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The Market Research Toolbox
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The Market Research Toolbox
A Concise Guide for Beginners

Fourth Edition
April 2015 | 400 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Understanding marketing research to make better business decisions

 

An ideal resource for busy managers and professionals seeking to build and expand their marketing research skills, The Market Research Toolbox, Fourth Edition describes how to use market research to make strategic business decisions. This comprehensive collection of essential market research techniques, skills, and applications helps readers solve real-world business problems in a dynamic and rapidly changing business atmosphere. Based on real-world experiences, author Edward F. McQuarrie gives special attention to business-to-business markets, technology products, Big Data, and other web-enabled approaches. Readers with limited time or resources can easily translate the approaches from mass markets, simple products, and stable technologies to their own situations. Readers will master background context and the questions to ask before conducting research, as well as develop strategies for sorting through the extensive specialized material on market research.



 
Preface
Plan of the Book

 
Who Should Read This Book?

 
A Note on Pedagogy

 
Acknowledgments

 
 
PART I: Introduction
 
1. Nature and Characteristics of Market Research
How Many Kinds of Market Research?

 
Research Techniques

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
2. Planning for Market Research
From Decision Problem to Information Gap

 
Types of Decision Problems: The Decision Cycle

 
Matching Tools to Decisions

 
Effective Application of Research Tools

 
Summary

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
Appendix 2A: Financial Planning for Market Research

 
 
PART II: Archival Research
 
3. Secondary Research
Procedure

 
Examples

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
Appendix 3A: Search Techniques for Gathering Market Information

 
Summary: Search Strategy for Secondary Research

 
 
4. Big Data
Before Big Data

 
Procedure

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
PART III: Qualitative Research
 
5. Customer Visits
Programmatic Customer Visits for Market Research

 
Examples of Visit Programs

 
Hybrid and Ad Hoc Examples

 
Cost

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Future Directions

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
6. The Focus Group
Applications

 
Comparison to Customer Visits

 
Procedure

 
Cost Factors

 
Examples

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
7. Interview Design
Style of Questioning

 
Procedure for Question Selection

 
Some Good (and Bad) Questions

 
Good (and Bad) Interviewer Behaviors

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
8. Qualitative Sampling and Data Analysis
Why Sampling?

 
Projection from N = 1

 
Projections From Qualitative Samples of N is less than or equal to 32

 
Binomial Inferences

 
Multinomial Inferences

 
Measures of Association

 
Summary: Rules of Thumb

 
Implementing Qualitative Samples

 
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Sampling—An Integration

 
Qualitative Data Analysis

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
PART IV: Quantitative Research
 
9. Survey Research
Procedure

 
Conducting the Survey Yourself

 
Cost Factors

 
Applications

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
10. Questionnaire Design
Procedure

 
Generating Content for Questionnaires

 
Best Practices and Rules to Observe

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 11: Experimentation
Example 1: Crafting Direct Marketing Appeals

 
Commentary on Direct Marketing Example

 
Example 2: Selecting the Optimal Price

 
Commentary on Pricing Example

 
Example 3: Concept Testing—Selecting a Product Design

 
Commentary on Product Design Example

 
Example 4: A-B Tests for Website Design

 
Commentary on the A-B Test Example

 
General Discussion

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
12. Conjoint Analysis
Designing a Conjoint Analysis Study

 
Future Directions

 
Strengths and Weaknesses

 
Choosing Among Options for Experimentation

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
13. Sampling for Quantitative Research
Types of Samples

 
The Terrible Beauty of Probability Samples

 
How to Draw a Probability Sample

 
Estimating the Required Sample Size

 
Formula for Computing Sample Size

 
Estimating the Variance for a Proportion

 
Estimating the Variance for a Mean Value

 
Sampling Reminders and Caveats

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
14. Quantitative Data Analysis
Procedure

 
Types of Data Analysis in Market Research

 
Managerial Perspective on Data Analysis

 
Dos and Don’ts

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
PART V: The Big Picture
 
15. Combining Research Techniques Into Research Strategies
Developing New Products

 
Redesigning a Website

 
Assessing Customer Satisfaction

 
Segmenting a Market

 
Expanding Into New Markets

 
Repositioning a Brand

 
Developing an Advertising Campaign

 
Commentary

 
Discussion Questions

 
 
16. The Limits of Market Research
Identifying Boundary Conditions

 
Formulating Boundary Conditions

 
When Quantitative Market Research Can’t Be Done

 
What Qualitative Research Can Do

 
Summary and Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions

 
Suggested Readings

 
 
Index
 
About the Author

“Reading this book is like having a conversation with an experienced, knowledgeable practitioner of marketing and marketing research. The conversational style makes the book easy to read and conveys the information in a friendly, but important way.”

Ronald Goldsmith
Florida State University - Tallahassee

New edition addressed Big Data and a process for conducting marketing research in practice.

Dr Mark Peterson
Mgt. & Marketing Dept., University Of Wyoming
August 19, 2015
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An integrated approach which students seem to find easy to follow.

Dr Joseph Vella
Marketing , University of Malta
September 4, 2015
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This is a core text for any marketing student or researcher looking for ideas and justifications for their research design. It provides a thorough grounding in traditional and contemporary issues and uses an engaging style to hook the reader.

Mr Paul Matthews
Business Administration , University College Birmingham
February 5, 2015
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Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:  

  •  ?New case studies provide vivid examples of market research that can be applied to real-world situations, facilitating easier decision-making for managers.  
  • New discussion questions and exercises at the end of each chapter promote critical thinking by asking readers to reflect on and develop a deeper understanding of the content.
  • New suggested readings end each chapter and offer additional in-depth and specialized market research information to help readers go beyond introductory concepts and master specific issues.
  • New chapter on Big Data demonstrates for readers  how the availability of vast quantities of customer data opens up new opportunities to gain a strategic advantage.
  • New chapter on interview design introduces readers to the basics of question selection and also provides examples of good and bad questioning techniques.
  • Expanded coverage of qualitative sampling and data analysis provides readers with a deeper understanding of how to design and implement qualitative samples, as well as differentiating and integrating qualitative and quantitative sampling.  

KEY FEATURES:  

  • A practical approach emphasizes the benefits and risks offered by each research method, tips for success, advice on when and how to use certain techniques, and precautions to take while conducting market research
  • Directs readers to additional resources and provides guidance on where to go for help when executing specific projects
  • Up-to-date content shows readers how the web has changed elements of the practice of market research such as secondary and survey research 
  • Research strategies discusses how to combine individual market research techniques into a program of research
  • Concludes with a chapter on the limits of market research, identifying boundary conditions beyond which conducting market research may be neither possible nor pertinent

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 2

Chapter 7

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