Abstract:

This paper deals with organisational problems arising in connection with fitting market research into the general framework of a manufacturing or marketing company and further with the impact of the various aspects of organisation on the use of research. Since, the author's personal experience is with chemical, more precisely with fertiliser market research and he is German, the actual situation described or referred to in this paper is that prevailing in Germany and in German chemical industry. There are almost as many possibilities to organise and run a market research department as there are companies. Since the outward observer can hardly judge the merits or disadvantages of a given organisational structure without an intimate knowledge of how the company came to develop just this structure of its market research department and none other, this paper must, of necessity, describe rather than recommend or lecture. The paper does not differentiate between national and international or export market research; according to the author's knowledge, both kinds are practised by all departments of the larger firms, using the same methods and techniques.