Marketing Research Final Exam MSU

True or False? In marketing research, means should be displayed with no decimals past the decimal point.

False

True or False? In order to determine the mode of a set of responses, one has to find the number with the lowest frequency.

False

What are the objectives of marketing research reports?

- Communicate the findings of the marketing research project. - To provide interpretations of those findings using sound and logical recommendations. - Establish the credibility of the research project. - To serve as a future reference document for strategic or tactical decisions.

What terms are the research population typically defined in?

- Geographic area, - Demographic characteristics - Product or service usage characteristics - Awareness measures

What are some problems preparing for a marketing research report?

- Lack of data interpretation. - Unnecessary use of complex statistics. - Emphasis on packaging instead of quality. - Lack of relevance. - Placing too much emphasis on a few statistics.

What three level of readers are reports written to reflect?

- Readers who will read only the executive summary. - Readers who will read the executive summary and look at the body of findings more closely. - Readers with some technical expertise, who may read the entire report and look to the appendix for more detailed information

What are some disadvantages of judgement and quota sampling?

- The success of the study is dependent on subjective decisions made by researchers. - Because representativeness cannot be measured, generalizing the results beyond the sampled respondents is questionable

What are the steps of sampling?

1. Define population 2. Choose sampling elements/frame 3. Select sampling procedure/method 4. Compute sample size 5. Collect data

When to use ANOVA? A. Comparing means of two groups B. Comparing means of more than two groups C. Comparing the mean of a sample to a specific value D. Detecting relationships among variables

A. Comparing means of two groups

Zara participated in a telephone survey. A day later, she received a call. She was asked if the interviewer sounded negative during the survey. Which of the following areas covered by data validation is illustrated in this scenario? A. Courtesy B. Fraud C. Completeness D. Procedure

A. Courtesy

Which of the following is the first step in the data preparation process? A. Data validation B. Data editing C. Data entry D. Data coding

A. Data validation

Which of the following is true of the mean? A. It can be distorted if extreme values are included in the distribution. B. It is the distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses. C. It is greatly affected by the addition and deletion of data. D. It is a qualitative measure.

A. It can be distorted if extreme values are included in the distribution.

Which of the following is true of the range? A. It identifies the endpoints of a distribution of values. B. It reveals information about the center of a distribution of values. C. It describes the average distance of the distribution values from the mean. D. It is a very robust measure of central tendency.

A. It identifies the endpoints of a distribution of values.

Which of the following is true about n-way analysis of variance (n-way ANOVA)? A. It is a type of ANOVA that can analyze several independent variables at the same time. B. It is mathematically less complex than one-way ANOVA. C. The use of multiple independent factors in n-way ANOVA reduces the possibility of an interaction effect. D. It cannot analyze more than one independent variable at a particular time.

A. It is a type of ANOVA that can analyze several independent variables at the same time.

Which of the following statements is true of the range? A. It is the distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses. B. It is a measure of central tendency. C. It describes the average distance of distribution values from the mean. D. It is the average squared deviation about the mean of a distribution of values.

A. It is the distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses.

When a market researcher has reported data, statistics, and information that are not consistent with a study's objectives, which of the following problem areas has the researcher fallen victim to? A. Lack of relevance B. Lack of data interpretation C. Lack of generalizability D. Unnecessary use of multivariate statistics

A. Lack of relevance

Which of the following measures is an indicator of how similar or dissimilar the numbers are in a set of responses? A. Standard deviation B. Average C. Median D. Mean

A. Standard deviation

The process where raw data are checked for mistakes made by either the interviewer or the respondent is known as ________. A. editing B. data validation C. screening D. coding

A. editing

In the context of data preparation for quantitative analysis, the data entry procedure is not necessary when A. online data collection is used. B. open-ended questions are used. C. data validation is done. D. omissions are coded.

A. online data collection is used.

Researchers use analysis of variance to determine the A. statistical difference between three or more means. B. average value within a distribution. C. value that appears in a distribution most often. D. distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses.

A. statistical difference between three or more means.

Which of the following is an example of curbstoning? A. An interviewer contacting respondents by phone and then recording their observations B. An interviewer filling out surveys without interviewing respondents C. An interviewer interviewing respondents and recording their observations D. Respondents improperly filling out the questionnaire

B. An interviewer filling out surveys without interviewing respondents

Which of the following is true of data editing? A. Editing involves checking data for mistakes made by the interviewer but not by the respondent. B. As part of the editing process, the researcher ensures that all respondents were asked the proper questions. C. Before being validated, data must be edited for mistakes. D. In order to speed through the data collection process, an interviewer may edit the data collection process.

B. As part of the editing process, the researcher ensures that all respondents were asked the proper questions.

Which of the following statements about the Chi-square test is true? A. The expected frequencies in Chi-square cannot be calculated theoretically. B. Chi-square analysis compares the observed frequencies of responses with the expected frequencies. C. When the differences between observed and expected frequencies are large, one must accept the null hypothesis. D. Categorical data from questions about sex, education, or other nominal variables cannot be tested with this statistic.

