Ebook pdf marketing research 5th edition by steve dalessandro

Barry J. Babin

Steve D’Alessandro

Hume Winzar

Ben Lowe

William Zikmund

PART FIVE | COLLECTING THE DATA

PART SIX | ANALYSING

As

Understand how key concepts are

across all chapters in the part by viewing the concept map

THREE PART

CHAPTER-OPENING FEATURES

Identify the key concepts that the chapter will cover with the learning objectives at the start of each chapter.

Sampling: Sample design and sample size

Sampling: Sample design and sample size

LEARNING

To understand and correctly use key sampling terminology.

To understand why we sample.

To apply practical sampling concepts.

To differentiate between probability and non-probability sampling.

The pivotal role sampling plays in conducting good research

To decide on the appropriate sampling design for your research problem.

Gain an insight into how marketing research theories relate to the real world through the In focus vignette at the beginning of each chapter.

To understand how mobile devices and the Internet change many standard sampling methods.

The pivotal role sampling plays in conducting good research

We use sampling every day. When you cook noodles, you taste just one piece to decide if they’re all cooked. When you’re channel surfing, you usually watch less than a minute of a TV show before deciding to switch or continue watching. Clearly, we often make confident decisions based on a very small subset of information.

We use sampling every day. When you cook noodles, you taste just one piece to decide if they’re all cooked. When you’re channel surfing, you usually watch less than a minute of a TV show before deciding to switch or continue watching. Clearly, we often make confident decisions based on a very small subset of information. Researchers often use samples to infer characteristics of the population without contacting or surveying every member of the population – we can often ask a few respondents and get results like those we’d get if the whole population was asked. For instance, in the runup to an election, research firms such as Roy Morgan http://www.roymorgan.com.au), Newspoll https:// www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/newspoll Nielsen http://www.nielsen.com/au) and YouGov (https:// yougov.co.uk ask questions regarding political preferences of a relatively small sample of the population. Often, sample sizes of

Researchers often use samples to infer characteristics of the population without contacting or surveying every member of the population – we can often ask a few respondents and get results like those we’d get if the whole population was asked. For instance, in the runup to an election, research firms such as Roy Morgan http://www.roymorgan.com.au), Newspoll https:// www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/newspoll Nielsen http://www.nielsen.com/au) and YouGov (https:// yougov.co.uk ask questions regarding political preferences of a relatively small sample of the population. Often, sample sizes of a little over 1000 citizens provide accurate predictions about the outcome of elections. It is not feasible to ask all citizens about their political preferences. Instead, a small sample of that population can provide accurate and meaningful results that represent the views of the millions of citizens. Many

people, including researchers and laypeople, believe that a large sample size is important, but it is rarely a problem. In fact, the quality of the data, the method by which people are contacted and how we communicate with them, all have far more impact on the validity of a research study than does sample size. Sampling is just as important for qualitative research studies as it is for quantitative research studies. Sample size is less important for qualitative studies, but if the researcher intends to make inferences or develop a

people, including researchers and laypeople, believe that a large sample size is important, but it is rarely a problem. In fact, the quality of the data, the method by which people are contacted and how we communicate with them, all have far more impact on the validity of a research study than does sample size. Sampling is just as important for qualitative research studies as it is for quantitative research studies. Sample size is less important for qualitative studies, but if the researcher intends to make inferences or

REAL WORLD SNAPSHOT ➜  MADE IN POVERTY: THE TRUE PRICE OF FASHION 6

Research commissioned by Oxfam, together with the Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies and the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions in Vietnam, saw the interviewing of more than 470 workers across Bangladesh and Vietnam who supply garments for the $23.5 billion fashion industry in Australia, including eight major fashion brands. The study showed that many workers continue to live in poverty,

struggling to feed themselves and lacking basic amenities such as running water – they earn as little as 55 Australian cents an hour. But it also estimated that paying these workers a minimum Australian wage would only add on average around 1 per cent to the cost of fashion in Australia. Research like this is crucial as it helps drive social change into fair as well as free trade. Why

What kinds of effects can using mobile phones cause?

❏ $750–$1499

❏ $1500–$2999

❏ More than $3000

❏ Other ___________

FEATURES WITHIN CHAPTERS

Many people are calling for experiments to examine the potential health effects of heavy mobile phone usage. Additionally, ancillary technologies such as bluetooth devices, which many people hook to their ear for hours on end each day, constantly bombard us with radio waves. While most people do not believe these to be serious threats to our health, others are not so sure. One of the challenges in studying this issue is the difficulty in implementing an experimental design on human subjects – much as in the case of smoking.

Unanticipated alternatives emerge when respondents believe that closed answers do not adequately reflect their feelings. They may make comments to the interviewer or write additional answers on the questionnaire indicating that the exploratory research did not yield a complete array of responses. After the fact, researchers can’t do very much to correct a closed question that does not provide a valid set of alternatives. Therefore, a researcher may find exploratory research with open-ended responses valuable before writing a detailed questionnaire. The researcher should strive to ensure that there are sufficient response choices to include the relevant range of responses as well as an ‘other’ choice for respondents who do not see their answer among the choice set.

Explore the real-world ethical issues faced by marketing researchers in the Exploring research ethics boxes.

advertising via mobile phones, can send a short text blast to all consumers near a Starbucks. They can then have the consumer send back a reply to activate a discount at that store. In this way, they might be able to test whether a free cookie or a half-price latte is the better incentive and results in more patronage.

Also, a closed-response question may tempt respondents to check that an answer that is more prestigious or socially acceptable than the actual answer. Rather than stating that they do not know why they chose a given product, they may select an alternative among those presented, or as a matter of convenience, they may select a given alternative rather than think of the correct response.

One thing is certain, though: more and more marketing researchers are finding ways to conduct experiments with mobile phone technology. For instance, advertising appeals can be delivered via text message or voicemail. Advertisers can manipulate the size of a discount offered for a brief period of time and then track to see whether the subject takes advantage of the discount. For instance, advertisers in Hong Kong, where consumers are more receptive to

Get helpful, practical hints on how to conduct market research successfully with Tips of the trade

Most questionnaires mix open-ended and closed-response questions. As we have discussed, each form has unique benefits. In addition, a change of pace can eliminate respondent boredom and fatigue. A good rule of thumb, however, given the cost and administration necessary when using open-ended questions, is to use closed-response questions wherever possible.

EXPLORING RESEARCH ETHICS ➜  WHAT A DIFFERENCE WORDS MAKE 8

Some surveys may be conducted to further the interests of their sponsors. By carefully wording questions, enough bias may be predetermined to achieve the result desired by the sponsor of the research. Consider the following examples:

‘The legislation would generate more revenue’ versus ‘The legislation will implement tax reform’.

ICONS

LO3

304

TIPS OF THE TRADE ➜  IS IT IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE ‘DON’T KNOW’ RESPONSES? 9

‘Are you in favour of fewer immigrants?’ versus ‘Are you in favour of border control’?

Research published in Public Opinion Quarterly suggests that, when measuring scientific knowledge, or by extension specialised knowledge, the inclusion of ‘don’t know’ (DK) responses reduced the possibility of uneducated or blind guesses. This meant that respondents were only answering

‘Are you in favour of abortion?’ versus ‘Are you pro-choice?’

‘Are you in favour of welfare?’ versus ‘Are you in favour of public assistance?’

Should marketing researchers be concerned about internal validity or external validity? When would a marketing researcher be more concerned about external validity than internal validity?

However, conducting experiments in this manner threatens internal validity in several ways. Although the large number of mobile phones in use has made them more practical for undertaking research, and their increased flexibility in delivering messages has provided more capability for that research, it is nearly impossible to control for extraneous variables. Is the subject in a car, on a train, in a meeting, alone or with others? Many such factors might interfere with experimental results. Despite the weaknesses, the convenience and technological advantages will likely lead to more rather than less ‘mobile’ experiments. DISCUSS

what they knew or could at most make an educated guess about, which is all part of the measurement of knowledge.

