STRATEGIC, METRIC, AND METHODOLOGICAL TRENDS IN MARKETING RESEARCH AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE THEORY AND PRACTICE

Diversity among procedures employed to examine marketing activity enhances the likelihood that research contributes to theory and practice. This study provides a conceptual framework of diversity among strategies, measures, and methods employed in marketing research. The framework serves as the basis of a review of 844 studies published in 1986-90 and 1996-2000 in the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research. The review offers evidence of limited diversity among procedures employed in marketing research. Limited diversity results in few opportunities to engage in triangulation activities essential to knowledge development. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications for marketing research.