DEFINING THE MARKETING RESEARCH PROBLEM AND DEVELOPING AN APPROACH

1. Mansi Doomra (130550034)
Mehak Puri (130550035)
Nidhi Aggarwal (130550039)
Shashank Kapoor (130550052)

2. What is Marketing Research? Meaning
Marketing Research has two words, viz.,
marketing and research.
Marketing means creating, communicating
and delivering value to the customers &
managing customer relationships.
Research means a systematic and complete
study of a problem. It is done by experts. It
uses scientific methods.
Thus, we can say, “Marketing Research is
a systematic method of collecting,
recording and analysing of data, which is
used to solve marketing problems.”

3. What is Marketing Research? Definition
Marketing research is "the process or
set of processes that links the
consumers, customers, and end users 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.

5. THE PROBLEM DEFINITION
PROCESS
Tasks Involved
Discussion
with
Decision Maker(s)
Interviews
with
Experts
Secondary
Data
Analysis
Qualitative
Research
Environmental Context of the Problem
Step I: Problem Definition
Management Decision Problem
Marketing Research Problem
Step II: Approach to the Problem
Objective/
Theoretical
Foundations
Analytical
Model: Verbal,
Graphical,
Mathematical
Research
Questions
Hypotheses
Step III: Research Design
Specification
of
Information
Needed

6. Factors to be Considered in the Environment
Context of the Problem

7. STEP 1
• Defining the problem is the most
important step, because only when
a problem has been clearly and
accurately identified can a research
project be conducted properly.
• Defining the marketing research
problem sets the course of the
entire project.
7

8. Importance of Defining the
Problem
• Problem definition involves stating the general marketing
research problem and identifying its specific components.
• Only when marketing research problem has been clearly
defined can research be designed and conducted properly.
• Inadequate problem definition is a leading cause of failure
of marketing research project.
• Better communication and more involvement in problem
definition are the most frequently mentioned ways of
improving the usefulness of research.
8

9. Tasks Involved in Problem
Definition
Discussions with Decision Makers
Interviews with Industry Experts
Secondary Data Analysis
Qualitative Research

10. Environmental Context of the
Problem
• To understand the background to a marketing research
problem, the researcher must understand the client’s firm and
industry.
• In particular, the researcher analyze the factors that have an
impact on the definition of the marketing research problem
such as:
 past information and forecast pertaining to the industry and
the firm;
 resources and constraints of the firm;
 objective of the decision maker;
 buyer behavior;
 legal environment;
 economic environment; and
 marketing and technological skills of the firm.

11. Management Decision Problem and
Marketing Research Problem
• The management decision problem asks what the DM
needs to do, whereas the marketing research problem
ask what information is needed and how it can best be
obtained.
• Research can provide the necessary information to make
a sound decision.
• The management decision problem is action oriented.
It is concerned with the possible actions the DM could
take.
• How should the loss of market share be arrested?
• Should the market be segmented differently?

12. Management Decision Problem and
Marketing Research Problem cont. …
• The marketing research problem is information
oriented. It wants to determine what information
is needed to make the best decision.
• It involves determining what information is needed
and how that information can be obtained
effectively and efficiently.
• Whereas the management decision problem
focuses on symptoms, the marketing research
problem focuses on underlying causes.

13. Management Decision Problem versus
Marketing Research Problem
Management decision
problem
• Asks what the
decision maker needs
to do
• Action oriented
• Focuses on symptoms
Marketing research
problem
• Asks what information
is needed and how it
should be obtained
• Information oriented
• Focuses on the
underlying causes

14. Components of the Approach
• In the process of developing an approach, we must
not lose sight of the goal - the outputs.
• The outputs of the approach development process
should include the following components:
•
•
•
•
•
Objective/theoretical framework
Analytical models
Research Questions
Hypotheses, and
Specification of Information Needed.

