Organized around a strategic marketing framework"Services Marketing" guides readers into the consumer and competitive environments in services marketing. The marketing framework has been restructured for this edition to reflect what is happening in services marketing today.

    A clear and effective guide to policy analysis addressing the psychology, as well as the logic, of the analytical process Full of helpful hints, such as warnings about language traps, strategies for economizing on data collection, and checklists for generating solutions, this book is widely used by students, practicing policy officials in government, and professionals in executive-level training programmes.

    Focused more on concepts than on statistical methods, it shows readers how to properly use statistics to analyze data and demonstrates how computer software is an integral part of this analysis. "Using Statistics" scenarios discuss how statistics is used in a real business setting. Includes contemporary business applications, many with real data sets, and an integrated case that runs throughout chapters. "PHSTAT," a custom designed Excel add-in, is packaged with each book. Introduction and Data Collection. Presenting Data in Tables and Charts. Summarizing and Describing Numerical Data. Basic Probability and Probability Distributions. Sampling Distributions and Confidence Interval Estimation. Fundamentals of Hypothesis Testing: One-Sample Tests. Two-Sample and C-Sample Tests with Numerical Data. Hypothesis Testing with Categorical Data. Statistical Applications in Quality and Productivity Management. The Simple Linear Regression Model and Correlations. Introduction to Multiple Regression. Time Series Analysis. An accessible introduction or refresher on statistics for those in accounting, marketing, management, economics, and finance.

    This text uses a unified approach based on a single economics model that provides readers with a clear understanding of macroeconomics and its classical and Keynesian assumptions. Introduction: Introduction to Macroeconomics; The Measurement and Structure of the National Economy. Long-Run Economic Performance: Productivity, Output, and Employment; Consumption, Saving, and Investment; Saving and Investment in the Open Economy; Long-Run Economic Growth; The Asset Market, Money, and Prices. Business Cycles and Macroeconomic Policy: Business Cycles; The IS-LM/AD-AS Model: A General Framework for Macroeconomic Analysis; Classical Business Cycle Analysis: Market-Clearing Macroeconomics; Keynesianism: The Macroeconomics of Wage and Price Rigidity. Macroeconomic Policy: Its Environment and Institutions: Unemployment and Inflation; Exchange Rates, Business Cycles, and Macroeconomic Policy in the Open Economy; Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve System; Government Spending and Its Financing. For all readers interested in intermediate macroeconomics.

    Reviewed are fundamental statistical concepts--such as correlation, regressions, data preparation and screening, path analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis--as well as more advanced methods, including the evaluation of nonlinear effects, measurement models and structural regression models, latent growth models, and multilevel SEM. The companion Web page offers data and program syntax files for many of the research examples, electronic overheads that can be downloaded and printed by instructors or students, and links to SEM-related resources.

    You’ll learn…• How a noise reduction headset at 35,000 feet led to the creation of Pepsi’s new trademarked signature sound.• How a worn down sneaker discovered in the home of an 11-year-old German boy led to LEGO’s incredible turnaround.• How a magnet found on a fridge in Siberia resulted in a U.S. supermarket revolution.• How a toy stuffed bear in a girl’s bedroom helped revolutionize a fashion retailer’s 1,000 stores in 20 different countries.• How an ordinary bracelet helped Jenny Craig increase customer loyalty by 159% in less than a year.• How the ergonomic layout of a car dashboard led to the redesign of the Roomba vacuum.

    The authors help students learn key sociological concepts through real research examples related to the dynamic interplay of race, class, gender, and other social variables.

    In The Discovery of Grounded Theory, Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss address the equally Important enterprise of how the discovery of theory from data--systematically obtained and analyzed in social research--can be furthered. The discovery of theory from data--grounded theory--is a major task confronting sociology, for such a theory fits empirical situations, and is understandable to sociologists and laymen alike. Most important, it provides relevant predictions, explanations, interpretations, and applications.In Part I of the book, "Generation Theory by Comparative Analysis," the authors present a strategy whereby sociologists can facilitate the discovery of grounded theory, both substantive and formal. This strategy involves the systematic choice and study of several comparison groups. In Part II, The Flexible Use of Data," the generation of theory from qualitative, especially documentary, and quantitative data Is considered. In Part III, "Implications of Grounded Theory," Glaser and Strauss examine the credibility of grounded theory.The Discovery of Grounded Theory is directed toward improving social scientists' capacity for generating theory that will be relevant to their research. While aimed primarily at sociologists, it will be useful to anyone Interested In studying social phenomena--political, educational, economic, industrial-- especially If their studies are based on qualitative data.

