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International Marketing 国际市场营销学. School of International Trade, Shandong University of Finance and Economics 山东财经大学(筹) · 国际贸易学院. Chapter 6. Developing a Global Vision through Marketing Research. Chapter Learning Objectives. 1. The importance of problem definition in international research.
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International Marketing国际市场营销学 School of International Trade, Shandong University of Finance and Economics 山东财经大学(筹)·国际贸易学院
Chapter 6 Developing a Global Vision through Marketing Research
Chapter Learning Objectives 1. The importance of problem definition in international research 2. The problems of availability and use of secondary data 3. Quantitative and qualitative research methods
Chapter Learning Objectives 4. Multicultural sampling and its problems in less developed countries 5. Sources of secondary data 6. How to analyze and use research information
Introduction • Information is the key component in developing successful marketing strategies. • Specific market information for decisions about product, price, distribution, and promotion. • A marketer must find the most accurate and reliable data possible within the limits imposed by time, cost, and the present state of the art.
Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful in marketing decision making. Research processes and methods are same whether applied in Columbus, Ohio, or Colombo, Sri Lanka. International marketing research involves two additional complications: First, information must be communicated across cultural boundaries. Second, the environments in which research tools are applied are often different in foreign markets. 6.1 Marketing Research
Foreign market research differs from domestic in the broader scope necessitated by higher levels of uncertainty. Research can be divided into three types based on information needs: (1) general information about the country, area, and/or market; (2) information necessary to forecast future marketing requirements by anticipating social, economic, consumer, and industry trends within specific markets or countries; and (3) specific market information used to make product, promotion, distribution, and price decisions and to develop marketing plans Breadth and Scope of International Marketing Research
1. Economic: data on growth of the economy, inflation, business cycle trends, and the like; profitability analysis for the division’s products; specific industry economic studies; analysis of overseas economies; and key economic indicators for major countries. 2. Cultural, sociological, and political climate. A general non-economic review of conditions affecting the division’s business. Collecting Information: Unisys Corporation’s Way 3. Overview of market conditions. A detailed analysis of market conditions that the division faces, by market segment, including international. 4. Summary of the technological environment. State-of-the-art technology as it relates to the division’s business, carefully broken down by product segments. 5. Competitive situation. A review of competitors’ sales revenues, methods of market segmentation, products, and apparent strategies on an international scope.
6.2 Marketing Information System (MIS) 营销信息系统:是一个由人、设备和程序组成的系统,它为营销决策者搜集、挑选、分析、评估和分配所需要的、及时的和准确的信息。 它有四个内容: (1)内部报告系统(internal databases system),它是一个订单-收款循环(order-to-payment cycle)和销售信息报告系统; (2)营销情报系统,(marketing intelligence system)它是公司经理获得日常的关于营销环境发展的恰当信息的一整套程序和来源; (3)营销调研系统(marketing research system),它是系统地设计、收集、分析和提供数据资料以及在特定营销状况下的调研结果; (4)营销决策支持系统(marketing decision support system, MDSS),是一个组织,它通过软件和硬件的支持,协调数据收集、系统、工具和技术,帮助经理解释相关的信息,并把它们转化为营销活动的基础。
6.3 The Research Process The marketing research process for all countries should follow these steps: 1. Define the research problem and establish research objectives. 2. Determine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives. 3. Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort. 4. Gather the relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or both. 5. Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results. 6. Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.
6.3.1Defining the Problem and Establishing Research Objectives • Begin with a definition of the research problem and the establishment of specific research objectives. • The market researcher must be certain the problem definition is sufficiently broad to cover the whole range of response possibilities and not be clouded by his or her self-reference criterion. • Once the problem is adequately defined and research objectives established, the researcher must determine the availability of the information needed. • Problems of availability and use of secondary data • Availability of data on foreign markets may be difficult to find. • Problems with the reliability and comparability of data.
6.3.2Determine the sources of information The researcher can gather secondary data, primary data, or both. Secondary data are data that were collected for another purpose and already exist somewhere. Primary data are data gathered for a specific purpose or for a specific research project.
1. Who collected the data? Would there be any reason for purposely misrepresenting the facts? 2. For what purposes were the data collected? 3. How were the data collected? (methodology) 4. Are the data internally consistent and logical in light of known data sources or market factors? 6.3.2Determine the sources of information Although data may be available, the following questions should be asked to effectively judge the reliability of secondary data sources:
Marketing research methods can be grouped into two basic types: • quantitative, and • (2) qualitative research 6.3.4Gathering Primary Data: Quantitative and Qualitative Research • Often the market researcher must collect primary data—that is, data collected specifically for the particular research project at hand
Questions are designed to obtain specific responses regarding aspects of the respondents’ behavior, intentions, attitudes, motives, and demographic characteristics. • Quantitative research provides the marketer with responses that can be presented with precise estimations. • In qualitative research, if questions are asked they are almost always open-ended or in-depth, and unstructured responses that reflect the person’s thoughts and feelings on the subject are sought Quantitative and Qualitative Research • Usually a large number of respondents are asked to reply either verbally or in writing to structured questions using a specific response format (such as yes/no) or to select a response from a set of choices • It is also used where interest is centered on gaining an understanding of a market, rather than quantifying relevant aspects
Experimental research: The most scientifically valid research .The purpose is to capture cause-and-effect relationships by eliminating competing explanations of the observed findings. It calls for selecting matched groups of subjects, subjecting them to different treatments, controlling extraneous variables, and checking whether observed response differences are statistically significant. To the extent that extraneous factors are eliminated or controlled, the observed effects can be related to the variations in the treatments. Primary Data Collection Methods • Observational research Fresh data can be gathered by observing the relevant actors and settings. Observation results can be influenced by presence of the observer. • Survey research: Surveys are best suited for descriptive research. Companies undertake surveys to learn about people’s knowledge, beliefs, preferences, and satisfaction, and to measure these magnitudes in the general population.