The take-home message is that, when asking questions about what people know, always include a ‘don’t know’ response.”

A significant problem in developing dichotomous or multiple-choice alternatives is the framing of the response alternatives. There should be no overlap among categories. Alternatives should be mutually exclusive; that one dimension of an issue should be related to each alternative. The following listing of income groups illustrates common error: ❏ Under $15 000 ❏ $15 000–$30 000 ❏ $30 000–$55 000 ❏ $55 000–$70 000

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STEP 2: DECIDE ON THE CHOICE OF INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE(S)

The Ongoing Project icon highlights the key concepts relevant to the ongoing project found at the end of each chapter.

❏ Over $70 000

END-OF-CHAPTER FEATURES

ONGOING PROJECT

How many people with incomes of $30 000 will be in the second group, and how many will be in the third There is no way of determining the answer. Grouping alternatives without forethought about analysis is diminish accuracy.

The experimenter has to have some degree of control over the independent variable. The variable is independent because its value can be manipulated by the experimenter to whatever they wish it to be. Its value may be changed or altered independently of any other variable. The independent variable is hypothesised to be the causal influence (i.e., the presumed cause).

Few people relish being in the lowest category. Including a category lower than the lowest expected often helps to negate the potential bias caused by respondents’ tendency to avoid an extreme category.

LO5 ONGOING PROJECT

independent variable

A variable that is expected to influence a dependent variable.

STEP 5: DETERMINE THE WORDING OF EACH QUESTION

experimental treatments

At the end of each chapter you will find several tools to help you to review, practise and extend your knowledge of the key learning objectives.

Review your understanding of the key chapter topics with the Summary

Experimental treatments are the alternative manipulations of the independent variable being investigated. For example, prices of $1.69, $1.89 and $1.99 might be the treatments in a pricing experiment for a new product. Different advertising messages might be treatments in an advertising effectiveness study, or different taste formulations might be the treatments in a product reformulation test. Likewise, the presence or absence of some intervention might be the treatment in some social marketing campaign. If the researcher has some degree of control over the variable and is able to modify it in some way, then this would be called a treatment.

32

There are no hard-and-fast rules in determining how to develop a questionnaire. Fortunately, research experience has yielded some guidelines that help prevent the most common mistakes.

Avoid complexity: Use simple, conversational language

Alternative manipulations of the independent variable being investigated.

Return to the chapter-opening vignette to apply your learning through Revisiting in focus

REVISITING ‘IN FOCUS’

Words used in questionnaires should be readily understandable by all respondents. The researcher usually difficult task of adopting the conversational language of people at the lower education levels without talking to better-educated respondents. Remember, not everyone has the vocabulary of a university student; a substantial number of people have never gone beyond high school.

In marketing research, the independent variable often is a categorical or classificatory variable that represents some classifiable or qualitative aspect of marketing strategy. To determine the effects of point-of-purchase

Describe the basic strategies of qualitative research and understand when to apply them

on the idea that human experience itself is inherently subjective and determined by the context within which a person experiences something. It lends itself to conversational or storytelling-based research. ethnography represents ways of studying cultures through methods of high involvement with those cultures; participant observation is a common ethnographic approach. Netnography uses similar approaches but in a digital context, further being able to study without the influence of the researcher. Grounded theory represents inductive qualitative investigation in which the researcher continually poses questions about a respondent’s discourse in an effort to derive an explanation of their behaviour; collages are sometimes used in an effort to develop a deep explanation of behaviour. Case studies are simply documented histories of a particular person, group, organisation or event. Participatory action research provides a means for researchers to assess the lived experience of a customer engaging with a product or service.

LO3

Recognise common qualitative research tools and know the advantages and limitations of their use. Explore how various techniques of data collection can be used to extract consumer insights and be used in decision-making

There are four basic sets of qualitative research tools:

1 Focus group interviews can be unstructured or semi-structured; regardless, they are free-flowing group sessions that allow individuals to initiate and elaborate on the topics of discussion. Interaction among respondents is synergistic and spontaneous, characteristics that have been found to be highly advantageous. An important evolution is the use of digital platforms in conducting online focus groups. These provide opportunities for more participants as limitations of location, time and accessibility are reduced.

2 In-depth interviews are unstructured, extensive interviews that encourage a respondent to talk freely and in depth about an undisguised topic.

17/02/20 5:12 PM

What do you think were some potential problems faced by the researchers mentioned in the opening vignette of this chapter who were studying the impact of government

policy in the United Kingdom on people with multiple sclerosis (MS)?

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND CRITICAL THINKING

1 discuss a situation in which the use of market research cannot be justified.

2 name some products or services that logically might have been developed with the help of marketing research.

3 In your own words, define marketing research and describe its task. How different is it from the social sciences?

b A marketing strategy can be no better than the information with which it is formulated.

c The purpose of research is to solve marketing problems.

d digital marketing makes marketing research less able to be used.

8 In what specific ways can marketing research influence the development and implementation of a marketing strategy?

Test your knowledge and consolidate your learning through the Questions for review and critical thinking

4 Which of the following organisations is likely to use marketing research? Why? How?

a Kellogg’s b a British Steel company

c the Victorian Transport Accident Commission

1

5 An automobile manufacturer is conducting research in

attempt to predict consumer auto preferences in the

6 The owner of 22 restaurants was asked how he does marketing research. He answered that he does it after midnight, driving around in a ute: ‘I stay up late. If it’s midnight and I don’t have anything else to do, drive around town and look at the queues in front of places. I’ll look at the rubbish and see if a guy’s doing business. If he’s got a really clean bunch of rubbish bins and an empty dumpmaster, he’s not doing any business. find out a lot by talking to my suppliers. I ask the bread guy how many boxes of rolls my competitor down the street is buying. Very few restaurateurs do that. But that’s the way research my market’. Is this marketing research?

7 Comment on the following statements:

a Marketing managers are paid to take chances with decisions. Marketing researchers are paid to reduce the risk in making those decisions.

9

9 How have technological changes and globalisation of the marketplace affected marketing research?

10 For each of the following situations, decide whether the research should be exploratory, descriptive or causal: a establishing the relationship between online visits and sales b investigating consumer reactions to new models of smokeless electronic cigarettes c identifying target market demographics for a tourist theme park d estimating the sales potential for fencing equipment in a new Zealand sales territory.

11 describe a research situation that allows one to infer causality.

12 A researcher is interested in knowing the answer to a ‘why’ question but does not know beforehand what sort of answer will satisfy. Will answering this question involve exploratory, descriptive or causal research? explain.

13 do the stages in the research process follow the scientific method?

14 Why is the problem-definition stage of the research process probably the most important stage?

15 How have technology and internationalisation affected marketing research?

09_zikmund_5e_38964_2pp.indd

END-OF-CHAPTER FEATURES

Apply market research techniques holistically by completing the Ongoing Project. The Ongoing Project is a continuing activity that builds upon each step of the marketing process. Refer to the Ongoing Project icon throughout the chapters to locate key concepts relevant to the project. Ask your instructor for the project worksheet relevant to each chapter

Analyse Mini case studies that present issues in context, encouraging you to integrate and apply the concepts discussed in the chapter to the workplace.

ONGOING PROJECT

food company researcher wishes to know what types of food are taken as packed lunches to learn if the company can capitalise on this phenomenon.

e A researcher wishes to identify who plays the Call of

Duty video game at home, for how long, and with whom.

17 Should the marketing research program strategy be viewed as a strategic planning activity?

Doing a market research project? Ask your instructor for the project worksheet for this chapter.

This project worksheet is used to determine the type of research project you may wish to do. There are project worksheets for each chapter of the textbook to help you with each stage of the research process.

In China, 10 per cent of all retail transactions are now online, and there are still many small corner-store-like bricks-and-mortar retailers. The Chinese online retailer Alibaba has been estimated to be as large as the top 100 bricks-and-mortar retailers in China and holds around 80 per cent of the e-commerce market in that country. entering the online retail space thus presents an opportunity for new Zealand firms. There is reported interest in new Zealand products and services in China

because of their authenticity and traceability. As one new Zealand exporter noted: ‘The Chinese consumer wants to know that what they are buying is genuine and hasn’t been counterfeited in any way’. Issues for new Zealand exports are meeting the scale of demand and having a near-perfect logistics network. Already, products such as infant baby formula, abalone, kiwifruit juice and honey are becoming popular imports from new Zealand.

