Business Research Methods (McGraw-Hill/Irwin Series Operations and Decision Sciences)

THE GOOD:

Cooper and Schindler offer up a thorough text which takes the reader/student through the complete research process from start to finish. Again, it is very detailed about the research process and any student who can make it through the text will come away from a very solid grounding in the research process. The research process is well described and real life examples abound through case studies which bring the topics close to home.

THE BAD:

At about 700 pages the text is VERY cumbersome and quite the chore to finish. The great thing about this book is that it is very detailed. The problem with this though, it that it is TOO detailed. The writing, while thorough, can probably best be described as "bland" (like the subject itself). Research methods, more than likely, DOES NOT top most students' list of favorite courses to take no matter how smart or motivated they are. Having a humongous tome of a subject that is not all that popular or accessible probably does not score points with most people. Research methods for most is an archaic subject, very difficult to understand or enjoy. This text, because of the subject matter, its size and bland tone, will probably fly over the heads of most students. If you are a student planning to read this book or if you are an instructor thinking of using this text, keep this in mind.

This textbook was used as one of the texts for a graduate level research methods course I took. The vast majority of those in my class (myself included) barely did any of the readings from this text. It was a very "dry" read.

THE VERDICT:

While Cooper and Schindler do an awesome job of covering the ins and outs of the research process, I find it unlikely most students will actually take the time to read this. This book, while thorough, is just not that accessible to the average student. If you are an instructor, think to yourself, when you were a student would YOU have read a 700 page, hard to read, book on a subject that you probably at best didn't really care about all that much?

For an alternative text of this subject I recommend Leedy and Omrod's "Practical Research."

It is safe to say that on a whole, when it comes to buy back time at the college bookstore, this book will probably be in "near mint" condition for most students.

Mild Recommendation


Business Research Methods   February 2, 2001
Jeff Stevens (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Cooper & Schindler provide an easy-to-understand approach to conducting research for business, or other related fields such as public administration. In developing this latest revision, the authors consider both the academic and applied researcher with a presentation strongly grounded in scientific methods and statistical techniques. The authors' straightforward writing style and in-depth content make this guide an excellent resource text for use in any business or public administration research methods course.


Business Research Methods   December 28, 2000
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I used this book for a Public Administration Research Methods course and found the techniques to be equally applicable to the public sector. The case example, a story that progresses with each chapter, is imaginative and provides a setting where each technique can be practically applied. The writing is sharp, concise, and reads with a cadence that holds the attention. Of all the research methods texts I've used, this is undisputably one of the best.


Well structured but dull   November 4, 1999
M. Halai (London, UK)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

The text is structured well for teaching purposes but the cases and
vignettes all relate to one ongoing example which gets quite
complex. Also, it means you have to take the chapters in the order
given and none other, otherwise the cases don't make much sense....