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Marketing research: A short course for professionals
Peter I. LaPlaca. Ph.D.
BOOK REVIEWS
Schoner, Bertram, and Uhl, Kenneth P., Marketing Research: A Short Course for Professionals, John Wiley and Co., New York.
This book is part of the Wiley Professional Development Program series. It is based in part on the textbook Marketing Research: Information Systems and Decision Making, Wiley, 1975, second edition, by the same authors. However, there are substantial differences because the target market of this book is the professional rather than the student. Moreover, it comes in a box which contains thirteen booklets, one per chapter. The main features of the book are expressed as follows in the Introduction: The leaming text is divided into brief segments which are reinforced by a wide variety of application activities, case planning studies, summaries, check
drills, problem-solving exercises, lists, and similar learning devices. Each section begins with a set of objectives and ends with a progress test which you grade yourself. A final comprehensive examination is also self-scored. Special attention is devoted throughout the course to the development of your intuitive and judgmental abilities.
The titles of the thirteen booklets which comprise book are: 1. Decisions, Systems and Information 2. Models and Model Building Systems 3. Marketing Information 4. Organizing for Marketing Information Decision Making 5. Marketing Information: 6. Internal Sales and Cost Information 7. External Information 8. Securing Information Design 9. Sampling and Experimental 10. Decision Making Under Certainty 282
the
Book Review Editor University of Connecticut School of Business Admtiabor
Storrs, Connecticut 06268
11. Regression and Correlation Analysis 12. Measuring and Using Potential 13. Forecasting Marketing Information Chapters 1 through 4 are concerned with Decision Making, Models, Marketing Research Procedures, MIS (Marketing Information Systems) and the different ways a firm can be organized to handle marketing information. The material on MIS is well written and well organized. There is more on the matter than in most marketing research textbooks, since not only Chapter 3 but also parts of Chapter 1, much of Chapter 4, and some of the following chapters on information deal with MIS. This seems appropriate given the target market. Chapter 2 is entitled “Models and Model Building”; however, only the first six pages are about models and model building with the remaining concerned with marketing research procedures, namely the steps followed by a researcher involved in a marketing research project. Chapters 5 through 8 deal with Marketing Information. Chapter 5 is a well-written introduction to the different kinds of marketing information and their sources in the market place. Chapter 6 is concerned with internal information and Chapter 7 with external secondary information, including commercial information. Chapter 8 is the only chapter on primary information. This may be sufficient given the target market, provided all major topics on the matter are covered. However, this may not be so. For instance, there are only three pages on attitude and very little on attitude measurement, such as the various scaling techniques commonly used in primary data collection. Chapter 9 is the only chapter on sampling and experimental design. The few pages at the end of the chapter on sampling procedures and experimentation present only cursory aspects of these topics. The first part of the chapter deals with confidence intervals and sample size,
after a review of some basic notions of probability. This is not as well done as it could be. But then this is true of most marketing research textbooks. For instance, confidence intervals and sample size are discussed only in the context of proportions. This seems to be because the authors are concerned only with the measurement of attributes (not variables), and they define an attribute as “some characteristic by which each sampling unit may be classified in two (or more) categories.” However, there are characteristics that are interval or ratio scaled instead of nominal, such as consumption, income, sales, profit. Even attitude measures are often assumed to be intervally scaled. Hence, confidence intervals and sample sizes sometimes need to be computed on an interval or ratio scaled variable. Chapters 10 and 11 are the only two Data Analysis chapters. Chapter 10 should be entitled “Decision Making Under Uncertainty ’ ’ instead of “Decision Making Under Certainty. ’ ’ The first half of the chapter is on hypothesis testing, the last half on Bayesian analysis. Hypothesis testing (like confidence interval and sample size) is discussed only in the context of proportions. With Chapter 11 concerned with regression and correlation analyses, we move from proportions (i.e., nominal scaled variables) to interval or ratio scaled variables. More importantly, cross-tabulations (and Chi-Square) are left under the rug. This may be the most serious omission of this book since so many marketing research results are presented to professionals in cross-tabulation form (more so than in regression or correlation form). One way to define a cross-tabulation is to say that it is a measure of the association between two nominal scaled variables (while a correlation is a measure of association between two interval or ratio scaled variables). Finally, Chapters 12 and 13 deal with two topics of major importance to professionals, namely the measurement of market potential and forecasting. It seems quite fitting to have these two chapters in this book given the target market. They are both well written and organized. In summary, the content of the book is appropriate given the intended audience. Compared to a typical marketing research textbook, there is more in MIS and marketing data and less on sampling, experimentation and data analysis. Moreover, it is for the most part well written and organized (e.g., the chapters on MIS, marketing information, market potential and forecasting). The sampling and data analysis chapters could be improved, though; but these are minor parts of the book. Finally, the case studies, planning drills, exercises and other learning devices (which are found throughout the
book) add to the whole package useful to the reader.
