Differences In Management and Marketing Professors' Perspectives On The Rising Cost of College Textbooks

Textbooks are an integral component of the higher education process. However, a great deal of concern about the high costs of college textbooks has been expressed by those inside and outside of higher education. This paper focuses on the results of a study of the differences in Management and Marketing professors' criteria and use of textbooks and their reactions to some of the changes that have been implemented or may be implemented by universities, state legislatures, and publishers to combat these cost escalations. Findings suggest that management and marketing instructors, particularly those with years of experience, acknowledge the concerns their students have over high textbook prices. They are willing to have legislation enacted to force changes in the marketing of the textbooks by publishers, but they do not want university policies that (from their perspective) restrict their choices for texts. Nor are they in favor of possible publisher cost saving strategies that appear to add administrative burdens on faculty involved in the adoption process.