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Cramming for finals is common on college campuses, and many students seem to cram for their final in the Principles of Marketing course. This article addresses the question of defining and measuring a "cramming study strategy." Scales are developed to assess (a) cramming for courses in general and (b) cramming specifically in the Principles of Marketing course relative to two other study strategies. Several research questions about cramming are addressed, including (a) How widespread is the practice? (b) How effective do students perceive it to be? (c) How effective is it actually, both in the short and long term, for students' GPA and grade in the Principles of Marketing course? and (d) Is there a deterioration in retention, as measured by a master test, of content learned in the Principles course from using more of a cramming study strategy? Implications are discussed, particularly in light of various pedagogical approaches to combating learning decay, and areas for future research are suggested. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 5 notes.)

With the rapid increase in the number of programs available, and with the ongoing and continuous development of new software, researchers, marketers, educators, and managers face the growing problem of selecting proper software. The choice of a marketing computer package is becoming more and more difficult as the number of choices increases. These reviews are intended to help individuals select the most appropriate package for a specific application by allowing them to reduce the number of packages to be evaluated. Reviews are to be practically based rather than an abstract assessment of the manual as a descriptive document. Publication of a review should not in any way be seen as an endorsement of a package by the Academy of Marketing Science or this journal. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Online reviews, like those compiled at Yelp, Amazon, Epinions and Tripadvisor, allow consumers to create social network value for other consumers, and to influence the success or failure of reviewed businesses. These reviews, produced without compensation, are a prominent example of how new social media have altered the challenges facing strategic marketing. Although the production of online reviews has exploded, little is known about what motivates ordinary consumers to produce reviews. We surveyed Yelp review writers, and then compiled an archive of Yelp restaurant reviews and the feedback received on those reviews. This data-set enabled a longitudinal analysis of the role of feedback as an external motivation for review production. Although receiving positive feedback increases the probability that a novice reviewer will continue to produce reviews, such feedback had no detectable effect on the productivity of established reviewers. Results point to an emerging segment of consumers who have a need to publish and reach a mass audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the projection from small sample qualitative research and the role of market researchers. It looks into the reasons why researchers caution decision-makers not to draw conclusions from small samples, and cites the break down of the census. Details on how to conduct the research are offered such as after talking to a number of customers, researcher should conclude that a majority of users have experienced the specific problem. It suggests the number of consumers to b e interviewed and the projection for binomial inferences from small samples.