Apply your knowledge by following the steps of the market research process from start to finish with the Ongoing case study about binge drinking in Australia.

QUESTIONS

1

how could this affect comparisons with previous years’ results?

2 How would you respond if someone on behalf of the state government phoned to ask you about your health habits? How would members of your family respond?

3 Are there any members of the population who are not represented in the study but who should be? Are there any members of the population who are represented in the study but who should not be?

4 Suggest ways in which the sampling process could be improved.

MINI CASE 10.2 NATIONAL DRUGS SURVEY

The UK National Health Service wants to conduct a

1 Use the theory-of-reasoned-action approach to write questions designed to capture a) perceptions of the personal consequences of drinking, b) perceptions of the level of approval or disapproval among close friends, and c) perceptions of approval or disapproval among family members.

2 Suggest a different approach to measuring these factors.

3 Should a survey of attitudes towards alcohol consumption among young people specifically mention ‘binge drinking’? Could this influence the answers received? How?

4 How can we frame questions designed to measure a) the frequency of binge drinking, and b) personal experiences of being with friends who drink too much?

Guide to the online resources

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR

Cengage is pleased to provide you with a selection of resources that will help you prepare your lectures and assessments. These teaching tools are accessible via cengage.com.au/instructors for Australia or cengage.co.nz/instructors for New Zealand.

MINDTAP

Premium online teaching and learning tools are available on the MindTap platform – the personalised eLearning solution.

MindTap is a flexible and easy-to-use platform that helps build student confidence and gives you a clear picture of their progress. We partner with you to ease the transition to digital – we’re with you every step of the way.

The Cengage Mobile App puts your course directly into students’ hands with course materials available on their smartphone or tablet. Students can read on the go, complete practice quizzes or participate in interactive real-time activities.

MindTap for Marketing Research is full of innovative resources to support critical thinking, and help your students move from memorisation to mastery! Includes:

• Marketing Research eBook

• Revision quizzes

• Concept checks

• Polling questions

• Downloadable project worksheets

• Downloadable datasets.

MindTap is a premium purchasable eLearning tool. Contact your Cengage learning consultant to find out how MindTap can transform your course.

INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL

The Instructor’s manual includes:

• Learning objectives

• Chapter summaries

• Teaching notes

• Solutions

• Case question solutions

• Suggested class discussions and activities

• Chapter-specific project worksheets.

WORD-BASED TEST BANK

This bank of questions has been developed in conjunction with the text for creating quizzes, tests and exams for your students. Deliver these through your LMS and in your classroom.

POWERPOINT™ PRESENTATIONS

Use the chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides to enhance your lecture presentations and handouts by reinforcing the key principles of your subject.

ARTWORK FROM THE TEXT

Add the digital files of graphs, pictures and flow charts into your course management system, use them in student handouts, or copy them into your lecture presentations.

FOR THE STUDENT

MINDTAP

MindTap is the next-level online learning tool that helps you get better grades!

MindTap gives you the resources you need to study – all in one place and available when you need them. In the MindTap Reader you can make notes, highlight text and even find a definition directly from the page. If your instructor has chosen MindTap for your subject this semester, log in to MindTap to:

• Get better grades

• Save time and get organised

• Connect with your instructor and peers

• Study when and where you want, online and mobile

• Complete assessment tasks as set by your instructor.

When your instructor creates a course using MindTap, they will let you know your course link so you can access the content. Please purchase MindTap only when directed by your instructor. Course length is set by your instructor.

PREFACE

This is the fifth edition of Marketing Research and the first that also takes a United Kingdom and European perspective. It continues to reflect the importance of social media, ‘big data’, neuromarketing and the use of online technology in qualitative and quantitative data collection. This edition has a revised chapter on qualitative research, which includes a wider discussion of sentiment analysis in social media and the evolving software approaches that can be used in this area.

This edition of Marketing Research also examines practical examples of market and social research, and what students can learn from the advantages and disadvantages of each research approach when they are applied in real life (Real world snapshots). We also provide tips for conducting research and doing flowcharts, and offer improved and more detailed worksheets that will greatly facilitate the understanding and application of market research techniques by the student and practitioner.

NEW TO MARKETING RESEARCH

This edition places greater emphasis on applying marketing research and providing guidance when conducting marketing research. It also examines the increasing use of global market research studies by many companies and the continued importance of market research in government and the not-for-profit sector.

Where appropriate, ethical issues have also been addressed in this book. In this new edition we have included an ongoing series of case studies based on a real market research study – understanding the causes of binge drinking with Australian youths; a social problem we argue, which applies to many countries. This provides students and lecturers with a structured learning approach to all the different aspects of the market research process and how they might be applied in a single commercial study. It also addresses the choices and trade-offs many researchers face when doing market research in the real world.

We have also provided worksheets to assist in the development of each part of a research study, and detailed flowcharts for each major section of the research process. A reference to each worksheet is made at the end of each chapter. Access to the worksheets is provided via the instructor website and downloadable in MindTap.

It was important to us that this new material not be lumped into added chapters at the end of the book or into a

We have worked diligently and carefully to make this edition a book that reflects the fast-paced and dynamic practice of marketing research. The new edition also welcomes Michael Mehmet as a new contributing author. Cengage and the author team would like to acknowledge his feedback and insights and for authoring Chapter 3. We have retained our central approach of making the subject interesting and entertaining for the student. This, we believe, is consistent with the style and learning approach of the original author, Professor William G. Zikmund. Market research, we argue, can be the most fascinating subject for the student, as it is now applied in diverse fields such as health, politics, social marketing, media and law. Therefore, we have continued to include a wider set of examples that reflect this throughout the text.

single chapter on survey research. There are unique aspects of online research that touch on qualitative research, observation, gathering of secondary data, survey design, sample selection, questionnaire design and many other topics.

Chapter 1: The role of marketing research and the research process. This chapter begins with how commercial and not-for-profit organisations have effectively used market research as judged by the Market Research Society in the UK. What is made clear is that usually more than one method of market research, often both qualitative and quantitative research, is used by market research companies in providing their reports to clients. Some of the award-winning market research programs have helped vulnerable communities such as those suffering from multiple sclerosis in the UK, to more commercial research such as ethnographic research commissioned by Aldi (UK) to understand Christmas grocery shopping behaviour. The growing importance of social media is also discussed in the opening vignette, with a study by IPG Megabrands and Twitter as to the viral spread of news stories.

Later in this chapter we examine some important trends influencing market research, including neuroscience, technology, globalism and the evolution of social media. The chapter introduces the research process and the structure

of the book, and provides a number of examples of types of research conducted by government and not-for-profit, as well as business organisations.

Chapter 2: Problem definition and the research process. This chapter starts with the use of market research to assist in a social marketing campaign to reduce suicides on Britain’s railways. The study showed that by careful problem identification, suicides could be reduced by local community awareness and the removal of ‘hot spots’ whereby a lack of visibility may make an attempt more likely to occur. As such, this study also showed the importance of background research and a literature review in understanding the problem and the implementation of the appropriate research design.

Problem definition is often the most problematic part of the research process, and guidelines are provided so that effective research – providing information that aids the decision-making of managers – can be developed. The chapter includes research proposals from NSW Trade & Investment and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Chapter 3: Qualitative research. This chapter deals with one of the most common forms of market research. As one of the most varied research forms, it includes not only focus groups and in-depth interviews, but also projective techniques, story-telling and the new phenomenon of ‘social listening’, where detailed qualitative research is collected and analysed from social media such as Twitter and Facebook. As well as dealing with these diverse approaches, we examine contributions from other social sciences such as phenomenology, ethnography, Netnography, grounded theory, case studies and participation action research. This chapter also introduces common coding and analysis techniques, such as content analysis, thematic analysis and sentiment analysis. The applications of this suite of related methodologies are also discussed and include health, media and politics. The chapter concludes with a caveat about the misuse of qualitative research. We have also included two new case studies on the use of airborne focus groups by NikeAirMax and how retail chain Beaurepaires Tyres was repositioned using social media sentiment analysis, focus groups and brand tracking.

