Deck 10: Marketing Research

Question 1

Which of the following is most likely to be a logical starting point in identifying the marketing problem?

A) Ascertaining the budget and logistical limits that the problem warrants
B) Determining the computational scope of the problem
C) Evaluating the firm's target market and marketing mix elements
D) Simulating a market research based on formulated hypotheses

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A(n) _____ sets the stage for more in-depth research in a marketing research process by further clarifying what researchers need to test. It is a tentative explanation for a specific event.

A) sales analysis
B) informal investigation
C) ethnographic study
D) hypothesis

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A hypothesis sets the stage for more in-depth research by further clarifying what researchers need to test.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Marketing researchers must remember to direct their reports toward management and not to other researchers.

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to the process of collecting and using information for marketing decision making?

A) Market engineering
B) Marketing research
C) Market capitalization
D) Marketing sampling

Question 6

Secondary data has the advantage of being more completely relevant to the research than primary data.

Question 7

The first step in the marketing research process is to conduct exploratory research, and then use the information to define the problem.

Question 8

A well-defined problem allows the researcher to focus on securing the exact information needed to solve the problem.

Question 9

Census data is an example of primary data.

Question 10

A marketing-related problem can be identified by evaluating the firm's marketing mix elements and target market.

Question 11

Researchers usually spend less time and money in gathering primary data compared to secondary data.

Question 12

A research design is a master plan or model for conducting marketing research.

Question 13

After defining the problem and conducting an exploratory investigation, the next step in the marketing research process is to:

A) create a research design.
B) formulate a hypothesis.
C) select the respondents for the study.
D) gather primary and secondary data.

Question 14

Kate believes the reason the sales of one of her company's products has fallen is due to a price increase. She cites sales from the previous year to the same customers as evidence of declining sales. Kate is:

A) developing a research design.
B) formulating a hypothesis.
C) identifying a symptom.
D) conducting exploratory research.

Question 15

The choice between secondary and primary data is tied to cost, applicability, and effectiveness.

Question 16

After defining the problem, the next step in the marketing research process is to conduct the exploratory research.

Question 17

Jake is determining which customers should be included in a study sample. According to this information, Jake is in which stage of the marketing research process?

A) Formulating a hypothesis
B) Collecting data
C) Creating a research design
D) Defining a problem

Question 18

The process of discussing a marketing problem with informed sources both within and outside the firm and examining information from secondary sources is known as _____.

A) situation analysis
B) informal investigation
C) exploratory research
D) interpretative research

Question 19

Palmer Inc. recently changed its promotional strategies for marketing the products. The marketing team at Palmer has been asked to evaluate the target market and the marketing mix elements to find ways to improve the effectiveness of the marketing strategies. Since the firm already knows the purpose of its research, the next step in the marketing research process is to:

A) create research design.
B) collect data.
C) formulate a hypothesis.
D) conduct exploratory research.

Question 20

The process of discussing a marketing problem with informed sources both within and outside the firm and examining information from secondary sources is known as test marketing.

Question 21

Sydney is a marketing researcher for an advertising agency and is gathering _______ data from the Census Bureau to determine the characteristics of people living in a three-county area within the state of Texas.

A) secondary
B) primary
C) federal
D) private

Question 22

You've noticed a decline in seafood orders at your restaurant, but you're unsure what is causing the problem. Therefore, you've begun to talk with customers, monitor the restaurant's Facebook page, and interview seafood suppliers. You are engaged in:

A) informal investigation.
B) exploratory research.
C) situation analysis.
D) hypothesis formulation.
E) sales forecasting.

Question 23

What are the stages involved in the marketing research process?

Question 24

What is a research design? What are the factors that need to be considered by marketers while creating a research design?

Question 25

The information collected for the first time specifically for a marketing research study is called _____ data.

A) qualitative
B) primary
C) processed
D) secondary

Question 26

Jack is a research specialist who has spent six months conducting a detailed study of customer attitudes and expectations. In writing the final report, Jack should remember to:

A) include only the primary data collected as it is more specific for the current research.
B) direct his report toward the management and not other researchers.
C) elaborate on the technical details of the research methods in the introduction.
D) present the results to all key executives in separate meetings.

