Deck 4: Problem Formulation

Question 1

A research request agreement includes all of the following items EXCEPT

A)the scales for the measures.
B)the decision problem confronting the manager.
C)the target population from which a sample will be drawn.
D)an approximation of the time and expense of the research report.
E)All of the above are included in a research request agreement.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The two fundamental sources of marketing research problems are

A)planned change and unplanned change.
B)Ineffective advertising and change.
C)poor sales and ineffective advertising.
D)Poor management and unplanned change.
E)technological advancement and customer suggestions.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Change that is proactive,or future-oriented,is known as

A)future shock.
B)active change.
C)planned change.
D)unanticipated change.
E)serendipitous change.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

It is important to meet with the client at the earliest stages of the research project so that

A)an appropriate budget can be established.
B)the researcher(s)and client can begin to develop rapport and trust.
C)research methods can be selected in time to meet project deadlines.
D)the researcher(s)can get as much background information as possible.
E)Both b and d

Question 5

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Under normal circumstances,poor problem formulation can be rescued by more sophisticated statistical analyses.
B)Misdefining the problem / opportunity can produce disastrous results for companies.
C)The best way to avoid researching the wrong problem is to delay the research until the problem is properly defined.
D)A "problem" confronting a company might also be viewed as an opportunity,and vice versa.
E)None of these statements are false;they are all true.

Question 6

The first step taken by a manager when selecting an outside research supplier should be

A)contacting other managers who use outside suppliers for their recommendations.
B)consulting the American Marketing Association's Guidebook of Research Suppliers.
C)deciding if the proposed research is really necessary.
D)soliciting research proposals from at least three suppliers.
E)soliciting research requests from at least three suppliers.

Question 7

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)Serendipity is the same thing as planned change.
B)Marketing problems develop from not only real marketing problems but also marketing situations called opportunities.
C)The marketing problem should be defined clearly so that research can be designed properly.
D)Change is a fundamental source of marketing problems.
E)None of these statements are false;they are all true.

Question 8

Which of the following questions is least appropriate for a researcher to ask a client during their initial meeting?

A)What factors do you think have created this situation?
B)What is likely to happen if nothing changes in the next 12 months?
C)Which method of data collection¾mail,telephone,email¾do you prefer?
D)What caused you to notice the problem?
E)None of these questions is less appropriate than the others.

Question 9

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)The decision problem is also the research problem.
B)The decision problem involves determining what information to provide and how that information can best be secured.
C)The key difference between the decision problem and the research problem is the decision problem focuses on the problem or opportunity from the manager's perspective while the research problem focuses on the problem as viewed by the researcher.
D)The key difference between the decision problem and the research problem is the research problem focuses on what action needs to be taken while the decision problem focuses on what information to provide and how that information can best be secured.
E)All of the above statements are true.

Question 10

The comparative analysis of different outside research suppliers that are bidding on a research project should be based on evaluation of

A)written research requests.
B)key supplier personnel and written research proposals.
C)written research proposals.
D)cost/benefit analyses.
E)key supplier personnel.

Question 11

Well-planned and executed strategy-oriented marketing research should produce

A)new marketing strategies.
B)a set of alternative decisions for management.
C)a choice among strategic alternatives.
D)a list of business priorities.
E)None of the above.

Question 12

The main purpose of marketing research brought about by planned change is to

A)decide how to implement the change.
B)find out what is happening and why.
C)describe changes in the internal environment.
D)describe changes in the external environment.
E)capture and evaluate the new idea.

Question 13

The main purpose of discovery-oriented marketing research is to

A)decide what to do about a planned change.
B)find out what is happening and why.
C)describe changes in the internal environment.
D)describe changes in the external environment.
E)capture and evaluate the new idea.

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Many managers cannot clearly and precisely state the nature of the decision problem they want investigated.
B)Managers do not need to be actively involved in the marketing research process.
C)If a decision maker will not change his decision regardless of the result of the research,the research should still be conducted for informational purposes.
D)A researcher should not worry about the decision alternatives as decision makers typically will provide researchers with a complete list of them.
E)All of the above statements are true.

Question 15

The primary purpose of requiring the decision maker to initial and date the written research request agreement is to

A)absolve the researcher of legal responsibility concerning the proposed research project.
B)assure the researcher of adequate funding for the proposed research project.
C)transfer responsibility for ethical research conduct to management.
D)ensure that research data will be used properly by the decision maker.
E)formalize and strengthen the agreement between researcher and decision maker on the objectives of the research.

Question 16

Research problems might arise from

A)unanticipated change in the marketing environment in the form of competitor initiatives.
B)a firm's planned change of a marketing variable.
C)customer complaint letters.
D)Both a and c.
E)a,b and c.

Question 17

Serendipity,or chance ideas,as a source of marketing research problems,might arise from

A)customer complaint letters.
B)salesperson's call reports.
C)comments in trade publications.
D)customer calls to toll-free service assistance centers.
E)All of the above are sources of chance ideas.

