Information need assessment for exporters

Abstract

ABSTRACT Importance of getting rel i able, relevant, timely and useful information is in making intelligent marketing decisions and develop ing systematic marketing programs. An efficient Export Marketing Information System (EtikIS) is the solution to the problem of having too much or too little information or not having the right informa tion at the right t i me» However, determining information needs of exporters is the first step in developing an EMklS. This study attempts to assess the information needs of leading Turkish exporters» The results indicate that the information needs of exporters, as measured by the relative perceived importances of dif ferent information categories. vary across industries, export destina tion, ex port experience and annual exports. Moreover r. some significant, differences,a.re found when exporters are classified along these di mensi ons. The primary implications of this study relate to export promo tion agencies who may use the relative importances of various infor mation categories appraised by the exporters, as found in this study, as a guideline in planning for and providing necessary information to them relating to the foreign markets. The most important limitation to the study is the sample size. V. The study can be replicated with a much larger sample so that factor analysis can be done for the respondents' importance ratings of various information categories. Such a research will also allow for comparison of the results of this study. 11