Provide at least one definition of marketing research and identify the source.

Solomon et al (2013) describes the term of marketing research as the process, comprising the
conduct of such activities as collecting, investigating and interpreting of information related to
customers, competitors, as well as the business environment, in order to increase marketing
efficiency. ‘…

Identify 4 types of data within a Marketing Information System and suggest an advantage and
disadvantage of each.
 Internal Company Data: provide the data to marketing managers in relation to current prices,
cash-flows, inventories, sales, etc.
 Marketing Intelligence – focused in data collection from external sources (assessment of
competitors’ websites, reflexion on the marketplace, etc.)
 Marketing Research – the information gathered through either primary or secondary research.
 External Databases – the databases providing information with no additional costs to the
company.

Identify the stages/steps in a Marketing Research Process and explain which step is the most
important (‘explain’ = which one and why):
Define the problem: the specification of research objectives, identification of the focus customer
group, determination of the problem in the environmental context.
Determine Research Design: decision on undertaking either primary or secondary type of a research
with a following identification of the sources’ nature (internal/external for secondary;
exploratory/descriptive/casual for primary) utilized throughout the investigation conduct.
Choose Data Collection Method: decision on the approaches and tools used in the process of data
gathering (communication: telephone, online questionnaires, etc.; observation method: mechanical or
personal).
Design the Sample: preparation of the inquiry’s model questionnaire, used to collect the data.
Collect the Data: the phase embracing the implementation of the previously outlined decisions.
Analyse and Interpret Data: sorting the collected information, identifying an appropriate technique
for analysing and interpreting the inquiry.
Prepare the Research Report: includes a few components, such as executive summary preparation,
description of research methods, discussion, set of the research’s limitations and, finally, the
delivery of conclusions and recommendations.

Identify and describe the key features of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research:
 Quantitative: the type of data utilized tends to be numerical with such features presented as
superficiality, descriptiveness and a wide generalisation,

 Qualitative: the information gathered is represented in textual or visual dimensions. This approach
cannot be characterised as bringing a feature of generalisation since it targets a smaller focus group
and the data tends to be more exploratory.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using unobtrusive measures to gather information:
Although there is a high probability of the data collected via unobtrusive measures being interpreted
in subjective terms, which significantly depreciates the value of such type of investigation; a clear
advantage is presented by gaining an insight of the genuine behaviour with a simultaneous reduction in
the examiner bias.

Identify key barriers to successful market research across national frontiers:

The key barriers in such terms would be presented by the factors of a possible unawareness of significant
cultural norms, as well as language barriers. Therefore, comprising the factors mentioned, there might be
the arousal of an issue with respondents’ assessment.
Recall a personal experience of marketing research as interviewer or respondent and offer some
reflections on the process:
There were numerous times of me being asked to answer the questionnaire related to my mobile/internet
service provider. Since the questionnaire’s design was brief and straight-forward, it didn’t present as issue
to answer them.