Question 1

Despite major differences in consumer and industrial marketing research,the underlying methods and skills are nearly identical.

Accepted Answer

Both fields are concerned with problem definition,research design,use of secondary data,sampling,measurement,field work,data processing and analysis,and presentation of results.

Question 2

The process of identifying problems and opportunities involves analyzing future situations that a firm will face; the past is a sunk cost because it can no longer be changed.

Accepted Answer

The process of identifying problems and opportunities involves analyzing past,present,and future situations facing an organization.

Question 3

Dependent variables are inputs or causes used to explain a particular phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

Dependent variables are the effects or phenomena one seeks to explain,whereas independent variables are used to explain the dependent variables.

Question 4

In identifying alternative courses of action,"doing nothing" or "status quo" is not a feasible alternative.

Accepted Answer

"Status quo" or "doing nothing" is a feasible option and sometimes the best course of action.

Question 5

Good horizontal relationships (teaming of researchers with product managers)are more important than vertical ones (e.g.,reporting to the senior marketing executive).

Accepted Answer

Open,frank communication between researchers and product managers is essential for success.Without horizontal communication,research is not likely to succeed.

Question 6

Researchers must develop a data-collection procedure that establishes an effective link between the information needs and the questions to be asked or the observations to be made.

Accepted Answer

The success of the study depends on the researcher's skill and creativity in establishing this link.

Question 7

A systematic approach to researching the information needs of marketing management facilitates good organizational planning in developing objectives,allocating marketing resources,and auditing performance.

Accepted Answer

Marketing research can fulfill the information needs of marketing managers to facilitate better decisions and better allocation of resources.

Question 8

Exploratory research can be helpful in identifying innovative courses of action.

Accepted Answer

In addition to helping managers define the decision that must be made,it can also be used to generative innovative alternatives to be considered.

Question 9

Decisions must aim at solving problems or taking advantage of opportunities,not at treating symptoms.

Accepted Answer

It is important to discover the problem or opportunity,not make a decision about the symptom.

Question 10

The purpose of marketing research is to gather information that will improve managerial decisions.

Accepted Answer

Information differs from raw data in its relevance to decision-making.Marketing research collects information within this context,according to pre-defined information needs.

Question 11

During the 1930s,sampling became a serious methodological issue in marketing research.

Accepted Answer

It was in the 1930s that sampling became a critical issue due to the emphasis on inferential statistics compared to the reliance on purely descriptive statistics prior to this.

Question 12

One of the steps in the research process is to process and code data.Coding involves reviewing the data forms as to legibility,consistency,and completeness.

Accepted Answer

Coding involves establishing categories for responses or groups of responses so that numerals can be assigned to represent the categories.Editing means reviewing the data for legibility,consistency,and completeness.

Question 13

Exploratory research can be used as an aid in defining the decision a manager must make and developing hypotheses.

Accepted Answer

Once a manager recognizes the need for a decision,exploratory research can be used to help define the decision.This initiates a process of interaction between hypotheses previously formulated based on existing information and hypotheses developed from the exploratory research findings.

Question 14

Because of their role in collecting,analyzing,and reporting data,marketing researchers are often asked to make managerial decisions.

Accepted Answer

The role of researcher is advisory,it is the role of management to make the decisions.

Question 15

In practice,decision-making rarely relies wholly on an input-output framework of marketing research and formal statistical models,but combines them with managers' experience,judgment,and intuition.

Accepted Answer

To make good decisions,managers can use the input of marketing research,but they also must rely on their experience and personal judgment.

Question 16

The main disadvantage of the integrated structure of a marketing research department is the isolation of researchers from day-to-day activities and problems and the difficulty of finding qualified people.

Accepted Answer

Isolation of researchers is a disadvantage of centralized structures; difficulty of finding qualified people is a disadvantage of decentralized structures.The integrated structure combines the best features of centralized and decentralized structures.The main disadvantage to the integrated system is the potential control conflicts over the research staffs and their projects,particularly when the lines of authority in a company are not clearly delineated.

Question 17

Problems are performance measures,metrics,and diagnostics that signal the presence of an opportunity.

Accepted Answer

Symptoms are performance measures,metrics,and diagnostics that signal a problem or opportunity.

Question 18

Research suppliers can be used to conduct components of a research study,but they are never given total responsibility for a research study in its entirety.

Accepted Answer

Research suppliers can be used in both manners: to participate in a part of the study or to conduct the entire study.

Question 19

Research objectives answer the question,"Why is the project being conducted?"

Accepted Answer

Research objective specify why a research project is conducted.

Question 20

The criteria that research be systematic means that researchers strive to be unbiased and impartial in conducting their research.

Accepted Answer

Researchers striving to be unbiased and impartial is what is meant by "objective." "Systematic" means that the research project must be planned and well-organized.

Quiz 1: The Purpose and Process of Marketing Research