17. RESEARCH
DESIGN

18. WHAT IS RESEARCH
• A master DESIGN
plan that specifies the methods
and
procedures for collecting and analyzing needed
information.
• A research design encompasses the method and
procedures employed to conduct scientific research.
The design of a study defines the study type
(descriptive,
correlational,
semi-experimental,
experimental, review) and sub-type (e.g., descriptivelongitudinal
case
study),
research
question, hypotheses, independent and dependent
variables, experimental design, and, if applicable,
data collection methods and a statistical analysis
plan.

19. PROCESS OF RESEARCH
DESIGN
•
•
•
•
•
•
Problem definition
Research design
Data collection
Data analysis
Interpretation of results
Reporting

20. Tasks Involved In a Research
Design
Define the Information Needed
Design the Exploratory, Descriptive, and/or Causal
Phases of the Research
Specify the Measurement and Scaling Procedures
Construct a Questionnaire
Specify the Sampling Process and the Sample Size
Develop a Plan of Data Analysis

21. Classification of Market Research
Designs
Research
Design
Exploratory
Research
Secondary
Data
Conclusive
Research
Experience
Surveys
Pilot Studies
Case Studies

22. Classification of Market Research
Designs
Research
Design
Exploratory
Research
Conclusive
Research
Cross-sectional
Study
Longitudinal
Study
Descriptive
Design
Causal
Design
Experiment
Secondary
Data Study
Survey
Observation

23. EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH
• Usually conducted during the initial
stage of the research process
• Purposes
– To narrow the scope of the research
topic, and
– To transform ambiguous problems into
well-defined ones.

24. CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH
• Provide specific information that aids the
decision maker in evaluating alternative
courses of action
• Sound statistical methods & formal research
methodologies are used to increase the
reliability of the information
• Data sought tends to be specific & decisive
• Also more structured & formal than
exploratory data

25. TYPES OF CONCLUSIVE
RESEARCH
• Descriptive Research
– Describes
attitudes,
perceptions,
characteristics, activities and situations.
– Examines who, what, when, where, why, &
how questions
• Causal Research
– Provides evidence that a cause-and-effect
relationship exists or does not exist.
– Premise is that something (and independent
variable) directly influences the behavior of
something else (the dependent variable).

26. Common Characteristics of
Descriptive Studies
•
•
•
•
•
•
Build on previous information
Show relationships between variables
Representative samples required
Structured research plans
Require substantial resources
Conclusive findings

27. Common Characteristics of
Causal Studies
• Logical Time Sequence
– For causality to exist, the cause must either
precede or occur simultaneously with the effect
• Concomitant Variation
– Extent to which the cause and effect vary together
as hypothesized
• Control for Other Possible Causal
Factors

28. SOME EXAMPLES OF
MARKETING
RESEARCH
COMPANIES

29. DELPHI RESEARCH
SERVICES PVT LTD.
(National Company)

30. Delphi research services pvt. ltd
Delphi is a "specialist" market research and strategic consulting firm.
Delphi was set up in 1991 by a small team of research practitioners.
Delphi came into existence primarily to cater to the needs of Indian and
international companies and multi-lateral agencies seeking high quality
and actionable research in the areas of business-to-business /industrial
research and social research. Since 1994, Delphi added one additional
line of business - specialised consumer research exclusively for
the service sector.
Delphi's aim from Day One has been to stay lean and focused.
Over the years, Delphi has made steady and solid progress with a
growing base of renowned customers comprising leading Indian and
international companies and multi-lateral organisations.
Delphi's expertise is sought by companies in India, the Asean region, the
Middle East and the USA.

31. AREAS OF
SPECIALISATION
• INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
• SOCIAL N DEVELOPMENT RELATED RESEARCH
• RESTRICTED AND SPECIALIZED CONSUMER RESEARCH

32. INFRASTUCTURE
•Headquartered at Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley, Delphi has a
field infrastructure at Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.
•Data collection and processing are done in-house.The team has
access to and hands-on familiarity with, a wide assortment of
statistical and econometric software packages.
•Delphi has access to one of the finest in-house databases in the
country relating to Indian industry meticulously developed and
updated by Log In Information Services, a group company.

