Abstract:

Market research is in the 'informing and guiding companies business'. Its effectiveness depends on the quality of the informing service provided by both agencies and internal research departments. Examples from the motor industry suggest that many internal areas of car companies and also other important participants in the industry are not gaining the understanding of the market they need. Market research departments should be spending more time informing their internal clients but this means changes in attitude and a different quality of service from the agencies. Agencies can expand their traditional role to include a greater consulting dimension. They can also take more initiatives to include the smaller companies. Both parties need to re-examine and re-allocate their activities to meet the requirements of lean management in the more stringent economic climate of the 1990s.