Chapter 4: Secondary research and big data. This chapter starts with the question: ‘Who is afraid of metadata?’ Big data as discussed in this chapter is of interest not only to market researchers but also to government in terms of

national security. Interestingly, Victorian Government research, presented in the opening vignette, concluded that consumers did not understand what information was collected and shared about them, and did not genuinely consent to the terms for providing their information. We show how secondary information may be used in descriptive, as well as forecasting analyses. Increasingly, social media and digitised transaction records are accessible to researchers. We show how social media can be searched and scraped, and then analysed for sentiment and for network relationships. Among much else, internal sales can be analysed to estimate customer lifetime value for individual customers or market segments. The chapter includes a guide to assessing the quality of third-party data.

Chapter 5: Survey research. This chapter starts with the difficulty of determining attitudes to Brexit in the UK using a particular survey technique, in this case an SMS survey. As is discussed in this chapter, there is no correct way to collect survey research and each approach must be tailored to the research problem and the type of respondents that need to be reached.

This chapter contains significant updates on the use of the Internet and mobile phones as a means of collecting survey research data. There are additional advantages and problems in using these new research techniques – for example, response and sample biases – and these are addressed in this chapter. How survey biases occur when asking questions of respondents from different cultures are also discussed in this chapter. This chapter includes a case study on Google Surveys, where responses to fairly straightforward questions can be obtained at fairly low rates of 10 cents.

Chapter 6: Observation. Many forms of observational research are conducted from information in social media and the Internet. This chapter starts with an observational study from the BBC Worldwide, whose website has some 35 million signed in accounts and captures some billion data points a day. This vignette shows that not only is there a need for a new research technique in analysing the data, but also in the upskilling of managers in using such data for decision making.

Problems with companies having too much observational data (or big data) are also discussed in this chapter. The chapter concludes with the growing importance of

mechanical observation, particularly those of Web metrics, which are important in assessing the effectiveness of online marketing strategies. Recent advances in eye- and brain-scanning technologies are also discussed along with the pros and cons of each approach.

Chapter 7: Experimental research and test marketing. This chapter starts with a vignette about an online experiment Facebook has conducted (one of many!). As digital marketing has grown rapidly, so too has the ability of marketers to conduct quick and insightful online experiments to help make more informed decisions about the causal influences of their actions. The steps in experimental research are discussed along with key experimental designs. Different experiments are explained and contrasted (e.g., lab experiments versus field experiments, different forms of test markets) and the chapter outlines the various trade-offs that exist. Important ethical issues in experimental research are discussed, as are some of the major pitfalls within this methodology. The chapter concludes with an overview of test markets, including new forms of technology-enhanced test marketing such as virtual-reality simulations.

Chapter 8: Measurement. This chapter starts by quickly demonstrating how slightly different constructions of a question create very different demands of respondents and different information for researchers. The type of question creates particular scales of measurement, which determine the type of analysis that can be conducted. We outline a six-stage measurement process and discuss practical issues of measurement faced by researchers. Issues of multi-item measures are discussed, and we provide examples of question formats for measuring preferences using Best-Worst scaling, price elasticity and brand recommendation.

Chapter 9: Questionnaire design. This chapter follows a simple nine-stage process of the development of questionnaires, which is still an art as much as a science. The opening vignette of how Durex, a maker of condoms, investigates sexual health around the world, shows how complicated this process can become, especially when dealing with sensitive issues in different cultures and countries.

The chapter also includes issues that need to be considered for online and email questionnaires. Poor questionnaire design is often the cause of many problems reported by field researchers in market research.

Chapter 10: Sampling: Sample design and sample size. This chapter introduces basic concepts in sampling, raising pertinent questions such as ‘How should the sample be selected?’ and ‘How many people should be in a sample?’ The chapter opens by describing some typical political polls that use sample sizes of just over 1000 to predict political preferences of a population of millions of citizens. Using some intuitive examples, the chapter then goes on to explain the rationale behind sampling, how to sample, and factors to take into consideration when determining sample size. We learn that sample size is the least important issues faced by a researcher: the quality of the sample and how data are gathered are much more important for valid data with minimum bias. The advantages and disadvantages of sampling techniques are discussed, along with the use of panels and in ‘opt-in’ samples.

Chapter 11: Data preparation. This chapter explains the task of taking data and arranging it in a form that allows easy analysis using statistical software. Common problems encountered by researchers are discussed along with the relationship between question form, data scales and the resulting information. Problems are best avoided with good data-gathering and questionnaire design well before the editing and coding steps. Qualitative data, such as interviews or video, require coding clear and consistent themes. We briefly discuss software that aid coding and analysis.

Chapter 12: Univariate statistical analysis: A recap of inferential statistics. This chapter begins with an intuitive example of the sampling error involved in establishing a sample statistic. After introducing some basic measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion, the chapter then discusses the concept of inference and how inferential statistics can be used to estimate sampling error. The normal distribution and central-limit theorem are discussed to establish the groundwork for further hypothesis testing.

Chapter 13: Bivariate statistical analysis: Tests of differences. This chapter uses an example to illustrate testing for differences by looking at differences in perceptions between males and females of guilty pleasure advertisements. Using t-tests and ANOVA, the chapter introduces key tests of differences and provides worked examples in SPSS and Excel to illustrate how to conduct and interpret these tests.

Chapter 14: Bivariate statistical analysis: Tests of association. This chapter extends the discussion of

commonly used statistical tests by examining the concept of association. It starts off with an example of mobile health apps and asks how marketers can better understand what factors lead to their continued usage. This is a problem of association; using correlation, regression and Chi-square analysis, the chapter discusses typical tests for association and, like Chapter 13, shows how to conduct and interpret these tests in SPSS and Excel.

Chapter 15: Multivariate statistical analysis. This chapter extends our understanding of bivariate statistics to investigate the problem of multiple variables. The problem of confounding relationships in binary statistics is first introduced and then extended to cover problems in analysis of variance and multiple regression. Techniques for

ORGANISATION OF THE BOOK

The organisation of this edition of Marketing Research follows each step of the marketing research process that is introduced as a learning model in Chapter 1. The book is organised into another six parts. Each part represents each stage of the research process and discusses how each stage relates to decisions about conducting specific projects.

■ Part 1: Introduction to the research process discusses the scope of marketing research, provides an overview of the entire marketing research process, and explains how the Internet and globalisation are changing the nature of information systems. Each stage in the research process is then examined.

■ Part 2: Defining the problem covers problem definition and research proposals. This stage sets the research objectives used to design the research study.

■ Part 3: Planning the research design examines the concepts and issues related to research designs, such as using exploratory/qualitative research, surveys, observation studies and experiments. Issues of measurement and questionnaire design are then addressed in this section.

■ Part 4: Planning the sample explains why sampling is required, how to design samples and how to determine sample size.

■ Part 5: Collecting the data discusses the importance of fieldwork, editing and coding, as the quality of data

discovering patterns in data are covered in factor analysis and cluster analysis. The chapter is supplemented by an appendix that illustrates techniques for measuring consumer utility – conjoint analysis.

Chapter 16: Communicating research results: Research report, oral presentation and research follow-up. This chapter completes the research process with the important function of ensuring that the valuable completed research reaches the right people in a way that is informative, persuasive and actionable. Importantly, good formatting of tables and charts is discussed, along with the presentation of qualitative data and the effective use of graphic aids. These items are often the crucial elements of any market research report.

from a research study is determined by this stage of the process.

