Question: International Marketing Research Essay

Short Essay

There are two short essays for this assignment; you need to answer only one of the two short essays. Please make sure that you answer the main question of the essay and address all subquestions or parts for a complete answer. The essay is worth 20 points in total.

1. Culture is critical and essential for international marketing research; it affects every type of research study and inquiry for global markets. A global research study will only be successful if it is based on a good understanding of a market's cultural background and the people that are being interviewed. List the critical attributes of culture and how they affect a global marketing research study. Address the importance of language, history, regional location, religion, social class, and demographics for cultural impact. What are the key elements of Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Theory and how would you apply these to the cultural aspect of an international marketing research project (please address all five elements of the cultural dimension theory)?

How does the cultural component of international marketing research interact with the elements of the human-centric model (e.g., how does culture interact with the physical, emotional, and cultural aspects of the consumer decision-making process)? Which elements of the human-centric model are most critical for global culture and why? Where do you see this evolving in the near future? Why? Finally, what constitutes a successful international marketing research project from a cultural perspective? Justify your views with content from class PowerPoint decks and class readings.

2. Globalization is a permanent phenomenon within the marketing research discipline. It has many of the same characteristics as a domestic marketing research project. Each type of study requires a business problem, a set of research objectives, a welldefined research design, research instrument, fielding, as well as analysis and reporting. However, a global marketing research project requires special attention to a number of items not found in a domestic project. Identify these global attributes and indicate why they are critical for a global marketing research study.

Pay specifically close attention and describe the global aspects of the following: a. The "level of analysis" problem in global research b. Defining the business problem across regions and vertically within client organizations c. Identifying research objectives from both a global and regional/local standpoints d. Development of a research design that incorporates both the methodological strategies as well as the global and market aspects e. Developing a qualitative guide or survey for global markets f. The use of translations and back translations to address both language translations and meanings across cultures and markets g. Selecting the correct fieldwork and approach per culture or market h. Interpreting the results based on culture and market location i. Synthesizing and socializing key insights and foresights for a global client audience.