Rubric Assignment” in the Student Center.

Assignment 2: Evaluating Market Research Tools

Due Week 8 and worth 240 points

Companies can conduct marketing research in many ways. Let’s compare tools. Using the same company from ASSIGNMENT 1, examine the Market Analyses provided by GlobalTrade.net, located at http://www.globaltrade.net/international-market-analyses-reports.html. On the left-hand side of the page, there is a section titled, “Browse the Market Analyses by Industry.” Click on the industry that is closest to the selected company from ASSIGNMENT 1. Review the resources that this search yields in order to gather information on possible countries where the company could expand.

 

Compare the information you locate from GlobalTrade.net against the Market Research Database from U.S. Commercial Services located at 

http://www.buyusa.gov/  (Copy/Paste this link to your browser- Be sure to use Google Chrome or Firefox as your browser). Once you are in the website, click the first box that contains the question “Do you export U.S. Products or Services?” This will take you to a page which contains 3 questions. (1) Find an Export Assistance Center near you- Click the drop down arrow and select the city and state which you reside in or where the business may be headquartered from. (2) Enter a U.S. Zip code- This should be the zip code for the city which you selected in question 1. (3) Find Export Information by Country- Click the drop down box and select the country you are interested in expanding into. Once you do this, the countries information will appear and you may access specific information on the left hand side of the page.

 

Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment. The business can be any business of your choosing, although it is recommended that you choose a field that you are currently working in or have previously worked so that you are starting with more knowledge. However, you must remove any and all identifying information that would enable someone to discern the organization(s) that you have used.

Tip: Review previous discussion posts. You may have already started something that you can expand upon in this assignment!

Use the basic outline below to draft your paper. Organize your responses to each question (except Questions 1 and 6) under the following section headings:

• The Market Research Data Base (for Question 2)
• Market Research Information (for Question 3)
• It’s Your Call – Where Are You Going to Look When You Need Information? (for Questions 4 and 5)

Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:

1. Provide a brief (one [1] paragraph) description of the company that you are working for. Note: Consider the type of products / goods the company provides, the company mission, how long they have been in business, etc. If any of this information has changed from ASSIGNMENT 1, please make edits accordingly.
2. From your research efforts on the U.S. Commercial Services site, recommend at least one (1) country that could possibly use the company’s product or service. Propose one (1) approach that the company can take in order to expand to the aforementioned country(ies).
3. From your research efforts on the buyusa.gov site, recommend at least one (1) country that could possibly use the company’s product or service. Propose one (1) approach that the company can take in order to expand to the aforementioned country(ies).
4. Determine which of the two (2) sites provides better marketing research information in relation to the company. Suggest reliable methods that you could use in order to fact check the accuracy of either site.
5. Provide your opinion as to whether or not the market research you have found on these sites is reputable. Provide a rationale for your response.
6. Use at least six (6) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Compare global market research to domestic market research.
• Create best practices for a global research strategy.
• Examine the relationship between segmenting and positioning and the global marketplace.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in global marketing management.
• Write clearly and concisely about global marketing management using proper writing mechanics.