Chapter 7 : Researching Global Markets Marketing Research Building The Knowledge Base Breadth and scope of international marketing research. Greater uncertainties in global markets. Marketing research defined : “Marketing Research is the function which links the consumers and customers to the organization through information; information used to identify and define marketing problems; generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve our understanding of marketing as a process” AMA 1987

Role of Marketing Research Reduction of uncertainty and facilities management decision making Information for : Planning (Market entry strategies) Problem Solving Control Nature of Marketing Research Applied research Cost-benefits assessment Dynamic environment and need for frequent updates

Stages in the Research Process Formulate Problem Determine Research Design Determine Data Collective Method Design Data Collection Forms Design Sample and Collect Data Analyze and Interpret the Data Prepare the Research Report

Type of Data Needed for International Marketing Research Secondary data Internal External Published Commercial Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Data Availability Reliability Compatibility of data Validation of secondary data Outdated

Gathering Primary Data Types of primary data Socioeconomic / demographic data Attitudes / Options Awareness / knowledge Intentions Motivations Behaviors Qualitative (V.S) Quantitative Surveys (V.S) Observations

Survey Research Personal interviews Mail Surveys Telephone interviews Mall intercept interviews Internet : new opportunity for data collection Observation Human Mechanical Devices

Development of Survey Instrument Structured (V.S) Unstructured Disguised (V.S) Undisguised Qualitative Research Disguised and Unstructured Word Association Sentence Completion Story Telling Focus Groups

Sample Design and Issues Non probability samples (Finding not generalizable) Probability samples Types of probability samples Issues related to probability samples Lack of sampling frame Outdated sampling frame (Street and Telephone directories) Validation of random samples

Data analysis and inferences Univariate Data Analysis Bivariate Data Analysis Multivariate Data Analysis Choice of Data Analysis Techniques Non-parametric (V.S) Parametric methods Statistical Software Packages for Data Analysis Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Estimating Market Demand Expert opinion Delphi method Analogy Use of quantitative techniques Income elasticity Assessment of Country Attractiveness Market potential / size Business climate Political stability / risk

The Research Report Written Report Communication with the reader Accuracy and completeness Form of Report Title page Table of contents Executive summary Introduction / problem statement Methodology Findings Conclusions and recommendations Appendix Oral Report Use of powerpoint and graphics

Useful References Susan P. Douglas and C. Samuel Craig (1983) : International Marketing Research , Prentice Hall Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. (1999) : Marketing research : Methodological foundations , seventh edition, Dryden Press Select International Marketing Research Websites World Opinion : www.worldopinion.com European Society for Opinion and : www.esomar.nl Marketers Market Research Society (U.K) : www.marketresearch.org.uk Mexican Association of Investigation : www.amai.org agencies Market Research Society of Australia : www.mrsa.com.au Professional Marketing Research Society : www.pmrs-aprm.com

Select Websites for Secondary Data U.S Department of Commerce : www.stat-usa.gov American Demographics : www.marketingtools.com American Marketing Association : www.ama.org U.S Bureau of Census : www.census.gov Bureau of Economic Analysis : www.bea.doc.gov BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys : http://stats.bls.gov/esxprod.htm International Trade Administration : www.ita.doc.gov World Trade Analyzer : www.tradecompass.com/trade.analyzer The European Union : www.eurounion.org Organization for Economic Cooperation and : www.oecd.org Development Wisconsin Department of Commerce : www.commerce.state.wi.us/com-international.html Company Information: www.hoovers.com.annualreportservice.com Michigan State U. ciber : www.ciber.bus.msu.edu/busres.htm

Select On-Line Marketing Research Vendors www.researchconnections.com www.greenfieldonline.com www. focusgroups.com www. yankelovich.com www.surveysampling.com http://jetro.go.jp www.worldtrademag.com See the appendix on secondary data (Appendix A-C; PP.274-281) Good Search Engines Infoseek www.infoseek.com Excite www.excite.com Yahoo www.yahoo.com Altavista www.altavista.com