Question 1

What type of interview contains a small group of participants and a trained moderator that guides the conversation?

Accepted Answer

A focus group involves a small group of participants (usually between 6-10) and a trained moderator who guides the conversation on a specific topic or product. The purpose of the focus group is to gather qualitative data and opinions from the participants.

Question 2

A(n)________ is a small group of people brought together for an intensive discussion of a topic.

Accepted Answer

A focus group is specifically designed to bring together a small group of people to discuss a specific topic or issue in depth. It is often used by marketers or researchers to gather insights and feedback from potential customers or target audiences.

Question 3

When conducting a research study attempting to understand what features were most important to garden equipment consumers, Edwin's Research Inc. used a questionnaire containing ________ questions, with a predetermined set of response options.

Accepted Answer

Structured questions are those where response options are provided in advance, making them easier to analyze quantitatively. This is a common format for surveys aimed at collecting quantitative data.

Question 4

The owner of Packey Chevrolet Dealership wants to know why consumers chose his company to purchase a car. He is fairly sure that most customers have one of three reasons-service, reputation, or location-but wants to know which was revealed as the most frequent reason for purchasing. The owner of Packey Chevrolet will probably use a survey with ________ questions to address his research problem.

Accepted Answer

The owner of Packey Chevrolet wants to know which reason was the most frequent for purchasing, which suggests that the survey should have questions with specific answer options (i.e. closed-ended questions) that include service, reputation, and location as choices. This would allow for easy data analysis to determine which reason was most commonly selected.

Question 5

In the infamous Coke-New Coke taste test, 54 percent of consumers, using a blind taste test, preferred the New Coke formula to the existing formulation. This is an example of a(n)________ marketing research method.

Accepted Answer

The use of a blind taste test with a quantifiable preference statistic (54 percent) indicates that this is a quantitative marketing research method.

Question 6

Charlotte is concerned about a competitor's new line of compact dishwashers that provide most of the same features as her company's products. Charlotte might consider using ________ to gather qualitative information from consumers about the competitor's offerings.

Accepted Answer

Focus groups are a good method for gathering in-depth, qualitative information from consumers about a specific topic, such as a competitor's new product line. In a focus group, a small group of participants is brought together to discuss and provide their opinions, attitudes, and perceptions about the competitor's products. The feedback gathered from focus groups can be valuable in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the competitor's offerings and help inform Charlotte's company's marketing and product development strategies.

Question 7

In questionnaire design, a question such as "Do government mandates minimize toxic emissions from manufacturing facilities?"

Accepted Answer

The question is too complex and assumes that government mandates always result in minimizing toxic emissions, which may not always be the case. Respondents may not have enough knowledge or expertise to answer the question accurately.

Question 8

In questionnaire design, a question such as "How many minutes did you spend waiting in line at the grocery store last week?"

Accepted Answer

This question requires respondents to accurately recall and report a specific time duration, which can be difficult and prone to error. Additionally, respondents may have differing perceptions of what constitutes "waiting in line" and therefore may provide inconsistent or unreliable responses.

Question 9

In a focus group, researchers usually videotape or audiotape the session in order to

Accepted Answer

Videotaping or audiotaping the focus group allows researchers to review the responses and pick up on patterns of verbal and nonverbal cues that may indicate underlying opinions or feelings among participants. It can also help identify any group dynamics or conflicts that might be affecting responses.

Question 10

Elon had no idea how consumers would respond to a survey about attitudes toward a program opening up space travel to private citizens. He could use ________ to allow respondents to answer in their own words.

Accepted Answer

An unstructured questionnaire allows respondents to answer in their own words, providing Elon with valuable insights into their attitudes and opinions about the program opening up space travel to private citizens. This type of questionnaire is particularly useful when the researcher is unsure about how respondents feel or what they might say about a particular issue.

Question 11

What is one thing you should avoid when developing a marketing research questionnaire?

