2/28/2024

Session 3
International Market Research

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Learning Objectives refer the

8‐1 The importance of problem definition in problem/issue
international research
8‐2 The problems of availability and use of secondary data
8‐3 Sources of secondary data

8‐4 Quantitative and qualitative research methods 8‐5

Multicultural sampling and its problems in less‐

developed countries
8‐6 Using international marketing research

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Introduction 1 of 2

Marketing Research
• Systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data
• Provides useful information for decision making
• Marketer must find most accurate and reliable data within
limits of time, cost, and technology

Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering,

recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful to
marketing decision making.

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Introduction 2 of 2

International Marketing Research

• Necessary as firms expand abroad, but challenging
international marketing
research involves two • Info must be communicated across cultural boundaries-is about
additional complications. information
• Application of research tools different in environment of
foreign marketn- when do research you should qpply some
tool/tech, sometime require some tech

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Breadth and Scope of International Marketing 1 of 2

Three basic market research needs

1. General info about the country, area, and market
just need all 2. Info to forecast future marketing requirements
information (social, economic, consumer, industry trends)
3. Specific info to develop marketing plan
1. diff in term of in4 (product, promotion, distribution, price)
2. may how to apply
tech Third type most emphasized in domestic
3. ...scope...(ghi am
29) operations Broader scope necessary to analyze
foreign
In domesticmarkets
operations, most emphasis is placed on the third type,
gathering specific market information, because the other data are
often available from secondary sources.

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Breadth and Scope of International Marketing 2 of 2

Broader scope of research necessary in foreign markets Unisys Corporation's suggestions

1. Economic and demographic info: General data on growth in 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 the United States and major foreign countries, as well as population
trends, such as migration, immigration, and aging.
2. Cultural, sociological, and political climate: A general noneconomic review of conditions
affecting the division’s business. In addition to the more obvious subjects, it covers
ecology, safety, and leisure time and their potential impacts on the division’s business.
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: A summary of the state-of-the-art technology
as it relates to the division’s business, carefully broken down by product seg
5. Competitive situation: A review of competitors’ sales revenues, methods of market
segmentation, products, and apparent strategies on an international scope.
Cost, time, and human elements critical variables of research

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 reseach objective phai dat dc de collect, dien giai, phan tich research problem: van de can ra quyet dinh
->research cac loai thong tin can thiet

The Research Process

1. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.
2. Determine the sources of information to fulfill the research
objectives. where we would collect data/in4
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.

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3. buoc (way) can nhac chi phi khi sd cac nguon thong tin khac nhau khi dua ra qd(chi phí thêm thông tt và hạn chế khi thêm tt)/ưu nhược điểm
Hạn chế của in4 sẵn có(secondary): k đảm bảo độ tin cậy, khác biệt về mục đích nc
2. when conduct a mar research the pro would be multilite
5. the pro would be happend in this step

Defining the Problem and Establishing Research Objectives L 8-1

Critical in Foreign Markets
• Unfamiliar environment tends to cloud problem definition
• Failure to anticipate influence of local culture on problem
• Failure to be aware of self‐reference criterion (SRC)
• Failure to establish problem limits broad enough to include all relevant variables
• Must seek info on greater range of factor
• Will help to offset unfamiliarity of environment

1. the diff interm

2. the save diff criterion(src)
Researchers either fail to anticipate the influence of the local culture on the problem or fail to identify the
self-reference criterion (SRC) and therefore treat the problem definition as if it were in the researcher’s
home environment. In assessing some foreign business failures, it becomes apparent that research was
conducted, but the questions asked were more appropriate for the U.S. market than for the foreign one.
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Problems of Availability and Use of Secondary Data 1 of 3

Myriad Info in the U.S.

• The government provides comprehensive statistics
• Censuses on population, housing, business, agriculture

• Additional market info provided by other groups

• Commercial and trade associations, management groups, state and local government

• U.S. data unmatched in terms of quality and quantity

• Although many countries striving to improve

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Problems of Availability and Use of Secondary Data 2 of 3

Shortcomings Faced by Foreign Marketers

• Availability of data
• Language and privacy concerns limit access

• Reliability of data
• Willful errors common to improve image of country or company

• Comparability of data
• Data collected at random times and through random methods
• Some data reported in too broad of categories
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Problems of Availability and Use of

Secondary Data 3 of 3
Validating Secondary Data
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 (by what methodology) were the data
collected?
4. Are the data internally consistent and logical in light
of known data sources or market factors?

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Problems of Gathering Primary Data 1 of 2

Ability to Communicate Opinions
• Product’s value or use may not be understood
• Respondent unable to provide accurate survey responses
Willingness to Respond
• Culture impacts desire and ability to respond
• Leaders might prevent market research altogether

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Problems of Gathering Primary Data 2 of 2

Sampling in Field Surveys
• Some countries lack adequate demographic data
• Difficult to draw reliable, accurate sample groups
Language and Comprehension
• Language barrier between marketer and respondents
• Back translation, parallel translation, decentering

• Literacy impacts success of written survey

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Multicultural Research: A Special Problem

Companies becoming more global
• Seek to standardize marketing mix across cultures
• Important to do multicultural research
• Compare and contrast language, economy, social
structure, behavior, and attitude patterns of cultures
• Helps determine how much marketing mix should be
adapted
• May need to use different research methods in different
cultures
• Ensure comparability and equivalency of results

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Research on the Internet: A Growing Opportunity

Uses of 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
8. Observational research (netography)

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Problems in Analyzing and

Interpreting Research
Information 1 of 2
Limitations of Foreign Data
• Information given in surveys is influenced
• Word meaning, consumer’s attitude, interviewer’s attitude,
interview situation, culture and tradition

• Impacts both primary and secondary data

• Accepting info at face value is imprudent

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Problems in Analyzing and

Interpreting Research
Information 2 of 2
Coping with Disparities in Foreign Data
• Need a high degree of cultural understanding in
market being researched
• Social customs, semantics, current attitudes, business
customs

• Creatively adapt research methods when necessary

• Approach analysis of data with skeptical attitude
• Both primary and secondary data should be evaluated
critically

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Communicating with Decision Makers

Obtaining and analyzing data is half the job
• Important to provide executives with analyses
and interpretation in timely manner
• Decision makers should be involved in process
• Problem definition and question formulation
• Direct fieldwork to get a “feel” for their market

• Marketing research can be muddied through

process
• Use of research agencies can further muddy data

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Exhibit 8.2 Managing the Cultural Barrier

in International Marketing Research

There are four kinds of company–agency–customer relationships. Options B and C

are better suited for managing the cultural barrier across the chain of
communication. That is, in both cases, the cultural barrier is bridged within a
company where people have a common corporate culture and work together on an
everyday basis.
Jump to long description.
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