Deck 3: Market Research

Question 1

Market research is best described as:

A) the use of surveys to find out about customers.
B) a business activity that discovers information for use in making marketing decisions.
C) a business activity that creates a marketing information system.
D) a set of data collection methodologies.
E) information that helps marketers.

Answer 1

a business activity that discovers information for use in making marketing decisions.

Question 2

A business activity that discovers information of use in making marketing decisions is:

A) market research.
B) market segmentation.
C) sales performance.
D) product distribution.

Answer 2

market research.

Question 3

Myer, a leading Australian department store, knows that for every $50 voucher given, $125 of sales result. As such Myer heavily promotes its gift vouchers in the expectation that gift recipients will be drawn into the store and make a substantial purchase. Myer gathers this kind of information through its:

A) Myer One loyalty scheme
B) point-of-sale.
C) marketing information system.
D) sales force.
E) primary data.

Answer 3

marketing information system.

Question 4

Major telecommunications companies such as Telstra gather an amazing amount of information regarding customer mobile phone transactions. Managing this information is an example of a:

A) systematic data collection system.
B) marketing information system.
C) market surveillance system.
D) market research tool.

Question 5

Market research involves:

A) defining the research problem, collecting data and presenting the results.
B) defining the research problem, designing the research method and analysing the data.
C) collecting data, drawing conclusions and presenting the results.
D) defining the problem, designing the methodology, collecting data, analysing the data, drawing conclusions and then presenting the results and making recommendations.

Question 6

The main steps in market research are:

A) problem definition, research design, survey design, data analysis, presentation of results.
B) problem reduction, research design, sampling, data analysis, presentation of results.
C) problem reduction, research design, data collection, drawing conclusions, making recommendations.
D) problem definition, sampling, data collection, data analysis, drawing conclusions.
E) problem definition, research design, data collection, data analysis and drawing conclusions, presentation of results and recommendations.

Question 7

According to the code of practice, market researchers have a responsibility to respondents, including:

A) respondents' identities must not, without their consent, be revealed.
B) respondents' identities must not be used for any non-research purpose.
C) no child under 14 years shall be interviewed without parental consent.
D) all of the options listed.

Question 8

Which of the following issues should be considered in deciding whether to undertake a market research project?

A) The likelihood the research will confirm the hypothesis.
B) The likelihood the research will solve or help solve the research problem.
C) The ability of the research to justify the desired course of action to senior management.
D) Cost-benefit analysis.
E) Both b and d.

Question 9

The Australian market research company AC Neilson has been commissioned to conduct research into Australian perceptions of 'fast food'. Whilst conducting this research, it is expected that ethical considerations exist for:

A) the client.
B) the supplier.
C) participants.
D) all of the options listed.
E) none of the options listed.

Question 10

The ethical responsibilities of market researchers do NOT include:

A) accurately representing their skills and abilities.
B) designing research to obtain the desired information as efficiently as possible.
C) only allowing conclusions that are supported by the findings.
D) designing research cost-effectively.
E) generating profits for stakeholders.

Question 11

As manager of your company's market research department, you often get requests for research from the company's other departments. You require all requests to be justified; which of the following is not a valid use of the findings from market research?

A) Identify market opportunities.
B) Improve understanding of the marketing process.
C) Defend marketing decisions.
D) Respond to competitors.
E) Evaluate marketing activities.

Question 12

A marketing information system will NOT provide marketing decision makers with:

A) market intelligence from sales representatives.
B) market research findings.
C) financial reports.
D) decisions.
E) information on competitors.

Question 13

The research problem is:

A) the precise purpose of the research.
B) the thing the market research is intended to address.
C) both a and b.
D) a trigger that prompts a market research project.

Question 14

A set of instructions and requirements that generally states the research problem and the information required, and specifies the timeframe, budget and other conditions of the project, is known as the:

A) organisational goals.
B) market research brief.
C) executive summary.
D) mission statement.

Question 15

The section of the market research brief that details the marketing problem, providing all known facts and related research projects, is called the:

A) introduction.
B) background.
C) problem definition.
D) executive summary.

Question 16

A typical market research brief will contain the following sections: executive summary, ________, background, problem definition, time and budget, reporting schedule, and ________.

A) recommendations, conclusions
B) introduction, conclusions
C) introduction, appendices
D) recommendations, appendices

Question 17

A market research brief will not necessarily propose a ____________ or ___________ for the market research. This allows the market researcher to use their expertise.

A) methodology, approach
B) approach, budget
C) schedule, methodology
D) methodology, budget

Question 18

Which of the following is a clearly defined research problem?

