This paper deals with the way a company, Philips, has organized its marketing information activities for communication and information systems. The concept of business intelligence is introduced as a way of organizing and controlling the enormous load of available marketing information in this industry. It is argued that coping with data overload starts with priority setting and organization and that high tech databases could fit in this as a logical consequence but that databases and marketing information systems are not by their nature the definitive solution to the problem. A business intelligence cycle is described as a workable way of coping with data overload within a company that uses market research as one of the data sources.
In the business environment a rapid response to management questions about the development of the status and the characteristics of the marketplace is key to the success of the business entity. Particularly the marketplace for information processing equipment and services is subject to significant change. Tracking this change via 'single source' studies helps in getting insight in the development of the segmented marketplace. In 'single source' studies the phenomenon of non-response is considered to be a major problem. A relatively simple solution to overcome this problem in the short term will be a contribution to the corporate planning process.
Decision making, this paper contends, plays a very important role on all kinds of levels in our society. Therefore a lot of research has been carried out by representatives of a great many disciplines; research on a wide variety of types and aspects of decision making processes. This paper deals with decision making in an industrial environment; specifically with the relations between decision making processes concerning buying and buying behaviour on industrial and on household levels. These relations will be investigated simultaneously; one of the facts, namely, that tend to be overlooked is that the industrial decision maker is often also involved in a similar process in a household context.