European market research companies are well regarded by the investment community, following the successful flotations of several of the largest including GfK, IPSOS and TNS, but it will become increasingly difficult for smaller companies to follow their lead.
The digital economy is bringing about major changes in customer expectations and behaviour and in the very nature of business. Companies need to respond to these changes in order to compete. This paper looks at the ways in which Microsoft is responding to these changes, and outlines the continuing evolution of Microsoft's Digital Nervous System.
This paper presents the findings from a study of 184 professionals from American and multi-national research agencies. The study focuses on the organizational characteristics of the agencies and the degree to which they embrace or avoid the adoption of new technologies. In general, results show that the marketing research industry conforms to the majority of hypothesized relationships between the adoption of technology and environments thought to foster such activities. There exists a positive relationship between firms more likely to adopt technology and various measures of success.
I would like to take this opportunity to speak on some of our views concerning technology and culture, particularly corporate culture. I would also like to introduce an example of bringing a product to market based on this understanding.
The author proposes the creation of a Business Intelligence function for top management - function to provide competitive, environmental, and internal information and analysis needed for decision making. Author states the "prime mission" of such a group is to get top management to see the world as It Is and as It "will be", not as it was or as they want it to be. In this paper, the precise objectives of this group are discussed, together with how it should be staffed and where it should report. In addition, the "style" of i .e a Business Intelligence is discussed.
The role of marketing research within larger companies varies widely. The aim of this paper is to evoke a discussion on ways to improve the status of the company researcher in the decision making process. The paper describes the place of marketing research in the organisational structure and gives critical description of its functioning within that organisation schedule in four large companies, without the claim of presenting optimal solutions. The paper was written on the basis of an exchange of experience among marketing researchers of a number of prominent German companies (or subsidiaries of international companies), large public services and advertising agencies.
This paper is concerned with the rapid growth of survey research on public policy issues commissioned for the private use of companies and corporate management during the 1970's. It discusses the reasons for this growth (which has taken place mainly, but not only, in the United States), the reasons why companies are spending more and more money for this type of research, and the different ways in which the survey findings have been used.
In the eighties new product development will remain high on the list of priorities for all companies. Since the responsibility for new product development lies in the hands of company management, their overall goals and the strategies to achieve these will determine the areas of development which are important for their future business and profit growth. This means that development can be directed towards extension of existing product fields, internationalisation of locally successful products as well as entering entirely new product areas. Management's strategies will be strongly influenced by the expected economic development and changes in environmental conditions.
B.A.S.E. - Business Assessment Studies and Evaluation - is a market research based training package for improving retail outlet marketing and management skills for the profit of both the retailer and his suppliers. The system was developed to reinforce the links between an industrial company and its independent retailers and to improve the management and profitability of outlets to the mutual advantage of both the retailer and the supplier. In view of the success achieved, the author believes that the system has potential applications in other industries which are concerned and, to some extent, directly involved with the effectiveness of their outlets.
Conclusion of the seminar "Managing market research as a business" by J. A. Burdus.
When reflecting on organising an opinion and market research company, the first difficulty is the necessity not to find a good organisation but to find a good organisation convenient for the men who put it into practice. The problem is that of being able to adapt the structure not only to problems resulting from size, market or nature of survey launched but at the same time to men who work together in the company: this relation between organisation and men appears clearly through the past evolution of SOFRES: During the fifteen years of the company's life, its organisation has evolved considerably and each step is coincidental with arrival or departure of the level of their competence and consequently of their demands. The best way to introduce the description of this solution we put in practice to solve this problem, is to give a summary of the evolution of SOFRES organisation with a brief description of the various solutions used one after the other, their advantages, their drawbacks and their consequences.