Question 18

A customer service representative for a large financial institution noticed that several of the bank's customers had recently closed accounts and paid off loans long before the loans were due.He also noticed that most of the customers had closed their accounts shortly after a competitor had opened a new branch nearby.The fundamental source of this marketing problem might best be described as

A)a planned change in the marketing environment.
B)serendipity.
C)the presence of a new competitor.
D)an unplanned change in the marketing environment.
E)None of the above.

Question 19

A written statement that describes the marketing problem,the purpose of the study,and the research methodology to be used is known as a

A)research proposal.
B)statement of technique.
C)statement of research purpose and method.
D)research request.
E)research outline.

Question 20

An explanation of the data sources and research methodology to be used in the research project should be included in the

A)research outline.
B)research request.
C)cost/benefit analysis of the project.
D)research proposal.
E)initial research prospectus.

Question 21

The research proposal

A)is used primarily to summarize the problem definition process.
B)does not include proposed research methods.
C)provides the researcher another opportunity to make sure that the proposed research will provide information needed to address the decision problem.
D)should be no longer than two (2)pages.
E)cannot be changed once it has been accepted by the manager.

Question 22

A research request agreement should only include the decision problem,research problem and the logistics.

Question 23

Sugging is a blatantly unethical use of marketing research.

Question 24

Which of the following types of research should be avoided?

A)Sugging
B)Advocacy research
C)Research in which costs involved outweigh the benefits to be obtained
D)Only a and c.
E)All of the above.

Question 25

In general,the most important asset of a research firm is the qualifications of the research professionals.

Question 26

Which of the following types of research should be avoided?

A)Unethical research
B)Research for which a decision has already been made and a manager is not going to change his or her mind
C)Any research where resources are unavailable to do the research appropriately
D)All of the above should be avoided.
E)Both a and b only should be avoided.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about the manager's decision problem is FALSE?

A)The decision problem is the problem/opportunity facing the manager for which marketing research is intended to provide answers.
B)The decision problem takes the manager's perspective.
C)The decision problem should be in the form of a question.
D)Discovery-oriented decision problems typically lead directly to managerial actions.
E)None of these statements are false;they are all true.

Question 28

A discovery-oriented decision problem is best defined as a

A)decision problem that typically seeks to answer "what" or "why" questions
B)restatement of the decision problem in research terms
C)decision problem that typically seeks to answer "how" questions
D)written statement that describes the marketing problem
E)All of the above.

Question 29

Which of the following sections would NOT appear in a research proposal?

A)Purpose and limits of the project
B)Research results
C)Data sources and research methodology
D)Estimate of time and personnel requirements
E)All of the above would appear in a research proposal.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Managers usually have a clear understanding of the problems they face.The real difficulty lies in communicating the problems to researchers.
B)It is important that researchers help managers understand the real marketing problem(s).
C)Researchers must avoid simply responding to managers' requests for information.
D)Good marketing research is based on a clear understanding of what information is needed and how that information will be used to address the problem / opportunity.
E)None of these statements are false;they are all true.

Question 31

Attempting to sell products or services or ideas after telling respondents you are conducting marketing research is called

A)coding.
B)market strategy.
C)serendipity.
D)sugging.
E)scaling.

Question 32

"Death wish" research occurs when short cuts are taken.

Question 33

One of the most common criticisms managers have of marketing research studies is that the findings are not "actionable."

Question 34

Which of the following practices or types of research would normally be considered unethical?

A)Sugging
B)Advocacy research
C)Gaining competitive intelligence through theft or deception
D)Falsifying results
E)All of the above would be considered unethical.

Question 35

A research problem is a restatement of the decision problem from the manager's perspective.

Question 36

A strategy-oriented decision problem typically seeks to answer "how" questions about a problem/opportunity.

Question 37

In the famous case in the 1980's,where Coca-Cola introduced the New Coke after much research.The failure of New Coke was largely due to a marketing research barrier identified as

A)a narrow conception of the research.
B)uneven caliber of researchers.
C)poor problem definition.
D)late and occasional erroneous findings.
E)personality and presentation differences.

Question 38

A(n)____________________ is a restatement of the decision problem in research terms,from the researcher's perspective.

Question 39

A research proposal should be no more than 10 pages long.

Question 40

Strategy-oriented decision problems are commonly used

A)with unplanned change.
B)with planned change.
C)to determine what is going on in a situation.
D)to make decisions among strategic alternatives.
E)Both b and d.

Question 41

A decision problem is the problem/opportunity as seen by a(n)____________________.

Question 42

The two sources of marketing problems,and consequently research problems,are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 43

Serendipity,or chance ideas,can be a source of marketing research problems.Discuss all the drivers or sources of this type of research.

Question 44

Attempting to sell products or services or ideas after telling respondents you are conducting marketing research is a process known as ____________________.

Question 45

A document that describes,as specifically as possible,the nature of the problem for which research is sought and that asks providers to offer proposals,including cost estimates,about how they would perform a job is called a(n)____________________.