1. Research practice in business marketing: a comment on response rate and response bias
- Author
-
Wilson, Elizabeth J.
- Subjects
Business-to-business market -- Research ,Marketing research -- Analysis ,Advertising, marketing and public relations ,Business ,Business, international - Abstract
Tanner (Organizational Buying Theories: A Bridge to Relationships Theory. Industrial Marketing Management, 28, 245-255 (1999)) contends that we as journal reviewers and editors should be more lenient when it comes to reviewing findings of survey research with low response rates. The problem with this argument is that it seems to condone the acceptance of poorly conducted research. Data from surveys with low response rates are likely to be affected by self-selection bias. Consequently, results from such survey data are lacking in external validity. Work of Woodside and Ronkainen (How Serious is Nonresponse Bias in Advertising Conversion Research? Journal of Travel Research, 22, 34-37 (1984)) is reviewed to illustrate the disparity between respondents and nonrespondents in survey research. Finally, clarification is offered regarding Tanner's presentation of Katrichis' work (Katrichis, J.M.: Exploring Department Level Interaction Patterns in Organizational Purchasing Decisions. Industrial Marketing Management 27, 135-146 (1998)), as an example of a study with a low response rate. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
- Published
- 1999