Marketing Information Systems Quiz

Components and Subsystems of Marketing Information Systems

• Marketing information systems consist of four subsystems: internal reporting, marketing information search, market survey, and marketing decision analysis and support.

• Internal reporting subsystem includes all information within the enterprise, such as orders, sales, inventory, and payments.

• Marketing information search subsystem helps decision-makers catch on the actions of competitors or the needs of their consumers.

• Market survey subsystem is primarily conducted for analyzing market shares, sales, trends, pricing policy, etc.

• Marketing decision analysis and support subsystem consists of statistical and decision models databases.

• Marketing information systems have three main modules: information collection, information processing, and user-marketing information system interface.

• Information collection module acquires information from external and internal sources and primary information collected through market surveys.

• Information processing module consists of database management subsystem and statistical processing subsystem.

• User-marketing information system interface subsystem presents general reports and answers to questions posted by decision-makers.

• Components of marketing information systems include recording internally generated data and reports, collecting market intelligence, marketing analytics software, and recording marketing research information.

• Marketing intelligence refers to data or information from external sources, such as industry associations or trade journals, and helps companies understand their market environment and competitors.

• Environmental scanning is the process of searching for and receiving information from the company's outside environment.Types and Sources of Marketing Intelligence

• Marketing intelligence involves obtaining information for a specific purpose.

• There are two types of scanning: irregular scanning and regular scanning.

• Continuous scanning involves a structured system to collect data on environmental factors for long-term planning.

• Salesmen, distributors, dealers, advertising agencies, and marketing research agencies are sources of intelligence.

• Competitors' literature and price lists, conferences, and seminars are also sources of intelligence.

• The importance of each source varies depending on the situation.

• Limitations of intelligence systems can occur due to interaction patterns between potential information receivers and transmitters.

• Decision-makers may lack search skills and not know what information they need.

• Individuals with information may not pass it on for personal reasons or not know who needs it.

• Distortion can occur as information is transmitted.

• A marketing intelligence analyst can provide immediate gains.

• The organization structure can also contribute to limitations in intelligence systems.