■ Part 6: Analysing the data covers descriptive data analysis, inferential statistical analysis and multivariate analysis, and provides practical advice as to how data can be analysed to answer research questions. A new appendix on conjoint analysis has been added to this section of the text for more advanced marketing research courses. The material in each chapter is comprehensive yet accessible to the student. Sample output of many examples in using SPSS and Excel have also been included.

■ Part 7: Formulating conclusions and writing the final report discusses the communication of research results. Often it is this step that is the most important in the research process as information and findings that cannot be presented clearly are of little use to the client. The text ends with a final note on the use of marketing research.

The book also features an appendix and an extensive glossary. One other appendix can be found online: Comprehensive case with datasets, which provides materials that challenge students to apply and integrate the concepts they have learned.

HELP US WRITE AN EVEN BETTER MARKETING RESEARCH TEXTBOOK

We have worked very hard to update, regionalise and make this an interesting textbook in marketing research, but we know that with hindsight things can always have been done better. If you have any suggestions for the next edition of Babin, D’Alessandro, Lowe, Winzar and Zikmund, please email us.

■ For Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9: Steven D’Alessandro steve. dalessandro@utas.edu.au

■ For Chapter 3: Qualitative research Michael Mehmet m.mehmet@uow.edu.au

■ For Chapters 4, 8, 10, 11, 15 and 16: Hume Winzar hume.winzar@mq.edu.au

■ For Chapters 7, 12, 13 and 14: Ben Lowe b.lowe@kent.ac.uk

s teven D’Alessandro

Steve dedicates this book to his entire family in Australia, Italy and the United States. It is a joy to work with co-authors such as Ben and Hume and we are grateful for the guidance and support shown to us by Nathan Katz and Michelle Aarons at Cengage Learning Australia. To all the students of Marketing Research, we hope you find this an informative yet engaging read. Lastly, thank you Michelle for your support for the last 20 years and to my two daughters Sophie and Stanton, I wish you all the happiness in life. A special thank you to my Mum, Lubika, who bought me my first computer all these years ago, which help set me on the path to an academic and publishing career and has been a great inspiration and support ever since.

Hume Winzar

Thanks to Michelle Aarons and Nathan Katz at Cengage Learning Australia for their guidance and patience in this project. I do not think I could work with a better team of co-authors in Steve and Ben. Thanks to more than a generation of undergraduate and postgraduate students, whose often profound questions have driven much of what appears in this text. Thanks to my wonderful wife, Trish, for your support and regular reminders about priorities.

Ben Lowe

Thanks to my co-authors and the team at Cengage for another great edition of a great book. Thanks also to my wonderful family for all their support!

Michael Mehmet ( c hapter 3)

Thanks to the team at Cengage for their help and guidance, my co-authors for their valued input and Professor Steven D’Alessandro for inviting me to join the impressive team. I also want to thank the giants whose shoulders I stood on in developing the chapter and of course my partner and family.

REVIEWERS

The authors also wish to acknowledge the following reviewers:

Johan Larsson – Jönköping International Business School

Krzysztof Chmielewski – Kozminski University

Dr Marthin Nanere – La Trobe University

Narjes Haj Salem – University of Sharjah

Dr Jason Pallant – Swinburne University

Anne Sharp – University of South Australia

Abhisehk Dwivedi – Charles Sturt University

Dr Jeffrey Lim – The University of Sydney

Dr Rumman Hassan – University of Southern Queensland

Huda Khan – University of South Australia

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr s teven D’Alessandro

Steve is a Professor of Marketing at The University of Tasmania. He has published 114 refereed papers in leading international journals (including The European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review, Marketing Letters, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Marketing Management, Food Quality and Preference, Psychology and Marketing, and Applied Economics), books and conferences. Steve has also worked as a market research consultant for blue-chip companies such as Pacific Dunlop, ANZ, Challenge Bank, BHP, Telstra and Ford. His research expertise in the application of consumer behaviour theories and approaches to business strategies and social marketing issues. Steve is currently the co-editor of the Journal of Consumer Behaviour and is professional member of the Market Research Society. In 2012 he was named as ANZMAC Distinguished Educator of the year, in recognition of his expertise and innovation in marketing education.

Ben Lowe

Ben Lowe is Professor of Marketing at Kent Business School, University of Kent. Over the last 20 years, Ben has been

Yioula Melanthiou – University of Nicosia

Dr Gilbert arap Bor – Catholic University of Eastern Africa

Wei Shao – Griffith University

Alicia Kulczynski – University of Newcastle

Djavlonbek Kadirov – University of Newcastle

Raechel Johns – University of Canberra

Emanuel Said – University of Malta.

Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright. However, if any infringement has occurred, the publishers tender their apologies and invite the copyright holders to contact them.

teaching courses in marketing research and marketing at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the UK, Europe and Australia, and has consulted on market research projects to organisations in Australia and the UK. Ben’s primary research interests relate to consumer behaviour and consumer acceptance of innovations and he has conducted research on pricing, sales promotions, marketing communications and branding. Ben is currently Associate Editor of the European Journal of Marketing and sits on a number of other journal editorial review boards. He has published more than 40 refereed articles in journals such as the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Technovation, the Journal of Interactive Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Management, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the Journal of Marketing Education and many others. Ben’s research method expertise lies in survey design and experimentation.

Hume Winzar

Hume is Associate Professor of Business and Director of the Bachelor of Business Analytics at Macquarie University, Sydney. Before joining academia, Hume worked in outdoor

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Aamu oli häikäisevän kaunis. Meri oli kuin peili ja kalalokit kiersivät ilmassa tehden pitkiä, loivia kaaria. Oli kuin ennen muinoin kerran — eräällä matkalla.

Oli sellainen sunnuntaipäivä, jolloin luulisi kirkonkellojen soivan aamusta iltaan pelkkää kauneuden hartautta ja kesäisen luonnon juhlaa.

Isä tuli vastaani loistavin kasvoin käytävässä Yrjön huoneen edustalla. Tänä aamuna oli tullut käänne parempaan! Ei kuumetta enää! Se oli kuin ihme — eilen vielä korkea kuume kuten muuten koko ajan — ja nyt yhtäkkiä ei ensinkään!

Hän oli niin onnellinen, että hänen äänensä värisi.

Aukaisin oven sairaan huoneeseen, ja vuoteesta hymyilivät vastaani läpikuultavat, mutta iloiset kasvot. Ne todensivat äskeisen ilosanoman. Ja Yrjö kertoi, miten syvästi hän oli nukkunut, ja miten virkistävää oli herätä ilman kuumetta.

— Katsos nyt äiti! Nyt tulee terveys itsestään. Niin, niin! — Saisit lähettää sanan Kaimalle — en ole ennen jaksanut ketään tavata mutta nyt tahtoisin hänet nähdä.

Seurasin yöhoitajatarta käytävää pitkin saadakseni kuulla tarkemmin. Hän kertoi nuoren herran heränneen aikaisin ja heti näyttäneen tavallista virkeämmältä. Kun isä aamulla oli nukahtanut lepotuoliinsa, niin poika ei ollut tahtonut puhua edes kuiskaamalla, vaan oli käsin viittaamalla lausunut toivomuksensa aamuhoidosta, jonka suhteen hän tähän saakka oli ollut täysin välinpitämätön. Ankarasti hän oli valvonut, ettei isän unta saanut mitenkään häiritä. Sitten valmiiksi tultuaan ja levätessään puhtaalla tyynyllään, oli hän

kuiskaten kertonut hoitajattarelle lähimmistä aikeistaan. Hän oli katsellut käsiään ja naurahtanut niiden kalpeudelle. Miten ne olivatkaan käyneet laihoiksi ja ohuiksi ja vallan verettömiksi! Ainoastaan kolme päivää oli hän työskennellyt työpajassa — se ei vielä voinut niissä näkyä. Mutta terveeksi tultuaan hän harjoittelisi konepajoissa vaikkapa kokonaisen vuoden. Sittenpähän kädetkin muuttuisivat karkeammiksi! Ja insinöörikoulun jälkeen tulisivat toiset koulut — ja sen jälkeen alkaisi hauska aika.

Oliko hän todellakin puhunut niin paljon hänen kanssaan?

