Exploring Marketing Research William G' Zikmund

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Exploring Marketing ResearchWilliam G. Zikmund

• Chapter 4
• The Human Side
• of Marketing Research

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Mission Statement

• Identifies the research departments purpose
  within the organization

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Continuum of Marketing Research Sophistication
Intuition-Centered Decision Making
Stage of intuitive decision making
Stage of sophistication
Research-Centered Decision Making
Stage of development
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Research Departments Perform a Staff Function

• Clients
• Director of research
• Research analysts
• Cross-functional teams

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Medium-Sized Research Department
Director of marketing research and sales
forecasting
Manager of sales research
Research analyst (project director)
Forecast analysts
Research assistant (entry-level trainee)
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Managers
Researchers
1. Decision oriented
1. Technique oriented
2. Intuitive
2. Analytical
3. Managers like to confirm
3. Researchers like to explore
4. Time orientation toward a. project
immediacy (I need it now.) b.
results about future behavior (what
will sales be next year?)
4. Time orientation toward a. Project
prolongment (later when we have time
for a complete study) b. results
about past behavior (our trend has
been . . .)
5. Not cost conscious (you get what you
pay for)
5. Frugal (keep the cost down)
6. Results orientation a. managers do not
like surprises--when they are
surprised they tend to reject the results b.
concern (arent we number one yet?) c.
certainty (is it or isnt it?)
6. Results orientation a. researchers
love surprises b. abstraction (our
exponential gain. . .) c. probability
(may be)
7. Reactive
7. Proactive
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Top Management-Marketing Research Conflict

• Research responsibility
• Research personnel
• Budget
• Assignments
• Problem definition
• Research reporting
• Use of research

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Research Supplier

• A commercial marketing research service that
  conducts marketing research activities for
  clients
• Syndicated service
• Standardized service
• Provides customized research

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Greenbook 2000-2001 International Directory of
Marketing Research Companies and Services
(Serial)
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Considerations for Hiring Outside Suppliers

• Expertise
• Urgency of the decision
• Personnel resources
• Economic factors
• Objectivity
• Confidentiality
• Quality control

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Ethical Issues

• Philosophical questions
• Societal norms
• Codes of behavior

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Rights and Obligations of the Respondent

• The obligation to be truthful
• Privacy
• Deception
• The right to be informed

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Rights and Obligations of the Researcher

• The purpose of research is research
• Objectivity
• Misrepresenting research
• Protect the right to confidentiality of both
  subjects and clients
• Dissemination of faulty conclusions
• Advocacy research

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Rights and Obligations of the Client Sponsor
(User)

• Ethics between buyer and seller
• An open relationship with research suppliers
• An open relationship with interested parties
• Privacy
• Commitment to research
• Pseudo-pilot studies

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Advocacy Research

• Research to support a specific legal claim

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Pseudo-Pilot Studies

• The researcher is told that the study is the
  first of many in a more comprehensive study