Chapter 1: The Role of Marketing Research in Management Decision Making
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following is not part of the definition of marketing?
a.planning and execution regarding the marketing mix
b.creating exchange
c.gauging production efficiency
d.satisfying consumer needs as well as organizational objectives
e.All of these are part of the definition of marketing.
2.The fact that cell phones now come in a vast array of designs and colors relates to which specific component of the marketing concept?
a.production orientation
b.systems orientation
c.goal orientation
d.consumer orientation
e.none of the these
3.Target marketing most closely identifies with which of the following orientations?
a.production orientation
b.systems orientation
c.goal orientation
d.consumer orientation
e.All are part of the requirements for adopting the marketing concept.
4.Achieving a 15% rate of return on investment would identify with which of the following orientations?
a.production orientation
b.systems orientation
c.goal orientation
d.consumer orientation
e.All are part of the requirements for adopting the marketing concept.
5.Which of the following is under control of the marketer?
a.The external environment
b.The marketing mix
c.Economic conditions
d.Political stability
e.None of these are under the marketers’ control.
6.Which of the following is not done by marketing research?
a.specifying information to address a marketing issue
b.managing the data collection process
c.analyzing data from the collection process
d.based on the information deciding to terminate a product or service that is not meeting organizational goals
e.All of these are done by marketing research.
7.Determining what consumer attitudes are with regard to a particular product and its advertising would be part of the _________ function in marketing research.
a.descriptive
b.diagnostic
c.predictive
d.forecasting
e.none of the these
8.The objective that the quality being delivered is the quality desired by the target market is most closely related to:
a.quality control
b.return on quality
c.customer satisfaction
d.quality assurance
e.none of these
9.The best way for a business to achieve brand loyalty is to measure and monitor ________.
a. production output
b.customer satisfaction
c.continual improvement
d.none of these
e.all of these
10.Which of the following would not be characteristic of basic research?
a.determining the most attractive price for a new product
b.validating an existing theory
c.learning more about a concept
d.conducted by professors at larger “flagship-type” universities
e.All are characteristic of basic research.
11.Which of the following would characterize an applied research effort?
a.determining the best package design for a Hispanic market
b.forecasting the demand for a new service
c.determining whether or not to add a new model of option
d.deciding which retail locations will produce the most consumer traffic
e.all of these characterize an applied research effort
12.Which of the following might provide a good reason not to conduct marketing research?
a.insufficient time to conduct research
b.no budget allocated for research
c.decision making data already exists
d.Both insufficient time and no budget allocated for research
e.All of these are reasons to conduct marketing research.
13.A marketing firm bids on a project for a bank study. In the study, a minimum of $20,000 is budgeted for data collection and focus groups after the survey. The bank responds by saying that it can only allocate $10,000 for data collection alone. What should the marketing research firm do?
a.scale back the project sample size
b.delete the focus group research
c.decline the project
d.Scale back the project sample size and delete the focus group
e.none of these
14.Which of the following would be the strongest reason for not conducting marketing research?
a.small market yielding a small profit
b.small market yielding a large profit
c.large market yielding a small profit
d.large market yielding a large profit
e.none of these
15.In which condition would you be least likely to perform marketing research?
a.small profit margin
b.large profit margin
c.large market size
d.small market size
e.large growing market
16.A producer of toys for small children asks a marketing research firm to conduct a survey to determine what percentage of the households in a region have children under 6 years of age. The marketing research firm should probably decline the project because of which of the following?
a.toy managers confused about what information is needed
b.costs of research outweigh the benefits
c.decision has already been made
d.decision-making information already exists
e.none of these
17.Why would a bank not be interested in a study that would tell them which of their male customers have a poor self-concept and tend to be introverted?
a.resources for the study are lacking
b.the research results would not be useful
c.the managerial decision has already been made
d.decision-making information already exists
e.none of these
18.A marketing research firm is discussing the possibility of a major project for a real estate company. The research firm has already conducted extensive exploratory research for the project and has been compensated. For the subsequent survey, the top managers in the real estate firm cannot agree on exactly what the specific research objectives should be. What should the marketing research firm do?
a.decline the project
b.conduct more exploratory research
c.tell the top managers what the research objectives should be and do the project
d.agree to do the subsequent project for a lower cost
e.none of these
19.Which of the following is true regarding using the Internet for marketing research versus more traditional techniques such as telephone?
a.the Internet tends to produce dramatically different results
b.most clients prefer traditional techniques
c.the Internet tends to yield similar research findings compared to traditional techniques
d.research on the Internet tends to be less valid
e.it is more difficult to obtain a large sample in an Internet study
20.Which of the following is not a benefit of the Internet for marketing research?
a.more rapid access to business intelligence
b.facilitates follow-up studies
c.slashes many cost-related activities in the research process
d.improves response rates over mail surveys
e.All are benefits of the Internet.