which should prove
Philippe Cattin Assistant Professor of Marketing University of Connecticut l
Leroy, Georges, Multinational Product Strategy, Praeger, New York, 220 pp.
The goal of this book is to define and classify altemative multinational strategies open to multinational companies (MNCs). Strategy is viewed as a pattern in a stream of significant decisions rather than as a systematic development emanating from building an integrated plan of future action. The concept of the stream of decisions permits the study of a strategy as resulting, even after the fact, from the decision-maker’s behavior. The unit of analysis is the product. The framework covers product innovation and diffusion with the location of innovation being termed the product development dimension. The sequence of production and market entries into various countries forms the diffusion process. This process is studied over the life of the product. In comparison, the classic view of international growth is based only on the relative locations of production and markets and thus on the diffusion process. Innovation is considered as related specifically to a product technology, and refers to where knowhow was developed and not to basic research. Other strengths specific to the firm, such as management policies and organizational structures, which make the firm competitive are excluded on the grounds of being extremely difficult to measure. In a two-country model, given that innovation occurs in the home country, there are four basic states in which a firm can find itself: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Home market, Home production Home market, Host production Host market, Home production Host market, Host production
Further, when innovation occurs in the host country, there are four corresponding basic states. MNC growth strategy alternatives consist of the many feasible sets emerging from moving from one basic state to others. The study maps the actual strategy of five manufactur283
BOOK REVIEWS
Schoner, Bertram, and Uhl, Kenneth P., Marketing Research: A Short Course for Professionals, John Wiley and Co., New York.
This book is part of the Wiley Professional Development Program series. It is based in part on the textbook Marketing Research: Information Systems and Decision Making, Wiley, 1975, second edition, by the same authors. However, there are substantial differences because the target market of this book is the professional rather than the student. Moreover, it comes in a box which contains thirteen booklets, one per chapter. The main features of the book are expressed as follows in the Introduction: The leaming text is divided into brief segments which are reinforced by a wide variety of application activities, case planning studies, summaries, check
drills, problem-solving exercises, lists, and similar learning devices. Each section begins with a set of objectives and ends with a progress test which you grade yourself. A final comprehensive examination is also self-scored. Special attention is devoted throughout the course to the development of your intuitive and judgmental abilities.