Oli hän puhunut. Se oli terveyden merkki.

Hoitajatar oli ylpeä hänen luottamuksestaan ja siitä, että tervehtyminen oli alkanut hänen valvomisvuorollaan. Hän pani sen jotenkin omalle tililleen.

Tämähän oli vallan ihmeellinen päivä. Nyt piti Yrjön saada levähtää oikein rauhassa, nukkua niin paljon kuin suinkin, niin että hän saisi voimia päästäkseen todella parantumisen alkuun. Me päätimme oleskella parvekkeen muotoisessa ikkunansyvennyksessä juuri Yrjön oven ulkopuolella, josta kuulimme jokaisen äänen sairashuoneesta häntä läsnäolollamme häiritsemättä. Ja katselimme sieltä välkkyvää meren ulappaa.

Kaupungissa astuivat ihmiset kirkkoon ja urut soivat. Yli koko maan ne soivat tänä kirkkaana sunnuntaipäivänä, ja virrenveisuu nousi kuorona kirkot täyttäen ja levisi pitkin siintäviä selkiä ja metsäisiä rinteitä kauas syrjäisille poluille. Ja kaikissa kirkoissa puhuttiin tänään Kristuksen kirkastuksesta, miten hän yhtäkkiä nousi ystäviensä näkyvistä ja katosi auringonpaisteeseen. Se sana kertoi vapautuksesta ja onnesta, kaikkien toiveitten toteutumisesta. Oli

mahtanut silloinkin olla sellainen sabatinpäivä, jolloin öljyvuoret tuoksuivat ja laaksot huokuivat lämpöä ja hedelmällisyyttä ja päivä paistoi täydeltä terältä. Sellainen sabatti, jolloin voi ihmeitä tapahtua sen takia että päivä itse oli päivien ihme.

Palasin hetkisen jälkeen Yrjön luo. Hän nukkui vielä. Aurinko paistoi vinosti sisään ja valaisi hänen vuodettaan. Tuokion perästä hän heräsi ja näytti jotakin ajattelevan.

— Äiti — sanoi hän äkkiä — anna minulle vaatteeni kaapista!

— Ethän aikone nousta?

— En, mutta minun pitää etsiä pientä kuulaa, jonka olen kadottanut.

Katsoin häneen hämmästyneenä. — Äkillinen ahdistus kouristi sydäntäni — mitä tämä merkitsi? Hänen katseensa oli tyyni ja kirkas, mutta hyvin pingoittunut, hänen kätensä harhailivat levottomasti peitteellä, kuin hän olisi kiireesti tahtonut löytää kuulan. Kuumehouretta se ei ollut — mitä saattoi se merkitä?

Tein hänelle mieliksi ja otin esille kaapista hänen vaalean kesäpukunsa, joka hänellä oli ollut yllään hänen saadessaan ylioppilaslakkinsa ja viimeksi matkalla kotoa. Ja hän alkoi hapuilla taskuja, sitten takin ja housujen alaskäännettyjä ompeleita. Sitä tehdessään hän katsoi suoraan eteensä johonkin kaukaiseen etäisyyteen. Mutta hänen laihat sormensa etsivät ja etsivät, kopeloivat ja kopeloivat ompeleittenkin alta.

Tulin aivan kuumaksi tuskasta. Jospa lääkäri pian saapuisi!

Silloin astui isä sisään.

— Isä — sanoi Yrjö vakavasti — minun täytyy nyt olla kahden

äidin kanssa. Anteeksi, mutta hän auttaa minua juuri löytämään mitä etsin.

— Ja mitä sinä etsit?

— Tiedäthän — tuollaista kuulaa — olen käyttänyt sellaisia valokuvatessani.

— Mutta nythän sinä et sitä tarvitse.

— Tarvitsen minä — ne valaisevat äkkiä — niitä voi milloin tahansa käyttää.

Isä kalpeni ja katseli poikaa silmänräpäyksen neuvotonna, nyökkäsi hänelle lempeästi päätään ja lähti huoneesta telefonoimaan lääkärille.

Jäimme Yrjön kanssa kahden.

— Äiti — sanoi hän taas miltei käskevällä äänellä — anna minulle kaikki mitä minulla oli päälläni tänne tullessani!

Annoin hänelle lakin, harson, sukat — kaikki — ja hän tapaili taas reunoja ja ompeleita, silmissä tähystävä, kuulostava ilme.

— Sano, poikani, mitä sinä oikeastaan etsit?

— Sellaista, jota tarvitaan matkoilla.

— Mutta ethän sinä nyt tule matkustamaan.

— En tiedä — katsohan äiti, nouse tuolille ja katso, onko se vasemmalla hyllyllä — tuon kaapin — tuon — minä tarvitsen sitä

välttämättä.

Tein mitä hän pyysi.

— Ei, Yrjö, täällä ei ole mitään.

Astuin alas tuoliltani ja näytin hänelle tyhjät käteni.

Silloin hän huokasi syvään ja lakkasi etsimästä.

Sydämeni oli kuin kivi rinnassani, kun käänsin hitaasti kokoon kaikki nuo hänen matkatamineensa ja asetin ne takaisin kaappiin.

Hyvä Jumala — oliko hänellä sittenkin matka edessään!

Hän oli kääntynyt ikkunaa kohti ja piti kätensä hiljaa peitteellä. Näytti siltä kuin hän olisi unohtanut sen, mikä äsken oli häntä askaroittanut. Annoin hänelle siemauksen viiniä, järjestin tyynyt hänen päänsä alla ja näin että hän nukahti.

Käytävässä puhelimme hiljaa keskenämme. Emme voineet tätä selittää. Lääkäri oli saaristossa huvilallaan ja oli luvannut tulla tunnin kuluttua. Emme saaneet muitakaan käsiimme, sillä olihan sunnuntai ja kesän helteisin aika, jolloin lääkärit nauttivat vapauttaan, ja ne harvat jotka olivat kaupungissa, olivat tällä tuokiolla työssä muualla. Meidän täytyi odottaa. Istuuduimme taas nojatuoleihin käytävän ikkunan ääreen ja koetimme toivoa parasta. Ehkäpä tämä olikin käänne, jota aina odotettiin tällaisessa tapauksessa — olihan kuume laskeutunut, ja tästä päivästä alkaen ehkä saisimme seurata hänen varmaa paranemistaan.

Silloin kuulin äkkiä huudahduksen. Hypähdin pystyyn — katsahdin ympärilleni — se tuli kuin hyvin kaukaa:

— Äiti!

Ääni oli voimakas kuin olisi se voinut tunkeutua sairashuoneen kiviseinien läpi.

Kiiruhdin sisään.

Yrjö oli noussut kyynärpäilleen vuoteessaan ja katsoi minuun, selittämätön ilme silmissään. Hänen kasvonsa loistivat ja hänen silmänsä säteilivät jännitettyä odotusta.

— Äiti, kuka sieltä tulee?

— Kuuletko jonkun tulevan? — ehkäpä tohtori? — ehkäpä Kaima —!

— Oletko sanonut hänelle — olen odottanut — en ole ennen pyytänyt — mutta nyt —

— Olen Yrjö — jo lähetettiin sana.

Hän vaipui tyynylle ja varjo kulki hänen kasvojensa yli —.

— Äiti, minä en voi hengittää — —

Samalla silmät sulkeutuivat puoleksi — ja harmaa kalpeus levisi yli otsan — suun —

Heitin oven auki ja isä juoksi sisään. Hän näki silmänräpäyksessä kaiken, kiersi käsivartensa poikansa ympärille ja nosti hänet istualle rintaansa vasten.

Mutta yhä syvempi varjo peitti hänen kasvonsa.

— Yrjö! Yrjö!

Yrjö ei enää kuullut meitä.

Hänen päänsä lepäsi raskaana isän rinnalla ja hänen silmänsä olivat murtuneet.

38. Siinä me ihmislapset olimme maahan lyötyinä — masentuneina menehtymäisillämme.

Siinä olimme avuttomina vihlovan tuskan vallassa — tietämätöntä tietämättä — uskomatonta uskomatta — käsittämätöntä käsittämättä.

