PMR Research in cooperation with KPMG conducted in July this year survey among senior management of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Poland. The main objective of the study was to assess the current situation of the pharmaceutical market and to explore the market players’ predictions concerning the growth of the sector in the next two years.

PMR Research – the custom research department of PMR (www.research-pmr.com), carried out a study on a nationwide sample of Polish consumers. The study was conducted in September 2009. The survey’s objective was to gain an insight into the shopping patterns of Polish consumers and their views on private labels. We present selected results of this project below.

The terms "central location test" or "hall test" refer to consumer tests conducted in specially adapted facilities in convenient locations where larger groups of people can be gathered. This type of testing is usually used for research into new or modified products, though it also finds successful application in testing advertising or packaging materials - in other words, in any case where direct contact with the item under research is necessary. Central location tests employ both traditional - quantitative and qualitative - research techniques, as well as modern visual techniques involving monitoring of respondents' eye movements with specialist apparatus ("eye-tracking"), and testing for degree of recall of particular elements of an image by displaying it for a very short time ("t-scope").

Just as cultures around the world vary widely, so do business cultures. This can complicate the process of searching for the right business partner in remote parts of the world. Many international research agencies face these problems when looking for partner agencies in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. This article highlights issues worth considering when choosing the most appropriate partner in this part of the world.

In late September and early October 2008, PMR Research, the market research department of PMR (www.research-pmr.com), conducted a survey among 57 operators of restaurant-, bar- and coffee chains active on the Polish market. The objective of the study was to collect information on the current state of the Polish restaurant market and its growth prospects in the near future. It was also designed to assess the current and future economic situation of market participants. Based on information obtained from sector executives, we have also identified main barriers to growth as well as key factors that could facilitate the development of this market in Poland.
Drawing in part on this survey, PMR Publications will in late January publish a detailed report, "The Polish HoReCa Market in Poland 2009." that will examine at length the state of this market in Poland. This article presents selected findings from the survey.

This article is aimed at end clients and research agencies who are considering conducting market research studies in more than one country in Central and Eastern Europe. We argue that co-operating with just one experienced research agency from the region and using it as the single point-of-contact is a better approach than liaising with individual providers who are based in each of the researched countries.

Many international companies are facing the challenge of researching the fast changing markets of Central and Eastern Europe, and trying to interpret the results of their market research projects in this region compared with those from other parts of the world. This paper is written as an introductory guide and is based on the author?s 15 years of business experience in Central Europe and Russia and the hundreds of market research projects that PMR has conducted in Central Europe and Russia for companies and governments from around the globe.