International Market Research

What is the main objective of international market research?

To introduce the foundations and principles of marketing research and discuss the unique considerations involved in researching international markets.

Why is researching the international environment important?

It helps identify and anticipate the need to internationalise, screen markets, set objectives, select/manage partnerships, design an appropriate marketing mix, control success, and adapt theory to operations.

"What are the 7 key reasons why researching the international environment is important?"

1. Identify/anticipate need to internationalise. 2. Screen markets/countries for selection. 3. Develop measurable objectives. 4. Select/manage internal and external partnerships. 5. Design appropriate international marketing mix. 6. Control success of marketing mix. 7. Adapt theory to international operations.

Give an example of identifying or anticipating the need to internationalise.

Using competitor analysis to spot international expansion opportunities before rivals do.

Give an example of screening markets or countries for selection.

Comparing GDP growth rates and trade barriers to decide which countries to target.

Give an example of developing measurable objectives for foreign markets.

Setting quantifiable sales or market share targets for each export destination.

Give an example of selecting and managing partnerships abroad.

Creating reward systems and negotiation procedures with local distributors.

Give an example of designing an appropriate international marketing mix.

Adapting products and communication styles to local preferences, e.g., packaging design or language.

Give an example of controlling for the success of the international marketing mix.

Using performance metrics and customer feedback from international markets to refine strategies.

Give an example of adapting theory to international marketing operations.

Applying service quality measurement models across culturally different markets.

What are the main stages of the primary research process?

1. Determine problem and objectives. 2. Design data collection method. 3. Design sampling and choose sampling frame. 4. Design data analysis techniques.

What are the two main types of market research?

Qualitative and quantitative research.

What is qualitative research?

Exploratory research aimed at gaining new insights; includes methods such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observation.

What is quantitative research?

Structured research aimed at measuring and predicting phenomena using surveys, experiments, or statistical analysis.

What are some examples of qualitative research methods?

Focus groups, in-depth interviews, and observation studies.

What are some examples of quantitative research methods?

Surveys, experiments, regression analysis, and structured questionnaires.

What are common challenges in secondary data collection?

Data may be outdated, hard to compare, unavailable, or overwhelming due to information overload.

What are common challenges in primary data collection?

It can be expensive, hard to coordinate, and difficult to ensure cross-national comparability.

What are the three types of cross-national equivalence that must be ensured?

1. Translation equivalence 2. Calibration equivalence 3. Metric/scoring equivalence.

What is translation equivalence?

Ensuring that translated questions or response categories mean the same across languages to avoid bias.

What is calibration equivalence?

Ensuring that units of measurement (e.g., currency or metrics) are comparable across countries.

What is metric or scoring equivalence?

Ensuring that numerical scales are interpreted consistently across cultures.

What are descriptive quantitative techniques?

They summarize and describe data, answering questions like how many, how often, or on average. Examples: frequencies, means, standard deviations, cross-tabulations.

What are inferential quantitative techniques?

They test hypotheses and relationships in data, such as correlations, differences between groups, and causal effects. Examples: t-tests, regressions, correlations.

What’s an example of a descriptive statistic in marketing research?

Calculating the average customer satisfaction score across different markets.

What’s an example of an inferential statistic in marketing research?

Using a t-test to compare satisfaction ratings between British and French consumers.

Why is back-translation important in international research?

It ensures meaning consistency between languages by translating text back into the original language for comparison.

Why is it said that 'it is not the marketing environment itself that is important but the firm’s ability to cope with it'?

Because successful firms are those that can adapt to diverse and changing environments rather than be overwhelmed by them.

What are key questions to consider when designing international research?

• What insights are needed—new or predictive?

• Qualitative, quantitative, or both?

• How to reach samples?

• What questions to ask and how?

• What analyses to perform

Why do many studies combine qualitative and quantitative methods?

Because the two methods are complementary—qualitative provides depth and understanding, while quantitative provides generalisability and measurement.