Question 1

Which of the following would require the use of exploratory research?

Accepted Answer

Exploratory research is conducted to clarify the research problem and gather preliminary information when little is known about the problem area.

Answer: D 
 Exploratory research is used to determine how customers use a product when there is no existing data available.

Answer: E 
 Exploratory research is used to discover differences across demographic characteristics when there is no existing data available.

Therefore, the best choices are C, D, and E.

Question 2

The marketing managers of Brand Z Shoes has a clearly defined their research problem as "If we increase our promotions expenditures by what percent will it increase sales?" They have also decided that they need primary data to answer this question; _______ research would be the best approach to collecting this primary data.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative research is the best approach to collecting primary data when the research problem involves determining the extent and magnitude of a relationship between two or more variables. In this case, the research problem involves determining the percentage increase in sales resulting from an increase in promotional expenditures, which is a quantitative relationship.

Question 3

Since they were unsure of why sales were declining,marketing managers of Brand K Watches decided that exploratory research was needed,but because their situation was unique they also decided that primary data was necessary.The best approach is to use ____________ research because it is less structured and may generate unanticipated insights into the research problem.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is less structured and allows for a more open-ended exploration of the research problem. This makes it a good choice for exploratory research when the marketers are seeking unanticipated insights. Quantitative research, on the other hand, is more structured and is better suited for generating specific numerical data. Survey research is a type of quantitative research that involves collecting data from a large number of respondents through questionnaires or interviews. Numerological research is not a recognized research method, and behavioral research focuses on studying human behavior and would not necessarily be the best choice for this situation.

Question 4

The marketing manager of Low Cost Retailer wants to gather descriptive research about what customers buy,when they purchase,and how often they purchase certain products.To gather this information he implements a frequent shopper program to track the purchases of participating customers.He is collecting ________ data to answer his research problems.

Accepted Answer

The marketing manager is implementing a frequent shopper program to track customers' purchases, which is an example of behavioral data. This type of data provides information on what customers buy, when they purchase, and how often they purchase certain products, which aligns with the research problems the manager is seeking to answer. Survey, qualitative, and interview data may provide additional insights but are not directly related to this research objective. Observational data involves directly observing behavior without any manipulation or intervention, which is not the case here.

Question 5

XYZ Marketing Research is testing how customers react to a proposed advertising campaign for Go Fast Sports Cars.They have consumers sit in an MRI machine and monitor which areas of the brain are activated as the participants watch a series of commercials and print ads.They are using _______ to collect the data needed to solve the research problem.

Accepted Answer

The use of an MRI machine involves mechanical devices to collect data on brain activation.

Question 6

Questions such as "How big is a potential target market?" "How do we reach this potential target market?" and "How will this potential target market react to our product?" each represent ________ that must be prioritized.

Accepted Answer

These questions represent research problems that must be addressed in order to accurately assess the potential target market for a product or service. Prioritizing research problems helps to guide the development of effective marketing strategies.

Question 7

When Mom-And-Pop's Bakery decided to conduct research about its current and potential customers,they decided to examine the demographic information for the surrounding zip codes.The best kind of data for this research project would be _______ data.

Accepted Answer

Secondary data refers to data that already exists and has been collected by someone else, such as demographic information for zip codes. It would be the most suitable choice for Mom-And-Pop's Bakery to examine this existing data before conducting primary research on their own. In this case, conducting a survey or experiments would be more expensive and time-consuming for the bakery. Internet data may not be relevant or reliable, depending on the source.

Question 8

The marketing manager of Kim's Cleaners is concerned about the choice of advertising media in the local area.She is not sure if advertising placed in the local newspaper is reaching the target market.A research project is launched to determine the relationship between newspaper readership and use of maid service._________ research will result in the most appropriate data for this project.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The marketing manager of Kim's Cleaners is...

Question 9

JJ.Sanchez is the marketing manager for Really Big Corporation and she is facing the marketing research problem of declining sales among her target market.She is unclear as to why the sales are dropping and wants a better understanding of what she should be looking for to solve this problem.The best type of research to perform at this time would be _________.

Accepted Answer

Exploratory research is designed to gather preliminary information and identify the specific problem or issue that needs further investigation. This is the best type of research for JJ.Sanchez as she is unclear about the cause of declining sales and needs to identify the problem before moving on to more specific types of research. Causal and descriptive research are more specific types of research that come after exploratory research. Random and academic research are not relevant to the problem at hand.

Question 10

Burger Bistro recently experienced a decline in hamburger sales after salmonella was discovered during a health inspection at one of the restaurants.The marketing manager was interested in finding out how other restaurants had dealt with similar situations.____________ data would be the most appropriate way to find answers related to this marketing problem.

Accepted Answer

Secondary data, which is data that has been collected previously by someone else, would be the most appropriate way to find answers related to this marketing problem. In this case, the marketing manager could look at industry reports, case studies, and research studies to see how other restaurants have dealt with declines in sales due to health concerns. Governmental data (B) would provide information about health inspections but would not necessarily provide insights into how other restaurants have responded. Experimental data (C) involves conducting a controlled study, which would not be practical or ethical in this situation. Primary data (D) involves collecting data specifically for the purpose of answering a research question, which would be costly and time-consuming. Observational data (E) involves observing individuals or events, which would not be useful for answering this research question.