A) How can we increase sales?
B) Will increasing advertising expenditure work?
C) What will happen if we do not match competitors' pricing?
D) Is it worth the expense of changing the colour of our product packaging?
E) None of the options listed.

Question 19

Which of the following is a clearly defined research problem that might be asked by a McDonald's manager?

A) How can we increase sales?
B) Will emailing discount coupons to existing customers lead them to make more purchases in the month after the coupons are emailed out?
C) Should we match our competitors' prices?
D) Should we increase our advertising budget by 15 per cent in the lead-up to the school holidays?
E) Will increasing advertising expenditure work?

Question 20

A market research brief:

A) states the research problem.
B) specifies the information required to answer the research problem.
C) details the time frame for the research project.
D) specifies the budget for the research project.
E) All of the options listed.

Question 21

Which of the following is/are false?

A) A market research brief must clearly describe the research methodology.
B) The complexity of international market research means it should always be performed in-house.
C) The research problem must never be redefined once the market research project is underway.
D) b and c are false.
E) All of the options listed.

Question 22

Used for sharply defined problems, research which assumes that a particular variable causes a specific outcome and then, by holding everything else constant, tests whether the variable does indeed affect that outcome, is known as:

A) causal research.
B) market research.
C) descriptive research.
D) exploratory research.

Question 23

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides data to a marketing company as part of their market research project. This data is an example of:

A) information data.
B) tertiary data.
C) secondary data.
D) primary data.

Question 24

A technique known as '______________' involves processing large data sets to identify patterns and trends that would not be obvious or even discernible upon observation.

A) data mining
B) market research
C) data processing
D) information processing

Question 25

As a brand manager, you are asked to conduct a survey to assess the size of the market for your brand. This survey-based research is an example of:

A) qualitative research.
B) quantitative research.
C) ethnographic research.
D) market research.

Question 26

Smith's Chips wants to know the price elasticity of demand of its 90 gram chip range. The most appropriate research design to discover the effect of price changes on the sales levels of the 90 gram range would be:

A) exploratory research.
B) causal research.
C) desk research.
D) descriptive research.
E) none of the options listed.

Question 27

Rich, deep and detailed information through techniques such as interviews and focus groups is obtained through which type of research?

A) Qualitative research.
B) Quantitative research.
C) Ethnographic research.
D) Market research.

Question 28

Samsung realises that consumers buy tablet computers for a variety of reasons, many of which they could be unaware of. Samsung might therefore use exploratory research for the following reason(s):

A) there is little prior knowledge to work from.
B) more insight into the nature of the problem is required.
C) relevant variables and possible decision alternatives need to be identified.
D) all of the options listed.
E) both a and b.

Question 29

A market researcher spends time observing the behaviour of shoppers in a large shopping mall. This market researcher is collecting:

A) primary data.
B) valid data.
C) secondary data.
D) shopping data.

Question 30

In order to justify using secondary data over primary data for your market research project, you point out to your management team that the key difference between primary data and secondary data centres on:

A) who collected the data.
B) the variables the data describes.
C) availability.
D) the richness of the data.
E) the sampling technique used.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is/are false?

A) Primary data is always more useful than secondary data.
B) A hypothesis is a tentative explanation that can be tested using market research.
C) A study using random sampling is more likely to be representative of the general population than a study using quota sampling.
D) A research design must include a research question or hypothesis.
E) A and c are false.

Question 32

The two main types of quantitative surveys are:

A) mail, telephone and online surveys.
B) interviewer surveys.
C) interviewer-led and self-response.
D) None of the above.
E) Option c.

Question 33

Descriptive research is best described as market research that:

A) attempts to identify a poorly understood problem.
B) determines cause-and-effect relationships.
C) provides more information about specific aspects of a problem.
D) is used to test a hypothesis.
E) All of the options listed.

Question 34

Bluesky Airlines has experienced an ongoing decline in ticket sales and suspects it is due to the lingering effects of the global financial crisis. It plans to undertake research to test this hypothesis via market research. How would you categorise this research?

A) Descriptive research.
B) Exploratory research.
C) Causal research.
D) Qualitative research.
E) None of the options listed.

Question 35

You are approached by a market researcher who asks you a series of questions about your favourite lunch options. To answer the questions you circle an option in a list or scale from one to five. What kind of research method are you participating in?

A) Qualitative.
B) Quantitative.
C) Neuroscience.
D) Observation.
E) Focus group.

Question 36

Which of the following are not types of qualitative research?

A) Projective techniques.
B) Depth interviews.
C) Focus groups.
D) Mail questionnaires from members of a consumer panel.
E) All of the options listed are qualitative research techniques.

