Marketing Research Exam 1 Review Ch. 1-7
With a known decision problem, a researcher's primary task is to develop a partial range of research problems.
False
When meeting with the client, to get as much information as possible about the problem/opportunity, how many times should you ask "why" the situation has occurred to dive deeper into possible causes?
Five
The type of exploratory research to use when a researcher hopes that ideas will drop "out of the blue" or be fully developed because of the "snowball" effect is
Focus groups
What is the primary advantage of a focus group over other exploratory techniques?
It features group interaction, allowing participants to hear and respond to others' ideas.
What is true about Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?
It is a system for gathering all relevant information about a company's customers.
Unlike the research request agreement, the research proposal specifies the techniques to be used in implementing research.
True
When meeting with the client, it is important to keep the broader issue in mind to keep from going down a very specific and possibly incorrect path.
True
How a firm responds to a new product introduced by a competitor is an example of which type of marketing problem/opportunity?
Unplanned change in the marketing environment
Which method of ethical reasoning holds that the correct course of action is the one that promotes the greatest good for the greatest number of people?
Utility approach
Which of the following are focus group outcomes to avoid?
a. Using focus group data to provide final answers to the problem b. Using focus group data to intentionally support a manager's position c. Letting executive bias influence the interpretation of focus group data d. All of the above are correct. <----
Which of the following is probably the best source of data for a marketer doing research on the U.S. labor force?
A federal government agency
At which stage can errors enter the marketing research process?
At any stage
"Sugging" is best described by which of the following statements?
Attempting to sell products or services after telling respondents you are conducting marketing research
Why does the research request agreement make the job of the researcher easier?
Because it makes certain that the client and the researcher agree about the research problem to be addressed.
The introduction of New Coke in the early 1980s is an example of a product introduction, backed by research, that had a disastrous result. Why did the marketing research process fail in the case of New Coke?
Because researchers asked all the wrong questions
Why is it important for the researcher to be actively involved in problem formulation?
Because researchers bring a new perspective to the problem/opportunity situation
Which broad approach to marketing research sheds light on a particular issue at a particular time?
Collecting data to address specific problems
The first stage of the marketing research process is Problem Determination. What is the best course of action if the phenomenon to be investigated is broad or vague?
Conduct exploratory research to clarify the issue.
Which component of a decision support system (DSS) has modules containing information about customers, general economic and demographic data, competitor information, and industry information such as market trends?
Data system
A manager's view of the problem or opportunity is known as the
Decision problem
Which systems approach makes the most sense for a manager in a dynamic marketing environment that needs data at irregular intervals?
Decision support system (DSS)
Which of the general approaches to marketing research focuses on describing a population?
Descriptive research
Which of the following examples represents a strategy-oriented decision problem for a restaurant owner?
Determining the effectiveness of two proposed advertising campaigns for the restaurant
All of the following represent examples of the causal research approach, except:
Determining the frequency with which something occurs within a population
The stage of marketing research in which error can enter the process is
Error can enter during any stage
"Normal thinking" can help managers or researchers understand the true nature of a problem.
False
Advertising agencies are most likely to do marketing research that estimates market needs for products and services.
False
Descriptive research is a less common means of gathering primary data.
False
Exploratory research is inappropriate for any problem about which little is known.
False
If an action is legal, then it is ethical.
False
Much of the data that marketing managers need to make routine decisions do not exist inside a company's databases.
False
The element of a DSS that clearly separates it from an MIS is its model system.
False
The primary function of focus groups is to validate a seller's beliefs about its own product.
False
The usefulness of a knowledge management system depends on the willingness of customers to share information.
False
Understanding the source of a problem rarely provides clues about the type of research that is needed.
False
Which statement about an exploratory study is true?
It is flexible regarding methods used for gaining insight.
Which of the following statements about marketing research is true?
It is the process of gathering and interpreting data for use in developing, implementing, and monitoring a firm's marketing plans.
Which of the following statements about primary data is true?
It is time-consuming to generate primary data.
Which of the following statements about the research proposal is true?
It specifies the techniques that will be used for implementing the research.
One of the quickest and least costly ways of conducting exploratory research is
Literature search
Which systems approach to providing managers with the information they need produces regular, standardized reports based on data held in a database?
Marketing information systems (MIS)
Managers who study and understand marketing research will know which of the following statements about the research process are NOT true?
Marketing research is inexpensive to an organization and can therefore be undertaken on trivial issues
Considering how managers use marketing research, which use applies to a manager who wishes to allocate resources in the best way to pursue business opportunities?
Marketing research used for planning
The first key step in problem formulation:
Meet with the client
Which component of a decision support system (DSS) has routines or tools for helping managers do things like make better marketing mix decisions and new product development decisions or assess alternative marketing plans?
Model system
What is the role in a focus group that is most critical to its success?
Moderator
Which of the following is NOT one of the requirements for entering the marketing research field?
Negotiation skills
Which exploratory research approach is best if you're concerned about minimizing the potential for "group think?"
Nominal groups
The two basic sources of change in the marketing environment are
Planned and unplanned
Which part of the research request agreement discusses the groups from whom the information must be gathered?
Population and subgroups
What source of secondary data might be useful for a company seeking to understand the type of people who use its products?
Product registration card data
What is the document that is typically used to describe the nature of the problem and ask research providers to offer proposals?
Request-for-proposal
Which type of research would an advertising agency most likely conduct?
Research designed to create effective campaigns and measure their effectiveness
When data that marketers need to make decisions already exist inside or outside the organization, it is known as
Secondary data
The section of a formal research proposal that discusses the editing and proofreading of questionnaires, coding instructions, and type of data analysis is
The analysis
Who has the most important role in a focus group?
