BUSINESS RESEARCH IN A GLOBAL ACTIVITY

Business today operates globally. Business research, like all
business activity, has become increasingly global. Some companies have
extensive international business research operations. Upjohn conducts
business research in 160 different countries.
Companies that conduct business in foreign lands must
understand the particular nature of those markets and determine
whether they require customized business strategies. For example,
although the 14 nations of the European Community not share a single
market, business research shows that they do not share identical tastes
for many consumer products. Business researchers have learned that
there is no such thing as a typical European consumer or worker; the
nations of the European Community are divided by language, religion,
climate, and centuries of tradition. For example, Scantel Research, a
British firm that advises companies on color preferences, found
inexplicable differences in the way Europeans take their medicine. The
French prefer to pop purple pills, while the English and Dutch wish for
white ones. Consumers in all three countries dislike bright red capsules,
which are big sellers in the United States. This example illustrates that
companies that do business in Europe must learn whether they need to
adapt to local customs and habits.
20 A.C. Nielsen, the company that does television ratings, is the
world’s largest business research company. More than 60 percent of its
business comes from outside the United States. Although the nature of
business research can change around the globe, the need for business
research is universal. Throughout this book we will discuss the practical
problems involved in conducting business research in Europe, Asia, Latin
America, the Middle East, and elsewhere.