Chapter 8

Analyzing People and Markets

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What
is
marketing
The function that links the consumer,
research
?
customer, and public to the marketer through
information.
systematic

information,

and objective identification of

collection,

analysis

and

dissemination of information for the purpose

of improving decision making related to the
identification and solution of problems and
opportunities in marketing.

International versus Domestic

Research
The

primary differences

New parameters
New environments
Number of factors involved
Broader definition of competition

Recognizing the need for

Research
What

customers want?
Why they want it?
When they need it?
How they go about filling their
needs?

Reasons for failure in international

arena:
Lack of sensitivity to differences in
consumer tastes and preferences.
Limited appreciation for the different
marketing environments abroad.
Lack of familiarity with national and
international data sources and the
inability to use them.
Actual but limited business experience in
a country or with a specific firm may be
used as a substitute for organized
research.

 The

Benefits of Research:
V(dr) - V(d) > C(r)

V(dr), the value of the decision with the benefits

of research
V(d), the value of the decision without the benefits
of research
C(r), the cost of Research

Going International

Secondary Data Sources

Governments
International

organizations
Service organizations
Directories and
Newsletters
Electronic Information
Services
Other firms

Basic Procedure of Primary

Research
Developing

the Sampling plan

Data Collection
Analyzing and interpreting primary
Data
Presenting Research Results
Follow-Up and Review

Determining Research
Administration
Centralized

The research specifications are designed by the

home office and forwarded to country operations for
implementation.
Coordinated

An intermediary such as an outside research agency

brings headquarters and country operations together.
Decentralized

Corporate headquarters establishes the broad thrust

of research and delegates design and
implementation to the local countries.

Research Techniques
Interviews

Knowledgeable persons are a valuable

information resource (personal bias must be
discounted).
Goal, obtain in-depth information instead of a
wide variety of information.
Focus groups
Interaction within a group about a specific topic.
Ideal size, 7-12.
Observation
Observation results can be influenced by
presence of the observer.
Surveys
Gather quantitative rather than qualitative
information through personal or remote contact
with the subject population.

Designing the Survey

Questionnaire
Question format

Structured or unstructured.
Direct or indirect.

Question content
Consider interviewees ability and willingness
to answer.
Adapt questions to societal constraints.

Question wording
Use simple unambiguous words, terms and
questions.
Check for errors using translation-re-translation
approach and alternative wording for questions.
Pretest the survey.

The
International
System

Information

Content Analysis:
Investigates the content of communication in a given
society and number of times it appears in a given
medium (E.g. preselected words, themes, symbols, or
pictures etc.).

Delphi Studies:
About thirty well-chosen participants who posses
particular in depth expertise in an area of concern.

Scenario Analysis:
Different configurations of key variables in the
international market. For example, economic growth
rate, important penetration, population growth, and
political stability can be varied.