Marketing Study Questions

Changes that affect the sensory appeal of a product by altering its taste, texture, sound, smell, or visual characteristics are called ____ modifications.

aesthetic

If Stonefield School Furniture Company provides standard primary school chairs in new colors to match the interiors of schools, this modification is most likely to be viewed as a(n) ____ modification.

aesthetic

Morgan is interested in upgrading to a new sofa for her apartment. Morgan looks online to see what new models her favorite sofa brand has available and can get information on the style and color; however, she can't actually sit on the sofa to determine its comfort level. Morgan is able to evaluate the ____ modifications to the sofa, but not the ____ modifications.

aesthetic; functional

As the production manager of an engineering firm, you went out and bought a metal-cutting machine. What you have purchased can best be classified as a

business product.

Products are classified as being business or consumer products according to the

buyer's intended use of the product.

What is the primary distinction between a line extension and a product modification?

With product modifications, the original product is replaced in the product line while both the old and the new products remain in the case of line extension.

Which of the following countries was the world's first service economy?

United States

Which of the following is not a service product?

A 100% service satisfaction guarantee

Which of the following is always used to determine the classification of a good?

Buyer's intent for using the product

Which of the following statements does not apply to convenience goods?

Consumers are brand loyal to convenience products and are not likely to substitute other brands.

Dannon Yogurt represents what type of product for most consumers?

Convenience

Energizer batteries would be classified as which type of product?

Convenience

Which of the following services falls closest to the middle of the tangibility continuum?

Dinner at the Olive Garden

Julianne is planning her upcoming wedding later this year. She has made a list of all the expenses that will be required for the wedding she has planned. Which of the following is not one of the service products associated with Julianne's wedding?

Flowers for the church

A(n) ____ is a concept, philosophy, or image

Idea

When marketers at Nabisco met with groups of young adults to identify the types of snacks that young people want, they were engaging in which phase of new-product development?

Idea generation

Hair stylists find it challenging to standardize their service because the customer must be involved in production (i.e., the haircut). This illustrates which of the following unique features of services?

Inseparability

Tojitos Mexican Restaurant purchased several large ovens for use in remodeling its kitchens. These ovens are an example of which type of business product?

Installations

Which of the following types of product modifications inevitably tend to cause firms to reduce costs in some of the organization?

Quality

A group of managers has been assigned the task of developing a new product. They are now in the process of assessing several ideas to determine whether they are consistent with the firm's overall objectives and resources. The managers are at what stage of the new-product development process?

Screening

What step in developing new products involves determining whether the product idea is compatible with company objectives, needs, and resources on a general level?

Screening

Gap clothing stores sell primarily what type of products?

Shopping

Products for which buyers are willing to spend much time comparing stores and brands for differences in prices, product features, and services are called ____ products.

Shopping

Shannon Hill needed to buy an airline ticket to visit her parents. She went to several websites to compare rates and chose a flight on Go Anywhere Airlines because, for a similar price to other airlines, it had a better reputation for service. For Shannon, this flight is an example of which type of product?

Shopping

Why are line extensions more common than new products?

They are less expensive and lower-risk.

What should marketers do to promote the consistency and reliability of their services most effectively?

Train employees and develop standard procedures for dealing with customers.

Which of the following best illustrates how a firm can use a symbol to make an intangible product more tangible?

Traveler's Insurance umbrella

A light bulb can be all of the following except

a consumer product if it is used to light the office of the board of directors.

In product modification, three conditions must be met to improve a firm's product mix: the product must be modifiable, customers must be able to perceive that a modification has been made, and

a modification should make the product more consistent with customers' desires.

Ryan is on his way to work when he realizes he has a flat tire. He swings into Sam's Club and has a new tire installed. Ryan's purchase of a new tire in this situation is considered to be

an unsought good

According to the text, a product is defined as

anything the customer receives in an exchange.

Business products are

classified according to their characteristics and intended uses.

The intangibility aspect of a service means that

consumers may have a problem evaluating service offerings.

In general, differences between goods and services are determined by the

degree of tangibility.

Quality modifications are changes that relate to a product's

dependability and durability.

All of the following are major steps in developing new products except

evaluation of competitors' efforts.

Changes that affect a product's versatility, effectiveness, convenience, or safety are called ____ modifications.

functional

When Conair adds an electrical component that automatically shuts off its curling irons when they have been left on for more than one hour, this improvement would best be classified as a(n)

functional modification.

