W. Bruce Wrenn

Marketing research is the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information to improve decision making related to identifying and solving problems in marketing.

A well-defined research problem is the foundation of all successful marketing research projects.

Secondary data should always be considered before embarking on the collection of primary data.

The design of a questionnaire requires careful attention to the wording, sequence, and layout of questions.

Sampling is the process of selecting units from a population of interest so that by studying the sample we may generalize our results back to the population.

Reliability and validity are critical to the integrity of the data collected in any marketing research project.

Ethical considerations must guide every aspect of the marketing research process.

Focus groups can uncover rich insights that may not emerge from quantitative research methods.

Observation can reveal behaviors that respondents are unwilling or unable to articulate.

The key to effective data analysis is selecting the proper statistical techniques for the research objectives.

Marketing researchers must communicate findings clearly and concisely to decision makers.

Cross-tabulation is a simple yet powerful analytic tool in marketing research.