58 CHAPTER 3 MARKETINGRESEARCH:ANAIDTODECISIONMAKING
Conduct
preliminary
investigation
Purpose/scope
ofresearch
Createthe
researchdesign
Conduct
the research
Process
thedata
Report
theresults
FIGURE3.3 Themarketingresearchprocess
tobeworthwhile(indeed,forit nottobea wasteofresources), theproblemmustbestated
clearlyandcorrectly.Failuretodosoisthemostseriousofmistakesinthisproject.
Correctlydefiningtheresearchproblemshouldleadtotheestablishmentoftheresearch
parameters.A researchstudycouldberestrictedbyfunc~ion(advertising);customergroup
(heavyusers);market(FarEast); andtimeframe (1999-2001). Becauseresearchis socostly,
itisimperativethatparametersareestablishedandmaintained.
TheInformalAssessment
Thesecondimportantphaseofthepreliminaryinvestigationis caliedtheinformalassess-
ment.Thisis anunstructuredsearchofthemarketingenvironment.It enablestheresearcher
tobecomefamiliarwiththeproblemsetting.Thisisparticularlyimportantfortheoutside
consultantwhoneedstobecomeacquaintedwiththecompany,itscustomers,itsproducts,
andallofthemarketingconditionssurroundingtheproble ms.Butitisalsowiseforthe
companyresearchertorefreshhislherknowledgeofthoseinternal factorsbearingonthe
problemandalsotodiscovertheexternalelementsirvolved.
Theinformalinvestigationgoesbeyondmerely"gettingacquainted"withtheprob-
lemanditsmarketingsetting,however.Thefinalresultofthepreliminaryinvestigationis
thecreationofa setofresearchquestions.Inmarketingresearch,thesesquestionscanbe
statedasa tentativeexplanationoftheproblemthattheresearchis designedtosolve.For
example,ifa marketingmanageristryingtosolvea problemthatinvolvesanimportant
lossofmarketshareina particularareaofthecountry, aninformalinvestigationmightreveal
threepossiblereasonsforthedeclineinmarketposition.Thesereason~,untilverifiedby
thoroughstudy,canbestbestatedasresearchstatements:
