Strategic Market Research: A Guide to Conducting Research that Drives Businesses [Paperback]

Anne Beall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2008

What determines whether market research makes a difference for an organization? The difference is the approach. Strategic market research is an approach that makes a large impact on the companies that use it. In Strategic Market Research, author Anne Beall shares her unique approach for conducting market research.With more than fifteen years experience of conducting market research, Beall details a set of strategic research principles she has developed. Strategic Market Research discusses:Identifying the strategic questions that will help a businessUsing the right research techniques to answer these questionsObtaining the level of depth required to have insightReading the nonverbal communications of research respondents when doing qualitative workIdentifying the emotional aspects of human behavior Using statistical analyses to understand what drives marketsGoing beyond the data to interpret the results and make strategic recommendationsIn addition to talking about qualitative as well as quantitative research, Strategic Market Research provides real-life examples of how these concepts have been applied in businesses and non-profit organizations. Implementing the strategic approach from the beginning to the end of a project provides information that inspires and changes organizations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Anne E. Beall is president of Beall Research & Training, Inc. and has held positions at The Boston Consulting Group and National Analysts. She specializes in conducting large-scale, complex strategic studies for Fortune 500 companies. Beall received her M.S., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in social psychology from Yale University

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (November 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059549627X
• ISBN-13: 978-0595496273
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, concise guide to make research meaningful, August 6, 2009

By 

Daniel P. Wallace (Naperville, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strategic Market Research: A Guide to Conducting Research that Drives Businesses (Paperback)

This is a terrific little book. I say little only because it is concise and won't bog you down with unnecessary detail. It gets right to the point, and the value it delivers is anything but small.

There are literally dozens of market research techniques. Dr. Beall does a great job of explaining, in clear, direct language, which ones to use when, and how to use them to generate the strongest, most useful insights possible. That, after all, is the point of market research.

I've seen many research studies that were commissioned by large, sophisticated companies and that obviously were very expensive, and yet produced no actionable insights. Reading this book is a great way to make sure that doesn't happen to you. I'm sure it will be valuable to research providers, but I think it will be most valuable to users of market research, especially those who are about to commission a study. If you're in that position, this book will help you be an active participant in the research design, and will help ensure that you actually get the decision-making information you're paying for.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible introduction to market research methods, October 13, 2009

By 

L. Molina "L. Molina" (Ma, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strategic Market Research: A Guide to Conducting Research that Drives Businesses (Paperback)

I use this book for a research methods course I teach at Cambridge College School of Management. Most marketing research textbooks are both too dense and expensive. Students are likely to forget or not ever apply 80% of what they read in a typical text book. This does not provide any information on statistics or measurement perse, but it is a practical, accessible, and wonderfully priced book for learning basic research concepts students/readers are likely to remember long term.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only for people who have never been exposed to research., January 25, 2010

By 

Joe Hopper (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strategic Market Research: A Guide to Conducting Research that Drives Businesses (Paperback)

This is an introduction into the idea of conducting research. It is not at all a guide. If you are looking for a how-to this is definitely not it. I was rather disappointed based upon the description. It's not a bad book if you are new to research concepts and don't know why you would conduct qualitative research over quantitative, but if you are looking for insight into specific techniques, you'd be better off buying a stat textbook or a book specialized on one aspect of research. Again, not a bad book for someone new to the field, but definitely not a guide.