Deck 9: Decision Support Systems and Marketing Research

Question 1

Ethnographic research is a form of experimental research because it is conducted without any preconceptions.

Answer 1

False
Ethnographic research is the study of human behavior in its natural contexts and is a form of observation research.

Question 2

In a probability sample,every element in the population has a known statistical likelihood of being selected.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The quality of secondary data should never be questioned.

Answer 3

False
The quality of secondary data may pose a problem,so researchers should ask: Who gathered the data?Why were the data obtained? What methodology was used? and so on.

Question 4

Marketing research has one use for management: It improves the quality of decision making.

Question 5

A marketing research company has hired Anu to evaluate the quality of service in a chain of local restaurants.Anu enters the restaurant posing as a customer.She pretends she has an allergy to gluten,a common component of baked goods.She asks if the menu can accommodate this special need and reports back to the research company about the level of service she received.Anu is working as a mystery shopper.

Question 6

The first step in the marketing research process is to identify and formulate the problem/opportunity.

Question 7

The most popular technique for gathering primary data is by observation.

Question 8

To save money on marketing research,a marketing manager suggests the company use the results of a survey conducted last year because similar questions were asked then.The manager is suggesting use of primary data.

Question 9

The three roles of marketing research are persuasive,reminder,and informative.

Question 10

Once adequate amounts of data have been collected,the researcher should present the report.

Question 11

Fisher-Price employees were engaged in experimental research when they observed,from behind a mirror,children playing with soap bubbles and decided to build a toy lawn mower that spewed soap bubbles.

Question 12

The last step in the marketing research process is to prepare and present the report.

Question 13

Measurement error occurs when a sample somehow does not represent the target population.

Question 14

Compared to the personal interview,the telephone interview costs less,but cost is rapidly increasing due to respondent refusals to participate.

Question 15

A true marketing decision support system is interactive,flexible,discovery-oriented,and accessible.

Question 16

Stuart Marketing Research is gathering information on the way people wrap gifts specifically for a large manufacturer of gift wrap paper that is considering introducing reusable wrapping paper with Velcro fasteners.The information gathered would be an example of primary data.

Question 17

Martina was interested in how students perceive the health service provided by her university.To collect data on this issue,she interviewed the students in her evening class.Martina has used a random sampling procedure.

Question 18

The best experiments are those in which one factor is held constant and the other factors of interest are deliberately manipulated.

Question 19

Historically,marketing research has been practiced since the late 1800s.

Question 20

A marketing decision support system (DSS)is an interactive,flexible computerized information system that bypasses information-processing specialists and gives managers access to useful information from their own desks.

Question 21

Because online surveys are still in their infancy,there are limited methods of conducting online surveys.

Question 22

The owner of a small chain of local coffeehouses could use _____ to determine why customers do not seem to like her coffeehouse's new location.

A) transactional marketing
B) public relations
C) an EDI system
D) market synergy
E) marketing research

Question 23

Scanner-based research is a system of gathering information from a group of respondents by continuously monitoring the promotions panel members are exposed to and their subsequent purchase behavior.

Question 24

Competitive intelligence allows managers to predict changes in business relationships,identify marketplace opportunities,and discover new or potential competitors.

Question 25

Everyday information about developments in the marketing environment that managers use to prepare and adjust marketing plans is referred to as:

A) competitive intelligence
B) marketing information
C) decision support information
D) marketing research
E) observation

Question 26

_____ is the process of planning,collecting,and analyzing data relevant to marketing decision making.The results of this analysis are then communicated to management.

A) Data collection
B) Artificial intelligence
C) Decision support
D) Marketing research
E) Single-source research

Question 27

_____ is the creation of a large computerized file of customers' and potential customers' names,profiles,and purchase patterns.

A) Electronic targeting
B) Sampling procedure specification
C) Database marketing
D) Competitive data mining
E) Consumer behavior marketing

Question 28

Marketing research has three functional roles.These roles are:

A) normative,descriptive,and explanatory
B) predictive,normative,and persuasive
C) descriptive,diagnostic,and predictive
D) flexible,interactive,and discovery-oriented
E) descriptive,explanatory,and predictive

Question 29

The publisher of a Canadian business magazine wanted to make several major changes in the magazine's content and format.To determine what changes would be supported by its subscribers and what changes would not be welcomed,the publisher should engage in:

A) advertising
B) database marketing
C) marketing research
D) a data retrieval system
E) secondary data

Question 30

A(n)_____ is an interactive,flexible computerized information system that enables managers to obtain and manipulate information as they are making decisions.

