Marketing Research, Troy University, Exam 2

focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

Some studies are conducted to "prove" some position or to:

Advance the special interest of those conducting the study.

The ________ may represent the most significant change in the availability of secondary data to be used for marketing research purposes in several decades.

American Community Survey

A baked goods company asked focus group participants to first privately taste and rate the flavor of the pastry on a number of characteristics and then

Conducting quantitative and qualitative research simultaneously.

________ is an example of internal secondary data.

Corporate sales data

A major retailer uses shoppers to observe and record sales clerks' assistance, courtesy, and efficiency. This is an example of what type of observational research?

Covert observational research

It is important to consider who collected data that a company may use. An emerging trend is the:

Crowdsourcing of data.

Which of the following is NOT an example of secondary data?

Data from a custom survey

Problems exist with secondary data because:

Data have not been collected specifically to address the problem at hand but have been collected for some other purpose.

Researchers need to use multiple methods of evaluating secondary data. Which one of the following is NOT a method of evaluating secondary data?

Evaluate the availability of the data

Which type of qualitative method seeks unrestricted comments or opinions and asks questions that will help the marketing researcher better understand the various dimensions of these opinions as well as the reasons for them?

In-depth interviews

When a sales manager examines records of sales calls to determine how frequently salespeople make cold calls, he or she is using what type of observational research?

Indirect

________ measures are rating scales for subjective properties where, for adjacent levels, the distance is normally defined as one scale unit.

Interval scale

Which of the following is NOT one of the four general ways of organizing observations?

Mandatory versus voluntary

The Arizona Republic newspaper has used online focus groups for brainstorming, and the outcomes of these sessions are then used to devise online surveys. This is an example of:

Mixed methods research.

Race, religion, type of dwelling, gender, brand last purchased, and buyer/nonbuyer are examples of:

Nominal measures.

Techniques in which phenomena of interest involving people, objects, and/or activities are systematically observed and documented is:

Observational research.

If the respondent is asked to indicate his or her first, second, third, and fourth choices of hotels, the results are:

Ordinally scaled.

Covert observation

Participants do not know they are being observed

Overt observation

Participants know they are being observed

A picture or thematic apperception test involves providing a picture to participants, who are instructed to describe their reactions by writing a short story about the picture. This is used as part of what type of qualitative technique?

Projective technique

With a sentence-completion test, respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to complete them in their own words. This is used as part of what type of qualitative technique?

Projective techniques

_______ involve situations in which participants are placed in simulated activities in the hopes that they will divulge things about themselves that they might not reveal under direct questioning.

Projective techniques

What type of qualitative method involves placing a person in a decision-making situation and asks him or her to verbalize everything he or she considers when making a decision?

Protocol analysis

________ are sources of information that are prepared for public distribution and are normally found in libraries and online.

Published sources

When Procter & Gamble is interested in improving its Ultra Tide laundry detergent, it may invite a group of age 30- to 45-year-old women to brainstorm how Ultra Tide could perform better or how its packaging could be improved or to discuss other features of the detergent. What type of research method are they using?

Qualitative research

Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do and say is:

Qualitative research.

Research involving the administration of a set of structured questions with predetermined response options to a large number of respondents is:

Quantitative research.

An actual number of purchases in a certain time period, dollars spent, miles traveled, number of children in the household, or years of college education are examples of:

Ratio scale.

What objective would a company have by using a focus group to refresh the marketing team's understanding of what customers really feel or think about a product or service?

Reveal consumer needs, motives, perceptions, and attitudes

Which of the following is NOT an example of external secondary data?

Salesforce.com sales data

There are several distinct advantages of using secondary data. Which is NOT an advantage?

Secondary data may be obtained in any form desired.

Data referring to information that is developed or gathered by the researcher specifically for the research project at hand is called:

Secondary data.

Data that have been gathered by another source other than the researcher or for some other purpose than the research project is:

Secondary data.

Packaged information is a special form of:

Secondary data.