The titles of the thirteen booklets which comprise book are: 1. Decisions, Systems and Information 2. Models and Model Building Systems 3. Marketing Information 4. Organizing for Marketing Information Decision Making 5. Marketing Information: 6. Internal Sales and Cost Information 7. External Information 8. Securing Information Design 9. Sampling and Experimental 10. Decision Making Under Certainty 282
the
Book Review Editor University of Connecticut School of Business Admtiabor
Storrs, Connecticut 06268
11. Regression and Correlation Analysis 12. Measuring and Using Potential 13. Forecasting Marketing Information Chapters 1 through 4 are concerned with Decision Making, Models, Marketing Research Procedures, MIS (Marketing Information Systems) and the different ways a firm can be organized to handle marketing information. The material on MIS is well written and well organized. There is more on the matter than in most marketing research textbooks, since not only Chapter 3 but also parts of Chapter 1, much of Chapter 4, and some of the following chapters on information deal with MIS. This seems appropriate given the target market. Chapter 2 is entitled “Models and Model Building”; however, only the first six pages are about models and model building with the remaining concerned with marketing research procedures, namely the steps followed by a researcher involved in a marketing research project. Chapters 5 through 8 deal with Marketing Information. Chapter 5 is a well-written introduction to the different kinds of marketing information and their sources in the market place. Chapter 6 is concerned with internal information and Chapter 7 with external secondary information, including commercial information. Chapter 8 is the only chapter on primary information. This may be sufficient given the target market, provided all major topics on the matter are covered. However, this may not be so. For instance, there are only three pages on attitude and very little on attitude measurement, such as the various scaling techniques commonly used in primary data collection. Chapter 9 is the only chapter on sampling and experimental design. The few pages at the end of the chapter on sampling procedures and experimentation present only cursory aspects of these topics. The first part of the chapter deals with confidence intervals and sample size,
after a review of some basic notions of probability. This is not as well done as it could be. But then this is true of most marketing research textbooks. For instance, confidence intervals and sample size are discussed only in the context of proportions. This seems to be because the authors are concerned only with the measurement of attributes (not variables), and they define an attribute as “some characteristic by which each sampling unit may be classified in two (or more) categories.” However, there are characteristics that are interval or ratio scaled instead of nominal, such as consumption, income, sales, profit. Even attitude measures are often assumed to be intervally scaled. Hence, confidence intervals and sample sizes sometimes need to be computed on an interval or ratio scaled variable. Chapters 10 and 11 are the only two Data Analysis chapters. Chapter 10 should be entitled “Decision Making Under Uncertainty ’ ’ instead of “Decision Making Under Certainty. ’ ’ The first half of the chapter is on hypothesis testing, the last half on Bayesian analysis. Hypothesis testing (like confidence interval and sample size) is discussed only in the context of proportions. With Chapter 11 concerned with regression and correlation analyses, we move from proportions (i.e., nominal scaled variables) to interval or ratio scaled variables. More importantly, cross-tabulations (and Chi-Square) are left under the rug. This may be the most serious omission of this book since so many marketing research results are presented to professionals in cross-tabulation form (more so than in regression or correlation form). One way to define a cross-tabulation is to say that it is a measure of the association between two nominal scaled variables (while a correlation is a measure of association between two interval or ratio scaled variables). Finally, Chapters 12 and 13 deal with two topics of major importance to professionals, namely the measurement of market potential and forecasting. It seems quite fitting to have these two chapters in this book given the target market. They are both well written and organized. In summary, the content of the book is appropriate given the intended audience. Compared to a typical marketing research textbook, there is more in MIS and marketing data and less on sampling, experimentation and data analysis. Moreover, it is for the most part well written and organized (e.g., the chapters on MIS, marketing information, market potential and forecasting). The sampling and data analysis chapters could be improved, though; but these are minor parts of the book. Finally, the case studies, planning drills, exercises and other learning devices (which are found throughout the
book) add to the whole package useful to the reader.
which should prove
Philippe Cattin Assistant Professor of Marketing University of Connecticut l
Leroy, Georges, Multinational Product Strategy, Praeger, New York, 220 pp.
The goal of this book is to define and classify altemative multinational strategies open to multinational companies (MNCs). Strategy is viewed as a pattern in a stream of significant decisions rather than as a systematic development emanating from building an integrated plan of future action. The concept of the stream of decisions permits the study of a strategy as resulting, even after the fact, from the decision-maker’s behavior. The unit of analysis is the product. The framework covers product innovation and diffusion with the location of innovation being termed the product development dimension. The sequence of production and market entries into various countries forms the diffusion process. This process is studied over the life of the product. In comparison, the classic view of international growth is based only on the relative locations of production and markets and thus on the diffusion process. Innovation is considered as related specifically to a product technology, and refers to where knowhow was developed and not to basic research. Other strengths specific to the firm, such as management policies and organizational structures, which make the firm competitive are excluded on the grounds of being extremely difficult to measure. In a two-country model, given that innovation occurs in the home country, there are four basic states in which a firm can find itself: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Home market, Home production Home market, Host production Host market, Home production Host market, Host production
Further, when innovation occurs in the host country, there are four corresponding basic states. MNC growth strategy alternatives consist of the many feasible sets emerging from moving from one basic state to others. The study maps the actual strategy of five manufactur283