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

Mission Statement Identifies the research department’s purpose within the organization. Mission should be directly linked to the decision maker’s needs.

Stage of development Stage of intuitive decision making Stage of sophistication Intuition-Centered Decision Making Research-Centered Decision Making Continuum of Marketing Research Sophistication Managers believe research is confined to “ivory tower” Mangers recognize difference between good and bad research Neither ignorant nor informed

Research Departments Perform a Staff Function Clients Director of Research Research Analysts Cross-Functional Teams

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

ManagersResearchers 1. Decision oriented1. Technique oriented 2. Intuitive2. Analytical 3. Managers like to confirm3. 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. Proactive 7. Reactive

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

Research Suppliers A commercial marketing research service that conducts marketing research activities for clients. Syndicated service –Some research is too expensive to perform in-house. Standardized service –Specialize in a particular area Limited-service vs Full-Service research suppliers

Greenbook : International Directory of Marketing Research Companies and Services

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 adopted by a group

Rights and Obligations of the Respondent The obligation to be truthful Privacy At home On the internet Deception Assume no physical danger or psychological harm Must inform respondent of concealment or deception after research ends. 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 Advocacy research Privacy Commitment to research Pseudo-pilot studies