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International Marketing MKT630

Secondary data may be readily available and may also be cheaper than primary research. International

marketers, however, need to very carefully evaluate the relevance, objectiveness and timeliness of the

secondary data. Following aspects about the secondary data need to be evaluated for use in any

international marketing research;

Secondary data:

· what was the purpose of study?

· who collected the information?

· what information was collected?

· how was the information obtained?

· how consistent is the information with other information?

Data quality:

· timeliness, accuracy, relevance

Issues with secondary research:

Accuracy of data may vary due to variation in definitions of various variables

· Quality and reliability of information may also be compromised by the mechanisms that were used to

collect them

· International trade statistics do not cover cross-border & undocumented activities

· Comparability of data across countries is constrained as different resources on a given item produce

contradictory information

· One way to reconcile these differences is to triangulate - obtain information on the same item from at

least three different sources and speculate on possible reasons behind these differences

· Comparability of data may also be hindered by the lack of functional or conceptual equivalence -

functional equivalence refers to the degree to which similar activities or products in different

countries fulfill similar functions - conceptual equivalence reflects the degree to which a given

concept has the same meaning in different environments

· Finally, in many developing nations, secondary data are very scarce. Information on retail and

wholesale trade is especially difficult to obtain

Lesson # 20

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING RESEARCH PROCESS

Primary Data Collection

Primary data:

· Data collection

sample must be representative of the population

questions must be appropriate to various cultural and social backgrounds of the

respondents

data collection process must be feasible in every international market

· Execution

controls need to be decided and implemented so that the data collection may be correctly

implemented

cross-check information from various sources for relevance & accuracy

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International Marketing MKT630

Issues with primary global research:

· Sampling problems arise out of biased respondents, difficulties in reaching to the respondents, non-

availability of accurate telephone and street directories

· Different languages and cultural variations cause translation and meaning problems

· Even if the interviewee is successfully reached, there is no guarantee that he or she will cooperate

and furnish the desired information. There are also different reasons for nonresponse - may be due to

culture, govt. control, attitude towards privacy, inexperienced researcher etc.

· A focus group is a loosely structured free-flowing discussion among a small group of target

customers facilitated by a professional moderator - moderators need to be culturally sensitive and

familiar with the local language and social interaction patterns

· Questionnaires need to fulfill the criteria of conceptual, functional, translation and scalar equivalence

· Two procedures often used in practice to avoid sloppy translations are back-translation and parallel-

translation

· Sampling plan has added complexity in international research - there may be absence of sampling

frames and various cultural hurdles - desired sample sizes and criteria of target population also varies

· Viable contact methods also vary due to prevailing cultural norms in different countries

· Collection of information is affected by courtesy, social desirability and other biases