Essentials of Marketing Research William G. Zikmund Chapter 4: The Human Side of Marketing Research

Continuum of Marketing Research Sophistication Intuition-Centered Decision Making Stage of intuitive decision making Stage of sophistication Research-Centered Decision Making Stage of development

Research Departments Perform a Staff Function Clients Director of research Research analysts Cross-functional teams

Medium-Sized Research Department Director of marketing research and sales forecasting Research analyst (project director) Manager of sales research Research assistant (entry-level trainee) Forecast analysts

Managers Researchers 1. Decision oriented 1. Technique oriented 2. Intuitive 2. Analytical 3. Managers like to confirm 3. Researchers like to explore 4. Time orientation toward: a. project immediacy (“I need it now.”) b. results about future behavior (“what will sales be next year?”) 4. Time orientation toward: a. Project prolongment (“later when we have time for a complete study”) b. results about past behavior (“our trend has been . . .”) 5. Frugal (“keep the cost down”) 5. Not cost conscious (“you get what you pay for”) 6. Results orientation: a. managers do not like surprises--when they are surprised they tend to reject the results b. concern (“aren’t we number one yet?”) c. certainty (“is it or isn’t it?”) 6. Results orientation: a. researchers love surprises b. abstraction (“our exponential gain. . .”) c. probability (“may be”) 7. Reactive 7. Proactive

Top Management-Marketing Research Conflict Research responsibility Research personnel Budget Assignments Problem definition Research reporting Use of research

Research Supplier A commercial marketing research service that conducts marketing research activities for clients Syndicated service Standardized service Provides customized research

Greenbook 2000-2001 : International Directory of Marketing Research Companies and Services (Serial)

Considerations for Hiring Outside Suppliers Expertise Urgency of the decision Personnel resources Economic factors Objectivity Confidentiality Quality control

Ethical Issues Philosophical questions Societal norms Codes of behavior

Rights and Obligations of the Respondent The obligation to be truthful Privacy Deception The right to be informed

Rights and Obligations of the Researcher The purpose of research is research Objectivity Misrepresenting research Protect the right to confidentiality of both subjects and clients Dissemination of faulty conclusions Advocacy research

Rights and Obligations of the Client Sponsor (User) Ethics between buyer and seller An open relationship with research suppliers An open relationship with interested parties Privacy Commitment to research Pseudo-pilot studies

Advocacy Research Research to support a specific legal claim

Pseudo-Pilot Studies The researcher is told that the study is the first of many in a more comprehensive study