ABSTRACT
Marketing decision-makers rely on information supplied by marketing research to support the decision-making process, because it is believed that this reduces the level of risk in making a 'wrong' decision. For many companies in healthcare-related industries a well-staffed internal marketing research department is a luxury that cannot be supported in an era of tight cost controls and corporate downsizing. The market research agency needs to be seen as an integral part of the pre-marketing process. The general view is that the market research agencies should be responsible for the planning of the research, the data-gathering and analysis, providing consultancy services and, therefore, somehow help in solving the marketing issue. The interpretation of the findings from a group discussion is an integral part of data collection. The techniques used in a group discussion are derived from the therapeutic and diagnostic tools of the psychiatrist and clinical psychologist.