Question 27

You are watching an episode of a new game show that tests contestants' knowledge by giving them phrases they must respond to with a question. ​
The following marketing-related phrase comes up in the bonus round of the game:
​
"It's an informed guess or assumption about a problem or a specific event. It sets the stage for in-depth research and clarifies what the researcher needs to test."
​
The contestant's response should be:

A) What is a hypothesis?
B) What is a plausible conclusion?
C) What is an objective statement?
D) What is a qualitative data point?
E) What is a conclusive research finding?

Question 28

You work for a printing company and have been asked to conduct research on customer reading preferences. You want to answer the following questions: (1) Do readers prefer to read electronic books? (2) Do they prefer to read paper-based books? or (3) Do they not have a preference? You decide that to start off the process, you are going to peruse a series of secondary sources, including published articles, magazine articles, and documents you have purchased from a syndicated service. ​
​
Based on what you know about collecting data, you know that there are several benefits of using secondary data. You are not as clear, however, about the disadvantages. Which of the following is a drawback of using secondary data?

A) They are more expensive than using primary data.
B) Secondary data provide very rich, robust data.
C) One needs at least a few months to conduct secondary research.
D) Many researchers use secondary data only when primary research is not an option.
E) Secondary data may have been collected for unrelated purposes and may be irrelevant to your needs.

Question 29

Sales of your frozen yogurt are down, so you've started a research project aimed at answering the question, "How can we improve the effectiveness of our advertising?" You've also conducted informal interviews with customers, suppliers, and retailers. Which steps in the research process have not yet been tackled?

A) Conduct exploratory research
B) Define the problem
C) Formulate a hypothesis
D) Create a research design

Question 30

A _____ is a master plan created by a marketer for conducting market research.

A) research cluster
B) research hypothesis
C) probability sample
D) research design

Question 31

Which of the following is true of secondary data used in marketing research?

A) It is the data collected for a specific market study.
B) It provides richer and more detailed information compared to primary data.
C) It is usually collected and compiled by the investigator conducting the study.
D) It requires less time and is less expensive to gather.

Question 32

Describe the process of exploratory research.

Question 33

Tiffany is a marketing research consultant and is working with a local community college to determine the primary reasons students select the college. Based on exploratory research, Tiffany believes the main reasons are cost, convenience, and value. She plans to conduct additional research to determine whether or not this ______ can be supported.

A) hypothesis
B) belief
C) attitude
D) feeling

Question 34

List the strengths and limitations of secondary data in comparison with primary data.

Question 35

Which of the following factors is most likely to have an influence on the choice between primary and secondary data?

A) Data source
B) Substitutability
C) Availability
D) Applicability

Question 36

While shopping at the mall, you notice a group of young women asking shoppers whether they can spare five minutes to answer some questions about their shopping experiences at the mall. Given your marketing experience, you immediately recognize that these young women are conducting a marketing research project. ​
​
At which step in the marketing research process are the young women?

A) Identifying the problem
B) Formulating a hypothesis
C) Creating a research design
D) Conducting exploratory research
E) Collecting primary and secondary data

Question 37

Emeril works for a local sports bar known for its chicken wings and nachos. For the last five years, the company has continued to grow, and according to a recent trend analysis, sales have risen by increments of about $530,000 annually since the restaurant opened its doors. Surprisingly, however, the restaurant has seen a decline in patronage over the last quarter, and Emeril has been tasked with identifying the root cause of this sudden decline in sales. ​
​
Emeril has never conducted exploratory research, so you have decided to help him. One of the first lessons you share with him is to be careful about confusing the symptoms of a problem with the problem itself. After you conduct a series of interviews with waitstaff, customers, distributors, and other stakeholders, you help Emeril come up with possible explanations for the decline in sales. Which of the following is a possible cause of the problem at the restaurant?

A) The restaurant manager laid off five busboys because business is slow.
B) The restaurant's sales declined from $200,000 a day to $80,000 a day.
C) The restaurant cut back on the number of weekly fresh produce deliveries.
D) The restaurant's market share decreased from 7% to 4% in a matter of a few months.
E) The restaurant's marketing team recently released a new billboard that many customers find offensive.

Question 38

A major state university has noticed a decline in students selecting philosophy as a major and is interested in learning more about this issue. They hire a marketing research student as an intern who conducts informal interviews with faculty in the philosophy department as well as freshman students living in residence halls to gain insight into this phenomenon. What type of research is the intern engaging in?