21.Which of the following is not an advantage of Internet surveys over telephone surveys?
a.allows for greater probing on specific questions
b.higher response rates
c.drastically reduced data collection costs
d.real-time reporting of results
e.All are advantages of the Internet over telephone surveys.
22.Which of the following is not one of the costs that can be reduced by conducting marketing research online?
a.survey programming costs
b.travel costs
c.report publishing costs
d.report distribution costs
e.All of these can be reduced by using the Internet for marketing research.
23.Clients being able to access their survey results via the research supplier’s secure Web site is an example of which Internet advantage?
a.collaboration between client and supplier
b.data management and online analysis
c.publishing and distribution of reports
d.real time reporting
e.none of these
24.A recent university study suggests that spectators of sporting events have higher levels of involvement with the products being advertised when the home team is winning. What type of research is this?
a.basic research
b.problem-based research
c.applied research
d.pure analytical research
e.none of these
25.___________ orientation monitors the external environment in order to deliver the marketing mix to the target market.
a.Systems
b.Goal
c.Diagnostic
d.Proactive
e.A combination of all of these is correct.
26. Most marketing research studies which aim to assist a company with its marketing function are categorized as ___________ research.
a.pure
b.applied
c.basic
d.evaluative
e.none of these
27. Marketing research helps retain customers through:
a.increasing the number of customers
b.gaining an intimate understanding of customer needs
c.learning what the customer wants
d.increasing value consciousness
e.all of these
28.When a research firm conducts focus groups to test 3 potential ad concepts for its client, they are using which type of applied research?
a.programmatic
b.selective
c.evaluative
d.diagnostic
e.none of these
29.An advertiser recently learned that over 50% of their target market regularly uses text messaging. This is an example of monitoring the ____________ environment.
a.marketing
b.internal
c.predictive
d.external
e.none of these
30.The Internet has impacted which aspects of marketing research?
a.data collection
b.communication between client and research supplier
c.distribution of reports
d.retrieval of secondary sources of information, such as the US Census
e.all of these
31.The accumulation and analysis of massive quantities of information is referred to as:
a.Information Mining
b. “The Cloud”
c.“Big Data”
d.Knowledge Management
e.Survey analysis
32. The breakthrough for big data came when new algorithms were created to analyze _______________ and free-form data.
a.unstructured
b.structured
c.open
d.organized
e.uncontrolled
33. Which answer best describes a market researcher?
a.one who is academically trained for market research
b.one who understands the marketing process as well as the subtleties of marketing problems and opportunities
c.one who is well trained in statistics and can design proper sampling procedures
d.one who has a strong background in communications and advertising
34. What is the primary channel that will allow management to make timely decisions
in the marketing process?
a.Financing decisions
b.Marketing research
c.Making business decisions based on feel and what looks good
d.None of these
Chapter 2: The Marketing Research Industry and Research Ethics
Multiple Choice
1.Which of the following is not a way marketing research is used by corporate marketing departments to support the marketing decision-making process?
a.to evaluate the ongoing success of operational marketing strategies
b.to identify new target markets
c.to measure the quality of customer service and level of satisfaction
d.to assess changes in the internal environment
e.All of these are used to support the marketing decision-making
process.
2.When a market research supplier subcontracts out data collection activities to another firm, they are using what kind of a company?
a.data analysis
b.field service
c.quality control
d.target marketing
e.None of these
3.Greenfield Online manages a database of consumers who have agreed to fill out online surveys periodically. This data base of consumers is an example of a _________.
a.focus group
b.research panel
c.cyberstudy
d.strategic partnership
4.Which of the following is not an internal client of marketing research?
a.franchisees
b.marketing department
c.senior management
d.All of these are internal clients of marketing research.
