Question 1

Statistics Canada completes the census of Canada once every decade, which gives detailed information on Canadian households. This service provides:

Accepted Answer

The census data collected by Statistics Canada is considered external secondary data because it is data collected by an external organization (not the company using the data) and has already been collected for purposes other than the specific research question at hand.

Question 2

Shelly, the manager of a large grocery store, was concerned. She had received complaints from several customers who said they had been treated rudely by clerks at the store. In order to determine whether or not her clerks were indeed rude, Shelly hired a team of marketing researchers. The researchers posed as customers shopping in the store, but were actually taking notes and recording the actions of the store clerks.
Later, Shelly reviewed those notes. The research notes Shelly reviewed were a form of ________ data.

Accepted Answer

The data collected by the marketing researchers specifically for this study is considered primary data. Secondary data would be information that was already collected and available for use, such as sales figures or demographic information. Developmental and national are not relevant categories for this type of data.

Question 3

The Toronto Blue Jays professional baseball team wanted to develop creative ways to boost sagging attendance at their ball games. The Jays hired a moderator who, after every home game during the month of July, led informal discussions with groups of six to ten fans to find out what they did and did not like about the baseball team. The discussions were tape recorded and videotaped so that researchers could review the data at a later date and in more detail. What are such informal research discussions
Called?

Accepted Answer

Focus groups are a type of qualitative research where a moderator leads a discussion with a small group of participants to gain insight into their opinions and attitudes towards a product, service, or concept. This method is useful for gaining in-depth understanding of consumer behavior and preferences, as well as identifying potential problems or areas of improvement. In this case, the Toronto Blue Jays used focus groups to understand why attendance at their games was declining and how they could improve the fan experience.

Question 4

McGraw-Hill, a publishing company, sponsors an informal one-time-only session with seven university instructors who use a given textbook. The instructors meet to discuss the textbook, its study guide, and the product's competition. This is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a focus group, which is a qualitative research method where a group of individuals are brought together to discuss a particular topic or product. In this case, the university instructors are discussing the textbook and its competition. The other options listed, such as a jury of executive opinion and Likert scale interview, are not appropriate for this scenario. A consumer panel could potentially be used, but the fact that these are all university instructors suggests that they may not be representative of the typical consumer.

Question 5

Marketing Works, a market research firm located in Anchorage, Alaska, specializes in providing marketing information to retail stores around the world. The employees at Marketing Works perform a variety of services for and provide a wide range of information to their clients. For example, they collect data on consumer demographics, purchase behaviour, lifestyle, and responses to sales promotions. Finally, the Marketing Works employees analyze, interpret, and interrelate the data they have
Collected and provide retailers with market-related information. Marketing Works is an example of a firm that offers:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Marketing Works, a market research firm located...

Question 6

Which survey is most expensive because of the interviewer's time and travel expenses?

Accepted Answer

Personal interviews require the interviewer to physically travel to the respondents' location and spend time conducting the interview in person, making it the most expensive survey method in terms of interviewer time and travel expenses.

Question 7

Which survey type is usually biased because those likely to respond have had especially positive or negative experiences with a given product, service, or brand?

Accepted Answer

Mail surveys are usually biased because respondents who choose to reply have a strong opinion (good or bad) about the product, service or brand being surveyed. This can potentially affect the overall accuracy of results.

Question 8

Canada's military ran informal sessions in cities across Canada to find out what images should appear in the Army's next recruitment campaign. These groups of eight or nine individuals aged 18-24 responded to questions posed by a group leader regarding their opinions on reality in military ads. This is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

The given scenario describes a focus group, which involves a small group of participants who discuss their opinions and attitudes towards a product or service in a controlled environment under the guidance of a group leader/facilitator.

Question 9

You are the product manager for a new children's cold breakfast cereal. Its proposed brand name is Barney, named after the popular, purple dinosaur of the PBS children's television show Barney & Friends. Barney cereal is positioned as a health-oriented, fun and socially positive cereal that consists of natural whole grains and fruit-sweetened, Barney-like purple dinosaurs that provide children with more than the 100 percent recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, B, and C. To ascertain the cereal's appeal among prospective buyers, each of the following would be a primary
Data collection method to help you make marketing decisions regarding the new Barney brand cereal EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Option D is not a primary data collection method, as it involves referring to an external source (consumer report) for information rather than directly collecting data from potential customers. The other options involve directly collecting data from target consumers through trial boxes, observational research, and test marketing.