Primary Data Collection Methods • Behavioral data research: Much can be learned by analyzing Customers purchasing behavior data which reflect revealed preferences and often are more reliable than statements they offer to market researchers. • Focus-group research: A focus group is a gathering of six to ten people who are invited to spend a few hours with a skilled moderator to discuss a product, service, organization, or other marketing entity. The moderator needs to be objective, knowledgeable on the issue, and skilled in group dynamics. Participants are normally paid a small sum for attending. The meeting is typically held in pleasant surroundings and refreshments are served.
6.3.5 Problems of Gathering Primary Data • Most problems in collecting primary data in international marketing research stem from cultural differences among countries. • Inability of respondents to communicate their opinions to inadequacies in questionnaire translation Other problems of gathering primary data include: (1) Ability to Communicate Opinions: It is difficult for a person to formulate needs, attitudes, and opinions about goods whose use may not be understood, that are not in common use within the community, or that have never been available (2) Willingness to Respond: Cultural differences offer the best explanation for the unwillingness or the inability of many to respond to research surveys
Sampling in Field Surveys • The greatest problem in sampling stems from the lack of adequate demographic data and available lists from which to draw meaningful samples The kinds of problems encountered in drawing a random sample include the following: (1) No officially recognized census of population. (2) No other listings that can serve as sampling frames. (3) Incomplete and out-of-date telephone directories. (4) No accurate maps of population centers. Thus, no cluster (area) samples can be developed.
Marketers use three different techniques to help ferret out translation errors ahead of time. (1) Back Translation. In back translation the questionnaire is translated from one language to another, and then a second party translates it back into the original. (2) Parallel Translation. In this process, more than two translators are used for the back translation; the results are compared, differences discussed, and the most appropriate translation selected. (3) Decentering. A hybrid of back translation, this is a successive process of translation and retranslation of a questionnaire, each time by a different translator. Language and Comprehension The most universal survey research problem in foreign countries is the language barrier The two English versions are compared and where there are differences, the original English version is modified and the process is repeated
Multicultural research involves dealing with countries that have different languages, economies, social structures, behavior, and attitude patterns An important point to keep in mind when designing research to be applied across cultures is to ensure comparability and equivalency of results Such differences may mean that different research methods should be applied in individual countries Multicultural Research: A Special Problem
For many companies the Internet provides a new and increasingly important medium for conducting a variety of international marketing research Research on the Internet: A Growing Opportunity • There are at least seven different uses for the Internet in international research: • (1) Online surveys and buyer panels • (2) Online focus groups • (3) Web visitor tracking • (4) Advertising measurement • (5) Customer identification systems • (6) E-mail marketing lists • (7) Embedded research
In assessing current product demand and forecasting future demand, reliable historical data are required 6.4 Estimating Market Demand • Given the greater uncertainties and data limitations associated with foreign markets, two methods of forecasting demand are particularly suitable: • (1) Expert Opinion: In this method, experts such as sales managers or outside consultants and government officials are polled for their opinions about market size and growth rates • (2) Analogy: This assumes that demand for a product develops in much the same way in all countries as comparable economic development occurs in each country
www.stat-usa.gov www.ita.doc.gov www.usatradeonline.gov www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ www.odci.gov/cia/publications/pubs.html www.customs.ustreas.gov www.opic.gov www.exim.gov www.imf.org Sources of Secondary Data: Websites for International Marketing • www.wto.org • www.oecd.org www.euromonitor.com • University-based websites, e.g., www.lib.berkeley.edu/BUSI/bbg18.html • www.worldchambers.com • www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/bus4700.html • http://iserve.wtca.org • www.worldtrademag.com • www.webofculture.com
Sources of Secondary Data: U.S. Government Sources: (1) Foreign Trade Report FT410 (2) International Economic Indicators (3) Market Share Reports (4) International Marketing Information Series (5) Trade Opportunities Program (TOP) (6) National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) Sources of Secondary Data: Websites for International Marketing
The basic objective of the market research function is providing management with information for more accurate decision making. This objective is the same for domestic and international marketing. In foreign marketing research, however, achieving that objective presents some problems not encountered on the domestic front. Customer attitudes about providing information to a researcher are culturally conditioned. Foreign market information surveys must be carefully designed to elicit the desired data and at the same time not offend the respondent's sense of privacy. Chapter Summary
Besides the cultural and managerial constraints involved in gathering information for primary data, many foreign markets have inadequate or unreliable bases of secondary information. Such challenges suggest three keys to successful international marketing research: (1) the inclusion of natives of the foreign culture on research teams; (2) the use of multiple methods and triangulation; and (3) the inclusion of decision makers, even top executives, who must on occasion talk directly to or directly observe customers in foreign markets. Chapter Summary
marketing research international marketing research research process secondary data primary data back translation parallel translation decentering multicultural research expert opinion analogy Key Terms