HSM CH-2
HSM CH-2
HSM CH-2
• Professional marketers use the term ‘marketing research’ to cover all aspects of
research activity, including consumer and market behavior.
International Marketing Research
• The international dimensions of major hospitality companies mean they
need to carry out research in international markets. This presents unique
problems because of the cultural and technological differences between
countries:
• Translation difficulties
• Variations in customer behavior because of different cultural backgrounds
• Variations of customers’ product knowledge
• Difficulties in obtaining comparable samples (some countries are unable to
provide reliable lists of the population, such as electoral rolls)
• Different cultural responses to market research surveys (in some cultures
there can be a reluctance to answer questions, or the answers are biased)
• Differences in the infrastructure – some countries have poor postal
systems, and not all consumers have access to telephones.
Sources of Information
• There are two sources of information in marketing research: internal and external.
• Internal
• Internal information is held by, and within, the organization. Hotels are fortunate to hold
a wealth of information about customers because of legal requirements regarding
residents’ personal details.
• Other types of hospitality outlets have less opportunity to collect personal information, but
can still utilize internal data effectively. Internal data for accommodation outlets include
Customer records, guest history, Departmental Reports, Marketing and sales reports.
• Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) computer systems are used in chain operations to monitor
customer food preferences and purchase patterns, which provide essential marketing data.
• However, one of the problems with internal data is that other departments compile the
records for their own use. For example, the accounting department provides analysis in a
format that is not always useful to marketers. Other departments need to have a clear
understanding of the information needs of marketing managers, and a commitment to
providing it.
External
• The decision will depend upon the type of research undertaken and the
budget available.
• 3 Data collection: There are two major components to this phase of the
process: first, identifying sources of information (who has the information and
where is it?); and second, deciding how to collect the information from the
sources (using primary or secondary research methods) or Observation,
• 4 Data analysis: There is a wide range of statistical tools available to aid
marketing data analysis, including:
• Univariate techniques, which analyze single factors such as customer
complaints
• Bivariate techniques, which analyze data linking two variables and establish
the relationship or correlation between them – for example, the correlation
between foreign tourist arrivals and movements in exchange rates
• Multivariate techniques, which analyze three or more variables to establish
what, if any, link exists between them – an example might be all the
complex factors that influence customer satisfaction on holiday.
• Normally there will be large amounts of data and analysis, which need to
be presented in an accessible manner.
• Key findings should be provided in an executive summary.
• The main report should contain an explanation of the methodology and
detailed discussion of the findings.
• Any research limitations and possible bias should be explained.
• The raw data can be presented either in the appendices or in a separate
booklet.