1. problem definition

2. developing an approach to the problem

3. research design and formulation

4. field work

5. data preparation and analysis

6. report generation and presentation

1. discussions with decision makers

2. interviews with industry experts

3. secondary data analysis

4. qualitative research

it is essential that the researcher understand the nature of the decision faced by the firms managers

1. history of the problem--analysis of the events that have led to the decision to act

 2. alternative course of action available to DM--this may be incomplete at this time, secondary research may be needed

3. criteria used to evaluate the alternatives

4. potential actions that arelikely to be suggested--research findings will lead to this

5. information needed to answer DM's questions

6. how will information be used in decision making-- key decision makers will devise a strategy based on their findings

7. corporate culture and decision making--decision making process may be important and in others the personality of the decision maker is more important, it all depends. You have to determine who the influential people are

1. communication

2. cooperation

3. confidence

4. candor

5. closeness

6. continuity

7. creativity

1. experience surveys-- interviews with people knowledgeable about the general topic being investigated

2. key-informant technique--same as above

3. lead-user survey--survey that involve obtaining information from the lead users of the technology

*experts provide valuable insights in modifying or repositioning existing products*

1. prepared list of topics is helpful

2. do not have a set order to the questions because you don't want to lead the discussion in a particular direction

3. "Expert" interviews are more commonly found in industrial research rather than consumer research applications

1. focus groups

2. in-depth interviews (one on one)

3. pilot surveys--less structured than large scale surveys (more open ended questions) and the sample size is much smaller 

4. case studies--involve an intensive examination of a few selected cases of the phenomenon of interest; examples: consumers, stores, firms, or variety of other units

factors that have an impact on the definition of the marketing research problem including:

1. past information and forecasts--trends that correspond to sales, market share, profitability, technology, population, demographics, and lifestyle--these are combined  to provide a fuller picture of underlying research problem

2. resource constraints and objectives--must take into account the resources available and objectives--goals of the organization and DM that must be considered

3. Buyer behavior--tries to understand and predict consumers' reactions based on an individual's specific characteristics

4. legal and economic environments--

legal-public policies, laws, pressure goups, and gov't ag

economic-composed of purchasing power, gross income, disposable incrome, discretionary income, prices, savings

5. marketing and technological environments

1. asks what information is needed and how it can be obtained

2. is information oriented

3. looks at the underlying causes

1. asks what the decision maker needs to do

2. action oriented

3. focuses on the symptoms

we have to know the MDP in order to do the MRP

1. allow reseracher to obtain all the information needed to address the MDP

2. gude the researcher in proceding with the project

1. If it's too broad:

a) does not provide guidelines for subsequent steps

b) e.g. improving the company's image

2. if it's too narrow:

a) might miss some important components of the problem

b) e.g.changing prices in response to a competitor's price change

1. broad statement--provides an appropriate perspective on the problem

2. specific component--focus on the key aspects and provide clear guidelines on how to proceed further; these are the 4 p's