Discuss some of the problems in implementing the sampling design process when conducting international marketing research

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are concerns with defining and accessing the target population and with developing and appropriate sampling frame. The relevant element or respondent may differ from country to country. In the United States, children may play important roles in purchases. However, in countries with authoritarian child-rearing practices, the mother may be the relevant element. Women play a key role in the purchase of automobile and other durables in the United States; in male dominated societies, such as in the Middle East, such decisions are made by men. Accessibility also varies across countries. In Mexico, houses cannot be entered by strangers because of boundary walls and servants. Additionally, dwelling units may be unnumbered and streets unidentified, making it difficult to locate designated households.

Developing the appropriate sampling frame is a difficult task. In many countries, particularly developing countries, reliable information about the target population may not be available from secondary sources. Government data may be unavailable or highly biased. Population lists may not be available commercially. The time and money required to compile these lists maybe be prohibitive. For example, in Saudi Arabia, there is no officially recognized census of population, no elections, and hence no voter registration records, and no accurate maps of population centers.