?
5.The Nielsen ratings, compiled by AC Nielsen Media Research, are an example of which type of research?
a.custom
b.ad hoc
c.qualitative
d.syndicated
6.Field service firms:
a.are data collection specialists who collect data on a subcontract basis.
b.design research strategies for large marketing companies.
c.analyze interviews and provide this analysis to clients.
d.specialize in going into the field and generating new product ideas.
e.do only exploratory research.
7.Which of the following would be considered a custom research firm?
a.Burke, Inc.
b.the marketing department for Dell computers
c.a statistical software company
d.AC Nielsen
8.Which of the following is an example of an external user of marketing research?
a.the company’s vendor’s
b.senior management
c.human resources management
d.manufacturing
e.Information Resources, Inc.
9.When a research supplier purchases a list of 3,000 customers, it is contracting with what type of company?
a.Syndicated service firm
b.specialized service firm
c.software firm
d.sampling firm
e.none of these
?
10. Who might use the services of a field service firm?
a. custom research firms
b. syndicated research firms
c. ad agencies and corporations
d.none of these
e. all of these
11. Syndicated service firms:
a.are relatively small.
b.are large in number.
c.specialize in product movement and audience media data.
d.do nothing but collect data.
e.account for 90% of all monies spent on market research.
12.A true field service firm:
a.is involved in all the steps of marketing research.
b.is only involved in data collection on a contract basis.
c.places a great deal of emphasis on research design and data analysis.
d.uses data collected for internal purposes.
e.none of these
13.Which is not an example of a media company?
a.custom marketing research firm
b.advertising agency
c.public relations agency
d.direct marketing firm
e.All of these are examples of media companies.
14.Where are the majority of the large global marketing research firms based?
a.Japan
b.Canada
c.France
d.Germany
e.United States
15.Which type of research supplier would provide audience media ratings, scanner data, and internet research?
a.syndicated research firm
b.field service firm
c.custom research firm
d.advertising agency
e.quality control firm
16.A marketing research supplier that quotes an unrealistically low price for marketing research, only to raise it, is engaging in _______.
a.price skimming
b.price penetration
c.price leadership
d.low-ball pricing
e.none of these
17.When research is commissioned for public relations purposes or to prove a position, this is referred to as a(n) _________ study.
a.qualitative
b.quantitative
c.advocacy
d.valid
18.What type of manager is among the heaviest users of marketing research?
a.franchise manager
b.vendor
c.new product development manager
d.top management
e.distribution manager
19.Mystery shoppers:
a.develop strategic partnerships.
b.play an important role in the distribution function.
c.develop new product ideas.
d.are heavy users of marketing research.
e.work for franchisors and provide information for franchisees.
?
20.Which of the following is an example of an internal client?
a.franchisees
b.vendors
c.marketing research companies
d.a firm’s marketing department
21.A company that provides statistical analysis to the marketing research industry is an example of what type of firm?
a.syndicated service firm
b.custom research firm
c.field service firm
d.specialized service firm
22.When selecting a research supplier, a client firm would be wise to do which of the following?
a.not do business with a supplier who guarantees an outcome
b.always choose the supplier with the lowest price
c.work with a supplier only one time
d.all of these
23. All of the following firms represent the front line of the research industry except
what?
a.Custom research firms
b.Syndicated research firms
c.Limited function research firms
d.Specialized service firms
24. Which of the following is the largest single spender on marketing research?
a.Manufacturing companies
b.Service providers
c.U.S. Government
d.Big-Chain Retailers
?
25. Which U.S. marketing research firm is not in the top five in revenue, based on
Exhibit 2.3 “The 25 Largest U.S. Marketing Research Organizations.”
a.Nielsen Holdings N.V.
b.Q Research Solutions Inc.
c.Ipsos
d.Kantar
e.Information Resources Inc. (IRI)
26. In terms of research ethics, which of the following is not an important right that respondents have?
a.right to choose
b.right to objectivity
c.right to be informed
d.right to safety
27.In survey research, it is especially important to protect respondents’_______.