A) expert system
B) marketing information system
C) artificial intelligence system
D) marketing decision support system
E) database marketing system

Question 31

Conferences and professional courses led by rival executives are great places to gather competitive intelligence.

Question 32

According to the text,a true marketing decision support system should be flexible,which means:

A) managers can probe for trends,isolate problems,and ask "what if" questions
B) managers that aren't skilled with computers can easily learn to use the system
C) managers are able to sort,regroup,total,average,and manipulate data in various ways
D) managers can give simple instructions and see immediate results
E) managers can find optimum solutions to marketing problems

Question 33

The difference between a traditional focus group and an online focus group is that there is no moderator in the online group like there is in a traditional group.

Question 34

Channel M2 provides market researchers with user-friendly virtual interview rooms,recruiting,and technical support for conducing virtual qualitative research.

Question 35

Los Hermanos Cafe has successfully operated seven restaurants in the same community for 20 years.Management plans to introduce an egg and cheese breakfast burrito to three restaurants after having success with this product in its other four diners.Since management knows this market so well,Los Hermanos Cafe doesn't need to conduct research before introducing the new product in its remaining restaurants.

Question 36

Soon after the Chenault Military Museum expanded its hours and began charging a small fee to pay for the extra help needed to keep it open longer,attendance decreased.To determine why this decrease in attendance occurred,the museum staff could rely on:

A) a production audit
B) database marketing
C) marketing research
D) an internal marketing audit
E) secondary data

Question 37

One advantage of Internet surveys is dramatically reduced costs.

Question 38

An online message board consists of a selected group of consumers who agree to participate in an ongoing dialogue with a particular corporation.

Question 39

Blogs are a source of consumer-generated media.

Question 40

A true marketing decision support systems (DSS)possesses all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

A) flexible
B) discovery-oriented
C) interactive
D) accessible
E) synergistic

Question 41

Managers must combine specific pieces of information needed to identify the marketing research problem.Their _____ is to provide insightful decision-making information.

A) company-correlated goal
B) autonomous task
C) dichotomous goal
D) marketing research objective
E) field service objective

Question 42

After listening to a group of middle-aged women discuss their biggest concerns about the jeans they wore,a company designed a new line of comfortable women's jeans and touted them as "not your daughter's jeans." This is an example of research conducted to:

A) improve the quality of their decision making
B) find out why a marketing plan failed
C) learn how to more efficiently retain customers
D) understand the ever-changing marketplace
E) do all of these

Question 43

The Johnsonville Sausage Company wants to know which areas of the country consume the most sausage.The company is not especially interested in an explanation for the popularity of sausage in different regions;it simply wants factual information about it.Johnsonville is interested in using marketing research in its _____ role.

A) historical
B) descriptive
C) predictive
D) normative
E) objective

Question 44

When gas prices approached $4.00 per gallon,auto manufacturers began thinking about the hybrid car market.Before committing to it,though,they asked consumers whether they would even consider a hybrid version of their new vehicle had it been available and,if so,what type of alternative fuel they found most appealing.In this case,marketing research was being conducted to:

A) improve the quality of their decision making
B) find out why a marketing plan failed
C) learn how to more efficiently retain customers
D) understand the ever-changing marketplace
E) do all of these

Question 45

A small brewery has noticed a 20 percent decrease in the sale of its dark beer over the last three years.The company's owner wants to determine why the decline has occurred and how to reverse the trend.Once the owner has identified the problem as a consumer perception that dark beer is bitter and calorie-laden,its next step in the marketing research process should be to:

A) collect the data
B) recognize the marketing problem
C) analyze the marketplace
D) plan the research design
E) specify the sampling plan

Question 46

The marketing research problem:

A) is information oriented
B) involves determining what resources will be used in research efforts
C) is action driven
D) does not rely on managerial experience
E) is accurately described by none of these choices

Question 47

Volkswagen developed an 18-month-long project to gain a better understanding of the American culture so it could develop cars more appealing to this market.The research project was called Moonraker.Moonraker was intended to play a(n)_____ role in Volkswagen's marketing research.

A) diagnostic
B) descriptive
C) predictive
D) heuristical
E) demonstrative

Question 48

Data previously collected for purposes other than the one at hand are an important source of information as the researcher defines the problem.These data are called _____ data.