A) Exploratory
B) Descriptive
C) Analysis
D) Forecast

Question 39

Which of the following is a limitation of secondary data not found in primary data?

A) It is more expensive to collect and analyze than primary data.
B) It is not readily accessible to marketers.
C) It may not be completely relevant to the specific needs of the marketer.
D) It is usually in the form of raw data and hence not reliable.

Question 40

Penelope is using data collected and published by a trade association in her marketing research study. The data used by Penelope can be regarded as _____.

A) secondary data
B) primary data
C) raw data
D) experimental data

Question 41

Telephone surveys with clearly worded questions are effective at drawing appropriate responses.

Question 42

Secondary data is the information from previously published or compiled resources.

Question 43

Marketers looking for information on age, income, and population would access:

A) census data.
B) industry reports.
C) research service information.
D) internal data.

Question 44

Secondary data is advantageous because:

A) it is often free or less expensive than primary data sources.
B) the information is tailored to the company's specific research needs.
C) data is timely and current.
D) it allows researchers to ask specific questions in relation to their hypothesis.

Question 45

Paul Simmons owns a food distribution business and employs approximately 80 people in a variety of positions including executive management, administrative support personnel, sales, distribution, and marketing. He's very interested in maintaining a positive work culture and aspires to being one of the best places to work in his region. He recently hired a marketing consulting firm to complete an employee satisfaction study for him to gain insight into how his workers view their job, benefits, supervisors, and other important elements such as compensation and benefits. What type of data best describes this project?

A) Primary data
B) Secondary data
C) Syndicated data
D) Government data

Question 46

A market researcher for a cable company is seeking to determine the number of households in a selected neighborhood that consist of four or more people. The most cost-efficient way to collect this information would be to:

A) look through the census information available on the Internet.
B) use the services of a full-service research supplier.
C) conduct personal interviews with neighborhood leaders.
D) search through the information provided by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Question 47

Which of the following is the reference book that can help marketers track down trade organizations that may have data pertinent to their company?

A) The U.S. Government's Survey of Current Business
B) Who's Who in American Industry
C) Thomson Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations
D) Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

Question 48

Interpretive research is an observational method that observes consumers in their natural setting.

Question 49

Walmart is evaluating its performance records of the previous years that are stored in its database. In addition to this, the company is also evaluating its previous year invoices. This evaluation process carried out by firms is called _____.

A) sales analysis
B) financial iteration
C) market capitalization
D) interpretative research

Question 50

To decide where to locate a new shoe store, you need to know the size of the population in different towns. Unfortunately, you have almost no money to spend on data collection. The type(s) of data most accessible to you can be described as:

A) secondary.
B) U.S. government.
C) primary.
D) repositioned.
E) micro.

Question 51

Hart's, a large discount store with locations across the United States would like to add pharmacies to their stores. Marketers at the company would like to research if consumers would be receptive to the pharmacies if Hart's were to add them. They begin their research by looking at the company's internal data. What problem might marketers from Hart's encounter with the internal data?

A) Internal data is too expensive for marketers to access for research purposes.
B) The internal sales information is too dated for marketers to use.
C) The internal data will be too limited in scope to provide a full picture of Hart's research questions.
D) The internal data may be too time-consuming to collect and analyze.

Question 52

Which of the following can be regarded as external data?

A) Sales force activity reports compiled by the sales manager
B) Accounting data obtained from the financial statements
C) Information obtained from the U.S Census
D) Product performance reviews made by the engineering department

Question 53

Internal data, government data, research services, and observation are the four main sources of secondary data.

Question 54

Observation is a useful technique to collect primary data for marketers trying to understand how consumers behave in certain situations.

Question 55

Observation alone cannot supply all the necessary information as it is difficult to get exact demographic information from observation.

Question 56

Follett Bookstores would like to conduct research on trends in the college bookstore industry. Marketers at Follett's begin their research with publications from the American Booksellers Association. What type of secondary data are they utilizing?

A) Internal data
B) Government data
C) Industry publications
D) Research services

Question 57

Analysis of sales performance records helps marketers to find clues to potential problems.

Question 58

Secondary data can be both internal and external to the company.

Question 59

Marketers looking for information on lifestyle and buying behavior would access which type of secondary data?

