This document provides an overview of managing information and marketing research. It discusses the importance of information to companies and defines marketing research. The marketing information system is introduced as consisting of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute timely and accurate information. The four main steps in the marketing research process are outlined as defining the problem, developing a research plan, implementing the plan, and reporting findings.

1. MANAGING INFORMATION AND
MARKETING RESEARCH
Chapter 4
Presented by: Dr. John V. Padua
Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila

2. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the chapter, you are expected to:
• Explain the importance of information to the company;
• Define marketing research;
• Know and understand the importance of marketing research;
• Identify and describe the steps in marketing research;
• Determine and explain marketing research budget

3. The Importance of Information
• Companies need information
about their:
• Customer needs,
• Marketing environment,
• Competition.
• Marketing managers don’t
need more information, they
need better information.

4. Marketing Information System
• An MIS consists of people, equipment, and procedures to
gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely,
and accurate information to marketing decision makers.
• The MIS helps managers to:
1. Assess information needs
2. Develop needed information
3. Distribute information

5. The Marketing Information System

6. Information
Managers Would
Like to Have
What
They Really
Need & What
is Feasible to
Offer
Functions of an MIS: Assessing Information Needs

7. Assessing Information Needs
• A good MIS balances the information users would like against
what they really need and what is feasible to offer.
• Sometimes the company cannot provide the needed
information because it is not available or due to MIS
limitations.
• Have to decide whether the benefits of more information are
worth the costs.

8. Internal Data
Electronic Collections of Information
from Data Sources (i.e. Accounting)
Within the Company
Marketing
Research
Design, Collection, Analysis, and
Reporting of Data about a Specific
Marketing Situation
Marketing
Intelligence
Publicly Available Information about
Competitors and the Marketing
Environment (i.e. Technological)
Functions of an MIS: Developing Marketing Information
Information Needed by Managers Can be Obtained
From:

9. The Marketing Research Process

10. Marketing Research Process
Step 1. Defining the Problem & Research Objectives
Exploratory
Research
Descriptive
Research
Causal
Research
Test hypotheses about cause-
and-effect relationships.
Gathers preliminary information
that will help define the problem
and suggest hypotheses.
Describes things as market
potential for a product, or the
demographics and consumers’
attitudes.

11. Marketing Research Process
Step 2. Developing the Research Plan
Research plan development follows these steps:
• Determining the Exact Information Needed
• Developing a Plan for Gathering It Efficiently
• Presenting the Written Plan to Management

12. Information That
Already Exists
Somewhere.
+ Obtained More
Quickly, Lower Cost.
- Might Not be
Usable Data.
Develop the Research Plan
Gathering Information
Both Must
Be:
Relevant
Accurate
Current
Impartial
Information
Collected for the
Specific Purpose
at Hand.

13. • Information that already exists somewhere:
• Internal databases
• Commercial data services
• Government sources
• Available more quickly and at a lower cost than primary
data.
• Must be relevant, accurate, current, and impartial.
Gathering Secondary Data

14. • Consists of information collected for the specific purpose
at hand.
• Must be relevant, accurate, current, and unbiased.
• Must determine:
• Research approach
• Contact methods
• Sampling plan
• Research instruments
Primary Data Collection

15. Observational
Research
Gathering data
by observing
people,
actions and
situations
(Exploratory)
Experimental
Research
Using groups of
people to
determine
cause-and-effect
relationships
(Causal)
Developing the Research Plan Primary Data
Collection
Survey
Research
Asking individuals
about attitudes,
preferences or
buying behaviors
(Descriptive)
Research Approaches

16. • Mail surveys
• Telephone surveys
• Personal interviews
• Individual interviewing
• Focus group interviewing
• Online marketing research
• Surveys
• Experiments
• Focus groups
Contact Method

17. • Sample: segment of the population selected to represent the population as a
whole.
• Sampling requires three decisions:
• Who is to be surveyed?
• Sampling unit
• How many people should be surveyed?
• Sample size
• How should the people in the sample be chosen?
• Sampling procedure
• Probability vs. non-proability samples
Sampling Plan

18. Develop the Research Plan
Primary Data Collection
Mechanical Devices
• People Meters
• Supermarket Scanners
• Galvanometer
• Eye Cameras
Questionnaire
• What questions to ask?
• Form of each question?
•Closed-end
•Open-end
• Wording?
• Ordering?
Research Instruments

19. • Collecting the data
• Most expensive phase
• Subject to error
• Processing the data
• Check for accuracy
• Code for analysis
• Analyzing the data
• Tabulate results
Implementing Research Plan

20. Collecting the
Data
Processing the
Data
Analyzing the
Data
Research Plan
Marketing Research Process
Step 3. Implementing the Research Plan

21. Marketing Research Process
Step 4. Interpreting and Reporting Findings
Researcher Should Present Important Findings that are
Useful in the Major Decisions Faced by Management.
Step 1. Interpret the Findings
Step 2. Draw Conclusions
Step 3. Report to Management

22. Functions of an MIS: Distributing and Using
Marketing Information
Distributes Nonroutine
Information for Special
Situations
Information Must be Distributed
to the Right Managers at the Right Time
Distributes Routine
Information for
Decision Making