The general manager of a jewelry store would like to allocate radio ad dollars to the three markets in which the store has locations. The manager's review of secondary data shows that retail sales of jewelry are available by radio market area. Allotting the radio budget based on the percentage of sales in a given market would be an excellent way to:

Solve the manager's problem and satisfy the research objective.

There are some disadvantages associated with secondary data. Which of the following is NOT listed in the text as a disadvantage?

Source and origin of data are not identified.

Midas improved its service quality by having customers make videos of themselves as they made car service appointments. This is an example of using in situ observation.

TRUE

Structured versus unstructured observation refers to the degree to which the phenomena to be observed are predetermined

TRUE

The advantage of seeing what consumers actually do instead of relying on their self-report of what they think they do is a characteristic of observational research.

TRUE

The majority of marketing researchers have adopted mixed methods research, also known as pluralistic or hybrid research.

TRUE

Types of indirect observations include archives and physical traces.

TRUE

Most reputable organizations that provide secondary data also provide detailed information on which of the following?

Their data collection methods

Using a focus group to stay abreast of the words and phrases consumers use when describing products to improve communications about those products or services achieves what objective?

Understand consumer vocabulary

If ________ is at hand, research that is representative of some population and that has some known margin of error (quantitative research) should be used.

a high-stakes decision

in-depth interview

an exploratory research technique in which trained researchers ask questions, listen to and record the answers, and then pose additional questions to clarify or expand on a particular issue

Researchers must carefully ________ of secondary data in deciding whether to use it as a basis for making decisions.

assess the quality and validity

The umbrella term ________ is information that is available from more sources than ever before-from government statistics to sensor data to tracking studies.

big data

mixed method research

combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to gain the advantages of both

Ethnographic research, an approach borrowed from anthropology, is defined as a detailed, ________ of a group and its behavior, characteristics, and culture.

descriptive study

General Mills used ________ to understand how children eat breakfast, leading to the launch of Go-Gurt, a midmorning snack for schoolchildren.

direct observational research

When the research objective is to ________, focus groups may be an alternative.

explore or describe rather than predict

online focus groups

gathering a small group of people online with a trained moderator to chat about a product, service, or organization and gain qualitative insights about consumer attitudes and behavior

A qualitative technique that involves ________ examines consumer motivations and hidden concerns.

in-depth interviews (IDIs)

When a researcher is attempting to measure attitudes, opinions, evaluations, beliefs, impressions, perceptions, feelings, and intentions on a continuum, the researcher is using a type of:

interval scale.

Qualitative Research

involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do and say

direct observation

observing behavior as it occurs

indirect observation

observing the effects or results of the behavior rather than the behavior itself

Invented Observation

occurs when the researcher creates the situation

unstructured observation

places no restriction on what the observer notes

Neuromarketing is an emerging field that may offer additional ________ into consumer behavior.

qualitative insights

Any study that is conducted using an observational technique or unstructured questioning can be classified as ________, which is becoming increasingly popular in a number of research situations.

qualitative research

The purpose of ________ research is specific and is used when the manager and researcher have agreed on the precise information that is needed.

quantitative

Quantitative Research

research involving the administration of a set of structured questions with predetermined response options to a large number of respondents

structured observation

researcher identifies beforehand which behaviors are to be observed and recorded

Suggested applications for ________ include forecasting economic trends analyzing the competition, choosing international markets to enter, understanding consumer concerns during a crisis situation, and many others.

secondary data

archives

secondary sources, such as historical records, that can be applied to the present problem

Given the large amounts of data available, researchers need to be ________ about their use.

strategic

physical traces

tangible evidence of some past event

observation methods

techniques in which phenomena of interest involving people, objects, and/or activities are systematically observed and documented

in situ observation

the researcher observes the behavior exactly as it happens in a natural environment

You can investigate all the free data that are collected by U.S. government agencies and now are available by law due to the U.S. Open Data Policy. The website location is:

www.data.gov.