Book Reviews

72 Australasian Marketing Journal 10 (2), 2002

One of the most important issues in marketing is thecollection and analysis of market- related information,and the ability to use and to interpret it. The secondedition of Marketing Research: An Applied Orientationclaims to provide the knowledge and skills for doing so.It follows on from the success of initial editions in theUnited States and the related international and Spanishtranslations. Examples from Australia, New Zealand andAsia in this book allow readers to put theoreticalperspectives into tangible local situations, thus increas-ing interest and understanding.

Content

The book is organized into seven parts with a total oftwenty chapters. Considering this, the opening statementthat the organization of the book is according to aconceptualisation of the marketing research process as asix-step framework, somewhat confuses the reader.However, the initial confusion quickly gives way to afull understanding when the framework is explained inChapter 1 and the progression through the steps is high-lighted on the framework at the commencement of eachof the following chapters 2 - 20. This step-by-stepconsideration of the marketing research process makesperfect sense and favourably distinguishes this bookfrom a number of similar publications that start belated-ly with the research design and conclude prematurelyafter the data preparation and analysis step.

Part 1 of this book contains four chapters. They cover thefirst three steps in the marketing research process byproviding an introduction to the topic, defining themarketing research problem, developing an approach(including the specification of research objectives), anddiscussing issues of research design and researchproposal.

The following Parts 2, 3 and 4 then expand on the thirdstep in the framework: the formulation of the researchdesign. Corresponding chapters 5 - 10 describe research

methodologies extensively. Exploratory, qualitative andquantitative research methods are being addressed indetail with thorough discussions of respective advan-tages and disadvantages. Not only are types of informa-tion presented that are commonly collected in marketingresearch but additionally the appropriate scales forobtaining them are covered in the individual chapters.Anyone involved in designing questionnaires will appre-ciate corresponding guidelines that the book provides aswell as discussions of procedures, techniques and statis-tical considerations involved in sampling.

Covering data collection and data preparation issues,Part 5 corresponds to the fourth step in the marketingresearch process. The authors present a discussion offieldwork and the preparation of data ready for analysis.

Actual data analysis, the fifth step, is covered in Part 6.Seven chapters introduce and discuss basic and advancedtechniques in detail, including frequency distributions,cross- tabulations, hypotheses testing, analysis of vari-ance, regression analysis, discriminant analysis, factoranalysis, cluster analysis, multi-dimensional scaling andconjoint analysis. Emphasis is placed on a thoroughexplanation of procedures, interpretation of results andmanagerial implications, although with little attentiongiven to alternative statistical approaches.

Part 7 deals with communicating the research project,constituting the sixth and final step in each marketingresearch process. Details and issues of report preparationand oral presentation are presented in the correspondingsingle chapter.

Changes from the First Edition

The strengths of this book remain its depth and breadthof coverage of the marketing research process. A distinctimprovement compared to the first edition is that chap-ters have been reorganized and now provide an enhancedstructure corresponding to the marketing research

Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation

2nd Edition, Pearson Education, Australia

Naresh Malhotra, John Hall, Mike Shaw and Peter Oppenheim (2002)

process. Accordingly, Chapter 1, introduction to market-ing research, has been expanded.

Chapter 5, secondary data methods, has been supple-mented by an extensive section on electronic andInternet research, now including coverage of “hot”issues like scanner data, computerized databases and theWorld Wide Web as an on-line source of secondary data.

Completely rewritten and also expanded, Chapter 6,qualitative research methods, in its updated form nowprovides a good coverage of related techniques andapplications addressing focus groups, in-depth inter-views, projective techniques and the analysis of qualita-tive data. Although not as extensive as the seven chapterson quantitative research, it now reflects the widespreadand varied use of qualitative research. Few marketingresearch texts give adequate coverage to observation as aresearch technique. This chapter provides a rationale forusing qualitative research, and lays out the procedures bywhich observational data can be systematically andobjectively collected.

Upgrading the first edition’s one-colour printing to atwo-colour layout (black and red) added to the ease ofnavigation in the second edition. Numerous figures,tables, pictures, illustrations and examples help explainthe basic concepts. International and Internet exampleshave been added to most chapters making the book moreappealing to a broader audience. The applicability of thebook has been improved by inclusion of SPSS outputexamples along with guidelines on how to run SPSS inorder to execute all statistical procedures. AlthoughSPSS is clearly the software application preferred by theauthors, marketing research data analysis procedures areillustrated along with other popular programs like SAS,BMDP, Minitab and Excel. The new edition also comeswith a CD that includes a SPSS student version and datasets for various comprehensive case studies covered inthe book. More and updated case studies are presented ina special section at the end of the book. Finally, a newCompanion website ha been set up (www.prenhall.com/malhotra_au).

Suitability for Target Audiences

The purpose of this book goes beyond a mere familiar-ization of readers with a variety of popular techniquesused in the collection and analysis of marketing research.It aims at developing an ability to collect, use and inter-pret marketing information. With the more balancedcoverage of both qualitative and quantitative techniques,the content is comprehensive, practical and up to date.

