Questions And Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Marketing Research 
        
Professional organizations, societies, and associations play an invaluable role in industry. Many offer educational curriculum, resource libraries, industry white papers, trade magazines, and venues for networking and the sharing of best practices. There are organizations that cater to just about every industry and profession, from the American Trucking Association to the Society for Human Resources Management to the Association for Wedding Professionals International.  
In addition to serving different industries and professions, there are many associations and societies that exist to provide opportunities for women and minorities or men and women from a certain area of the country. Consider the National Hispanic Society, which promises to "empower Hispanic Professionals with networking & leadership opportunities and to provide information on education, careers and entrepreneurship," or the American Society of Women Accountants, which offers to "enable women in all accounting and related fields to achieve their full personal, professional and economic potential and to contribute to the future development of their profession," or the Wisconsin Association of Mortgage Brokers, which "offers educational, networking and political opportunities as well as legislative and regulatory updates." 

Joining a professional organization is a great way to show your employer or potential employer that you are professionally minded and committed to succeeding in your career. Professional organizations play an invaluable role in industry. Visit one or more professional organizations listed below that are associated with sales, marketing, or advertising, and learn about resources and services they offer to their members. 
•American Marketing Association: http://www.marketingpower.com
•Sales & Marketing Executives International: http://www.smei.org
•Business Marketing Association: http://www.marketing.org/
•Direct Marketing Association:  http://www.the-dma.org/
•Marketing Research Association: http://marketingresearch.org
•United Professional Sales Association: http://www.astd.org/
•National Association of Sales Professionals: http://www.nasp.com/

Discussion Question 

You have four topics to address in this Discussion, which means you will need to make a substantial post. Make sure you read the description of a solid post in the Announcement Area. (NOTE: Points will be deducted for weak posts). In your answer, discuss the following topics: 
1.Discuss the potential benefits of membership in professional organizations you visited. 
2.Discuss opportunities for education and training.
3.Discuss the certifications offered by the professional organizations you visited. 
4.Describe any resources you may have found such as educational curriculum, resource libraries, industry white papers, trade magazines, or sharing of best practices. 

Book for the Entire Term

Brown, T. J., Suter, T A., & Churchill, G. A. (2014). Basic Marketing Research, 8th Edition, Cengage Learning.