The main argument is that the methods and the facilities for designing and controlling multi-country research have evolved from the primitive approach of the 1950's to a sophisticated and versatile methodology which is still being developed and refined, but it is questionable whether this advance has been paralleled in productivity. The paper will consider the possible meanings of 'productivity' in the context of international research - from the simplistic (but still used) arithmetical measurements (cost per interview, etc) to more realistic definitions that take account of the quality of a research study in all its aspects. The long term development of methodology will be illustrated by an outline of techniques, with case examples, in four 'snapshots', at roughly ten year intervals: the late fifties, the end of the sixties, the end of the seventies, and today. The paper will then focus on the period from 1981 to the present, which has seen the most radical and far-reaching changes in the market for international research on both the demand and supply sides.
This paper is written from the viewpoint of a London-based market research agency which undertakes all types of international market research. The paper is primarily concerned with the opportunities that may exist for the researcher in the middle ground between ad hoc market research and management consultancy. In approaching that issue, the paper first examines the requirements for standardised research for single and multiple users, and discusses the preconditions for the successful development of multi-user research services. In that context, it considers the extent to which business to business research differs from research in consumer markets, and considers the outlook for standardised research. The second major area discussed is the impact of internationalisation overall, and in relation to the demand for standardised research. The conclusion is then drawn that the role of the ad hoc researcher is under threat, and that a positive effort at role enhancement is necessary and possible. However, this would require the research supplier to become more like a management consultant in many respects. The final part of the paper compares and contrasts the attributes, behaviour and financial rewards of researcher and consultant, and points to the increasing propensity of management consultants to use conventional market research as an input. The final conclusion is that there is scope for research-based consultancy services to be developed to a much greater extent than has generally been attempted so far, but that a descriptive label may be required that is less misused than 'consultant'.
In this paper, I shall discuss two main themes, from the point of view of an international co-ordinating agency, namely: the problems of communication; the role of check lists in improving communications. Thereafter, most of this paper will be devoted to five key aspects of the work of a co-ordinating agency. The paper then concludes with some comments on future developments in communications media.