DEVELOPING A GLOBAL VISION THROUGH MARKETING RESEARCH

Abstract: The basic objective of the market research function is providing management with information for better 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. This article deals with the operational problems encountered in gathering information in foreign countries for use by international marketers. Emphasis is on those elements of data generation that usually prove especially troublesome when conducting research in an international environment. Key words: marketing research; multicultural studies; decision making Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful in marketing decision making. Although the research processes and methods are basically the same, international marketing research involves two additional complications. First, information must be communicated across cultural boundaries. That is, executives must be able to “translate ” their research questions into terms that consumers can understand. Then the answers must be put into terms (i.e., reports and data summaries) that managers can comprehend. Second, the environments within which the research tools are applied are often different in foreign markets. The international marketing researcher must develop the ability for imaginative and deft application of tried and tested techniques in sometimes totally strange milieus. The mechanical problems of implementing foreign marketing research often vary from country to country. Within a foreign environment, the frequently differing emphases on the kinds of information needed, the often limited variety of appropriate tools and techniques available, and the difficulty of implementing the research process constitute the challenges facing most international marketing researchers