The focus group moderator
The first thing that must occur for research to be properly designed:
The problem or opportunity must be precisely defined.
Which of the following is a potential disadvantage of using secondary data?
The quality of the data
Under which moral reasoning framework is it more difficult to judge an action as ethical?
The rights approach
Which of the following statements about the ethical reasoning frameworks is true?
These frameworks will not always lead to the same conclusion about the ethics of research.
Which of the following are key characteristics of exploratory studies?
They are typically small scale and flexible.
All of the following statements describe attributes of successful marketing researchers except which one?
They simply respond to explicit requests for information.
A request-for-proposal (RFP) is a document a manager would use for what research-related purpose?
To ask research providers for proposals and cost estimates for a research project.
Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes of exploratory research?
To determine a set of final answers and decisions to address the research problem
The most critical error in research work is
Total error
Because the time from data collection to data dissemination is often long, secondary data are often out of date.
True
Discovery-oriented research rarely solves a problem in the sense of providing actionable results.
True
Even the best marketing research projects contain error of one kind or another.
True
Exploratory studies are very flexible and rarely use detailed questionnaires.
True
If a company is going to consider and evaluate multiple research providers and select to work with, a request-for-proposal will often be issued to interested or qualified providers.
True
Managers should study marketing research so they can understand what they are asking of researchers when requesting marketing research.
True
One important measure of a focus group's success is whether the participants talk to each other rather than the moderator doing all the talking.
True
Problem formulation involves more art than science.
True
Projective methods help researchers overcome subjects' reluctance to discuss their feelings and/or provide truthful answers.
True
Secondary data make up most of the data held in data systems used in marketing research.
True
Successful marketing researchers tend to be reactive rather than proactive.
True
The ability to interact with the system to create customized information is the true value of a decision support system (DSS).
True
The basic function of marketing research is to gather information that is needed to help managers make better decisions.
True
The research request agreement helps ensure that the client and the researcher agree about the research problems to be addressed.
True
Trying to sell products after telling respondents you are conducting marketing research is an unethical approach known as "sugging."
True
What differentiates a decision problem from a research problem?
a. A research problem is a restatement of the decision problem, from the researcher's perspective. b. A research problem states specifically what research can be done to provide answers. c. A decision problem takes the manager's perspective. d. All of these statements are correct <---
Which of the following are not valid examples of marketing research?
a. A salesperson using research study results to help sell products b. A politician using polling data to plan campaign strategies c. A media company using research to better understand its audience so it can better sell advertising d. All of these are valid examples of marketing research <-----
A manager needing to investigate why market share for a product has slipped might use which of the following exploratory research approaches to identify a research problem?
a. Analysis of sales data in company databases b. A focus group with consumers c. A quick online survey of current product users d. All of these are appropriate exploratory research approaches in this example. <---
Which are the major categories of firms that conduct marketing research?
a. Companies that produce or sell products and services b. Advertising agencies c. Marketing research companies d. All of these are correct. <---
Knowledge management is an effort to collect and make accessible what kind of information an organization's people possess?
a. Customer information b. Product information c. Process information d. All of the above are correct. <---
Evidence that the research that collected secondary data was done properly involves understanding what details about the data collection process?
a. Definitions b. Data collection forms c. Method of sampling d. All of the above provide evidence that research was done properly. <---
Among the important reasons for studying marketing research are which of the following?
a. Marketing research can be rewarding and fun. b. To learn to be a smart consumer of marketing research results c. To gain an appreciation of the process, what it can and cannot do d. All of these are correct. <---
How can a company avoid the trap of researching the wrong problem?
a. Meet with the client to get as much information about the problem/opportunity. b. Delay research until the problem is properly defined. c. Conduct exploratory research to pin down the issues. d. All of the above are correct. <---
Which of the following statements are characteristics of depth interviews?
a. Participants are selected based their likely ability to provide useful information. b. It's important to include people with differing viewpoints and opinions. c. They don't require a random sample. d. All of these statements are characteristics of depth interviews. <---
Why is it important for business people, who are increasingly exposed to research results, to study marketing research?
a. So they won't take research results at face value b. So they will know how to ask the right questions about the research c. So they can determine the validity of the results d. All of the above <---
Which of the following is a limitation of the systems approach?
a. The cost and time required to build information systems b. Different managers have different data needs. c. Managers are limited to the data available in the system. d. All of these are limitations of the systems approach. <---
Which of the following are components of a decision support system (DSS)?
a. The data system b. The model system c. The dialog system d. All of these are components of a decision support system. <---
Marketing research should be avoided when
a. it is unethical. b. management bias cannot be overcome with valid research results. c. it wastes a company's resources. d. All of these statements about avoiding marketing research are true. <---
A well-stated decision problem
a. takes the manager's perspective. b. is as simple as possible. c. takes the form of a question. d. All of the above are correct. <---
Marketing research should be avoided when
a. the goal of the research is to support a particular position with pseudo-scientific results. b. attempting to sell products, services, or ideas under the guise of marketing research. c. when time, budget, or other resources are lacking to do the research properly. d. All of the above are correct. <----
The growth in the need for marketing research is creating demand for individuals who can
collect, analyze, and interpret information
Secondary data is typically more accurate when
it comes from the primary source that originated the data.
Researchers should be actively involved in problem formulation by
listening carefully as managers provide their perspective on the problem.
Data mining is an exploratory research technique that is defined as
searching for statistical patterns in datasets
A concern or pitfall about the use of focus groups for exploratory research is
that managers find it too easy to use focus group data to intentionally support their positions