Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Learning Objectives
To gain an understanding of the need for research. To explore the differences between domestic and international research. To learn where to find and how to use sources of secondary information. To gain insight into the gathering of primary data. To examine the need for international
management information systems.
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Failure to understand:
Cultural differences That customers differ from country to country
The primary reasons for the differences between international and domestic research are:
New Parameters
New Parameters
In crossing international borders, a firm encounters limitation not found in domestic business. Examples include:
Duties Foreign currencies and changes in their value Different modes of transportation International documentation Differing modes of operating internationally
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Going InternationalExporting
A frequent objective of international research is that of foreign market opportunity analysis. The aim is to utilize a broad-brush approach.
Steps to this approach include:
A cursory analysis of general variables of a country. A preliminary evaluation of each individual country. Selection of appropriate markets for in-depth evaluation. Finally, a competitive assessment must be made.
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Going InternationalImporting
When importing, the major focus shifts from supplying to sourcing. Management must identify markets that produce suppliers or materials desired.
The importer needs to know:
The reliability of a foreign supplier, The consistency of its product or service quality, The length of delivery time, Government rules and restrictions of the exporting country
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Secondary Data
Secondary data is information that already has been collected by some other organization. This data should be evaluated regarding the quality of the source, how recent the data is, and the relevance to the task at hand. Because secondary data were originally collected to serve another purpose, they can often only be used as proxy information. Precautions should be taken due to increasing sensitivity to data privacy. Firms must inform their customers of privacy policies.
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Governments
International Institutions
Trade Associations
Service Organizations
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Research Techniques
Interviews Focus Groups
Observation
Surveys
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Increasingly, the Internet enables customers to provide feedback on their experiences with a firm.
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Mechanisms
Many organizations put mechanism in place to enrich the basic data flow to information systems.
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Delphi Studies
Scenario Building
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Environmental Scanning
Environmental scanning activities provide continuous information on:
Political, social, and economic affairs internationally Changes of attitudes of public institutions and private citizens Possible upcoming alterations
The data can be used for development of long term strategies, getting mangers to broaden their horizons, structuring action plans. Two significant methods of environmental scanning are obtaining factual input and content analysis.
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Factual input: obtaining facts on a wide variety of demographic, social and economic characteristics of foreign countries.
Content analysis: A wide range of newspapers, magazines and other publications are scanned worldwide in order to pinpoint over time the gradual evolution of new views or trends.
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Delphi Studies
Delphi studies are a means for aggregating the judgements of a number of experts who cannot come together physically. This type of research clearly aims at qualitative measures by seeking a consensus from those who know, rather than average responses from many people with only limited knowledge. The Delphi technique is particularly valuable because it uses mail, fax, or electronic communication to bridge large distances and therefore makes experts accessible at a reasonable cost.
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Scenario Building
Scenario building involves the identification of crucial variables and the degree of variation.
The possibility of joint occurrences must be recognized. For scenarios to be useful, managers must analyze and respond to them by formulating contingency plans. Through the anticipation of possible problems, managers hone their response capability and in turn shorten response times to actual problems.
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