Commentary on “Common Method Bias in Marketing: Causes, Mechanisms, and Procedural Remedies”

MacKenzie and Podsakoff (M&P) have written a very useful guide for researchers in retailing and marketing on how to deal with the problem of common method bias in survey research. We applaud their effort to provide procedural remedies that can be implemented before the data are collected in an attempt to counter satisficing and prevent the damaging effects of method bias in survey data. In this comment we identify several issues that merit further research, including the need to formulate a multi-motive model of survey response, the need to identify determinants of method bias other than satisficing, the need to evaluate the relative importance of different sources of method bias (as well as in-depth research on the major sources), the need for more extensive pretesting before administering a survey, and the challenge of how to enhance systematic processing in the age of internet panels.

► Procedural remedies to reduce method bias can improve survey quality.
► MacKenzie and Podsakoff provide a useful overview of procedural remedies.
► We identify several issues that can further increase the validity of surveys.