Having said this, we realize that marketing research is a complex subject and therefore has to be introduced to the student one compartment at a time before the entire train can be visualized. We also realize the danger in this approach. The student can be overly excited or, even worse, overwhelmed by the individual units so that he or she fails to see the proverbial "big picture"--the overarching framework, the subtle but essential interactions among units, and the ultimate purpose, namely, how marketing research can help organizations achieve their goals. Hence, this text takes a "macro-micro-macro" approach toward communicating the intricacies of marketing research and its usefulness to the marketing organization. The text consists of five parts. Parts I and V deal with the "macro" aspects of marketing research; Parts II, III, and IV deal with the micro aspects.

The strengths of the previous edition have been maintained in this revised edition. The structure of the discussion is similar to that of the previous edition. Topics of less interest and relevance to the practice of marketing and marketing research have been eliminated. New topics have been added to position this book as the necessary tool for successfully marching into the next millennium.

One of the most exciting of these new tools is the Internet. The Internet is a multimedia playground for data intensive tasks and, fortunately, marketing research is blessed with, and benefits from, the advances in this technological wonder. The computer revolution has increased the power of marketing research with respect to sophisticated data-collecting and decision-making opportunities. Together, these advances have taken marketing research to the forefront of business strategies that involve trying to win customers' share of purchases.

We begin with a macro-level treatment of what marketing research is, where it fits within an organization, and how it helps in managerial decision making. Here, we also discuss the marketing research industry, with a brief treatment of both suppliers and users.

The body of the text takes a micro-level approach, detailing each and every step of the marketing research process. In describing the marketing research process, a decision-oriented perspective has been adopted to help students, who are future managers and researchers, make better decisions. Detailed discussions of the process, with numerous examples from the industry, characterize this micro phase.

Finally, we wrap up with a macro-level treatment of the applications of marketing research. Here we address the traditional 4P research, as well as contemporary issues such as brand equity, customer satisfaction research, and emerging issues that continue to fascinate marketers, such as direct marketing, database marketing, and relationship marketing.

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2. Relevant and recent examples and citations that provide the state-of-the-art description of the marketing research process and the industry have been included.

3. A new chapter on marketing research on the Internet links the reader with the world of marketing research to keep abreast with emerging trends and changes in the marketplace.

4. A chapter on emerging applications of marketing research has been added. Here the focus is on database marketing and relationship marketing. Database marketing is on the verge of being the most important tool for businesses facing the challenges at the dawn of the twenty-first century. As firms shift their resources more toward targeted marketing, the discussion in this chapter will become even more valuable.

5. Coverage of the international element of marketing research has been expanded. Particularly, an effort has been made to provide a clear distinction between domestic and international marketing research processes and to prepare the users of this text to face the challenges of multicountry research.

6. The chapters on data analysis have been made more rigorous while retaining the clear exposition of the earlier editions. Individual topics in data analysis have been revised to add clarity to the discussion.

7. The section on applications of marketing research has been revised and updated. This section includes a chapter on the traditional 4P applications, a chapter on more recent developments such as competitive advantage, brand equity, total quality management, customer satisfaction, and a chapter on emerging issues such as direct marketing, database marketing, and relationship marketing.

8. New cases and problems have been added to provide the most current material; additional end-of-chapter questions and problems have been added in some chapters.

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2. To illustrate the usefulness of the Internet and other advances in technology for marketing research tasks.

3. To emphasize the current developments in marketing research, such as the distinction between domestic and international market research.

4. To use clear and current examples, applications, and illustrations throughout the book, in an effort to tie the material to the real world and thus provide interest and better understanding to the student.

5. To discuss one of the fastest-growing applications of marketing research--direct marketing and database marketing research, and its impact on businesses.

6. To provide a clear and comprehensive treatment of modern data analysis topics. Each chapter includes simple numerical examples to help students get a hands-on feel for the material.

7. To provide thorough coverage of the most advanced and current marketing research methodologies, pointing out their limitations, as well as their potential for enhancing research results.

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PART I: Nature and Scope of Marketing Research

Chapter 1
A Decision-Making Perspective on Marketing Research

Chapter 2
Marketing Research in Practice

Chapter 3
The Marketing Research Process

Chapter 4
Research Design and Implementation

PART II: Data Collection

Chapter 5
Secondary Sources of Marketing Data

Chapter 6
Standardized Sources of Marketing Data

Chapter 7
Marketing Research on the Internet

Chapter 8
Information Collection: Qualitative and Observational Methods

Chapter 9
Information from Respondents: Issues in Data Collection

Chapter 10
Information from Respondents: Survey Methods

Chapter 11
Attitude Measurement

Chapter 12
Designing the Questionnaire

Chapter 13
Experimentation

Chapter 14
Sampling Fundamentals

Chapter 15
Sample Size and Statistical Theory

PART III: Data Analysis

Chapter 16
Fundamentals of Data Analysis

Chapter 17
Hypothesis Testing: Basic Concepts and Tests of Associations

Chapter 18
Hypothesis Testing: Means and Proportions

PART IV: Special Topics in Data Analysis

Chapter 19
Correlation Analysis and Regression Analysis

Chapter 20
Discriminant and Canonical Analysis

Chapter 21
Factor and Cluster Analysis

Chapter 22
Multidimensional Scaling and Conjoint Analysis

Chapter 23
Presenting the Results

PART V: Applications

Chapter 24
Traditional Applications of Marketing Research: Product Price, Distribution, and Promotion

Chapter 25
Contemporary Applications of Marketing Research

Chapter 26
Emerging Applications of Marketing Research: Database Marketing and Relationship Marketing

Appendix: Forecasting Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods

Appendix: Tables
Standard Normal Probabilities
x2 Critical Points
F Critical Points
t Critical Points

Glossary

Index

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