    The applications and computations in operations research are emphasized. Significantly revised, this text streamlines the coverage of the theory, applications, and computations of operations research. Numerical examples are effectively used to explain complex mathematical concepts. A separate chapter of fully analyzed applications aptly demonstrates the diverse use of OR. The popular commercial and tutorial software AMPL, Excel, Excel Solver, and Tora are used throughout the book to solve practical problems and to test theoretical concepts. New materials include Markov chains, TSP heuristics, new LP models, and a totally new simplex-based approach to LP sensitivity analysis.

    “Big data” refers to our burgeoning ability to crunch vast collections of information, analyze it instantly, and draw sometimes profoundly surprising conclusions from it. This emerging science can translate myriad phenomena—from the price of airline tickets to the text of millions of books—into searchable form, and uses our increasing computing power to unearth epiphanies that we never could have seen before. A revolution on par with the Internet or perhaps even the printing press, big data will change the way we think about business, health, politics, education, and innovation in the years to come. It also poses fresh threats, from the inevitable end of privacy as we know it to the prospect of being penalized for things we haven’t even done yet, based on big data’s ability to predict our future behavior.In this brilliantly clear, often surprising work, two leading experts explain what big data is, how it will change our lives, and what we can do to protect ourselves from its hazards. Big Data is the first big book about the next big thing.www.big-data-book.com

    Through vivid narrative, lively presentations of important research, and intriguing examples, Elliot Aronson probes the patterns and motives of human behavior, covering such diverse topics as terrorism, conformity, obedience, politics, race relations, advertising, war, interpersonal attraction, and the power of religious cults.

    With expanded coverage of ethics, analysis processes, and approaches, authors Catherine Marshall and Gretchen B. Rossman, have updated this highly popular text to reflect the advances and challenges presented by provocative developments and new applications since the previous edition.

    But for some reason they choose to ignore those guidelines and churn out turgid, pompous, and obscure prose. Distinguished sociologist Howard S. Becker, true to his calling, looks for an explanation for this bizarre behavior not in the psyches of his colleagues but in the structure of his profession. In this highly personal and inspirational volume he considers academic writing as a social activity.Both the means and the reasons for writing a thesis or article or book are socially structured by the organization of graduate study, the requirements for publication, and the conditions for promotion, and the pressures arising from these situations create the writing style so often lampooned and lamented. Drawing on his thirty-five years' experience as a researcher, writer, and teacher, Becker exposes the foibles of the academic profession to the light of sociological analysis and gentle humor. He also offers eminently useful suggestions for ways to make social scientists better and more productive writers. Among the topics discussed are how to overcome the paralyzing fears of chaos and ridicule that lead to writer's block; how to rewrite and revise, again and again; how to adopt a persona compatible with lucid prose; how to deal with that academic bugaboo, "the literature." There is also a chapter by Pamela Richards on the personal and professional risks involved in scholarly writing.In recounting his own trials and errors Becker offers his readers not a model to be slavishly imitated but an example to inspire. Throughout, his focus is on the elusive work habits that contribute to good writing, not the more easily learned rules of grammar and punctuation. Although his examples are drawn from sociological literature, his conclusions apply to all fields of social science, and indeed to all areas of scholarly endeavor. The message is clear: you don't have to write like a social scientist to be one.

    Survey Methodology describes the basic principles of survey design discovered in methodological research over recent years and offers guidance for making successful decisions in the design and execution of high quality surveys. Written by six nationally recognized experts in the field, this book covers the major considerations in designing and conducting a sample survey. Topical, accessible, and succinct, this book represents the state of the science in survey methodology. Employing the "total survey error" paradigm as an organizing framework, it merges the science of surveys with state-of-the-art practices. End-of-chapter terms, references, and exercises enhance its value as a reference for practitioners and as a text for advanced students.

    It equips readers with a detailed understanding of the issues and techniques of strategy, using illustration and application to make sense of the subject. With unique and powerful learning tools such as engaging case studies, a new strategy simulation and video assignments and having sold over 900,000 copies worldwide, "Exploring Strategy" provides a proven high quality resource that you can't do without.Explore hot topics in cutting edge issues such as innovation and entrepreneurship, strategic change and acquisitions and alliances.Consider the 'key debates' and the different strategy 'lenses' to get new perspectives and set you on your way to better grades in your assignments and exams.Follow up on the recommended readings at the end of each chapter. They will enhance your learning and give you an extra edge in your course work.Put yourself in the driving seat with the Strategy Experience simulation, which gives you practical hands-on experience of strategic decision-making in organisations.Create a personalised study plan that identifies your strengths and weaknesses, then recommends a tailored set of resources that will help to develop your understanding of strategy.Download audio and video resources, including case studies on IKEA, Land Rover and the Eden Project, that put a spotlight on strategy in practice.