Question 10

Someone making the statement, "Before we begin this project, we'll have to hire someone to interview people to find out how many people in a 50-mile radius could use our service, what their average income is, and what their occupations are." is preparing to:

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions hiring someone to interview people to gather specific information. This is an example of collecting primary data, which involves gathering data directly from the source.

Question 11

A supermarket placed diapers, beer, and potato chips together, and observed significant increases in the sales of all three. Which tool was likely used by the supermarket to reach the conclusion to place all three products together?

Accepted Answer

Data mining involves analyzing large sets of data to discover patterns and relationships that can inform decision-making, such as product placement strategies that lead to increased sales. In this case, data mining could have revealed that customers who buy diapers are also likely to buy beer and potato chips, leading to the strategic placement of these items together to boost sales.

Question 12

A publishing company sponsors an informal one-time-only session with an influential college professor who uses a given text. The professor meets to discuss the textbook, its study guide, and the product's competition. This is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a depth (or individual) interview, where an expert provides detailed feedback on a product.

Question 13

DirectProtect is an insurance provider that uses telemarketers rather than insurance agents to sell its insurance and to deal with claims. It wants to introduce its product into new markets, but before it does so, it wants to have a prediction of how successful its sales efforts will be. One of the first things researchers did was to invite in a group of eight people with insurance to talk about home and auto insurance. Their
Conversation was recorded and later analyzed to determine if there were any differences between customers from different countries. This was an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

The researchers invited a group of people to talk about home and auto insurance, which is a classic example of a focus group. The purpose of this focus group was to gather information about potential customers and to identify any differences between customers from different countries.

Question 14

When compared with telephone and mail surveys, which of the following is NOT a characteristic of individual interview surveys?

Accepted Answer

Individual interview surveys typically offer a better opportunity for establishing rapport with the respondent compared to telephone and mail surveys, due to the personal interaction involved.

Question 15

Observing people and asking them questions are two ways to obtain:

Accepted Answer

Primary data is data that is collected directly from the source through methods such as observation or surveys. Asking people questions and observing their behaviors are both examples of collecting primary data. External secondary data refers to data that has already been collected by someone else and is available for use, while experimental independent variables refer to the variables that are manipulated in an experiment to see their effect on the dependent variable.

Question 16

Information provided by one firm on household demographics and lifestyle, purchases, TV viewing behaviour, and responses to promotions is called:

Accepted Answer

The information provided by one firm on household demographics and lifestyle, purchases, TV viewing behaviour, and responses to promotions is called single source data. This is because the data comes from a single source or firm.

Question 17

Coca-Cola is considering getting into the smartphone market. John, who is in their marketing department, conducts a detailed interview with leading research on smartphones. This activity is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A depth (or individual) interview is a one-on-one conversation between a researcher and a participant. In this case, John is conducting a detailed interview to gather information about the smartphone market, which will help Coca-Cola decide whether to enter the market or not.

Question 18

Two important advantages of secondary data are:

Accepted Answer

Secondary data is usually less expensive than primary data collection methods, such as surveys or interviews, and it can save time since the data already exists. While secondary data may not be tailor-made to specific research needs and may not provide all relevant categories of information, it can still be a useful source of information for many research purposes. Option A is incorrect because while secondary data may be relatively inexpensive, it is not always tailor-made to specific research needs. Option B is incorrect because while secondary data may be relatively inexpensive, it may not always be up-to-date. Option D is incorrect because while secondary data may be up-to-date, it may not provide all relevant categories of information.

Question 19

Marketing data services offer single source data, which is information provided by a single firm on household demographics and lifestyle, purchases, TV viewing behaviour, and:

Accepted Answer

The question mentions "responses to promotions like coupons and free samples," which implies that the marketing data services offer information on how consumers respond to these types of promotions. Therefore, choice A is the best answer. While the other choices may also be available through marketing data services, they are not specifically mentioned in the question.

Question 20

Cribs 'R Us is a leading provider of baby cribs and seats to parents in Canada. They are considering making some design changes to baby cribs because they recognize that most parents eventually pass on their old crib to relatives who have new children. They asked four parents and their corresponding relatives, who engaged in this 'hand-me-down' activity, to the head office to discuss what would they want to see in a new crib edition, one specifically focused for those that hand cribs down to their
Relatives. Cribs 'R Us is engaging in what type of activity?

Accepted Answer

Cribs 'R Us is engaging in a focus group, which involves bringing together a small group of people to give their opinions and feedback on a specific topic or product. In this case, they are specifically seeking input from parents and their relatives who engage in the practice of handing down cribs.

Quiz 8: Marketing Research: From Information to Action