Question 11

Brand Electronics' marketing manager would like to know about the typical consumer that purchases handheld computers.He begins by searching online and in databases for this information,but soon discovers that a product is too new for the sources to be of help.In this instance he will need ________ data in order to solve his research problem.

Accepted Answer

Primary data is data collected directly from research conducted by the marketer. Since the product is too new, there may not be existing sources of data available, and therefore the marketer would need to conduct their own research to gather data on the typical consumer that purchases handheld computers.

Question 12

The sole proprietor of Sam's Swings is interested in gaining a better understanding of his current customers in terms of certain demographic and lifestyle characteristics so he may better serve their needs.He decides that conducting ______ research will give him the information he needs.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive research is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon. In this case, the sole proprietor wants to understand the demographic and lifestyle characteristics of his current customers. Therefore, conducting descriptive research will help him achieve his goal.

Question 13

The manager of Gina's Groceries wanted to see how customers would react to some new displays.To collect this information,she posted employees where they could see the display and had them record how long customers looked at it,whether they picked up the item,and if they took the item with them.She is collecting _______ data to solve her research problem.

Accepted Answer

The manager is collecting observational data as she is observing and recording customer behavior in response to the new displays.

Question 14

You are product manager for Brand X diapers,a national brand.Brand X has been declining in absolute level of sales for the last four consecutive months.You ask the marketing research department to do a study to determine why sales have declined.The most appropriate research type would be _________.

Accepted Answer

An exploratory study would be the most appropriate research type as it is used to gather preliminary information to help identify the problem or opportunity and generate hypotheses. In this case, the declining sales are the problem, and an exploratory study would help to identify the underlying causes for the decline. Once these causes are identified, further research can be done to confirm these hypotheses through more specific research methods such as causal studies.

Question 15

Shabreka Lopez,marketing manager for Yaard-Vark Lawn Tractors,is interested in the relationship between the prices of lawn tractors and the level of sales.To test whether increasing prices will lead to a change in sales and how much of a change,she should use ________ research.

Accepted Answer

Causal research is used to determine cause-and-effect relationships, which is what Shabreka is trying to determine in this case. She wants to know if increasing prices will cause a change in sales, and by how much. Descriptive and exploratory research, on the other hand, are more focused on describing or exploring a particular topic or phenomenon. Random research is not a type of research methodology, and academic research is more focused on scholarly pursuits than practical applications like market research.

Question 16

The marketing manager for Joe's Shoe-Mart has decided to conduct descriptive research and knows that she needs primary data.Based on some preliminary research of trade journals and interviews with customers she knows what questions she wants to ask.However,the customers she wants information from,are spread out over many stores in several states.The best technique for her to collect this data would be _______.

Accepted Answer

Surveys would be the best technique to collect data from a wide range of customers across different stores and states. It would allow the marketing manager to ask the specific questions she has prepared and gather primary data. Interviews and focus groups may not be feasible due to the dispersed locations of customers, and observation and experiments may not provide the specific data needed for descriptive research.

Question 17

Vegan Videos has decided to conduct exploratory research to clarify its marketing related research problem.They have decided that they need to collect primary data,but they only have one week to collect this qualitative data from 10 customers and they only have 1 researcher.They should use a(n)__________ technique to collect the data in order to meet their deadline.

Accepted Answer

A focus group would be best in this situation as it allows for the researcher to gather qualitative data from multiple participants at once, which would be more efficient than conducting 10 separate in-depth interviews. Additionally, the use of a focus group would allow for participants to build on each other's comments and provide deeper insights into the marketing research problem.

Question 18

The marketing managers of Sean's Smoothies need to conduct some exploratory research to help them develop a survey for some descriptive research in the future.The best data collection technique for this research would be ________ because the firm has time and is worried that talking to multiple customers simultaneously may taint the results.

Accepted Answer

In-depth interviews are the most appropriate data collection technique for exploratory research because they allow for open-ended questioning and detailed responses without the potential bias of group influence. Additionally, since Sean's Smoothies has time to conduct this type of research, in-depth interviews are a practical option.

Question 19

Juan Martinez,a researcher for ABC Research group,is working on crafting a survey for a client.He is concentrating on framing the questions,selecting response choices,refining the wording and determining how many questions to ask.He is focusing on the _________ activity of the research design process.

Accepted Answer

Juan is focusing on the "Information Content" activity, which involves crafting the survey questions, selecting response choices, and refining the wording.

Question 20

You are creating a survey for your company.The question you are currently working on asks your business-to-business customers to describe the ideal purchasing transaction.You are utilizing a(n)__________ question to collect the desired information.

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions encourage respondents to be expressive and offer the opportunity to provide more detailed, qualitative responses. As a result, these kinds of questions are often used in exploratory research.

Quiz 4: Managing Marketing Information