Exploring Marketing Research William G. Zikmund Chapter 4: The Human Side of Marketing Research
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Mission Statement Identifies the research department’s purpose within the organization
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Stage of development Stage of intuitive decision making Stage of sophistication Intuition-Centered Decision Making Research-Centered Decision Making Continuum of Marketing Research Sophistication
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Research Departments Perform a Staff Function Clients Director of Research Research Analysts Cross-Functional Teams
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. 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
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. 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
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Probable Areas of Top Management- Marketing Research Conflict Research responsibility Research personnel Budget Assignments Problem definition Research reporting Use of research
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Research Supplier A commercial marketing research service that conducts marketing research activities for clients Syndicated service Standardized service Provides customized research
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Greenbook : International Directory of Marketing Research Companies and Services (Serial)
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Considerations for Hiring Outside Suppliers Expertise Urgency of the decision Personnel resources Economic factors Objectivity Confidentiality Quality control
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Ethical Issues Philosophical Questions Societal Norms Codes of Behavior
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Rights and Obligations of the Respondent The obligation to be truthful Privacy Deception The right to be informed
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. 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
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. 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
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Advocacy Research Research to support a specific legal claim
Copyright © 2000 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. Pseudo-Pilot Studies The researcher is told that the study is the first of many in a more comprehensive study