A) single-source
B) secondary
C) primary
D) consensual
E) convenience

Question 49

Phillip Morris USA,the manufacturer of Marlboro Ultra Smooth cigarettes targeted to people who want to smoke a potentially safer cigarette,has asked for marketing research to explain the reasons for the recent failure of the new cigarette.This type of research is described as:

A) descriptive
B) predictive
C) diagnostic
D) normative
E) historical

Question 50

When assessing the quality of secondary data,it is:

A) not necessary to know why the data were collected in the first place
B) important to be able to have easy access to the data
C) important to know the purpose for which the data were originally collected
D) not important to know when the data were collected
E) imperative to use the same methods and procedures when primary data are collected

Question 51

All of the following are examples of secondary data EXCEPT:

A) a physical count of the number of cars passing through an intersection to determine the need for a traffic signal
B) a census report on the number of people who are native to a community
C) the creation of a customer database
D) a collection of trade journal articles about the future of a particular industry
E) a newspaper story describing the lifestyle of the average Internet user

Question 52

Through marketing research,the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO)learned it has an older market and is not attracting younger concertgoers.It next conducted marketing research to determine if an integrated advertising campaign targeted to the younger market would be successful.In its second use of research,BSO employed _____ marketing research.

A) historical
B) descriptive
C) predictive
D) normative
E) objective

Question 53

Soon after Keebler introduced its Sweet Spots cookie,the company increased the box size and the price of the product.Demand fell.Keebler conducted marketing research to determine what happened.This is an example of research conducted to:

A) improve the quality of their decision making
B) find out why a marketing plan failed
C) learn how to more efficiently retain customers
D) understand the ever-changing marketplace
E) do all of these

Question 54

Trade groups,commercial publications,and government departments can be used as sources of:

A) secondary data
B) consensual information
C) primary data
D) artificial intelligence
E) marketing audits

Question 55

Post Properties is a company that manages apartments in various communities.It is concerned with a glut of apartments in Atlanta,Orlando,and Dallas Its market researcher begins by examining the rental markets in the Southeast,the history of apartment buildings,local economies,competitive rents,and ownership--all information that was on hand and did not require any new research to locate.The market researcher looked at:

A) a closed study
B) secondary data
C) primary data
D) a statistical analysis
E) priority databases

Question 56

The first step in the marketing research process is to:

A) specify the sampling plan
B) collect the data
C) analyze the marketplace
D) plan the research design
E) identify and formulate the problem/opportunity to be studied

Question 57

When Eurasia restaurant,serving Eurasian cuisine,first opened along Chicago's Michigan Avenue,its novelty brought many diners.However,it turned off the important business lunch crowd,and sales went into decline.Before conducting any marketing research to explain the declining sales management needs to:

A) determine who will be most likely to respond to a survey
B) select a market sample from everyone in the population
C) define the problem to be researched
D) develop a survey to find out exactly what's wrong
E) enumerate the decision factors

Question 58

In contrast to marketing research problems,management decision problems are:

A) action oriented
B) pervasive
C) narrower in scope
D) synergistic
E) information oriented

Question 59

While many economic indicators have been negative during the first half of 2009,the Wall Street Journal recently reported that U.S.retail sales were actually up in April.In fact,the performance of 61 percent of the retailers in the study topped analysts' expectations.If Costco used this report as factor in their expansion plans they would be using _____ data.

A) secondary
B) primary
C) dichotomous
D) convenience
E) observation

Question 60

Radio One is the largest U.S.radio broadcasting company targeting Black Americans today.Radio One staffers are constantly reviewing secondary information looking for any emerging trends in their target market.Potential disadvantages of this research approach include:

A) the questionable quality of the data
B) the high cost of collecting secondary data
C) he length of time it takes to collect secondary data
D) interviewer bias during the collection process
E) the potential for sampling error

Question 61

The research design specifies:

A) follow-up procedures for the research
B) the information that will be found
C) how the final report will be written
D) how the information gathered will be used to predict external environmental changes
E) the research questions to be answered

Question 62

Which type of survey research method involves interviewing people in the common areas of shopping malls?

A) telephone interviews
B) panel surveys
C) mall intercept
D) centralized interviews
E) interactive research

Question 63

Your supervisor has instructed you to conduct a marketing research effort that will determine how your company's business customer demographics have changed.You have also been instructed to use primary data.You will:

A) gather data from Standard & Poor's General Information File
B) develop a mail survey to study your primary market
C) employ studies done by the Federal Trade Commission
D) make sure you locate Internet information by using a search engine
E) ask the National Industrial Conference Board for its latest study

Question 64

When Wilson,a manufacturer of tennis racquets,sent a team of researchers,designers,and tennis pros out to visit with 40 women tennis players of various abilities in locations from California to Florida to find out what women players want in a racquet,what kind of research were they conducting?

