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The quality of market research reports - The case of Marketline Advantage and the automobile industry

Flintermann, Beatrix (2014) The quality of market research reports - The case of Marketline Advantage and the automobile industry.

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Abstract:This thesis focuses on the case of Marketline Advantage and the quality of its market research reports published about the automotive industry. By providing relevant, timely and qualitative data, market research is a critical part of decision-making or the formulation of strategies. Through the World Wide Web, the number of digitally published market research reports has increased. One of the main reasons of buying such a report is the management acceptance of the results presented, however, uncertainty arises because of an inability to interpret research findings and their implications correctly. Market analysts often obtain secondary data, which was primary data for another researcher. It is important to understand the issues involved while the primary data was gathered. The original source provides all background information needed to understand issues whereas using secondary data implies a loss of control over how data was collected, already modified data and poor documentation. In research, reliability and validity are key concerns as these are seen as a sign of quality. By providing insight into how findings and interpretations were achieved, repeatability of the research and describing changes in procedures, reliability is increased. Factors increasing validity are the extent to which results are credible, the accuracy of reporting or the generalizability of results. To investigate the quality of the market research reports under question, a new framework was developed. As categories, the specification of data collection and analysis, the specifications about potential changes in procedures, updates, missing market research reports or comparing data were used. Potential issues with reliability and validity were used as indicators. The findings of this study revealed that potential problems with the quality of market research reports are prevailing.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:Business Administration MSc (60644)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/66122
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