Accepted Answer

Sensitive questions should be asked towards the end of the questionnaire to build rapport and trust with the respondent before asking potentially uncomfortable questions.

Question 12

Kent wants to survey recent customers about the quality of service they received at his small cell phone repair shop. He has customers' mailing and e-mail addresses. Kent will likely use an online survey primarily because it offers

Accepted Answer

Online surveys offer fast responses at a lower cost, making them a great choice for small businesses with limited resources. Additionally, they can easily reach a large number of customers with provided mailing and e-mail addresses, and offer the ability to track responses in real time.

Question 13

________ research is a type of quantitative research that manipulates variables to help determine cause and effect.

Accepted Answer

Experimental research involves manipulating variables to observe their effect on the outcome. The goal is to determine a cause-and-effect relationship between the variables being studied. Descriptive research simply observes and describes a particular phenomenon, while syndicated research involves gathering data from a large and diverse group of participants. Focus groups involve a small group of participants discussing a topic, and are often used for qualitative research. Therefore, the best choice for manipulating variables to determine cause and effect is experimental research.

Question 14

How might a book publisher use blogs in its marketing research efforts?

Accepted Answer

Blogs can serve as a source of reviews and feedback on the publisher's latest releases, providing valuable insights into consumer opinions and preferences.

Question 15

Raphael hired a marketing research company to bring together a small group of consumers and get feedback on the three new advertising slogans for breakfast cereal his firm is considering. The marketing research firm would probably want to conduct a(n)________ to provide the information Raphael requested.

Accepted Answer

The marketing research firm would most likely want to conduct a focus group, which is a qualitative research method that involves bringing together a small group of people to discuss their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on a particular topic or product. In this case, the marketing research firm would bring together a small group of consumers to provide feedback on the new advertising slogans for breakfast cereal.

Question 16

Owen is the campaign manager for a congressional candidate. He wants to know how voters across his district feel about recent immigration decisions involving politicians. Owen will most likely use ________ to gather this type of data.

Accepted Answer

Surveys are the most effective way to gather data on voters' opinions and attitudes towards a particular issue. They allow for a large sample size, can be conducted quickly and efficiently, and can provide detailed information on specific demographics. Observation, experiments, voter registration data, and census data are not well-suited for measuring public opinion on a specific issue.

Question 17

McDonald's introduced a Favorites Under 400 Calorie Menu to reverse the perception that McDonald's sells only unhealthy food. Suppose that McDonald's, as a follow-up, collects and analyzes social media posts from Facebook, Twitter, and similar sites, hoping to understand if consumer perceptions are improving. This would be an example of

Accepted Answer

Social media analysis to understand consumer perceptions is an example of sentiment mining, which involves using technology to analyze attitudes and opinions expressed in social media posts. It is a form of qualitative research, as it focuses on understanding consumer perspectives rather than gathering numerical data.

Question 18

In questionnaire design, a question such as "Accounting is the best part of the business program, isn't it?"

Accepted Answer

This question is an example of a leading question, which implies a preferred or "correct" response. It may influence respondents to answer in a specific way, rather than giving their genuine opinion.

Question 19

In questionnaire design, a question such as "Do you like the diner's dessert selections and service?"

Accepted Answer

This question is an example of a double-barreled question because it asks about two different things (dessert selections and service) in one question, making it difficult for respondents to answer if their feelings about each aspect differ.

Question 20

Parul manages an upscale women's clothing store. She wants more information about customer response to the upcoming fall fashion line she has been advertising on her website. To gather initial reactions and opinions from about a dozen of her most frequent shoppers, Parul would want to use

Accepted Answer

Focus group interviews would provide Parul with in-depth opinions and reactions from her most frequent shoppers. This would allow her to gain insight into how her target demographic feels about the upcoming fall fashion line and make any necessary adjustments before the launch. Door-to-door surveys, syndicated data, sales invoices, and census data would not provide the same level of detailed feedback.

Quiz 10: Marketing Research