Business Research Methods - Exam 1

Which of the following is an important aspect of the marketing concept?

A cross-functional perspective for the coordination of the organization's activities. An emphasis on long-term profitability instead of dollar sales volume A consumer orientation

True

An organization's salesforce frequently provides important marketing intelligence information.

Which of the following is an important step in developing a marketing strategy?

Analyzing marketing performance Evaluating opportunities for new product launches Selecting target markets

4. What is the difference between applied and basic research?

Basic or pure research attempts to expand the limits of knowledge. It is of a theoretical nature because it does not attempt to solve a particular business problem as applied research does. Both basic and applied research methods utilize the scientific method and the same methodologies.

The systematic and objective process of generating information to improve marketing decisions is the essence of:

Business research.

True

Computer databases provide an efficient way to find published information.

When consumers in a focus group session are presented with a written description of a possible new product and are asked what they would be willing to pay for such a product, this is an example of which of the following?

Concept test

True

Data obtained from bar-code readings by optical scanners in supermarkets about product and price information is referred to as scanner data.

Which of the following is a useful tool for sharing information?

Decision support systems The Internet A company newsletter

True

Descriptive research can be a useful way to segment target markets.

False

Descriptive studies provide causal evidence.

Which of the following is an important aspect of the business research process?

Designing a method for data collection Determining what information is needed to make a decision Analyzing the results of a research study

True

Exploratory research is typically conducted at the early stages of decision-making.

True

The most common forms of performance-monitoring research are an analysis of sales performance and an analysis of market-share performance.

True

The obligation on the part of the researcher to protect the identify of an individual research respondent is a matter of confidentiality.

True

The primary task of marketing managers is to make effective decisions.

False

The purpose of exploratory research is to provide conclusive evidence for a particular marketing action.

True

The term "research" means "to search again."

True

The value of marketing research efforts will depend on whether the decision that needs to be made is tactical or strategic.

When a marketing manager decides not to do research because a decision needs to be made before the results of the study can be analyzed, this is an example of which aspect of the research process?

Time constraints

Which of the following is an important characteristic that is used to evaluate the value of information?

Timeliness Relevance Completeness

A research hypothesis is a "guess" about the outcome of a research study.

True

A summary of published articles about theories and past studies about a topic area is called a literature review.

True

Survey research is conducted as part of a descriptive research study.

True

The objectives of a research study suggest the type of research design that should be used to conduct the study.

True

The purpose of exploratory research is to refine and narrow the scope of the research topic.

True

A Web site address that Web browsers recognize is called a(n):

URL.

An organization's mailing list of current customers is an example of:

a database.

www.yahoo.com is a good example of:

a search engine.

In theory development, the level of knowledge expressing a concept that exists only as an idea or a quality apart from an object is the ____________________ level.

abstract

A research study that attempts to show that "Xerox" is not a generic brand name but should be used only by Xerox Corporation is an example of:

advocacy research.

A profile of the "typical customer" for a company's product line is an example of:

an internal record.

Organizations conducting research in order to make a decision about a real situation faced in the marketplace are conducting ____________________ research.

applied

When an organization conducts research in order to make a decision about a real situation it faces in the marketplace, this is an example of ____________________ research.

applied

Research that attempts to verify a theory but which is not intended to solve any specific business problem is known as ____________________ research.

basic

False

Input data can come from internal sources of the organization, but not from external sources.

True

Marketing research attempts to provide accurate information in order to reduce uncertainty in decision-making.

Which of the following can be included in a World Wide Web document?

Sound clips Video clips Graphic images

Which of the following is an example of behavioral tracking in marketing inputs needed for decision support systems?

Supermarket scanner data

True

Survey research is conducted as part of a descriptive research study.

The results of a test market study by an organization is a good example of:

proprietary marketing research.

When an organization conducts a marketing research study to identify the characteristics of its customers, this is an example of:

proprietary marketing research.

All of the following are primary purposes of exploratory research EXCEPT:

providing conclusive evidence.

Information that is accurate, valid, and reliable is said to be of high ____________________.

quality

The systematic and objective procedures that are used to study marketing problems are known as the ____________________ method

scientific method

The way researchers go about using knowledge and evidence to reach objective conclusions about the real world is known as the ____________________.

scientific method

When a focus group discussion is used to try to reduce the number of alternative new product ideas, it has the purpose of:

screening alternatives.

A preliminary study of background information that led up to the current situation is called a ____________________.

situation analysis

A formal, logical explanation of some events that includes predictions of how things relate to one another is known as a(n) ____________________.

theory

Information that is provided when a manager needs it to make an important decision is said to be ____________________.

timely

Information that is provided when a marketing manager needs it to make an important decision is said to be ____________________.

timely

It is not considered to be an invasion of an employee's privacy to use mystery shoppers in department stores.

true

When one of McDonald's employees is paid to pretend to be a customer in one of its restaurants, this is an example of the use of a mystery shopper.

true

Lance is studying consumers to determine how they decide to use credit in purchase situations. In this case, consumers are the ____________________.

unit of analysis

Research that tries to verify a theory or to learn more about a marketing concept but which is not intended to solve a particular marketing problem is the essence of:

basic research.

The two types of business research based on the specificity of its purpose are called ____________________ and ____________________.

basic, applied

The application of the scientific method in searching for truth about business phenomena is known as ____________________.

business research

Research that is conducted to identify cause-and-effect relationships between variables is called ____________________ research.

casual

When a manager has sufficient information to make a good decision, the information is said to be ____________________.

complete

When a marketing manager has sufficient information to make a good decision, the information is said to be ____________________.

complete

____________________ are the building blocks of theory.

concepts

When two events occur at the same time, we say that they have ____________________ variation.

concomitant

When a researcher disguises the purpose of the research, this is known as:

deception.

A ____________________ is a written expression of the key question(s) that a research user wishes to answer.

decision statement

A computer-based system that helps managers to solve problems through interaction with databases is known as a ____________________.

decision support system

A research design that is intended to describe important characteristics of a population (e.g. age, gender, income) is called ____________________ research.

descriptive

The initial stages of a research study that are intended to clarify the nature of the research problem are called ____________________ research.

exploratory

The last stage of the business research process is ____________________.

formulating the conclusions and preparing the report

In information technology, ____________________ is data formatted (structured) to support decision-making or define the relationship between two facts.

information

In information technology, facts that have been arranged in a format that can support decision-making are called ____________________.

information

An accounting report of unit sales by product line is a good example of:

internal records.

An organization's inventory figures are a good example of:

internal records.

The organization of concepts in sequence from the most concrete and individual to the most general is called the ____________________.

ladder of abstraction

A concept that is not directly observable or measurable, but can be estimated through a proxy measure is known as a(n) ____________________ construct.

latent

The two purpose of theory are understanding and ____________________.

predicting

____________________ is an interview technique that tries to draw deeper and more elaborate explanations from a discussion with a decision maker.

probing

"What is to be measured in this research study?" is a fundamental question to ask at the ____________________ stage of a research design.

problem definition

A decision support system that gathers information about customers such as sales history and customer preferences is known as a(n) ____________________ system.

customer-relationship management (CRM)

In information terminology, facts are called ____________________.

data