Page 57 - DMGT408DMGT203_Marketing Management

Marketing Management/Essentials of Marketing

Notes “Marketing Research is the function which links the consumer, customer, and public to the
marketer through information – information used to identify and define marketing opportunities
and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance,
and improve understanding of marketing as a process.”
—Definition by American Marketing Association, according to Tull and Hawkins, 6th Ed.
“Marketing research is a formalised means of obtaining information to be used in marketing
decisions.”
—Donald S. Tull and Del I. Hawkins, Marketing Research, 1993
The six steps presented should be viewed as an overall approach to conduct marketing research
and should not be viewed as a fixed set of rules for each and every project. The decision-makers
must consider each of the steps carefully and examine how they can best be adjusted to address
a given problem or opportunity at hand. Various opportunities for error are present in the
marketing research process and for this reason, it is important that all those who use research
results be well-informed and critical users of information that results from such research results.
The difference between good and bad research is the quality of inputs. Ideally, the informed and
critical users of research should ask some important questions before implementing the research
and, if necessary, after the research is completed to be certain that the research is unbiased and
results are reliable to help decision-making:
1. Keeping in view the problem or opportunity, are the research objectives right? Will the
data collected be sufficient to fulfil those objectives?
2. Is the choice of data sources appropriate? Are readily available, cheaper data sources used
where appropriate? Is qualitative research planned to support and ensure that quantitative
research is on target?
3. Is the planned approach to research design (qualitative and quantitative) appropriate to
address the research objectives?
4. Are the questionnaire scales appropriate and permit measurement necessary to accomplish
the research objectives? Are the framed questions unbiased to conduct survey, interview,
or focus group? Is the sample size suitable for research objectives? Do the sampling plan
and respondent contact methods entail any known bias? Are the analyses appropriate as
specified before conducting the research?
The research process involves defining a marketing problem or opportunity and establishing
research objectives; decide research design; establish data collection approach; finalise sampling
procedure; collect data; analyse data and present report.

Figure 2.7: Steps in Marketing Research Process

Define Problem Design Research Data Collection
& Set Objectives Project Approach

Present the Analyse the Sampling
Findings Information Plan

2.7.1 Define the Marketing Problems and Set Objectives

The starting step focuses on uncovering the nature and boundaries of a negative, or positive
situation or question and calls for the marketing manager and the researcher to analyse the

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