Because of a service's ____, standardization and quality are difficult to control.

heterogeneity

H&R Block, a major tax preparation firm, reported having a problem with its employees being inconsistent in the filing of returns. The firm is experiencing a problem with which of the following characteristics of the service offering?

heterogeneity

Maria asks Glenda what housecleaning service she would recommend in Oakview. Glenda responds that Pristine Cleaning is great if you can be assured that Janice will be the person assigned to your house. Glenda's recommendation addresses which of the following service features?

heterogeneity

Saresh owns the Change-ezz, a salon specializing in the unique hair needs of minority populations. Recently, Saresh has been trying to improve the quality of service received by his customers. However, he has experienced difficulty in finding ways to standardize and control the salon's quality of service. Saresh's problem illustrates which of the following unique features of service?

heterogeneity

Services delivered through machinery such as computer kiosks, ATMs, and vending machines can reduce the ____ that comes from increased contact with human employees.

heterogeneity

The fact that the first massage Gretchen gives each day is better than the last massage demonstrates the ____ of services.

heterogeneity

Services have six basic characteristics: intangibility, inseparability of production and consumption, perishability, client-based relationships, customer contact, and

heterogeneity.

The more ____ involved with delivering a service, the greater the degree of heterogeneity.

human labor

A genuinely new product, like the iPhone once was, offers

innovative benefits to consumers.

Personal trainers cannot complete their work without their clients present because of the ____ feature of services.

inseparability

Facilities, factories, and production lines with very large equipment are all classified as

installations.

If the manufacturer of Cool Whip were to introduce a chocolate-flavored Cool Whip and still continue to produce all of its other Cool Whip products, this would be an example of

line extension.

____ is the development of a product that is closely related to one or more products in a firm's existing product line but is designed specifically to meet somewhat different customer needs.

line extension.

Coca-Cola has expanded to Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, and Caffeine-free Coke, to name a few. These are examples of

line extensions.

Shopping products have a ____ inventory turnover and need ____ distribution outlets than convenience goods.

lower; fewer

Service industries account for ____ of the gross domestic product of most developed nations.

nearly three-quarters

Rick is a new product manager for a large biochemical firm. He is currently working on a proposal for a new chemical solvent and knows that introducing the new product can be risky because it might fail. He also knows that ___ is risky as well.

not introducing new products

According to your text, one perspective from which to view services is as a ____ targeted at a(n) ____.

performance; audience

The fact the services cannot be inventoried and then sold at a later date is called

perishability.

Marketers begin to make decisions about labeling, packaging, branding, pricing, and promotion during

product development.

Because practically all marketers provide some services, ____ typically do not exist in today's business environment.

pure goods

Bauman Flooring found a supplier of very inexpensive fibers that could be used to produce low-grade carpeting at a very low cost. Because Bauman had been facing stiff competition in the medium-grade carpet industry, it started using the new material in all of its carpeting and reducing its prices. This is an example of a(n)

quality modification.

A complex product development process, including an extensive business analysis to determine the possibility of success, are hallmarks of a

radically new product.

Functional modifications usually require that the product be

redesigned.

Convenience products are

relatively inexpensive, frequently purchased items for which buyers exert only minimal purchasing effort.

A specialty product

requires purchase planning, and the buyer will not accept substitutes.

The continuum of tangibility goes from ____ on one end to ____ on the other end.

service-dominant products; good-dominant products

All of the following are elements of the inseparability characteristic of services except that

services are easy to standardize and control.

As Beth and Rob search for a new home, they are interested only in houses built by a particular builder. This purchase is characteristic of a(n) ____ product.

specialty

David Wilson is an avid collector of Major League Baseball memorabilia. He greatly desires to own the "special" bat that got the slugger Sammy Sosa a seven-game suspension due to its illegal contents. This is an example of a(n) ____ product.

specialty

The Carsons are going on a vacation back to Texas. When they lived there, Gwen Carson loved Blue Bell Cookies. Blue Bell is sold only in Texas. She plans to buy two boxes at the first store she visits after they arrive. For Gwen, Blue Bell represents a(n) ____ product.

specialty

Lashawna is a concert promoter who works for singer Kanye West. She works very hard to make sure most of Kanye's concerts are sold out because she understands the concept of perishability, which means

that if the tickets are not sold, seats will remain empty and they can never be sold to anyone again.

The major drawback to using aesthetic modifications is

that the value of the modification is determined subjectively.

Services are usually provided through ____ directed at people or objects.

the application of human or mechanical efforts

In product modification, the first issue to consider is whether

the product is modifiable.

Nick Arnold's Auto Towing Service would best be described as a(n) ____ product.

unsought

Jose went skiing one weekend with several of his friends. While at the slope, Jose injured his leg and needed to see a doctor. Jose is likely going to view solutions to his problem as

unsought products.