International Marketing - Chapter 8: Developing a Global Vision through Marketing Research

Chapter 8Developing a Global Vision through Marketing ResearchInternational Marketing15th edition Philip R. Cateora, Mary C. Gilly, and John L. GrahamThe Research ProcessResearch process stepsDefine the research problem and establish research objectivesDetermine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectivesConsider the costs and benefits of the research effortGather relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or bothAnalyze, interpret, and summarize the resultsEffectively communicate the results to decision makersResearch steps are similar for all countriesVariations and problems can occur in implementationDifferences in cultural and economic development2Roy Philip Defining the Problem and Establishing Research ObjectivesThe major difficulty is converting a series of often ambiguous business problems into tightly drawn and achievable research objectivesThe first, most crucial step in research is more critical in foreign markets because an unfamiliar environment tends to could problems definitionOther difficulties in foreign research stem from failures to establish problem limits broad enough to include all relevant variables3Roy Philip Problems of Availability and Use of Secondary DataU.S. government provides comprehensive statistics for United StatesMarketing data not matched in other countriesQualityQuantityExceptions are Japan and several European countriesContinuing efforts to improve data collection United NationsOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)4Roy Philip Availability and Reliability of DataMost countries simply do not have governmental agencies that collect on a regular basis the kinds of secondary data readily available in the U.S.Researchers’ language skills impede access to informationRequires native speaker of languageOfficial statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality, while tax structures and fear of the tax collector often adversely affect dataLess-developed countries prone to optimismWillful errors“Adjusted reporting”5Roy Philip Comparability of DataIssues with data (especially in less developed, countries)Data can be many years out of date Data collected on an infrequent and unpredictable scheduleToo frequently, data are reported in different categories or in categories much too broad to be of specific value6Roy Philip Validating Secondary DataQuestions to judge the reliability of secondary data sourcesWho collected the data? Would there be any reason for purposely misrepresenting the facts?For what purposes was the data collected?How was the data collected?Are the data internally consistent and logical in light of known data sources or market factors?Checking the consistency of one set of secondary data with other data of known validity An effective and often-used way of judging validityThe availability and accuracy of recorded secondary data increase with level of economic development 7Roy Philip Gathering Primary Data –Quantitative and Qualitative Research(1 of 2)Primary dataData collected specifically for the particular research projectQuantitative researchUsually a large number of respondents Respondents answer structured oral or written questions using a specific response format (such as yes/no) or to select a response from a set of choicesResponses can be summarized in percentages, averages, or other statisticsToto – a Japanese firm with the premiers quantitative research on bathroom and toilet technology8Roy Philip Qualitative researchIf questions are asked, they are almost always open-ended or in-depthSeeks unstructured responses that reflect the person’s thoughts and feelings on the subject Qualitative research interprets people in the sample Qualitative research is helpful in revealing the impact of sociocultural factors on behavior patterns and in developing research hypothesesGathering Primary Data –Quantitative and Qualitative Research(2 of 2)9Roy Philip Problems of Gathering Primary DataHinges on the ability of the researcher to get correct and truthful information that addresses research objectivesProblems in international marketing researchStem from differences among countriesRange from inability or unwillingness of respondents to communicate their opinions Inadequacies in questionnaire translation10Roy Philip Ability to Communicate OpinionsFormulating opinions about a product or concept Depends on the respondent’s ability to recognize the usefulness of such a product of conceptProduct or concept must be understood and used in communityThe more complex the concept, the more difficult it is to design research that will help the respondent communicate meaningful opinions and reactionsGerber has more experience in trying to understand consumers with limitationsBabies can neither answer questions or fill out questionnaires11Roy Philip Willingness to RespondCultural differences provide best explanation for unwillingness or inability of many to respond to research surveysThe role of the male, the suitability of personal gender-based inquiries, and other gender-related issues can affect willingness to respondLess direct measurement techniques and nontraditional data analysis methods may also be more appropriate12Roy Philip Sampling in Field surveysProblems in sampling stem from the lack of adequate demographic data and available lists from which to draw meaningful samplesAffected by a lack of detailed social and economic informationNo officially recognized census informationNo other listings that can serve as sampling framesIncomplete and out-of-date telephone directoriesNo accurate maps of population centers13Roy Philip Language and ComprehensionThe most universal survey research problem in foreign countries is the language barrierLiteracy poses yet another problemMarketers use three different techniques to help ferret out translation errors ahead of timeBack translationParallel translationDecentering14Roy Philip Estimating Market DemandTwo methods of forecasting demandExpert opinionThe key in using expert opinion to help in forecasting demand is triangulationAnalogyAssumes that demand for a product develops in much the same way in all countries as comparable economic development occurs in each country15Roy Philip