Katsoimme poikamme kalvenneita kasvoja — ja valoviirua, jonka hän oli jälkeensä jättänyt kadotessaan näkyvistämme.

Oi kaikkien kysymysten kysymystä!

Ja kaikkien arvoitusten arvoitusta!

Sinä olevaisuuden avain, jolla Jumala sulkee ja taasen avaa —!

Olimme siinä poikamme vuoteen ääressä — kuoleman voiman iskeminä — Jumalan sormen koskettamina.

39.

Ja mummo tuli kotoa kukkia tuoden.

Hän lyyhistyi tuolille peittäen vanhat kasvonsa käsiinsä ja hiljaa valittaen.

Hiljaa ja tuskissaan valittaen — kuin jos olisi hänen sydämensä lävistetty.

* * * * *

Mutta sinä Yrjö, minne olit hävinnyt? Mikä käsittämätön arvoitus!

Siinä olit sinä, mutta et sittenkään enää ollut.

Äsken puhuit — äsken katsoit sinä — minne pakenit?

Itse — itse — minne katosit sinä?

Yhtäkkiä ainiaaksi poissa!

Mutta voima ei kuole.

Ihmishenki ei sammu.

Olit lähtenyt luotamme, emmekä saaneet sinua häiritä kaipauksellamme ja kysymyksillämme.

Ainoastaan sydämemme pohjasta kiittäen sinua siunata.

40.

Muukalainen, joka oli käynyt meitä tervehtimässä, oli aamupäivällä ollut sairaalassa kysymässä Yrjön tilaa ja saanut kuulla hänen olevan parempana. Päivä oli tukahduttavan kuuma ja autiot kadut painostavan helteiset. Matka oli ollut pitkä, ja asuntoonsa palattuaan hän paneutui levolle.

Hän nukahti.

Jonkun tunnin kuluttua hän heräsi jälleen, nousi istualleen vuoteessansa, katsoi kysyvänä vanhaa, hienopiirteistä miestä, joka istui nojatuolissa hänen vieressään, ja sanoi:

— Mitenkä mahtaa olla Yrjön laita? Näin hänestä niin ihanaa unta.

Mies laski kirjansa pöydälle, nojasi tuolin selustimeen ja odotti. Ja nainen kertoi:

— Olin seisovinani sairaalan edustalla. Eilen illalla kävelimme siellä yhdessä, Yrjön äiti ja minä — mutta nyt oli aamu. Katselin merta, mutta kun käännyin mennäkseni sisään, tuli Yrjö astuen alas sairaalan portaita. Hän oli puettu vaaleanharmaaseen kesäpukuunsa, kuten viimein hänet nähdessäni, ja käsissään hänellä oli suuri määrä kukkia, värikkäitä ja minulle outoja, mutta ikäänkuin juuri puutarhasta poimittuja. Hän tuli kiirehtien siivekkäin askelin, ja hänen kasvonsa loistivat ilosta.

— Mitenkä? — kysyin hämmästyneenä. — Minne olette menossa?

— Menen matkalle — vastasi hän reippaasti.

— Te matkalle? — Ja tietävätkö ne tuolla sisällä teidän aikeistanne?

— En ennättänyt heiltä kysyä.

— Ettekö te ajattele heidän kauhuansa, kun huomaavat teidän lähteneen?

— Kauhuako? — Enhän minä kauas matkusta ja pääsen milloin tahansa takaisin.

— Niinkö? — Mistä teillä sitten on nuo kauniit kukkaset käsissänne?

— Ne sain heiltä — ne ovat heidän rakkautensa minuun!

— Ja kuitenkin te riennätte heidän luotaan pois?

— Ah, ei se mitään merkitse. — Sanokaa te heille, että kaikki minkä ovat minulle antaneet, sen lähetän heille takaisin — moninkertaisesti. Sanokaa heille, että tulen takaisin monin tavoin tuhansin muodoin! —

Ja näin että kellertävä valo ympäröi häntä. Se oli kuin auringonnousun enne — se kasvoi — se punertui — se hehkui kullankarvaisena. Muistin nähneeni sentapaista joskus ennenkin jonkun maalarin mielikuvituksen ja pensselin tuotteena —? Missä — Roomassa? — Guido Renin aamuruskon taivaana Auroran takana. Tiedäthän!

Vanha mies nyökkäsi päätään.

— Ja Yrjö seisoi keskellä aamuruskoa ja kiirehti pois. Mutta aurinko kultasi kiviportaat, veistokset, seinät, puut ja puistot. Se heitti heijastuksensa yli kiiltävän ulapan, se sulki maat ja taivaat hohteeseensa. Ja nuori mies oli hohteeseen hävinnyt.

41.

Sitten sytytimme ne kahdeksantoista kynttilää, jotka olivat hänen elämänsä kahdeksantoista vuotta. Liekkukoot ne hautakappelin hämärässä ja sammukoot yksitellen, kuten hänen vuotensakin olivat sammuneet.

Noudimme kotoa sen korkean kellokukan, joka täydessä kukassa ollen oli kuin valtava vahakynttilä, ja asetimme sen hänen leposijansa pääpuoleen. Taittukoon ikkunasta tuleva valovirta sen lumivalkoiseen kruunuun.

Hymiskööt sitten urut hänen lapsuutensa laulua säestäen. Se oli häntä varten säestetty ja vuosittain jouluna laulettu hänen kodissaan.

Hänelle oli hänen isänsä tehnyt virren ja Kaima aamuhymnin, ja vanha perheenystävä professori kauniin muistorunon. Ei tarvinnut hänen hahmonsa lähteä laulutta, runotta eikä kukatta maan poven lepoon.

Kiviä ja santaa!

Ja kuitenkin tahdoimme viettää hänen muistojuhlaansa eikä hänen hautajaisiaan.

42.

Syksy oli saapunut. Silloin palasi matkaltansa hän, jota Yrjö ei koskaan väsynyt saattamaan ja taasen kohtaamaan ja jota mekin olimme malttamattomasti odottaneet, saadaksemme puhua hänen kanssaan pojastamme.

Hän tuli rata vallin portaita alas. Katsomatta ympärilleen hän astui suoraa päätä liejuisen maantien yli odottavaa kohti.

Ja hän sulki odottajan syliinsä ja painoi poskensa poskelleni. Minkälainen kevät ja kesä hänestä uhkui! Kyyneleet valuivat hänen silmistänsä ja kostuttivat hänen kasvojansa, mutta hän katsoi vain kosteitten silmäripsien lomitse eteensä kotiamme, joka siinä näkyi koivujen takaa.

— Miksi? — Miksi piti sen tapahtua?

Kuljimme vaieten käsikädessä syksyisen pilvitaivaan alla lautakäytävää pitkin. Molemmin puolin kiilsivät mustat peltomaat ja maantienkuopat olivat vettä täynnänsä. Ne peitti ohut jääkuori, joka särkyi pienestäkin kosketuksesta. Harmaata ja liikkumatonta oli kaikki. Surullista oli kaikki. Lakastunutta oli kaikki.

Siinä oli veräjä. Niin monta kertaa iloisesti auki temmattu. Hakanen nousi ja portti sulkeutui itsestään. Siinä oli tuttu tie, ruusupensaat molemmin puolin. Kun ne juhannuksena kukkivat, oli käytävä valkoisten ruusulehtien vallassa. Sivuutimme hitaasti korkeat koivut.

Tien käänteessä verannan ovella seisoi isä meitä vastassa.

Hän oli iloisen näköinen, sillä olihan nyt Marja luonamme. Hän, joka tiesi pojastamme enemmän kuin kukaan muu ja joka ei väsyisi

hänestä kertomasta.

Marja riippui isän kaulassa ja Kirsti odotti vain vuoroansa lentääkseen hänen syliinsä. Palvelijatkin kiersivät keittiön portaita häntä tervehtimään.

