Question 1

A hotel chain found the following profile to exist for its guests: average stay is 2.7 nights,55 percent had a car with them,8 percent watched a pay-per-view television program,and 15 percent purchased a snack item from the in-room refrigerator.Which form of marketing research was the retailer utilizing?
A) a retail information system
B) an experiment
C) simulation
D) observation

Accepted Answer

The hotel chain was utilizing a retail information system, which collects and analyzes data on customer behaviors and characteristics to inform marketing decisions.

Question 2

Disguised surveys are typically used to study consumer ________.
A) demographics
B) lifestyles
C) attitudes
D) reactions to price changes

Accepted Answer

Disguised surveys are used to study consumer attitudes.

Question 3

The potential for interviewer bias is greatest in which survey technique?
A) mail survey
B) observation
C) telephone survey
D) personal survey

Accepted Answer

Personal surveys involve face-to-face interaction between the interviewer and respondent. This provides a greater potential for interviewer bias because the interviewer's actions, words, and appearance can influence the respondent's answers. Additionally, the interviewer may have preconceived notions or biases that can also impact the responses.

Question 4

Which of the following is not a survey?
A) personal interviewing
B) customer traffic counts
C) a mail-based questionnaire
D) a telephone-based questionnaire

Accepted Answer

Customer traffic counts do not involve gathering opinions or feedback from individuals and are instead a measure of foot traffic or sales data. The other options - personal interviewing, mail-based questionnaire, and telephone-based questionnaire - all involve surveying individuals to gather data or feedback.

Question 5

The difference between regular reports and exception reports is based on ________.
A) length
B) the handling of deviations from expected performance
C) cost
D) types of accounts covered

Accepted Answer

The main difference between regular reports and exception reports is that regular reports provide information on routine operations, while exception reports are triggered by variances from expected performance or abnormalities in business operations. Therefore, the handling of deviations from expected performance is the basis for distinguishing between regular and exception reports. The other options (length, cost, types of accounts covered) do not necessarily differentiate between regular and exception reports.

Question 6

Information is systematically gathered from respondents by communicating with them in a(n)________.
A) observation
B) simulation
C) survey
D) experiment

Accepted Answer

Surveys are specifically designed to systematically gather information from respondents by communicating with them through questions. Observations involve watching and recording behavior without direct communication, simulations involve creating artificial environments or scenarios, and experiments involve manipulating variables to observe their effects.

Question 7

In a nondisguised survey,a respondent is told the ________.
A) actual stores being investigated
B) sponsor of the survey
C) actual intent of the study
D) actual name of the market research company conducting the survey

Accepted Answer

In a nondisguised survey, the respondent is told the actual intent of the study, which means they know the purpose behind the survey. They may also be informed of other details such as the sponsor of the survey or the market research company conducting it, but these are not the defining factors of a nondisguised survey.

Question 8

Which research technique is able to show cause and effect?
A) survey
B) experiment
C) observation
D) simulation

Accepted Answer

An experiment is the only research technique that can establish cause and effect relationships because it involves manipulating and controlling variables to observe their effects on an outcome.

Question 9

The semantic differential technique uses ________.
A) demographic data
B) nominal scales
C) ratio scales
D) bipolar adjective scales

Accepted Answer

The semantic differential technique uses bipolar adjective scales, where respondents are asked to rate an object or entity on a set of opposing adjectives (e.g. good-bad, happy-sad, etc.). This technique is used to measure attitudes or perceptions of individuals towards a particular topic, product or concept. Demographic data, nominal scales, and ratio scales are not typically used in this technique.

Question 10

Which does not represent a systematic method of research?
A) pre-testing of a survey to determine potential biases in wording
B) verifying that interviews were actually conducted with selected respondents by use of a telephone
C) use of a nonprobability sample in a legal case involving retail pricing
D) removing potential respondents, who have moved prior to a store being renovated, from a store image survey

Accepted Answer

Use of a nonprobability sample does not represent a systematic method of research as it may not be representative of the population and may introduce bias into the study. Systematic methods of research involve structured procedures for sampling, data collection, analysis, and reporting to minimize errors and increase the validity and reliability of the findings. A, B, and D represent systematic methods of research in terms of pre-testing, verification, and removal of potential biases in surveys.

Question 11

Sampling of stores,products,or customers in a nonprobability sample is conducted on the basis of ________.
A) judgment or convenience
B) an equal chance of being chosen
C) a known chance of being chosen
D) a table of random digits

Accepted Answer

Nonprobability sampling does not use random selection, but rather relies on the discretion of the researcher. Judgment sampling and convenience sampling are two common methods that fall under nonprobability sampling. Therefore, the best choice for sampling in a nonprobability sample is A, judgment or convenience.

Question 12

The major disadvantage of observation is that ________.
A) the sampling is not probability-based
B) attitudes cannot be studied
C) the experiment is contrived
D) the respondent knows that he or she is being measured

Accepted Answer

Observation primarily captures behaviors and actions, making it difficult to directly assess what people think or feel, hence attitudes cannot be directly studied through observation alone.

