Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Review and Discussion Questions
Chapter 8: Market Research in the International Environment
Review questions
1. Define market research.
Market research is the systematic gathering, storing, and analyzing of marketplace
information for use in managerial decision making. Market research is designed to
2. What are the steps in the market research process?
a. Step 1 Define the problem or situation
b. Step 2 Cost/benefit analysis
c. Step 3 Develop a research design
3. What types of information are revealed in a primary data collection program?
Primary data are gathered by the researcher or research team. They are collected in
the form chosen by the researcher and can be collected in practically any region of the
4. What are some of the most commonly used sources of secondary data for
international market research?
Secondary data are collected by an outside agency and are made available either free
of charge or for a fee. This information can be relatively inexpensive to obtain, and
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
5. What is the difference between a macro-level and a micro-level analysis?
Micro-level analysis seeks to understand individual consumers whereas macro-level
analysis examines things at the country level.
6. What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative international market
research?
Qualitative research involves using a small number of people, having in depth
responses, and not relying on numbers to understand things such as culture and
7. What are some of the popular quantitative research designs commonly used in the
international market research?
a. Survey
8. What are some of the popular qualitative research designs commonly used in
international market research?
a. Ethnographic research design
b. Observation
9. Describe a focus group along with the challenges that come with performing focus
groups on an international scale.
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Focus groups are semi-structured group discussions that generally take place in
groups of size eight to twelve. A focus group moderator facilitates the discussion and
does his or her best to ensure that each member of the focus group has an opportunity
to contribute and state opinions. Focus groups can represent an effective method of
obtaining information directly from consumers.
10. What are the main differences between back translation and parallel translation?
Back translations are done by single researchers in separate steps whereas parallel
translations are done with multiple researchers in sequential steps.
11. What is the difference between a probability sample and a nonprobability sample?
A probability sample can generate a random sample which allows a researcher to
make statistical inferences, this is not possible with a non-probability sample. In a
probability sample every member of the sample population has an equal chance of
being selected.
12. What is the difference between descriptive research and comparative research?
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Descriptive research is looking at a single country and comparative research is
comparing different countries.
13. What is the difference between contextual research and theoretical research?
14. Describe the four main types of international market research discussed in this
chapter.
Product research – answers the question of what product design will be most
appropriate. This includes consumers tastes, trends and government/legal restrictions
to design the best product.
15. Explain the scientific method.
The scientific method is the use of observations, empirical evidence, and knowledge
in order to make objective statements about certain phenomena.
16. How does the self-reference criterion relate to international market research?
The self-reference criterion can bias international market research. The self-reference
17. Define both validity and reliability and explain how the terms apply to surveys and
experiments.
Validity is the degree to which a concept is accurately measured. So, is it correct.
Reliability is the internal consistency of a measure and its ability to be replicated
over time. And is replicable.
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
18. What are the major political and legal restraints on performing international market
research?
a. The laws of each country
b. Whether individuals are allowed to speak to interviewers
Discussion questions
1. Describe the basic market research process. What types of issues should a researcher
consider during each phase with regard to international market research? Which phase
is most important?
Step 1 Define the problem or situation – A vital part of the market research
process is defining the problem or situation that the organization faces. Correctly
defining the market research problem or situation will be critical to the success of
any market research project. An inadequately or hastily-defined problem or
situation can lead to flawed data and conclusions. In defining a marketing
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
problem, a problem can be assessed by asking if the problem as stated represents
the actual issue or merely a symptom of the problem.
Step 3 Develop a research design – In this step the researcher need to decide
whether to use primary or secondary data. Then whether they want micro or
macro level data and how they want to collect this data – qualitatively or
quantitatively. Finally, which collection technique they want to use.
Step 4 Develop a sample – Figure out the population you want to understand and
develop a sample that will inform you of this population.
Step 5 Collect data – This involves actually reaching your sample and collecting
the data – this can often be very complicated.
Step 6 Analyze and interpret data – In this step you analyze your data and try to
understand what it is telling you.
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of secondary and primary research. Which
type of research is probably best for micro-level analysis? For a macro-level analysis?
Secondary research contains data that has already been collected and is often free
or very affordable. However, this information was not collected with your specific
problem in mind; thus, it may not be able to provide answers to your identified
problems.
3. Discuss the various types of quantitative research designs. What types of research
would be appropriate in developed countries? In lesser-developed countries?
Surveys are popular research tools used to answer questions in a quantitative
manner using large populations. They are often able to generate generalizable
results. This would be appropriate in developed countries. This may be
problematic in lesser developed countries because of high illiteracy rates and it
may be hard to distribute the surveys.
4. How is a desired sample size affected by response characteristics of a particular
population?
Instructor Resource
Baack et al., International Marketing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Some cultures vary on the range of answers they are willing to answer on surveys.
5. If you had to select between experiments, surveys, personal interviews, or Internet
research, which type(s) would be best for research performed in lesser-developed
countries?
Personal interviews could be the best for lesser developed countries. Internet research
could be the most difficult due to the lack of internet access in developing countries.