A) Industry data
B) Research services
C) Government data
D) Internal data

Question 60

Whole Foods, a grocery and health food store, is ready to open a new location in Dallas, Texas. Executives at Whole Foods would like to gather research to determine which Dallas neighborhood to build in. Whole Foods uses information from ESRI's Tapestry segmentation to identify Dallas zip codes with the highest concentration of their target audience. Whole Foods is utilizing which type of secondary data?

A) Research services
B) Industry publications
C) Internal data
D) Government data

Question 61

Businesses may need to adjust their data collection methods for primary research in foreign countries since some methods do not easily transfer across national borders.

Question 62

In interpretive research, the researcher first spends an extensive amount of time studying the culture, and for that reason, the studies often are called _____ studies.

A) ethnographic
B) exploratory research
C) anthropological exploration
D) sociolingual

Question 63

Test marketing a new product is expensive and communicates company plans to competitors prior to its full-scale introduction.

Question 64

Which of the following methods involves observing a customer or group of customers in their natural settings and then evaluating their behavior based on an understanding of social and cultural characteristics of that setting?

A) Test marketing
B) Interpretative research
C) Controlled experiment
D) Focus group

Question 65

Which of the following data collection methods is considered as the best means for obtaining detailed information about consumers?

A) Telephone interviews
B) Focus groups
C) Mail surveys
D) Personal interviews

Question 66

You are the campaign manager for a candidate running for mayor of Hartford, Connecticut. You are running a series of focus group sessions with Hartford residents to get a better idea of their needs and wants. ​
​
Your focus group sessions are an example of which of the following types of research?

A) Marketing research
B) Conclusive research
C) Descriptive research
D) Exploratory research

Question 67

Erica is a marketing researcher involved in improving retail store layouts. She would like to know the order in which various types of products are purchased by customers. She also wants to find out what type of assistance is required by the customers while purchasing products. The best method for Erica to collect this data would be by:

A) observation.
B) telephonic surveys.
C) voluntary mail-back questionnaires.
D) Delphi technique.

Question 68

_____ remain the most common method for conducting primary research outside the United States.

A) Telephone interviews
B) Face-to-face interviews
C) Controlled experimentations
D) Mail surveys

Question 69

What is test marketing? What are the challenges associated with test marketing new products?

Question 70

Which of the following is true of focus groups used by marketers to gather primary data?

A) They elicit information from the customers through a question-and-answer format.
B) They allow participants to respond at their leisure.
C) They are typically used for measuring the success of a new product introduced in a specific area.
D) They are valuable tool for exploratory research and development of new product ideas.

Question 71

Mail surveys and telephone interviews are the most common methods for conducting primary research in developing countries.

Question 72

Describe the three principal methods used by researchers to collect primary data.

Question 73

Which of the following methods used for conducting primary research gathers information by encouraging the participants to engage in a discussion on a predetermined topic?

A) Observation
B) Delphi technique
C) Focus group
D) Interpretative research

Question 74

Survey methods used in marketing research for collecting primary data involve the:

A) use of Delphi technique.
B) review of sales data on customer purchase rates to estimate future sales.
C) analysis of historical census data.
D) use of questionnaires to obtain demographic information of consumers.

Question 75

Ethnographic studies involve researchers spending time studying culture.

Question 76

_____ is a marketing research technique that involves introducing a new product in a specific area and then measuring its degree of success.

A) Trend analysis
B) Concept testing
C) Test marketing
D) Exponential smoothing

Question 77

Focus groups elicit information from the customers through a question-and-answer format.

Question 78

Interpretive research is often used to interpret consumer behavior within a foreign culture where consumer expectations are subject to different cultural influences.

Question 79

Mitch is a marketing consultant and works with an attorney to provide insight about how potential jurors view his cases. Mitch typically assembles a small group of 8-12 individuals from the county and presents relevant information about the legal case. He then guides them in a discussion to learn about their opinions. The group sessions are typically recorded and last about 2 hours. What type of research method best characterizes this research?

A) Focus group
B) Observation
C) Telephone survey
D) Personal interview

Question 80

McBurgers plans to introduce a new line of fish sandwiches to 15 stores in eastern United States for a six-month period. If the product and promotional efforts behind it are successful, the company may launch them nationwide. What type of research is being conducted to determine potential success?

A) Test marketing
B) Exploratory research
C) Stratified sampling
D) Trend analysis