Chapter 6 Global Information Systems and Market Research

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Chapter 6 Global Information Systems and Market
Research
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Key Issues

• Global Marketing Research Challenges
• -Translation, Culture, Scaling
• Primary Data vs. Secondary Data
• Qualitative Data vs. Quantitative Data
• Emic vs. Etic. Analysis
• Research Process

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Introduction

• Understand the importance of information
  technology and marketing information systems
• Utilize a framework for information scanning and
  opportunity identification
• Understand the formal market research process
• Know how to manage the marketing information
  collection system and market research effort

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Information Technology for Global Marketing

• Information Technology refers to an
  organizations processes for creating, storing,
  exchanging, using, and managing information.
• Management Information Systems provide managers
  and other decision makers with a continuous flow
  of information about company operations

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Tools of MIS

• Intranet
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• Efficient Consumer Response (ECR)
• Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS)
• Data Warehouses

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Customer Relationship Management

• New business model
• Philosophy that values two-way communication
  between company and customer
• Every point of contact with a consumer is an
  opportunity to collect data
• Can make employees more productive and enhance
  corporate profitability

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Customer Relationship Management

• The major thing is, One size fits all is not
  true. CRM is designed to support the sales
  process, and if I develop a system that works in
  the U.S., it might not work in Europe.
• - Jim Dickie, Insight Technology Group

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Privacy

• Safe Harbor Agreement establishes principles for
  privacy protection for companies that transfer
  data to the US from Europe
• Purposes of the information collected and used
• An opt out option to prevent disclosure of
  personal information
• Can only transfer information to 3rd parties that
  are in compliance with Safe Harbor
• Individuals must have access to information

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Information Subject Agenda

• The starting point for global marketing
  information system is identifying a list of
  subjects for which information is desired
• Should be tailored to the needs and objectives of
  the company
• Two essential criteria
• Is all the information subject areas relevant to
  a company with global operations
• Categories should be mutually exclusive

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Information Subject Agenda
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Scanning Modes Surveillance and Search

• Surveillance
• Informal information gathering
• VIEWING general exposure to information
• MONITORING paying special attention and
  tracking a story as it develops
• Search
• Formal information gathering
• INVESTIGATION seeking out secondary data
• RESEARCH conducting primary research

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Avoiding Information Overload

• Global organizations need
• Efficient, effective system to scan and digest
  published sources of information in all countries
  in which it conducts business
• Daily scanning, translating, digesting,
  abstracting, and electronic input of information
  into MIS

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Sources of Market Information

• Human sources
• Executives based abroad are likely to have
  established communication with distributors,
  consumers, customers, suppliers, and government
  officials
• Friends acquaintances, professional colleagues,
  consultants, and prospective employees

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Sources of Market Information

• Direct perception provides a vital background for
  the information that comes from human and
  documentary sources
• Gets all the senses involved
• Some information requires sensory experience to
  interpret it correctly
• Can be important when the domestic market is
  dominated by a global player

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Formal Market Research

• Global Marketing Research is the
  project-specific, systematic gathering of data in
  the search scanning mode on a global basis
• Challenge is to recognize and respond to national
  differences that influence the way information is
  obtained

• E.g. )Do consumers buy bicycles for sport or
  transportation?

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The Scope

• Global marketing research is used to make both
  strategic and tactical decisions
• Market studies
• Market size, customer needs
• Competitive studies
• Insights, domestic and foreign
• Environmental studies
• Economic, political, legal

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International Research Successes

• The Crisp
• Europeans wanted a microwave that performed like
  a conventional oven
• Pepsi Max
• Positioned in Europe as a trendy youth drink, not
  a diet soda
• Spanish Retailer Zara
• Responds to fashion trends worldwide faster than
  major competitors like the Gap or Benetton

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Steps in the Research Process

• Identifying the research problem
• Developing a research plan
• Collecting data
• Analyzing data
• Presenting the research findings

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A. Identifying the Research Problem

• What information do I need?
• Existing Markets customer needs already being
  served by one or more companies information may
  be readily available
• Potential Markets
• Latent market an undiscovered market demand
  would be there if product was there
• Incipient market market will emerge as macro
  environmental trends continue
• Why do I need this information?

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Overcoming the SRC

• Self-Reference Criterion occurs when a persons
  values and beliefs intrude on the assessment of a
  foreign culture
• Must be aware of SRCs
• Enhances managements willingness to conduct
  market research
• Ensures that research design has minimal
  home-country bias
• Increases managements receptiveness to findings

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B. Developing A Research Plan

• Do we need quantitative or qualitative data?
• What is the information worth (versus what will
  it cost to collect)?
• What will it cost if we dont get the
  information?
• What can be gained from the information?