a.responses
b.integrity
c.professionalism
d. anonymity
e.none of these
28. When a research supplier claims to have a proprietary way of measuring brand loyalty, this is known as _______.
a.RFP
b.TQM
c.black box branding
d.low ball pricing
e.none of these
29. An alliance formed by two of more firms with unique skills and resources to offer
a new service for clients , provide strategic support for each firm, or in some other
manner create mutual benefits is:
a.A positive relationship
b.Mutual agreement
c.Strategic partnership
d.A smart business deal
30. The major ethical theories discussed in the chapter include all of the following
except:
a.Existentialism
b.Utilitarianism
c.Deontology
d.Casuist
31. Which trend(s) in marketing research industry has/have remained unabated?
a.online data collection
b.acquiring marketing research firms in other countries
c.the deontological theory
d.both online data collection and acquiring firms in other counties
e.all of these are unabated trends
32. The idea that a person performs the act that benefits the most people, regardless of personal feelings or the societal constraints such as laws is most closely related to which ethical theory?
a.Act utilitarianism
b.Rule utilitarianism
c.Casuist
d.Act deontology
e.Rule deontology
33. Clients of marketing research have ethical issues as well as suppliers. Which of the following does not relate to clients:
a.Requesting Bids to Obtain Free Advice and Methodology
b.Making False Promises
c.Requesting Proposals without Authorization
d.Low-Ball Pricing
34. The privacy battle of respondents is most heated in which area?
a.telephone
b.online and mobile tracking
c.face-to-face interview
d.mall intercept
e.none of these
Chapter 3: Problem Definition and the Research Process
Multiple Choice
1.The first step in the problem-definition process is:
a.stating research objectives.
b.recognizing that there is a problem or opportunity.
c.determining if the needed information is already available.
d.determining why the information is being sought.
e.none of these
2.A teen consumer products firm notes that there were 30 million babies born between 1990 and 2002. The firm also recognizes that because of more single parent homes and dual-earner households, these young consumers are making many more purchase decisions. Beginning the process of marketing to that group of young consumers would be an example of which of the following?
a.determining if the information exists
b.using symptoms to clarify a problem
c.recognizing an opportunity
d.stating research objectives
e.none of these
3.Large amounts of money, time, and effort are wasted because requests for marketing information were poorly formulated. The preceding could have been avoided if the researcher had:
a.found out exactly why the information was being sought.
b.stated his/her objectives more clearly.
c. recognized the opportunity.
d. determined whether the information already exists.
e.all of these
4.Which of the following is a key question at the problem-definition stage?
a. Why is the information being sought?
b. Does the information already exist?
c.Can the question really be answered?
d.Is there an understanding of the decision making environment?
e.all of these
?
5.____________ is preliminary research conducted to increase the understanding of a concept, to clarify the exact nature of the problem to be solved, or to identify important variables to be studied.
a. Pilot study
b. Experience survey
c. Case analysis
d.Exploratory research
e.Situation analysis
6.A/An _______________ is a survey using a limited number of respondents and often employing less rigorous sampling techniques than are employed in large quantitative studies.
a.pilot study
b.experience survey
c.case analysis
d.situation analysis
e.none of these
7. _______________ is a discussion with knowledgeable individuals, both inside and outside the organization, who may provide insights into a problem.
a. Pilot study
b.Experience survey
c.Case analysis
d.Situation analysis
e.none of these
8.What does the iceberg principle refer to?
a. Most data analysis techniques tend to be outdated.
b.Research objectives are not often clearly defined.
c.Symptoms are often mistaken for problems in business.
d.none of these
9.Managers may have the ability to look up previous research projects if their company has a sophisticated __________.
a.pilot study
b. experience survey
c.Intranet
d.situation analysis
e.none of these
10.Which of the following is not a form of exploratory research?
a. secondary data analysis
b. situation analysis
c.pilot study
d.experience survey
e.all of these are forms of exploratory research.
