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.
The pharmaceutical market in Poland has developed dynamically in the past five years, weathering difficult market conditions. As demonstrated by the results of our study, the current economic situation linked to the global economic crisis has not affected the positive performance of the pharmaceutical sector, nor has it had an adverse effect on the optimistic mood which prevails among pharmaceutical companies in Poland. In 2008 the pharmaceutical market in Poland was worth PLN 24.1bn, which represented 11.5% growth in comparison with 2007. At present, it is among the areas of the Polish economy boasting the strongest future growth prospects. According to our forecasts, in 2009-2011 the CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) will be 7.4%, whereas pharmaceutical companies expect it to reach approx. 6%. In terms of sales value, the Polish pharmaceutical market is the sixth largest in the European Union, while in terms of the rate of sales growth (as expressed in euro), it was the second fastest growing market in the EU in 2007-2008.

PMR Research we współpracy z KPMG przeprowadził w lipcu tego roku badanie wśród kadry menedżerskiej największych firm farmaceutycznych w Polsce. Głównym celem badania było rozpoznanie obecnej sytuacji rynkowej w sektorze farmaceutycznym i poznanie przewidywań uczestników rynku odnośnie rozwoju tego sektora w ciągu najbliższych dwóch lat.
Polski rynek farmaceutyczny na przestrzeni ostatnich pięciu lat odnotował dynamiczny rozwój, wykazując dużą odporność na niekorzystne tendencje rynkowe. Jak pokazują wyniki naszych badań, także obecna sytuacja gospodarcza związana z globalnym kryzysem finansowym nie wpłynęła na dobre wyniki branży oraz optymistyczne nastroje panujące wśród firm farmaceutycznych w Polsce. W 2008 r. rynek farmaceutyczny w Polsce osiągnął wartość 24,1 mld zł, co oznacza wzrost o 11,5% w stosunku do roku 2007. W chwili obecnej należy on do sektorów polskiej gospodarki o najbardziej optymistycznych prognozach rozwoju. W latach 2009-2011 średnioroczna stopa wzrostu dla sektora (CAGR) wyniesie według naszych prognoz 7,4%, a według samych badanych firm ok. 6%. Pod względem wielkości sprzedaży polski rynek farmaceutyczny jest szóstym rynkiem w UE, a pod względem dynamiki wzrostu sprzedaży (wyrażonej w euro) w latach 2007-2008 był drugim najszybciej rosnącym rynkiem we wspólnocie.

The term “central location test” refers 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, ”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.

W grudniu 2007 roku PMR Research przeprowadził badanie, którego celem była analiza opinii polskich internautek na temat różnych marek tuszu do rzęs (mascary). W szczególności chcieliśmy uzyskać informacje dotyczące tego, jakie kryteria internautki stosują do oceny tuszu do rzęs oraz jak oceniane są najczęściej komentowane produkty. W tym celu zastosowaliśmy nowatorską technikę analizy treści w internecie, która daje możliwość uzyskania wartościowych wyników w krótkim czasie i przy stosunkowo niskich kosztach. Na potrzeby badania poddano analizie zawartość wybranych internetowych forów dyskusyjnych, na których przedstawiane są opinie na temat kosmetyków dla kobiet.

In December 2007, PMR Research carried out research project to analyse the opinions of Polish female internet users about various mascaras. In particular, we wanted to obtain information on the criteria applied by internet users to assess a mascara and how the most frequently commented products are appraised. For this reason, we used the innovative technique of internet content analysis, which allows to obtain valuable results in a short time and at relatively low cost. For the needs of the study, we analysed the content of selected internet discussion forums, where consumers present opinions about women cosmetics.

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.