A) Heuristic
B) Primary
C) Cohesive
D) Random
E) Secondary

Question 65

Community Trust Bank management decided to design a new product and promotion to appeal to small to medium-sized businesses.A researcher conducted a series of focus groups with business owners to find out more about what they wanted in bank services.With the focus groups Community Trust was collecting _____ data.

A) primary
B) ethnographic
C) consensual
D) secondary
E) collaborative

Question 66

Which of the following forms of survey research costs the LEAST?

A) mall intercept interviews
B) focus groups
C) in-home personal interviews
D) mail panel surveys
E) executive interviews

Question 67

What is the chief advantage of primary data?

A) Low cost compared to secondary data
B) Answers specific research questions that secondary data cannot answer
C) Availability to any interested party for use
D) Accessibility through computerized databases
E) Avoiding interviewer biases

Question 68

Levi Strauss recently introduced its new Totally Slimming jeans.The idea for the jeans came from a group session conducted last August in which a group of moms made it clear they were tired of low-rise styles.Instead they wanted jeans that were comfortable while covering-up problem areas,and showing off their figures.Levi's used this _____ data as the basis for designing this new line of jeans.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) dichotomous
D) convenience
E) ethnographic

Question 69

Gathering data on two different projects using one questionnaire is called:

A) leap-frogging
B) dovetailing
C) double-dipping
D) phishing
E) piggybacking

Question 70

_____ specifies the research questions to be answered,how and when the data will be gathered,and how the data will be analyzed.

A) A secondary data use plan
B) The research collaborative plan
C) An autonomous director
D) The research design
E) The sampling plan

Question 71

Information collected for the first time for the purpose of solving a particular problem under investigation is called _____ data.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) dichotomous
D) observation
E) convenience

Question 72

The most popular method for gathering primary data is _____,in which a researcher interacts with people to obtain facts,opinions,and attitudes.

A) heuristic oriented
B) survey research
C) experiments
D) observation research
E) single-source research

Question 73

A furniture manufacturer wants to test how consumers will respond to furniture upholstered in fabric made from recycled plastic by having consumers feel and respond to the fabric.Which form of survey would allow it to do this?

A) Telephone interview
B) Mail questionnaire
C) Mall intercept
D) Observation study
E) Laboratory test

Question 74

Which of the following is a major marketing research aggregator?

A) the U.S.government
B) Mindbranch.com
C) Nielsen
D) American Marketing Association
E) All of the above.

Question 75

A _____ is a specially designed phone room used to conduct telephone interviewing.

A) controlled-feedback facility (CFF)
B) collaboratively located communications (CLC)center
C) multi-interviewer location site
D) central-location telephone (CLT)facility
E) telephone outsourcing center

Question 76

A _____ is a company that acquires,catalogs,reformats,segments,and resells reports already published by marketing research firms.

A) syndicated vendor
B) research directory
C) marketing research aggregator
D) secondary data provider
E) marketing research compiler

Question 77

Research done by ShopLocal.com found that Americans today are concerned enough about sustaining the environment that they are willing to spend more.Suppose that to cut the cost of the research,ShopLocal.com included a second study asking consumers about their preferences in the upcoming presidential elections.This research would be an example of:

A) a dual-purpose analysis
B) a piggyback study
C) a Siamese twin project
D) a two-for-one integrative study
E) dual experimentation

Question 78

A major limitation of the mall intercept interview is:

A) the difficulty of measuring attitudes and opinions
B) the need to interview people standing up
C) its high cost relative to in-home interviews
D) the difficulty of demonstrating new products
E) the difficulty of obtaining a representative sample of the population of interest

Question 79

In-home personal interviews:

A) offer high-quality data at high cost
B) offer the ability to obtain high-quality data at low cost
C) are becoming increasingly more popular
D) are less expensive than mall intercepts
E) offer information of moderate quality,but at a low cost

Question 80

When a university began thinking about offering more online degrees it used primary data to get potential students' attitudes and intentions.What is the most likely reason for using primary data?

A) this information was already freely available to all interested parties
B) the value of the research is unrelated to sample size
C) the information can be collected quickly and at low cost
D) the information will fit the university's needs exactly since it will be collected specifically for this study
E) it will benchmark consumers' interest in grading equipment