Question 37

Heineken has conducted a number of qualitative research projects in order to discover how its products are perceived by consumers. Which of the following are not types of qualitative research?

A) Projective techniques.
B) Depth interviews.
C) Focus groups.
D) Mail questionnaires from members of a consumer panel.
E) All of the options listed are qualitative research techniques.

Question 38

The advantage of biometric research is that it:

A) measures and tracks actual response behaviour.
B) can explain what consumers perceive and remember.
C) all methods are uncomfortable for respondents.
D) that it provides shallow data.

Question 39

Departments of Main roads are planning to upgrade some roads around the CBD, over a three day period. They need to divert traffic during this planned closure. What method would be best to determine how many cars use that route at a particular day and time, to inform their decision making?

A) Experiments.
B) Observational.
C) Surveys
D) Interviews.
E) Biometrics.

Question 40

If a researcher wished to determine the proportion of the adult population that supports the Red Cross, they would most likely use:

A) descriptive research.
B) causal research.
C) exploratory research.
D) focus groups.
E) experimentation.

Question 41

If a researcher wanted to gain a greater understanding of a particular research problem, they would most likely use:

A) problem development.
B) descriptive research.
C) causal research.
D) exploratory research.
E) primary data.

Question 42

Information obtained from a government body would be:

A) standardised data.
B) secondary data.
C) primary data.
D) experimental data.
E) All of the options listed.

Question 43

A study into sensitive issues such as sexual behaviour would be best administered using which one of the following options?

A) A focus group.
B) A mail survey.
C) A shopping centre intercept.
D) Observation.
E) An expert consumer panel.

Question 44

A clothing brand launched a new Spring Collection, utilising linen fabric as a major departure from their usual cotton focused products. The brand plans to assess comments posted by consumers, as an indicator of sentiment. This type of research is:

A) qualitative research.
B) social listening.
C) ethnographic research.
D) none of the above.

Question 45

As part of your market research, you use procedures such as coding and reduction. Your research is using:

A) qualitative data.
B) quantitative data.
C) market data.
D) segmentation data.

Question 46

Which type of research data is typically fed into software designed specifically for statistical analysis, such as SPSS or Excel?

A) Qualitative data.
B) Quantitative data.
C) Market data.
D) Segmentation data.

Question 47

Which part of the written research report includes the rationale for the research approach taken?

A) Executive summary.
B) Introduction or background.
C) Appendix.
D) Methodology.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is false?

A) No data should be analysed until the data collection process is complete
B) Qualitative data must be reduced and coded if it is to be statistically analysed
C) Data collection, analysis and reporting aims to ensure the research design is properly followed, responses are recorded correctly and errors are not introduced
D) A perceptual map requires qualitative data
E) Marketers should evaluate the effectiveness of each market research project they undertake

Question 49

Reduction and coding are procedures that market researchers use to interpret and organise which type of data?

A) Secondary.
B) Quantitative.
C) Qualitative.
D) Numerical.
E) Statistical.

Question 50

When presenting the results of a study, the researcher should ensure the presentation:

A) is focused on the purpose the research was conducted.
B) includes some assessment of the validity of the study.
C) points out those aspects of the results that are important or interesting.
D) merely states the statistical results.
E) a, b and c.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Gantt charts and the critical path method are useful project management tools.
B) Budgets can be determined by estimating the likely actual cost of each phase of the project.
C) Budgets can be determined by estimating the amount of time that each phase is likely to take and then applying a standard cost estimate to the hours.
D) Project management is less important when market research is outsourced.
E) A research project that does not take the opportunity to refine itself when it is in progress is almost certain to result in less than optimal value.

Question 52

The best measure of the effectiveness of a market research project is:

A) whether the research answers the research problem.
B) whether the research findings lead to decisions that contribute to achieving marketing goals.
C) whether it validates the decisions made by senior management.
D) whether it is delivered on time and on budget.
E) whether the results are as expected.

Question 53

Valid metrics for market research effectiveness include:

A) adherence to budget.
B) adherence to deadlines.
C) whether senior managers felt they could use the information generated to make a decision.
D) the depth of analysis of the data.
E) all of the options listed.

Question 54

A market researcher conducting a focus group finds that many of the participants raise issues that were not considered in the original definition of the research problem being investigated. The market researcher should:

A) try to steer the focus group discussion back to the issues identified in the research problem.
B) end the focus group discussion.
C) explore any relevant issues raised by the focus group participants.
D) consider revising the original definition of the research problem.
E) both c and d.