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C. Collecting Data

• Secondary Data
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
• Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations
• World Factbook
• The Economist
• The Financial Times
• Syndicated studies
• And much more

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C. Collecting Data (cont.)

• Primary Data Collection Methods
• Survey research
• Interviews
• Consumer panels
• Observation
• Focus groups

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Primary Research Challenges

• Experience in the Arab World
• Mixed-gender focus groups are forbidden in Saudi
  Arabia.
• In other countries such as Egypt women often
  defer to men in focus groups.
• Mall intercepts are uncommon. Approaching
  strangers is not normally acceptable.

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Primary Research Challenges

• Experience in the Arab world
• Consumer surveys are untenable in rural Saudi
  Arabia
• Mail is only delivered to businesses not homes
• Low penetration of the Internet precludes
  Internet interviews

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Special Considerations for Surveys

• Benefits
• Data collection from a large sample
• Both quantitative and qualitative data possible
• Can be self-administered
• Issues
• Subjects may respond with social desirability
• Translation may be difficult
• Use back and parallel translations to ensure
  accuracy and validity

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Camera Manufacturer Survey in Latin America

• Used Direct Translation
• ENGLISH
• I get a good shot every time I use it
• SPANISH
• I get a good gun shot every time I use it

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Focus Groups

• Selection and Sample Size
• How focus groups SHOULD be used
• Learning how your product is used
• Understanding customers experience with product
• Acquiring descriptive consumer brand perceptions
• Exploratory testing of new product, positioning,
  and promotion strategies
• How focus groups SHOULD NOT be used
• Estimate size or dollar value of market
• Definitively identify segments
• Make go/no-go decisions on new products, brand
  positioning, or promotion strategies

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Focus Groups Cross Cultural Challenges

• Men and women should not be in the same group in
  Central Asia
• Courtesy bias precludes Japanese from criticizing
  products
• Respondents in polychronic cultures tend to show
  up late (or not at all!)
• Young participants hesitant to criticize or
  disagree with older participants in collectivist
  cultures
• Focus group length should be longer than two
  hours in high context societies to allow enough
  get-to-know-each-other time

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Sampling

• A sample is a selected subset of a population
  that is representative of the entire population.
• Probability samples
• Non-probability samples

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D. Analyzing Data

• Demand Pattern Analysis
• Income Elasticity Measurements
• Market Estimation by Analogy
• Time-series displacement
• Comparative Analysis
• Cluster Analysis

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Scale Translations

• Does the meaning of the scale itself translate
  cross-culturally?
• A-F good school grade
• Does it make sense outside of U.S. context?
• Satisfied versus Happy versus Delighted
• Not all cultures and languages see a clear
  difference or an increase in intensity between
  these

When in doubt, use a numeric or Likert scale
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E. Presenting the Findings

• Report must clearly address problem identified in
  Step 1
• Include a memo or executive summary of the key
  findings along with main report

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Global Issues in Marketing Research

• Many country markets must be included
• Markets with low profit potential justifies
  limited research expenditures
• Data in developing countries may be inflated or
  deflated
• Comparability of international statistics varies
  greatly
• Limits created by cultural differences

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Enhancing Comparability of Data

• Emic analysis
• Ethnographic in nature
• Studies culture from within
• Uses cultures own meanings and values

• Etic analysis
• From the outside
• Detached perspective that is used in
  multi-country studies
• Enhances comparability but minimizes precision

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Developing a Global Information System
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Looking Ahead

• Chapter 7 Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

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Intranet

• A Private network
• Allows authorized company personnel (or
  outsiders) to share information electronically
• 24-Hour Nerve Center

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Electronic Data Interchange

• Allows business units to
• Submit orders
• Issue invoices
• Conduct business electronically
• Transaction formats are universal

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Efficient Consumer Response (ECR)

• This is in addition to EDI
• An effort for retailers and vendors to work
  closely on sock replenishment
• ECR can be defined as a joint initiative by
  members of a supply chain to work toward
  improving and optimizing aspects of the supply
  chain to benefit customers.

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Electronic Point of Sale

• Gathers data at checkout scanners
• Identifies product sales trends
• Identifies how consumer preferences vary
  geographically

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Data Warehouses

• Can help fine-tune product assortments for
  multiple locations
• Enhances the ability of management to respond to
  changing business conditions

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