This undergraduate textbook is an introductory guide to the fundamental principles of marketing research, with special emphasis placed on the use of statistical tools, which are presented in an intuitive and practical way.

The educational character of the book is enhanced by several features. First of all, the SPSS Student Version 13.0 software accompanies the textbook. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of SPSS output, and this is achieved by annotated SPSS menus and output from screen captures, useful for understanding the statistical methods. All examples of analyses use an integrated case with an SPSS dataset, available from a Web site. Active learning exercises are provided in each chapter; there are also many examples drawn from industry, as well as examples referring to international marketing research. Other learning aids include comments in the margins highlighting important points and review questions and applications at the end of each chapter. Online material (datasets, slides, and so on), which is downloadable after registration, will be a help to both teachers and students.

The content of the book is organized into 20 chapters, each with specific learning objectives. Chapter 1 is an extensive discussion of various fundamental aspects of marketing research, including its use and purpose, the classification of marketing research studies, and marketing information systems. This chapter also introduces some hot topics in marketing research. Chapter 2 presents marketing research as an 11-step process, and provides summaries of each step. The purpose of this presentation is to provide the student with a framework for the case studies in order to understand when marketing research is really needed and to identify the most important steps. Chapter 3 deals with the marketing research industry, its history, the classification of marketing research firms, various ethical issues, and career requirements.

Chapter 4 describes the first three steps of the marketing research process: establish the need for marketing research, define the problem, and establish research objectives. Chapter 5 treats the fourth step--determining research design. Various designs are discussed, and the first statistical notions regarding dependent and independent variables and experimental designs are explained. Chapters 6 and 7 cover the fifth step: identifying information types and sources. The main topics covered include using secondary data, searching online information databases, and standardized information sources. Chapter 8 covers step 6: determining methods of accessing data. The topics covered include the differences between quantitative and qualitative research techniques, observation as a means for gathering data, focus groups, and various qualitative research techniques. Chapter 9 discusses methods of collecting survey data. The types of interviews are introduced, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Factors for choosing the appropriate method are also presented.

Chapter 10 is devoted to measurements. The main topics discussed are the format of the questions and the responses, scales of measurements, and the notions of reliability and validity of the designed questions. Chapter 11 deals with the seventh step, and describes designing a questionnaire as a process with specific steps, guidelines for organization, and coding. Special emphasis is placed on the computer-assisted questionnaire design. Chapters 12 and 13 are concerned with step 8: determining a sample plan and size. Notions about sampling designs and methods are described in detail, and the problem of determining the appropriate size of a sample for accurate results is handled using confidence intervals for the computations. Chapter 14 goes into the ninth step, which has to do with collecting data. Special emphasis is given to various types of errors and their minimization. Questionnaire-screening procedures are also discussed. Chapters 15 to 19 constitute an account of basic statistical tools for the tenth step, which is the data analysis. These tools are presented under a framework including the following types of statistical analysis in marketing research: descriptive statistics, testing of hypotheses about percents and means, testing differences between groups, exploring associations among variables, and statistical modeling by regression analysis. Chapter 20 covers step 11, and shows how to prepare and present the final marketing research report. Guidelines are provided regarding the appropriate material that should be included, the writing of the report using tables and figures, and the oral presentation.

In conclusion, the book is an easy and interesting read, and does not require any advanced theoretical background. In general, it is very well organized in chapters that follow the presentation of marketing research as a step-by-step process. One of its advantages is the discussion of several ethical problems raised when applying the methods described. Since emphasis is placed on decision making, it is suitable for management students. It is therefore recommended for both teachers and students involved in marketing research studies.