Among the beneficiaries of this book are researchsuppliers who will find the additional provision of exten-sive descriptions of research methodologies valuable.The “how-to” approach throughout the chapters certain-ly appeals to marketing research practitioners and theabundance of examples makes it easy to transfer theprocedures to a particular task at hand. Moreover, theways in which managers use marketing research findingsto improve decisions are continually emphasizedthroughout the text. The inclusion of additional toolssuch as the research brief outline and the researchproposal outline emphasizes the business and manageri-al orientation. Nevertheless, a familiarity with basicmarketing concepts (e.g. positioning, loyalty, advertisingeffects) is desirable for using the book effectively. Asufficient number of indices and glossary terms at theend of the edition also make for easy use of the text as areference book.

There is no doubt, that in addition to its value to market-ing research practitioners, the book should be recom-mended for adoption as a textbook at both the under-graduate and postgraduate level. The depth and breadthof topics encompass both levels. The support packageaccompanying the text is impressive, including a Website, an Instructor’s Manual, PowerPoint slides, exercis-es in marketing research, and a test bank. While the Website (www.pearsoned.com.au/cw/) contains PowerPointslides, the Instructor’s Manual - closely tied to the text -offers specific suggestions for teaching each chapter atthe undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition,answers to all end-of-chapter exercises as well as acomplete set of solutions to all cases are provided. Thecompanion SPSS-CD-ROM contains a student versionfor SPSS 10.0, data files for selected case studies andtwo corresponding questionnaires. Structured by chapter,the test bank holds multiple response, true / false, anddefinitional questions as an input for designing exams orquizzes.

All the commonly used univariate and multivariate dataanalysis techniques are discussed extensively yet simply,making the book suitable not only for use in courses onmarketing research but also in courses on research meth-ods and marketing data analysis. I particularly liked theway in which statistics associated with various analyses(i.e. ANOVA, regression, discriminant, factor, cluster,conjoint analysis and MDS) are introduced at the veryend of each data analysis chapter; these give a compre-hensive overview and students can easily refer to thedefinitions. As appears to be almost mandatory for text-

Book Reviews

Australasian Marketing Journal 10 (2), 2002 73

books with a U.S. American background, the publicationcould serve as a role model for a didactically valuablestructuring of the content: Each chapter unfolds accord-ing to the following sequence: objectives - overview -basic concept - specifics - summary - key terms andconcepts - acronyms - exercises - internet and computerexercises - notes. Considering the layout, the newlyintroduced second (red) colour is used sparingly foremphasis, highlighting (e.g. headlines), figure compo-nents, and World Wide Web sections. This adds to a crispand visually appealing layout. A problem of generalnature, that is not restricted to this book, is that URLslisted under “Internet and computer exercises” do notstay current (e.g. www.depaul.edu/ethics).

Coverage of Research Objects

The new edition has been revised and upgraded withnumerous real life examples offering instructors,students and research suppliers a very good coverage ofobjects and regions. Although with a geographical focuson the larger Asia-Pacific region, the range of interna-tional examples extends beyond Australia and NewZealand, covering cases from China, Japan, SaudiArabia, Brazil, the U.S. and other countries around theworld. Accordingly, cultural differences and their impli-cations for different stages in the marketing researchprocess are repeatedly emphasized, a refreshing widerperspective when compared with U.S.-only textbooksthat sometimes seem to neglect the fact that there is aworld outside the national borders. The range of objectscovered by the “Australasian” edition contains the fullspectrum of products and services that one mayencounter when conducting marketing research: fromconsumer goods, to financial services, to tourism andhospitality marketing, to agricultural products, togovernmental and non- profit marketing challenges.

Summary

Based on an original American text that is itself a valu-able contribution to any marketing research subject, this“Australasian” perspective is a much improved andhighly recommended edition. It draws on the strengths ofthe original and the authors seamlessly integrate materi-al to reflect marketing research practice in the largerAsia-Pacific region. The regionalisation of the text isvery well accomplished. The book achieves a compre-hensive introduction to marketing research with abalanced coverage of both quantitative and qualitativetechniques. Several significant changes have been madeto make it more relevant to an audience in Australia,New Zealand, and Asia. This includes the addition ofnew practitioners’ perspectives, examples, figures, tech-nology updates, electronic and Internet marketing notes,and a revised and expanded chapter on qualitativeresearch. Combining both easy reading with consider-able depth of coverage, this is an excellent textbook forboth undergraduate and postgraduate students, providingthem with examples of current practice. Beyond itsusefulness for students of modern marketing research,the text is also a valuable resource for managers who areeither commissioning research or disseminating andoperationalising its results.

However, the updates and additions come at a price.Counting over eight hundred pages, the book placesitself among the heavyweight publications. Despite therecommended retail price of $89.95 AUS, the book is ahighly recommended buy providing much more than just“an applied orientation”.

Ulrich R. OrthProfessor of Agribusiness MarketingOregon State University

Book Reviews

74 Australasian Marketing Journal 10 (2), 2002