ABSTRACT
Marketing research is defined as the collection, analysis and communication of information to assist decision making in marketing (Wilson, 2006). Whatever the type of organization, information on customers, competitors and markets is critical if strategic goals are to be achieved and customer needs are to be met effectively. This chapter looks at the changing nature and sources of such marketing information and the implications for marketing research. The chapter then considers the main steps in the marketing research process and considers the ethical issues impacting on the collection of information. The following two chapters will then look at qualitative and quantitative research in more detail.