11.Suppose a sales manager makes the statement, “The problem with this company is declining sales.” Why is such a statement shortsighted?
a. The sales manager has identified only a symptom of a deeper problem.
b. The sales manager is not in a position to make such a statement.
c.The sales manager has not been shortsighted, but has identified the problem.
d.none of these
12. ________________ is a goal statement, defining specific information needed to solve the marketing research problem.
a. Exploratory research
b. Marketing research objective
c.Management objective
d.Managerial decision problem
e.none of these
13.Which of the following should be action oriented?
a. objectives statement
b. marketing research problem
c.management decision problem
d.statement of problem symptoms
e.none of these
14. Extremely low-incidence studies, such as trying to survey the automobile buyer characteristics of astronauts, are usually not feasible. A marketing research firm concerned about the feasibility of such a project would probably:
a. see if the information already exists.
b. first conduct a pilot survey.
c.conduct a focus group.
d.determine whether or not the question can be answered.
e.all of these
15.Once the research project is completed, it is critical to determine if the ___________have been met.
a. situation analyses
b. pilot studies
c.experience surveys
d.research objectives
e.all of these
16.“We believe that raising the price of membership of our country club will make it more desirable, and will increase our membership base” is an example of a(n) _______.
a. objective
b. management problem
c.hypothesis
d.marketing research problem
e.none of these
17.In a causal study of the effect of shelf placement on sales of a brand of cereal, which is the dependent variable?
a. where the cereal was placed on the shelf
b. sales of the cereal
c.concomitant variation of the cereal
d.none of these
18.Which of the following is a problem associated with laboratory experiments?
a. They provide little useful information about a population.
b. The participants may act differently in a real-world setting.
c.The cost of simulating the real-world environment outweighs the benefits.
d.all of these
e.none of these
19.To test the effectiveness of changes in an advertising campaign, a marketing research firm decides to implement certain changes in Atlanta, other changes in Dallas, and no change to the ad campaign in Denver. With regard to the products in question, the purchasing propensities in the three cities are equal. What type of research design is the marketing research firm invoking?
a. exploratory study design
b. observational study design
c.descriptive study design
d.causal study design
e.all of these
20.When retailers monitor consumer shopping behavior by using scanner technology, this is an example of _______.
a. survey research
b. observation research
c. experimental research
d.cause-effect research
e.none of these
21.Because consumers’ responses on surveys aren’t always consistent with their actions, researchers sometimes turn to this type of research
a. syndicated research
b. observation research
c. experimental research
d. cause and effect research
e. none of these
22.The researcher cannot compute the statistical reliability of this type of sample.
a. probability sample
b.experimental sample
c.nonprobability sample
d.observational sample
e.all of these
23.Who puts together a request for proposal (RFP)?
a. custom research suppliers
b. syndicated data suppliers
c. companies that want to hire a research supplier
d. respondents
e.none of these
24.A _____________ sample is characterized by every element in the population having a nonzero chance of being selected.
a. nonrandom
b.nonprobability
c.probability
d.nonrandom and nonprobablity
e.none of these
25.What type of document does a research supplier prepare in response to an RFP?
a. research proposal
b.sampling report
c.finished research report
d.none of these
26.A manager who wants to show cause-and-effect between two variables would be advised to use which basic method of research?
a.survey
b.observation
c.experiment
d.survey and observation
27.In analyzing the effects of shelf placement on sales, shelf placement of the product is the _______.
a.independent variable
b.dependent variable
c.spurious variable
d.temporal variable
e.none of these
28.A laboratory experiment would be better than a field experiment in helping a researcher eliminate _______.
a.causality
b.concomitant variation
c.variables
d.spurious associations
e.none of these
29.Most clients tend to prefer what type of reports?
a. elaborate written reports
b.oral reports
c.executive summaries
d.none of these
30.According to a recent survey, what is the most desirable quality in a marketing researcher, from the client’s perspective?
a.flexibility
b.attention to detail
c.maintains client confidentiality
d.customer-oriented
31.In depth discussions, usually consisting of 8-12 participants, led by a moderator and generally limited to one particular concept, idea or them are:
a.Study groups
b.Accuracy groups
c.Focus groups
d.Case groups
32.Ideally, who should define the problem in the marketing research process?
a.Entry-level employees
b.Middle managers
c.Always the CEO
d.Top Management
33.What is a plan for addressing the research objectives or hypotheses? In essence, the researcher develops a structure or framework to answer a specific research problem/opportunity.
a.Research Design
b.Design Strategy
c.Research Opportunity
d.Strategic Design
34.All of the following are sections of a formal research request except:
a.Action
b.Use
c.Information
d.Logistics
e.All of these are sections in the formal research request
35. Which of the following is a determinant of whether management will use the research information provided to them?
a.conformity to prior expectations
b.clarity of presentation
c.research quality
d.political acceptability within the firm
e. all of these are determinants