33. MAJOR CLIENTS
•Al Pharma (Norway)
•Andrew Jergens (USA)
•Becton - Dickinson / Gainwell
•Bank Muscat
•Cable & Wireless
•Compact A/S ( Denmark)
•DANIDA
•Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.
•Dumex (Denmark)
•Getinge (Sweden, Hongong)
•GMR Group
•HDFC Bank
•Harman Consumer Group(Denmark)
•Helsa AG (Germany)
•High Value Horticulture Plc (UK)
•India Meters Ltd.
•Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers
Association (IMTMA)
•Indo Gulf Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd.
•Interlux Group (Nigeria)
•JBL (Denmark)
•Kao Corporation (Japan)
•Kerry Foods (UK)
•Microland
•Mid-Day Group

34. • Delphi has undertaken over 1,500 projects across diverse
sectors such as Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Earth Moving
Equipment,
Material
handling
Equipment,
Plastics,
Construction and Building Materials, Petrochemicals, Plastics,
Processed Food, Packaging, Real Estate, Retail etc. Its
clients include leading Indian and International companies as
well
as
multi-lateral
organizations.
Delphi has designed and executed customized projects in the
Indian sub-continent, Asean (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan),
Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Turkey) and
Africa.
Our website (http://www.delphiindia.com) offers more
information about our capabilities, credentials and services.
Specialties
B2B: Entry Decisions / Strategies; Competition Profiling;
Industry Benchmarking, RETAIL: Assessing Locations for
Chain Outlets / Malls, DEVELOPMENT : Micro Finance;
Baseline, Impact Assessment ; Diagnosing Health,
Sustainability of Small Industrial Clusters

35. Gartner, Inc.
(International Company)

36. Type
Public company
Traded as
NYSE: IT
Industry
Research
Founded
1979
Headquarters
Stamford, Connecticut
United States
Key people
Gene Hall (CEO)
Christopher J. Lafond (CFO)
Darko Hrelic (CIO)
Products
Research
Consulting
Events
Revenue
$1.615 billion (2012)
Net income
$165.9 million (2012)
Employees
5,300 (2013)
Website
www.gartner.com

37. INTRODUCTION
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology
research and advisory company. We deliver the technology-related
insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day.
From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government
agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and
professional services firms, to technology investors, we are the valuable
partner to clients in over 13,000 distinct organizations. Through the
resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner
Consulting and Gartner Events, we work with every client to research,
analyse and interpret the business of IT within the context of their
individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford,
Connecticut, USA, and has 5,700 associates, including more than 1,435
research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries.

38. SERVICES
We bring together Research insight, Benchmarking data, problem-solving methodologies
and hands on experience to improve the return on your IT investment.
UNDERSTANDING: WE KNOW THE ISSUES YOU FACE
80% of the Fortune 500 use Gartner for their key technology initiatives
We deliver business value in over 1500 high-impact initiatives a year
Every year, we deliver over 5,500 IT cost and performance benchmarks
CAPABILITIES: THE DATA, TOOLS AND CAPABILITIES TO HELP
Gartner solutions address the specific needs of each industry
All of our solutions are based on Gartner's extensive Research
Every solution makes use of our performance benchmarking data
We employ seasoned consultants, with an average of 15 years experience
EXPERIENCE: WE HELP YOU DELIVER TANGIBLE RESULTS
Our clients spend 38% less than their peers for the same workload
Gartner Contract Optimization Services help our clients realize hundreds of millions of
dollars of real and measured savings annually
Our consulting engagements help clients improve performance... and reduce risk

39. PRESS RELEASE
Telecomm Client Saves €40 Million
When a large telecommunications company needed to improve service provider
relationships, lower costs and reduce long procurement cycles, Gartner Consulting
was called on to help.

40. BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
Unproductive relationships with service providers
Unclear contract pricing structures
Issues over value for services received
APPROACH / DIFFERENTIATION:
Supported pricing discussions with service providers using up-to-date benchmarks
Developed new governance model to improve service provider relationships
Helped guide productive contract reviews
RESULTS:
Over €40 million in savings identified
Reduced time to negotiate new agreements by using benchmark data
Improved relationship with major service provider to achieve higher service value