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THE RESEARCH PROCESS THE RESEARCH PROCESS INTERNATIONALLYINTERNATIONALLY

By By Elisante Ole Gabriel (Tanzania)Elisante Ole Gabriel (Tanzania)

Chartered MarketerChartered Marketeregabriel@edenconsult.net, www.olegabriel.comegabriel@edenconsult.net, www.olegabriel.com

+255-784-455-499+255-784-455-499

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INTERNATIONAL MARKETING RESEARCH

• a study conducted to assist decision-making in more

than one country

• research that crosses national borders and involves

respondents and researchers from different countries

and cultures

33

Challenges

• overlooking cross-cultural market behaviour

• employing standardized research methodologies

across the international markets

• using English as a standard language for market

communication

• inappropriate sample selection

• misinterpretation of cross-country data

• failure to use locals to conduct field surveys

44

Cross-cultural marketing behaviour and research

The collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category from the other

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Comparison of cross-cultural behaviourPower distance

• the degree of inequality among the people that are viewed

equitably

Individualism vs. collectivism

• the tendency of people to look after themselves and their

immediate family’s interests alone

Masculinity vs. femininity

• masculine societies, the dominant values emphasize work

goals such as earnings, advancement, and success

• feminine society are achievement of personal goals such as

quality of life, care for others, and friendly atmosphere

Uncertainty avoidance • lack of tolerance of ambiguity and the need for formal rules

66

Cultural context

The context of a culture has crucial implications in communicating and interpreting verbal and non-verbal messages

Cultural homogeneity

• homophilous culture: countries where people share the

same beliefs, language, and religion

• heterophilous culture: countries that have a fair amount

of differentiation in language, beliefs, and religion

Comparison of cross-cultural behaviour

77

Process

Problem dentification

Decide Research Methodology

Workout Information Requirement

Identify Sources of Information (Both Primary and Secondary)

Prepare Research Design

Collect Primary Information

Analyse Information

Evaluation and Interpretation

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International marketing research and marketing decisions

Marketing mix decision• product policy

Type of research

• focus groups and qualitative research to generate ideas

for new product

• survey research to evaluate new product ideas

• concept tasting, test marketing

• product benefit and attitude research

• product formulation and feature testing

99

Marketing mix decisionPricing distribution

Type of research• pricing sensitivity studies

Marketing mix decisionDistribution

Type of research• survey of shopping patterns and behaviour

• consumer attitudes toward different store types

• survey of distributor attitudes and policies

International marketing research (contd)

1010

Marketing mix decision

Advertising

Type of research

• advertising pre-testing

Marketing mix decision

Advertising post-testing, recall scores

Type of research

• surveys of media habits

International marketing research (contd)

1111

Marketing mix decision

• Sales Promotion

Type of research

• surveys of response to alternative types of promotion

Marketing mix decision

Sales force

Type of research

• tests of alternative sales presentations

International marketing research (contd)

1212

Emic vs. Etic dilemma

EMIC

Holds that attitudes, interests, and behaviour are unique to a culture and best understood in their own terms, and emphasizes studying the research problem in each country’s specific context

ETIC

Emphasizes identifying and assessing universal attitudinal and behavioural concepts and developing ‘pan-cultural’ measures

1313

Researching Global Markets

Marketing Research: Building The Knowledge Base

• Breadth and scope of international marketing research.•Greater uncertainties in global markets.• Marketing research defined :

“Marketing Research is the function which links the consumers and customers to the organization through information; information used to identify and define marketing problems; generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve our understanding of marketing as a process”

1414

Role of Marketing Research

• Reduction of uncertainty and facilities management decision making

Information for :

Planning (Market entry strategies) Problem Solving Control

Nature of Marketing Research

Applied research Cost-benefits assessment Dynamic environment and need for frequent updates

1515

Stages in the Research Process

Formulate Problem

Determine Research Design

Determine Data Collective Method

Design Data Collection Forms

Design Sample and Collect Data

Analyze and Interpret the Data

Prepare the Research Report

1616

Type of Data Needed for International Marketing Research

• Secondary data Internal External

Published Commercial

• Availability• Reliability• Compatibility of data• Validation of secondary data

Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Data

• Outdated

1717

Gathering Primary Data

• Types of primary data Socioeconomic / demographic data Attitudes / Options Awareness / knowledge Intentions Motivations Behaviors

• Qualitative (V.S) Quantitative

• Surveys (V.S) Observations

1818

Survey Research

• Personal interviews

• Mail Surveys

• Telephone interviews

• Mall intercept interviews• Internet : new opportunity for data collection

Observation

• Human• Mechanical Devices

1919

Development of Survey Instrument

• Structured (V.S) Unstructured

• Disguised (V.S) Undisguised

Qualitative Research

• Disguised and Unstructured

Word Association Sentence Completion Story Telling

• Focus Groups

2020

Sample Design and Issues

• Non probability samples (Finding not generalizable)

• Probability samples

Types of probability samples Issues related to probability samples

Lack of sampling frame

Outdated sampling frame (Street and Telephone directories)

Validation of random samples

2121

Data analysis and inferences

• Univariate Data Analysis

• Bivariate Data Analysis

• Multivariate Data Analysis

• Choice of Data Analysis Techniques

Non-parametric (V.S) Parametric methods

• Statistical Software Packages for Data Analysis

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

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Estimating Market Demand

• Expert opinion

• Delphi method

• Analogy

• Use of quantitative techniques

• Income elasticity

Assessment of Country Attractiveness

• Market potential / size

• Business climate

• Political stability / risk

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The Research Report

• Written Report Communication with the reader Accuracy and completeness

• Form of Report Title page Table of contents Executive summary Introduction / problem statement Methodology Findings Conclusions and recommendations

• Oral Report Use of powerpoint and graphics

Appendix

2424

Conclusion Conclusion

• Doing research internationally is more challenging than Local

• IM research is extremely important, hence the lifeblood of the International Business

• Not all problems are solved using the same solution hence a need of various research approaches. AND..

• International Companies ought to invest and value of research Internationally.