Sticker Shock: Managements Professors' Perspectives on the Rising Cost of College Textbooks

Abstract

This study uses Internet survey methodology to target management instructors' views on the cost of textbooks and the strategies that might be exercised by universities, publishers, and legislatures to control cost increases. From a random sample of 2,893 management professors selected, using university websites, from universities throughout the United States, 228 provided useable responses. Findings suggest that management 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 unduly (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. Future research should include investigating techniques for reducing the rising costs of textbooks.