Is the process of systematic gathering recording and analyzing data about marketing problems?

What is the traditional definition of marketing research?

Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful to marketing decision making.

What are the 2 additional complications when doing marketing research internationally?

1:  information must be communicated across cultural boundaries
2:  the environments within which the research tools are applied are often different in foreign markets

What are the three types of information needs when conducting international marketing research?

1:  general information about the country, area, and/or market
2:  information necessary to forecast future marketing requirements by anticipating social, economic, consumer, and industry trends within specific markets or countries
3:  specific market information used to make product, promotion, distribution, and price decisions and to develop marketing plans

List Unisys Corporation's five types of information needed for international marketing research.

1.  economic and demographic
2.  cultural, sociological, and political climate
3.  overview of market conditions
4.  summary of the technological environment
5.  competitive situation

What are the six steps of the research process?

1.  Define the research problem and establish research objectives.
2.  Determine the sources of information to fulfill the objectives.
3.  Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort.
4.  Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.
6.  Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.

Why is the first step in the research process more critical in foreign markets?

An unfamiliar problem tends to cloud problem definition.  Researchers either fail to anticipate the influence of the local culture on the problem or fail  to identify the self-reference criterion, and therefore treat the problem definition as if it were in the researcher's home  environment.

What are some of the hindrances to data collection in foreign markets?

While the US keeps census records and many statistics, most other countries don't--Japan and several European countries also do a good job of collecting and reporting data, and in some cases, the information is better quality.  Researchers' language skills must be good enough to interpret data in a foreign language.

What are some issues with the reliability of data that is available for market research?

Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, and tax structures and fear of the tax collector often adversely affect data.  Less-developed countries are generally more affected, but EU tax policies have led to false reporting to evade taxes, so researchers must be aware of "adjusted reporting" if relying on secondary data.

Where does secondary data come from?

Data that is already collected by some other agency is secondary.

What are the three shortcomings of using secondary data in research?

Availability, reliability, and comparability, in that order.

What are some problems involved with comparing data between markets?

Some data may be collected infrequently, or even out of date.  Data may  be reported in different categories, or categories too broad to be of specific value.

What questions should be posed to effectively judge the reliability of secondary data sources?

1.  Who collected the data and would there be any reason for purposeful misrepresentation?
2.  For what purposes were the data collected?
3.  By what methods were the data collected?
4.  Are the data internally consistent and logical in light of known data sources or market factors?

What is an effective way of judging validity of secondary data?

Checking the consistency of one set of secondary data with other data of known validity.

Data collected specifically for the research project at hand.

When should primary data be collected?

If, after seeking all reasonable secondary data sources, research questions are still not adequately answered, the market research must collect primary data.

What are the two basic types of marketing research methods?  Define them.

Quantitative research:  usually a large number of respondents are asked to reply either verbally or in writing to structured questions using a specific response format or to select a response from a set of choices
Qualitative research:  open-ended or in-depth questions asked with unstructured responses that reflect the person's thoughts and feelings on the subject

Quantitative research is designed to elicit what kinds of responses?

aspects of the respondents' behavior, intentions, attitudes, motives, and demographic characteristics that can be represented in precise estimations

What is the most-oft used form of qualitative questioning?

How does qualitative research aid the research process?

It can help to formulate and define a problem more clearly and to determine relevant questions to be examined in subsequent research.  It can also help reveal the impact of sociocultural factors on behavior patterns and develop research hypotheses that can be tested in subsequent studies to quantify the concepts and relevant relationships uncovered in qualitative research.

What are some of the problems with gathering primary data?

ability to communicate opinions, willingness to respond, meaningful sampling in field surveys, language and comprehension

Why might some consumers find it difficult to communicate opinions?

They may not understand the usefulness or value of a product or concept that are unfamiliar, uncommon in their community, or whose use is not understood.

Why might some consumers be unwilling or unable to respond to research surveys?

Cultural differences, the role of the male, and other gender-related issues can affect willingness. (husband controls all cash).  French Canadian women don't like to be questioned, in some places, a man may consider it impolite to discuss grooming habits, any questions about taxes may make the respondent paranoid that they're talking to a tax agent.

