CASE STUDY 8 (Chapter 11: International marketing communication) Cross-cultural research: adventures with tyres

QUESTION
1. Is qualitative research (specifically focus groups) in foreign

markets appropriate as part of the new product development process and as a prelude to possibly test marketing the eco tyre before a launch of the product in major world markets? Explain your reasons?

ANSWER

Due to the product is still at the production development, it is consider appropriate for qualitative research (specifically focus groups) in foreign markets approach be part of the new product development process. Since the idea can be explored fully in qualitative research with preliminary understanding gained about whether those in the potential target market actually think the product is good idea or not. It is also a good move since they can see the benefits and whether these benefits are sufficiently strong so that they would lead to product purchasing at an envisaged price point. Marketing research can also help in analyzing the buyers habits, relative popularity of a product, and effectiveness of advertisement media. One of the major tasks is to provide the marketing manager with timely and accurate information so that better decisions can be made especially on entering into a foreign market before launching of new product.

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While quantitative research is necessary for sizing the market, you must segment the market before you can size it, that is, you must divide the population into groups who are more or less likely to buy your product. Segmenting the market requires a psychographic study. You can't just guess about the demographic characteristics that would make a buyer more or less likely to buy. You need an in-depth understanding of the situations and problems that different kinds of prospective buyers face. You segment the market along these psychographic lines. Then you determine how many people exist within each segment.

Due to the product is still in the development process, test marketing is the appropriate process of introducing a new product or (i.e.) considered to be representative of the large target market. Test marketing have many alternative forever like advertisement with coupon and samples. Launching the new product in the market is risky one, because the product develop me needs and taste, new technology, shortage product life cycle, and lastly the increased domestic and foreign competition. The marketing test is done mainly to identify the following: Potential sales volume generation. Identification of innovative buyers. Comparison of target and actual number/types of buyers. Recognition of strong points of product by buyers. Ability of advertising message to transmit products strong points. Competence to attain planned distribution. Potentials for repeat purchases.

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QUESTION

2. Provide a critique of the research study conducted by Road Tracker in conjunction with the three research agencies, identifying both its strengths and its weaknesses. How could the research component conducted in Australia be improved?

ANSWER:

Product Planning and Development a product is something which is offered by a business firm to customs management. For instance, Road Tracker have needed to face to face meeting, the concept boards to be used in the focus group were provided. These boards explain the product concept at broad level and at the detailed level, possible positioning, listings of possible consumer benefits and possible ideas for consumer communications. They must know the needs of the customers product. The research act like a sell person could component conducted in Australia be improved attitude toward responsibility. There is a need to have personal introspection before venturing into research. Apart from identify, the researcher person has to perform many their tasks, such as Potential customers have to be first identified from databases/company sources/primary information available. The marketer person has to plan on which prospect needs to be called with what priority. Then, the marketer person has to decide how to approach a
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customer. Thus the activities techniques have to be constantly followed up. In addition, the sales persons company will request administrative work such as providing all kinds of data on customers, reporting activities, participating in sales meetings and conferences and visiting trade shows as seen earlier. In order to constantly improve the competence, the marketer person has to take part in product as well as sales training.

QUESTION

3. Conduct some secondary research and identify two or three

characteristics of Korean culture that appear to be influencing the attitudes and behavior of the Road Tracket clients? Are there any problems with this when conducting research oversea?

ANSWER

In regional approaches to data collection from the secondary research studies, comparisons are typically made between the markets and the customers in these markets is differentiate. The issuses arising from this include whether the research approaches to data collection were the same or highly similar, whether research participants fully understand the concepts covered in research and whether the data collection from secondary is reliable for suitable for the present. As the case study Martin from Brand Life was aware that there had been some issues with the research in Korea (based on the client comments) and he also felt that the research in Sydney had been compromised by the client highly prescriptive with the Australian

QUESTION
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4. Is it a good idea for the client to rely on their own analysis and

judgment as to the likely acceptance of the eco tyre in the three test markets? Build a case for this approach, and then consider the alternative point of view that it would have been better for Brand Life and the other two agencies to undertake the analysis and write reports?

ANSWER

Build a case for this approach and then consider the alternative point of view that it would have been better for the Brand Life and for the two agencies to undertake the analysis .The information resulting from the study is ultimately of importance to agencies managers, who will use the results to make decisions. Thus, the his is a particular difficulty when reporting the results of artistically analysis where there is a high probability that few, if any, of the target audience for example, there is a need to translate such as standard deviation, significance level, confidence interval etc. into everyday that researchers who find it impossible do not themselves have a sufficiently good grasp of the statistical methods they Be concise, complete in the sense that it researcher and, the report must be concise and must focus on the critical elements of the project part of done almost as if the researcher is afraid that the audience will not otherwise appreciate the time, effort and intellectual difficulties researcher has to come to realize is that he/she will be judged by the contribution towards solving the marketing problem and not by the elegance or effort involved in the research methodology.

QUESTION
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5. Write a briefing note to the Road Tracker client about Australian, British and European notions of qualitative research, including its purposes and appropriate data collection techniques, and why trusting research agencies in overseas markets is desirable?

RT researches need to exceed the expectations of the various stake holders in business such as shareholders, suppliers, employees, customers, government, general public etc. And it is very evident that these different groups of stake holders possess conflicting interests. So the ability to build and maintain mutually beneficial long term relationship with customers and suppliers, the skill to adhere to government rules and regulations, the capacity to the uphold the shareholders expectation, and the task of securing appreciation from the general public, all are the performance indicators of the present day business. The turbulent environment forces further makes it a tough sail. The ability to get adapted to the complex and every changing environment is crucial in this Darwinian economy, which ensures the survival of only the fittest. The much demanding system never allows a manager to consider information as a bureaucratic nuisance like in the yesteryears. Today, managers, irrespective of their position consider information as a strategic weapon. The major aim of applied research is to find out a solution for a practical problem where as basic research is aimed at contributing towards the organized body of scientific knowledge. Descriptive or Ex post facts research is characterized by the fact that the research can only report what has happened or what is happening. In analytical research, the researcher has to use facts or information already available and analyze these to make logical conclusions.
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Quantitative research is concerned with the measurement of quantity or amount. It involves the generation of data in quantitative form and various analysis using mathematical tools. Qualitative research is important in behavioral sciences. Conceptual research is related to theory. It is used by thinkers to develop new concepts or reinterpret existing ones. Empirical research relies on experience or observation.

It is also called experimental type of research. In marketing the following are normally taken up for research: a. Consumer behavior, loyalty b. Product positioning, product development, product life cycle c. Branding, brand equity d. Market segmentation & targeting e. Advertising, sales promotion f. Sales and distribution etc.

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