Mutta hän, joka ennen vallatonna oli rynnännyt sisään ja sitten vihurina huoneitten läpi ja portaita ylös yläkertaan, astui nyt vitkalleen miltei seiniin painautuen. Äänetönnä hän lähenteli sinun huoneesi ovea, Yrjö, peitti kasvonsa käsiinsä ja nyyhkytti rajusti. Ovi oli raollaan, kuin olisit juuri lähtenyt huoneestasi ulos.

Ja Marja hoiperteli sisään.

Voi sen pienen huoneen muistoja! Jokainen esine oli hänelle tuttu. Kirjojesi rivit hyllylläsi, monet kerrat yhdessä katsotut. Kirjoituspöytäsi laatikot, yhdessä pengotut. Pikku tavarat pöydälläsi — kynätelineesi, suurennuslasisi — kaikki entisellään. Tuossa oli lamppu, jolla olit näyttänyt hänelle tietä rappusissa. Tuossa avainkimppusi — tuossa nuo pikkuesineet, joita olit kantanut taskuissasi. Sinulla oli tuskin mitään, jota et ollut hänelle joskus näyttänyt.

Siellä oli myöskin kehityspuitteet ja siinä kuva, jonka olit auringonpaisteessa kehittänyt istuessamme mäellä viimeisenä päivänä ennenkuin menit konepajaan. Marja otti sen käteensä ja katseli sitä. Hän näki siinä sinut ja itsensä Kaivopuiston juhlan jälkeisenä päivänä, jolloin Martti veli oli valokuvannut teidät yhteisine kukkinenne Marjan kodissa.

Miten arvoituksellinen oli elämä! Mikä tarkoitus mahtoi siinäkin olla, että Marjan piti seistä tuossa itkemässä? Miksi piti isän

menehtyä kaipaukseensa ja suruunsa — miksi piti kotimme jäädä autioksi kuin hävitystään odottaen?

Mutta turhaa on kysyä. Tule, Marja, tule isän huoneeseen ja anna hänelle nuoruutesi lohdutusta. Sinulla on tulevaisuutesi, kaikesta huolimatta. Itse et siitä nyt tiedä, mutta tuolla tienkäänteessä se sinua odottaa. Silti tämä nuoruutesi tarina ei menetä pyhyyttään elämässäsi, ja se tulee sitä aina tuhannesti rikastuttamaan. Tule, anna isän se aavistaa, anna hänen katsoa elämään nuorilla silmilläsi. Ja puhu hänelle siitä jota hän aina ikävöi, puhu meille molemmille Yrjöstä!

Silloin Marja puhui sinusta, Yrjö. Kuinkahan kauan me siinä muistojamme täydensimme, sitä en aavista. Kysyimme häneltä tiettyäkin, vain houkutellaksemme häntä kertomaan lisää. Ja kaikkien kysymystemme alla piili arkana se yksi ja tärkein, jota emme voineet keneltäkään suoraan tiedustella. Mutta Marja aavisti sen sanojemme alta. Ja kun hän vakuutti, että sinä olit kodissasi onnellinen ja että teillä molemmilla oli tapana kilvan kehua kotejanne, niin se oli kuin juomaa erämaan janoavalle vaeltajalle.

— Sanoiko Yrjö sen milloinkaan suoraan?

— Sanoi toki monta kertaa. Silloinkin kun tapasimme viimeisen kerran ennen matkaani ja hän kertoi minulle siitä yöllisestä keskustelusta.

— Miten hän silloin sanoi?

— Että hän oli sen yön jälkeen kokonaan vapautunut ja että hän nyt vasta oikein tiesi, miten paljon hän teistä piti.

Emme kysyneet enempää — eikä meidän tarvinnut enää kaipauksella ikävöidä Yrjön omaa suoraa vastausta.

43. Sen jälkeen kun sinä, Yrjö, lähdit, ei meillä ole arkea ollutkaan. Sinä olet kokonaan täyttänyt jokaisen sunnuntain kuten tänään, ja se sama sunnuntaitunnelma on seurannut meitä läpi viikon, kunnes on koittanut uusi sunnuntai, joka on vaeltanut päivää kohti ja laskeutunut iltaan, kuten tämäkin päivä, jolloin olemme yhdessä entisiä muistelleet.

Sentakia meistä nyt perästäpäin tuntuu siltä kuin olisi elämäsi ollut yhtämittainen, päivänpaisteinen pyhäpäivä. Oli sunnuntai, kun maailmaan saavuit, ja sunnuntai, kun lähdit. Ja sunnuntain olet jättänyt jälkeesi kodillesi.

Se onkin meille tarpeen. Sillä emme ole jaksaneet vielä arkitouhuihin antautua.

Katso isää tässä, Yrjö! Milloin luulet sinä hänen voivan elämää ajatella? Kasvot ovat kalvenneet, katse sisäänpäin kääntynyt. Maailma on niin kaukana, ettei mikään ääni sieltä saavuta häntä. Vaikka hän kuulee ääntemme sorinan, niin luulee hän ehkä sittenkin vain kuuntelevansa omien ajatustensa kulkua. Jospa hän jaksaisi luottaa siihen, että niin rikkaana lähdit, että sentakia taaksesi katsot ja viivähdät meillä! Mutta kysymykset eivät jätä häntä rauhaan. Hän kysyy kysymistään saamatta mistään vastausta — — kysyy tuota

kysymysten kysymystä, johon elämä ja iäisyys eivät vastaa — tuota tuskallista miksi ja mitä varten?

Mutta mehän emme tiedä miksi ja mitä varten, emmekä saa tietää. Lähdit pois ja tulit takaisin ja muistat sinäkin menneisyyttämme ja menet edelleen ja tottelet Korkeimman tahtoa. Luulen, että olit jo opittavasi oppinut, olit jo ennen jossain koulusi käynyt ja olit jo tullessasi miltei valmis. Mutta kai sinulla oli muutamia jumalallisia sanoja vielä tajuntaasi painettavina, ja kun olit ne oivaltanut, sait kutsun pois. Hyvä olisi meistä ollut, jos olisit jäänyt tänne meidän muiden tähtemme, sillä me kaipaamme kipeästi sinunlaisiasi ristiriitaiseen maailmaamme. Mutta kai tehtäväsi oli suoritettu ja sinulla oli tärkeämpää tehtävää muualla. En tiedä.

Emmehän varmuudella tiedä mitään kaikkein syvimmistä asioista. Niiden suhteen voimme ainoastaan aavistaa. Olen sentakia lakannut kysymästä, kun en sittenkään saa mihinkään vastausta, ja sen sijaan uskon. Uskon lujasti siihen, että vaikka lähditkin, olet kuitenkin luonamme uudella tavalla ja täytät elämämme uudella voimalla, josta meillä ei ole ennen ollut aavistustakaan. Eikä minun tarvitse edes uskooni turvautua, sillä tunnen sen, huomaan sen kaikesta.

Koettakaamme saada isäkin huomaamaan se. Hän on tähän asti katsonut vain siihen raollaan olevaan oveen, jonka taakse katosit, ja siihen valosäteeseen, jonka jälkeesi jätit. Joskus tuntuu kuin hänkin olisi nähnyt jotakin sen oven takana häämöttävän ja saanut sen hivuttavan ikävän. Sinuako hän niin katkerasti kaipaa? Sinuako, Yrjö? Vai olisiko hänkin valmis?

En tahdo ajatella sitä ajatusta loppuun asti. Hän on tänään kanssamme muistellut kaikki yhteiset muistomme ja hänen kiikkutuolinsa jalas on pysähtynyt. Hänen otsansa vaot ovat

silenneet ja hänen silmäinsä ilme on käynyt eloisammaksi. Hänen sydämensä taakka on tänä rauhaisana sunnuntai-iltana keventynyt. Katso, hän ottaa kätensä pois silmiltään ja hymyilee meille.

Ja talossa on niin äänetöntä, ettei kuulu hiiskahdustakaan. Lampun valossa näemme huurteisten oksien tuskin huomattavasti huojuvan ikkunaimme edessä.

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