What causes problems in field survey samplings?

Lack of adequate demographic data and available lists from which to draw meaningful samples, lack of street maps, unavailability of telephones/Internet, lack of detailed social and economic information, inadequate mailing lists, poor postal service

What is the most universal survey research problem in foreign countries?

language barrier, and further, comprehension, literacy, and dialects

What is back translation?

In back translation, the questionnaire is translated from one language to another, and then a second party translates it back to the original, and the two original language versions are compared.

What is parallel translation?

More than two translators are used for the back translation, the results are compared and differences discussed, and the most appropriate translation is selected.

A successive process of translation and re-translation of a questionnaire, each time by a different translator, ending up with equally comprehensive and equivalent terminologies in both languages.

What is multicultural research?

Multicultural research involves countries that have different languages, economies, social structures, behavior, and attitude patterns.

What are the 8 uses for the Internet in international research?

online surveys and buyer panels, online focus groups, web visitor tracking, advertising measurement, consumer identification systems, e-mail marketing lists, embedded research, observational research

What two methods of forecasting demand are suitable for international marketers?

expert opinion:  experts are polled for their opinions about market size and growth rates, using triangulation to compare estimates
analogy:  assumes that demand for a product develops the same way in all countries--variables and relationships established then an analogy is drawn

What is the best approach to forecasting?

a combination of macroeconomic database approaches and interviews with potential and current customers, then as more data are availabled, more technically advanced techniques like multiple regression analysis or input-output analysis can be used--forecasting demand is one of the most difficult and important business activities

What three talents must the foreign market research possess to cope with disparities in meanings/culture/tradition?

1 - researcher must possess a high degree of cultural understanding of the market in which research is being conducted
2 - creative talent for adapting research methods (difficult circumstances and short deadlines require a "catch as catch can" attitude, patience, and willingness to adhere to research findings in the face of conflict)
3 - skeptical attitude in handling both primary and secondary data

What types of agencies can firms use to procure data?

outside, foreign-based agencies, or a domestic company with a branch in the target country; can also use its own facilities, or employ a combination of its own research force with the assistance of an outside agency

Why is there a trend towards decentralization of researching agencies/agents?

Local analysts are more efficient, faster, and more accurate than a staff research department; research function is closer to the target market; field personnel, resident managers, and customers generally have more intimate knowledge of the subtleties of the market and appreciation for diversity of most foreign markets

What are some disadvantages of the decentralized research management style?

ineffective communication with home-office executives, potential unwarranted dominance of large-market studies in decisions about global standardization (take small studies for granted)

What is the ideal approach to multicountry research?

have local researchers in each country, with close coordination between teh client company and local research companies

What two stages of analysis are necessary when conducting multi-country research?

At the individual-country level, all issues involved in each country must be identified, and at the multi-country level, the information must be distilled into a format that addresses the client's objectives.

What obstacles do international marketers face in obtaining the best information about customers?

At the most basic level, marketing research is mostly a matter of interaction with customers.  Marketing decision makers have questions about how best to serve customers, and those questions are posed and answered often through he media of questionnaires and research agencies.  Customers misunderstand the questions and researchers/managers misunderstand the answers.  Language barriers.

What are the four kinds of company-agency-customer relationships possible?

What type of company-agency-customer relationship is best for managing the cultural barrier across the chain of communication?

Option B and C:  cultural barrier is bridged within a company wherein people have a common corporate culture and work together on an everyday basis

Which types of company-agency-customer relationships actually maximize the chance for miscommunication?

Options A and D:  both cultural and organizational barriers are being cross simultaneously

What are three keys to successful international marketing research?

1 - inclusion of natives of the foreign culture on research teams
2 - the use of multiple methods and triangulation
3 - the inclusion of decision makers, even top executives, who must, on occasion, talk directly to or directly observe customers in foreign markets

Which is the process of systematic gathering recording and analyzing data about marketing problems?

What is the systematic gathering recording and analyzing?

What is systematic research in marketing?

What is a systematic process to identify and solve marketing?