Chapter Learning Objectives
                                                                             •        The importance of problem definition in 
                                                                                      international research
                                                                             •        The problems of availability and use of 
                                                                                      secondary data
                                                                             •        Quantitative and qualitative research methods
                                                                             •        Multicultural sampling and its problems in less 
                                                                                      developed countries
                                                                             •        Sources of secondary data
                                                                             •        How to analyse and use research information
                                     Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 
                                     PPTs t/a International Marketing by Cateora 
                                     Slides prepared by Kate Mizerski, Edith Cowan University
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       7-2
                                      
                Global Perspective: Selling Apples in 
                  Japan Can Be a Bruising Business
                         •  As an enterprise broadens its scope of operations to 
                            include international markets, the need for current, accurate 
                            information is magnified.
                         •  Marketing research is defined as the systematic gathering, 
                            recording, and analysing of data to provide information 
                            useful in marketing decision making.
                         •  International marketing research involves two 
                            complications:
                             – Information must be communicated across cultural 
                               boundaries.
                             – The environments within which the research tools are 
                               applied are often different in foreign markets.
              Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 
              PPTs t/a International Marketing by Cateora 
              Slides prepared by Kate Mizerski, Edith Cowan University
                                                                                           7-3
               
                                              Breadth and Scope of International 
                                                                                         Marketing Research
                                        •            Research can be divided into three types based on information needs:
                                                     –           General information about the country, area, and/or market.
                                                     –           Information necessary to forecast future marketing requirements by 
                                                                 anticipating social, competitive, economic, consumer, and industry 
                                                                 trends within specific markets or countries.
                                                     –           Specific market information used to make product, promotion, 
                                                                 distribution, and price decisions and to develop marketing plans.
                                        •            Unisys Corporation’s planning steps for collecting and assessing the following 
                                                     types of information reflects the broader scope of international marketing 
                                                     research:
                                                     1.          Economic
                                                     2.          Cultural, sociological, and political climate
                                                     3.          Overview of market conditions
                                                     4.          Summary of the technological environment
                                                     5.          Competitive situation
                                     Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 
                                     PPTs t/a International Marketing by Cateora 
                                     Slides prepared by Kate Mizerski, Edith Cowan University
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       7-4
                                      
                                                                         The Research Process
                                                        •         The research process 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. Analyse, interpret, and summarise the results.
                                                                  6. Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.
                                                        •         Although the steps in a research program are similar for all 
                                                                  countries, variations and problems in implementation occur 
                                                                  because of differences in cultural and economic development.
                                     Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 
                                     PPTs t/a International Marketing by Cateora 
                                     Slides prepared by Kate Mizerski, Edith Cowan University
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       7-5
                                      
                                     Defining the Problem and Establishing 
                                                                                       Research Objectives
                                                          •       The major difficulty is converting a series of often 
                                                                  ambiguous business problems into tightly drawn 
                                                                  and achievable research objectives.
                                                          •       This first, most crucial step in research is more 
                                                                  critical in foreign markets because an unfamiliar 
                                                                  environment tends to cloud problem definition.
                                                          •       Other difficulties in foreign research stem from 
                                                                  failures to establish problem limits broad enough 
                                                                  to include all relevant variables.
                                     Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 
                                     PPTs t/a International Marketing by Cateora 
                                     Slides prepared by Kate Mizerski, Edith Cowan University
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       7-6