William G. Zikmund, Ph.D., was a professor of marketing at Oklahoma State University until his death in 2002. He received his bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Colorado, a master of science degree from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Colorado. Professor Zikmund worked in marketing research for Conway/Millikin Company and Remington Arms Company before beginning his academic career, and he had extensive consulting experience with business and not-for-profit organizations. Professor Zikmund published dozens of articles and papers in a diverse group of scholarly journals,… including the JOURNAL OF MARKETING, ACCOUNTING REVIEW, and the JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY. He was the author of the successful textbooks EXPLORING MARKETING RESEARCH, BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS, MARKETING, and EFFECTIVE MARKETING, as well as a work of fiction: A CORPORATE BESTIARY. Professor Zikmund was a member of several professional organizations, including the American Marketing Association, the Academy of Marketing Science, the Association for Consumer Research, the Society for Marketing Advances, the Marketing Educators� Association, and the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators. He served on the editorial review boards of the JOURNAL OF MARKETING EDUCATION, MARKETING EDUCATION REVIEW, JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF MARKETING SCIENCE, and JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH. Professor Zikmund was an accomplished educator who strived to be creative and innovate in the classroom, and his books have been used in universities in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America, reaching more than a half million students worldwide.