• The general approach used to discuss topics is to provide readers with the pros and cons of the various methods used to address a research problem and then to develop an appreciation of why these advantages and disadvantages arise
• A set of learning objectives in each chapter highlights the most important topics covered in the chapter. The learning objectives are discussed and are then reinforced point by point in the chapter summary.
• MANAGER’S FOCUS SHORT FEATURES PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO HOW THE CHAPTER'S INFORMATION IS RELEVANT TO TODAY'S MARKETING MANAGERS. These features emphasize the role of marketing managers in the research process and offer guidelines for achieving the most usable results. These Manager’s Focus entries are inspired and written by Jon Austin, marketing research professor at Cedarville University who has a strong background working with industry clients.
• RESEARCH WINDOWS PROVIDE A VIEW OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TODAY'S WORLD OF MARKETING RESEARCH. These features describe what is happening in specific companies and offer how-to tips. They prompt interest in the chapter topic and provide further depth. Examples include marketing research jobs and compensation, how online focus groups and webcam interviews explore decision making, Target's "big data", how Key Ingredient used A/B tests to design an effective web site, and "driving" golfer insights at PING.
• A TANGIBLE, APPLIED EXAMPLE OFFERS STUDENTS AN EXCELLENT MODEL FOR COMPLETING THEIR WORK. Students often ask for a high-quality example of a student project from a past semester. Reviewing a strong, peer-produced model can help students produce top-notch work themselves. This edition highlights data collection instruments from multiple data sources, oral presentation slides, and a written research report as a tangible example of a quality research project. This eliminates guesswork when students work with firms in the community to complete their own marketing research.
• UPDATES REFLECT CURRENT INDUSTRY PRACTICE. Students review A/B tests with multiple examples as one form of field experiment. Updates examine "big data" applied to marketing analytics, predictive analytics, social media considerations, and data visualization. Content also reviews technology for online bulletin board focus groups and webcam interviews. Students generate answers by combining data from multiple sources, Coverage examines aggregating data, merging data, and new sources of error that arise. An ongoing example in the analysis chapters demonstrates merging data from various sources.
• THE AUTHORS BALANCE FOCUSED INFORMATION AND CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS IN AN ORGANIZED, UNCOMPLICATED APPROACH. The authors use their professional strengths as marketing research professors and active participants in hundreds of real-world research projects to provide students with the information they need to conduct a successful start-to-finish project.
• FLEXIBLE FORMAT ACCOMMODATES CHANGING NEEDS OF STUDENTS. This edition is available in digital format or in a digital plus softcover paper version. Options are available at a variety of prices for your students to choose the format that works for them.

BRIEF CONTENTS.

Part I: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING RESEARCH AND PROBLEM DEFINITION.

1. The Role of Marketing Research.

2. The Research Process and Ethical Concerns.

3. Problem Formulation.

4. Exploratory Research.

Part II: Working with Existing Information to Solve Problems.

5. Decision Support Systems: Introduction.

6. Decision Support Systems: Working with "Big Data".

7. Using External Secondary Data.

Part III: COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.

8. Conducting Causal Research.

9. Collecting Descriptive Primary Data.

10. Collecting Data by Observation.

11. Collecting Data by Communication.

12. Asking Good Questions.

13. Designing the Data Collection Form for Communication Data.

14. Developing the Sampling Plan.

15. Data Collection: Types of Error and Response Rate Calculation.

Part IV: ANALYZING DATA.

16. Data Preparation for Analysis.

17. Analysis and Interpretation: Individual Variables Independently.

18. Analysis and Interpretation: Multiple Variables Simultaneously.

Part IV: REPORTING THE RESULTS.

19. The Oral Research Presentation.

20. The Written Research Report.

Appendix.
Endnotes.
Glossary.
Index.
 

Tom J. Brown

Tom J. Brown is Head, School of Marketing and International Business, and Noble Foundation Chair in Marketing Strategy in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Brown teaches marketing research and has supervised hundreds of student research projects for industry clients ranging from not-for-profit service organizations to Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Brown is a past recipient of the Sheth Foundation Best Paper Award in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. In addition, he received a Richard D. Irwin Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship while at the University of Wisconsin, the Kenneth D. and Leitner Greiner Teaching Award, and the Regents Distinguished Research Award, both at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Brown was also recognized as an International Research Fellow at the University of Oxford for his work on corporate reputation. Dr. Brown's articles have appeared in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Service Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing and Journal of Business Ethics, among others. He serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and is an associate editor with the Journal of Service Research. His current research interests focus on organizational frontline research (e.g., customer orientation and influences on frontline employees). He is co-founder of the Corporate Associations/Identity Research Group and the Organizational Frontlines Research Symposia series. He is active in the American Marketing Association, having co-chaired multiple international conferences and the AMA/Sheth Doctoral Consortium, and served as president of the AMA Academic Council.

Tracy A. Suter

Tracy A. Suter is Department Chair, Department of Marketing and Management, at the University of Central Arkansas. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. He served as a faculty member in the Department of Marketing and School of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University, among other institutions. Dr. Suter teaches a wide range of courses emphasizing marketing research and business-focused creativity and innovation. Each semester, undergraduate marketing research students complete real-world research projects for area for-profit and not-for-profit firms under his guidance. Completed service-learning projects now number in the hundreds. Dr. Suter's research interests include public policy, the use of innovative technologies in marketing and entrepreneurship and consumer-to-consumer communities. He has published in journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and Journal of Retailing, among many others. He also served on several academic journal editorial review boards and is a frequent reviewer for other journals and conferences. Dr. Suter has held endowed chairs in honor of David and Leslie Lawson and Daniel White Jordan during his time in Oklahoma. He has received numerous awards for both research and teaching activities, including the University of Arkansas Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Sherwin-Williams Distinguished Teaching Competition Award given by the Society for Marketing Advances and the Kenneth D. and Leitner Greiner Outstanding Teaching, Regents Distinguished Teaching, and President's Outstanding Faculty Awards, all at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Suter is frequently asked to speak to doctoral students and other academic groups about teaching excellence.

Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr

A recognized leader in the field of marketing research, Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr., joined the University of Wisconsin faculty after receiving his D.B.A. from Indiana University in 1966. Dr. Churchill was named Distinguished Marketing Educator by the American Marketing Association in 1986, the second individual so honored. This lifetime achievement award recognizes and honors a living marketing educator for distinguished service and outstanding contributions in the field of marketing education. Dr. Churchill was also awarded the Academy of Marketing Science's lifetime achievement award in 1993 for his significant scholarly contributions. In 1996, he received a Paul D. Converse Award, which is given to the most influential marketing scholars, as judged by a national jury drawn from universities, businesses, and government. Also in 1996, the Marketing Research Group of the American Marketing Association established the Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to marketing research. Dr. Churchill is a past recipient of the yearly William O'Dell Award for an outstanding article in the Journal of Marketing Research and has been a finalist for the award five additional times. He is a co-author of the most and third-most influential articles of the past century in sales management, as judged by a panel of experts in the field. His articles have appeared in such publications as the Journal of Marketing Research; Journal of Marketing; Journal of Consumer Research; Journal of Retailing; Journal of Business Research; Decision Sciences; Technometrics; and Organizational Behavior and Human Performance.