Deck 7: Improving Decisions With Marketing Information

Question 1

Marketing research projects are conducted one-at-a-time, instead of routinely.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Marketing research projects are conducted one-at-a-time. Marketing information systems collect data continually.

Question 2

Use of the scientific method in marketing research forces researchers to use an inflexible process.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: The scientific method in marketing research forces an orderly process.

Question 3

It is the job of the marketing manager to ask for the right information in the right form.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Research or MIS development activities cannot be turned over to the MIS specialists. Marketing managers set the firm's marketing objectives and know what data they've routinely used in the past.

Question 4

Marketing research focuses on changing information needs while an MIS focuses on recurring information needs.

Question 5

A marketing information system (MIS) is an organized way of continually gathering, accessing, and analyzing information that marketing managers need to make ongoing decisions.

Question 6

Use of the scientific method in marketing research helps managers make the best decisions possible.

Question 7

A marketing dashboard displays up-to-the-minute marketing data in an easy-to-read format.

Question 8

An intranet works like the Internet but access is limited to a company's employees.

Question 9

Access to information on an intranet is usually limited to a firm's own employees.

Question 10

A decision support system (DSS) is a computer program that makes it easy for a marketing manager to get and use information as he or she is making decisions.

Question 11

The function of marketing research is to develop and analyze new information to help marketing managers make better decisions.

Question 12

An intranet is useful for numeric data but not for text documents.

Question 13

A marketing information system (MIS) is a large computer which allows consumers to determine the prices of food products at grocery stores in any geographic area.

Question 14

Decision support systems that include marketing models help managers by showing the relationships among marketing variables.

Question 15

One of the important jobs of marketing researchers is to provide marketing managers with information that is changing.

Question 16

An intranet is a system for linking computers within a company.

Question 17

It is the job of the MIS specialist to ask for the right information in the right form.

Question 18

A marketing researcher using the scientific method develops and tests hypotheses about the relationships between things or about what will happen in the future.

Question 19

Only large firms have their own intranets.

Question 20

A marketing manager can use a DSS to conduct sales and perform analyses that show a more detailed breakdown of what's happening.

Question 21

During the situation analysis, marketing researchers may talk to informed people within the company, study internal records, search libraries for available information, or browse the Internet with a search engine.

Question 22

Since marketing managers have to be able to evaluate research results, they should be involved in the design of research projects--even though they may not be research specialists.

Question 23

Hypotheses are educated guesses about the relationships between things or about what will happen in the future.

Question 24

Specialized search engines like Blogdex and Google Groups can locate websites that allow marketing managers to listen in or ask questions as customers chat about companies and brands.

Question 25

Defining the problem is always the easiest step in the marketing research process.

Question 26

Unless the problem is precisely defined, research effort may be wasted on the wrong problem, and may lead to costly mistakes.

Question 27

It isn't necessary for marketing managers to be involved with marketing research specialists, since research requires statistical skills which managers usually don't have.

Question 28

Secondary data involves information that has been collected or published already.

Question 29

The scientific method is a research process which consists of five stages: observation, developing hypotheses, predicting the future, collecting data, and using statistical methods of analysis.

Question 30

Much of the secondary data on the Internet is stored in database formats that standard website search engines cannot find.

Question 31

A situation analysis is a formal study of what information is already available in the problem area.

Question 32

Use of the scientific method in marketing research forces researchers to use an orderly process.

Question 33

During the situation analysis, a marketing researcher will evaluate primary data rather than secondary data.

Question 34

Marketing managers should be able to explain the kinds of problems they are facing and the kinds of marketing research information that will help them make decisions.

Question 35

Defining the problem is often the most difficult step in the marketing research process.

Question 36

Secondary data is information which is already published or collected.

Question 37

The Internet is an excellent source for primary data, but not secondary data.

Question 38

The government, advertising agencies, newspapers, trade associations, and research subscription services are all major sources of primary data.

Question 39

To avoid wasting time working on the wrong problem, marketing researchers can use a logical strategy planning framework to guide their efforts.

Question 40

Defining the problem is the first step in the marketing research process--and is usually the easiest job for the researcher.

Question 41

Open-ended questions are less likely to be asked in quantitative research than in qualitative research.

Question 42

Online focus groups can offset some of the limitations of traditional focus groups because one aggressive member is less likely to dominate the group.

Question 43

Response rate is the percentage of people contacted who complete a given questionnaire.

Question 44

Focus groups are popular in both consumer and business markets.

Question 45

Electronic focus groups now participate in sessions via the Internet.

Question 46

A research proposal involves interviewing 6 to 10 people in an informal group setting.

Question 47

Qualitative research seeks clear yes or no answers.

Question 48

Qualitative research seeks in-depth, open-ended responses.

Question 49

Focus group interviews are a form of quantitative research.

Question 50

A focus group interview involves interviewing 6 to 10 people in an informal group setting.

Question 51

Focus groups are a way to gather primary data quickly, but at a relatively high cost.

Question 52

In general, a marketing researcher should get some problem-specific data before planning a formal research project.

Question 53

A formal marketing research project usually involves gathering primary data.

Question 54

The Statistical Abstract of the United States is one of the most useful summaries of secondary data published by the federal government.

Question 55

A good situation analysis is usually inexpensive compared with more formal research efforts, such as a large scale survey.

Question 56

One reason for the popularity of mail surveys is that the response rates are usually very high.

Question 57

A common quantitative research approach is to use survey questionnaires with multiple-choice questions.

Question 58

One weakness of telephone interviews is that they do not allow an interviewer to probe and really learn what the respondent is thinking.

Question 59

Online focus group participants usually feel freer to express their honest opinions than do participants in traditional focus groups.

Question 60

Qualitative research seeks structured responses that can be summarized in numbers, like percentages, averages, or other statistics.

Question 61

A marketing manager should seek help from research only for problems where the risk of a decision can be greatly reduced at a reasonable cost.

Question 62

In a quantitative marketing research study, the total group of people a marketing manager is interested in learning something about is known as the sample.

Question 63

A statistical package is likely to be used with quantitative research, but not with qualitative research.

Question 64

The extent to which marketing research data measures what it is intended to measure is known as the confidence level.

Question 65

All marketing research projects are worthwhile because they gather new information--even if the research doesn't have action implications.

Question 66

In the observation method, researchers try to see or record what the subject does naturally.

Question 67

Even though marketing managers might like more information, they must balance the high cost of good research against its probable value to management.

Question 68

Telephone surveys are practical if the information needed is not too personal.

Question 69

Syndicated research is an economical approach for collecting specific research needed by one firm for a specific problem.

Question 70

A consumer panel is a group of consumers who provide information on a continuing basis.

Question 71

In the experimental method, researchers compare the responses of two or more groups that are similar even on the characteristic being tested.

Question 72

Validity concerns the extent to which data measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 73

Statistical packages are easy-to-use computer programs that analyze data.

Question 74

Observing--as a method of collecting data--should focus on a well-defined problem.

Question 75

J.D. Power's surveys of customer satisfaction are a popular example of syndicated research.
D. Power's surveys of customer satisfaction as the basis for advertising claims. This serves as an example of syndicated research.

Question 76

In marketing research, a population is a part of the relevant sample.

Question 77

Nielsen's TV audience research and Arbitron's radio audience research illustrate that observing is a common research method in advertising.

Question 78

Applying the experimental method in marketing research usually means the responses of groups are compared.

Question 79

With the observation method, the researcher skillfully engages the subject in conversation.

Question 80

Only about 25 percent of marketing research spending is for syndicated research.