklist of State Publications, and Ulrich’s Periodical Directory are but a few of the lesser-known sources listed. The authors readily admit that the making of a good questionnaire is the result of experience.