Research Methodologies: Marketing Resources

Marketing Research for Small Business: An Efficient and Effective Functional Approach is as the title suggests, a work focused on providing small to medium sized firms with the tools and techniques needed to successfully undergo a marketing research campaign. Special consideration is made for firms with limited budgets and knowledge of appropriate research techniques. Two of the most common comments made regarding marketing research for small firms are: 1) It is too expensive and 2) it is too complicated. The authors work hard at setting straight these two chief concerns. Good marketing research can uncover substantial insight into your customer, competitor, market and potential new business opportunities. This book is primarily broken into three parts, with the first part focusing on the setup. Specifically, the content is directed at how research benefits the firm, how the research agenda is setup, and how firms can look at existing data first to answer some of their key questions. The second part looks at collecting information, either existing or new, making sure that everything you want to know is made possible. And lastly, we explain very simply how to analyze the information and turn it into usable knowledge. It is interesting sometimes when speaking with small business owners who are struggling to grow their business. They often do not really know their customer or business well for that matter. Normally, the typical entrepreneur has an idea, possibly affirms it with a few friends, and then runs with it. This is a disastrous formula with a high percentage chance of failure. It goes along with the old saying: “It is much better to build on rock than sand.” This simply means that preparation through knowledge gathering, preferably early in the process, is the key to success. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Summary: This book offers an easily accessible and comprehensive guide to the entire market research process, from asking market research questions to collecting and analyzing data by means of quantitative methods. It is intended for all readers who wish to know more about the market research process, data management, and the most commonly used methods in market research. The book helps readers perform analyses, interpret the results, and make sound statistical decisions using IBM SPSS Statistics. Hypothesis tests, ANOVA, regression analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis, as well as essential descriptive statistics, are covered in detail. Highly engaging and hands-on, the book includes many practical examples, tips, and suggestions that help readers apply and interpret the data analysis methods discussed. The new edition uses IBM SPSS version 25 and offers the following new features: A single case and dataset used throughout the book to facilitate learning New material on survey design and all data analysis methods to reflect the latest advances concerning each topic Improved use of educational elements, such as learning objectives, keywords, self-assessment tests, case studies, and much more A glossary that includes definitions of all the keywords and other descriptions of selected topics Links to additional material and videos via the Springer Multimedia App.

Discusses the role of research in business and describes interviewing methods, resource tools, and techniques for solving specific marketing problems.

Summary: This book brings together the state of the art and current debates in the field of formative research, and examines many of the innovative methods largely overlooked in the available literature. Further, it extends the use of formative research methods in social marketing beyond surveys and focus groups. The book addresses the needs of social marketing academics and practitioners alike by providing a robust and critical academic discussion of cutting-edge research methods, while demonstrating at the same time how each respective method can help us arrive at a deeper understanding of the issues that social marketing interventions are seeking to remedy. Each chapter includes a scholarly discussion of an innovative research method, a short case study showing that method in use, a list of relevant internet resources, and four to six key readings for those interested in extending their understanding of the method.

Summary: Social Marketing Research for Global Public Health offers proven guidelines for crafting campaigns that work in public health. It equips readers with tools pioneered by corporate marketers to increase the efficacy of public health interventions in any setting. It also provides practical advice to practitioners seeking to assess their interventions, along with examples for effective outreach to promote smoking cessation, financial literacy, and other social goods.