Deck 7: Improving Decisions With Marketing Information

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: 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 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

The benefit of using data from a firm's MIS for making marketing strategy decisions is that marketing managers trust the data and are assured of its veracity.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Many managers question the veracity and quality of the data.One-third of business leaders don't trust making decisions with this information.

Question 4

Marketing managers find data in raw form very useful.

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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 11

A data warehouse is filled with file cabinets and binders where past market research is stored.

Question 12

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

Question 13

Big data involves data sets too large and complex to work with typical database management tools.

Question 14

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

Question 15

Executed marketing strategies and their results should be fed back into a company's data warehouse so that they can be used for problem solving in the future.

Question 16

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 17

Marketing managers turn information into knowledge when they use their experience to answer "how" and "why" questions.

Question 18

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

Question 19

A marketing manager can use a marketing model to look at the sales (and costs)expected with different types of promotion and select the marketing mix that is best for a particular target market.

Question 20

Sales data become wisdom when they provide answers to questions of "who," "what," "where," "how much," and "when."

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

Internet,library,and government databases are all major sources of primary data.

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

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

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 36

The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a useful summary of secondary data published by the federal government.

Question 37

Secondary data is information that is already published or collected.

Question 38

One way to monitor what people are saying about a brand or its products is to conduct a sentiment analysis.

Question 39

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 40

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

Question 41

J.D.Powers' surveys of customer satisfaction are a popular example of syndicated research.

Question 42

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

Question 43

Qualitative research seeks in-depth,open-ended responses,not yes or no answers.

Question 44

Qualitative research seeks clear yes or no answers.

Question 45

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

Question 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

A good situation analysis is usually expensive and takes more time,compared with more formal research efforts such as a large-scale survey.

Question 50

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

Question 51

A customer journey map can identify ways that a company can improve the entire purchase experience.

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

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

Question 55

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

Question 56

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

Question 57

Focus group interviews are a form of quantitative research.

Question 58

Online focus groups can offset some of the limitations of traditional focus groups,because in traditional focus groups,one aggressive member may dominate the group.

Question 59

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

Question 60

A formal marketing research project usually involves gathering primary data.

Question 61

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

Question 62

Applying the experimental method in marketing research usually means comparing the responses of two or more groups.

Question 63

Telephone surveys are effective for getting quick answers to simple questions.

Question 64

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 65

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

Question 66

Nielsen's TV audience research illustrates the fact that observing is a common research method in advertising.

Question 67

With roots in biology,ethnographic research studies different cultures by examining their physiology.

Question 68

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

Question 69

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

Question 70

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

Question 71

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

Question 72

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

Question 73

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

Question 74

Validity concerns the extent to which data measure what they are intended to measure.

Question 75

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

Question 76

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 77

When a firm is doing similar research projects in different international markets,it makes sense for the marketing manager to coordinate the efforts so that comparisons across markets are possible.

Question 78

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

Question 79

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

Question 80

A good marketing manager knows that the value of additional information lies in the ability to design more effective marketing strategies.