Question 13

A major advantage of primary data is that the ________.
A) study is inexpensive
B) methodology is conducted for the current study
C) data are readily available
D) data can always be collected by a single retailer

Accepted Answer

Primary data is collected for the specific research study, which allows for the methodology to be tailored to the research question at hand. This ensures that the data collected is relevant and useful for the current study.

Question 14

One or more elements of a retail strategy mix are manipulated under controlled conditions in which research technique?
A) observation
B) simulation
C) survey
D) experiment

Accepted Answer

In an experiment, one or more elements of a retail strategy mix are manipulated under controlled conditions to observe the effects on consumer behavior. This research technique allows for the identification of cause-and-effect relationships between variables, making it the best choice for studying the impact of different retail strategies. Observation involves simply observing consumer behavior without manipulating any variables, while surveys involve asking consumers about their perceptions and experiences. Simulation is a type of experimental technique, but is typically used more for testing the performance of a retail store rather than its strategy mix.

Question 15

Ongoing studies are made available to many clients for a fee from ________.
A) channel members
B) the U.S. federal government
C) the Business Periodicals Index
D) commercial research houses

Accepted Answer

Commercial research houses are the most likely source of ongoing studies that are made available to clients for a fee. Channel members may have access to some information, but this would likely be limited to their specific industry or market niche. The U.S. federal government may provide some data through agencies such as the Census Bureau, but this would not be a primary source for ongoing studies for most clients. The Business Periodicals Index is a database that indexes articles from business periodicals, but it does not offer ongoing studies as a product or service.

Question 16

A small movie theater plans to build a coffee and snack bar that features espresso based on the success of a much larger competitor that features six screens.This strategy represents ________.
A) systematic research
B) nonsystematic research
C) a retail information system
D) single-source data

Accepted Answer

This strategy represents nonsystematic research because the decision is based on informal observations of a competitor's success, rather than on systematic collection and analysis of data.

Question 17

An appliance retailer is classified by consumers as friendly,reliable,moderately attractive,and as providing a relatively good value for the money.The research technique used by the retailer is ________.
A) observation
B) a semantic differential
C) experimentation
D) an online survey

Accepted Answer

A semantic differential is a research technique that measures attitudes towards a brand or product based on a series of bipolar adjectives. In this case, the appliance retailer used a semantic differential to measure the consumer perceptions of friendliness, reliability, attractiveness, and value for money.

Question 18

A mathematical model is constructed to explain the environment facing a retailer in which research technique?
A) survey
B) experiment
C) observation
D) simulation

Accepted Answer

A simulation is used to create a mathematical model to understand how the environment impacts the retailer. Using a simulation, the retailer can test various strategies and scenarios without the high cost and risk of implementing them in the real world.

Question 19

A form of research in which present behavior or the results of past behavior are noted and recorded is ________.
A) observation
B) survey
C) simulation
D) experimentation

Accepted Answer

Observation involves directly observing and recording the behavior or results of past behavior, making it the best choice for this type of research. Surveys involve gathering data through self-report, simulation involves creating a model to imitate a real-life situation, and experimentation involves manipulating variables to determine causal relationships.

Question 20

A major characteristic of a retail information system is ________.
A) its low cost
B) the use of competitor data
C) the use of verified data from government sources
D) its continuous nature

Accepted Answer

A major characteristic of a retail information system is its continuous nature. This means that it operates constantly and provides up-to-date information about sales, inventory, and customer behavior. The system can gather data from a variety of sources, including point-of-sale terminals, online transactions, and customer surveys. The system is typically customized to meet the specific needs of the retailer and is designed to help managers make informed decisions about pricing, inventory management, and marketing strategies. The system may also include features for gathering competitor data and verifying information from government sources, but these are not the primary characteristics of the system. Cost is a consideration, but it is not necessarily a defining feature of the system.

Quiz 8: Information Gathering and Processing in Retailing

Disguised surveys are typically used to study consumer ________.

The potential for interviewer bias is greatest in which survey technique?

Which of the following is not a survey?

The difference between regular reports and exception reports is based on ________.

Information is systematically gathered from respondents by communicating with them in a(n) ________.

In a nondisguised survey,a respondent is told the ________.

Which research technique is able to show cause and effect?

The semantic differential technique uses ________.

Which does not represent a systematic method of research?

Sampling of stores,products,or customers in a nonprobability sample is conducted on the basis of ________.

The major disadvantage of observation is that ________.

A major advantage of primary data is that the ________.

One or more elements of a retail strategy mix are manipulated under controlled conditions in which research technique?

Ongoing studies are made available to many clients for a fee from ________.

A small movie theater plans to build a coffee and snack bar that features espresso based on the success of a much larger competitor that features six screens.This strategy represents ________.

An appliance retailer is classified by consumers as friendly,reliable,moderately attractive,and as providing a relatively good value for the money.The research technique used by the retailer is ________.

A mathematical model is constructed to explain the environment facing a retailer in which research technique?

A form of research in which present behavior or the results of past behavior are noted and recorded is ________.

A major characteristic of a retail information system is ________.