B. Chi-square analysis compares the observed frequencies of responses with the expected frequencies.

In the context of the components of a marketing research report, how are conclusions different from recommendations? A. Recommendations are internally generated, while conclusions are externally generated. B. Conclusions concisely explain research findings and the meaning that can be attached to the findings, whereas recommendations address appropriate future actions. C. Conclusions are derived from secondary research, whereas recommendations are derived from primary research. D. Conclusions list the topics of the report in sequential order, while recommendations highlight each topical area, subdivisions within each area, and corresponding page numbers.

B. Conclusions concisely explain research findings and the meaning that can be attached to the findings, whereas recommendations address appropriate future actions.

Which of the following statements about the Scheffé test is correct? A. The test identifies differences between all pairs of means at high confidence interval ranges but not at low confidence interval ranges. B. It is equivalent to simultaneous two-tailed hypothesis tests. C. The confidence intervals tend to be narrower in this method than in other methods. D. If the difference between each pair of means falls outside the range of the confidence interval, it can be concluded that the pairs of means are statistically similar.

B. It is equivalent to simultaneous two-tailed hypothesis tests.

Which of the following is true of the mode? A. It is unaffected by data values being added or deleted. B. It is especially useful as a measure for data that have been somehow grouped into categories. C. It is the middle value of a rank-ordered distribution. D. It is the distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses.

B. It is especially useful as a measure for data that have been somehow grouped into categories.

Which of the following is true of the executive summary in a research report? A. It must contain the name, position, employing organization, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the report. B. It presents the major points of the report and should actually be written last. C. It includes the questionnaire or data collection instrument used for the research project, interviewer forms, and detailed sampling maps. D. It contains background information necessary for a complete understanding of the report.

B. It presents the major points of the report and should actually be written last.

Which of the following instructions should be kept in mind when reporting the means of thematically related variables? A. When a researcher reports the means of thematically related variables, the items in the table should be ordered from the lowest to the highest average. B. Means and standard deviations should generally display one digit past the decimal. C. While preparing a table, the maximum value should not be indicated as readers will not be able to easily compare the mean. D. While preparing a table, percentages should generally display one digit past the decimal point.

B. Means and standard deviations should generally display one digit past the decimal.

The population _______________ is a value that defines a true characteristic of a total population. A. Statistic B. Parameter C. Mean D. Measurement

B. Parameter

Which of the following is included in the title page of a report? A. A detailed sampling map B. The date the report is submitted C. Statistical calculations D. The questionnaire

B. The date the report is submitted

If the calculated P value is greater than 0.05, at that particular degree of confident: A. The null hypothesis is rejected. B. The null hypothesis is accepted. C. The alternate hypothesis is rejected

B. The null hypothesis is accepted. or C. The alternate hypothesis is rejected

Which of the following is permissible in the process of data validation? A. A researcher may contact the respondents to reaffirm the negativity of the interviewer. B. To ascertain the completeness of interviews, a researcher can recontact a sample of respondents and ask about questions from different parts of the questionnaire. C. If an interviewer fails to follow instructions for skip questions, the respondent can skip those questions. D. An interviewer may inject a tone of negativity into the interviewing process.

B. To ascertain the completeness of interviews, a researcher can recontact a sample of respondents and ask about questions from different parts of the questionnaire.

In the context of coding the responses to survey questions, researchers can never analyze the actual answers of respondents in more detail if the A. responses were edited by the researchers. B. answers were initially coded into broad categories. C. omitted questions were also coded. D. survey was conducted online.

B. answers were initially coded into broad categories.

Perceptual mapping is a process that is used to A. create a one-dimensional representation of the responses of the participants in a study. B. develop maps that show the perceptions of respondents in a study. C. create a three-dimensional representation of the perceptions of researchers. D. create a three-dimensional representation of the responses of the participants in a study.

B. develop maps that show the perceptions of respondents in a study.

The ________ is the middle value of a distribution when the distribution is ordered in either an ascending or a descending sequence. A. mode B. median C. mean D. average

B. median

Variance is A. a statement that is the opposite of the null hypothesis. B. the average squared deviation about the mean of a distribution of values. C. the error made by rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true. D. an empirically testable statement that is an unproven supposition developed in order to explain certain phenomena.

B. the average squared deviation about the mean of a distribution of values.

Janice is waiting for a research report to prepare for a meeting. She receives the report just 10 minutes before the meeting. She wants to know about the research objectives, research method, key findings, and suggested future actions. Given the short time frame, Janice has time to read only one section of the report. In this scenario, which of the following sections of the report is she most likely to read? A. Introduction B. Conclusions and recommendations C. Executive summary D. Appendix

C. Executive summary

Which of the following is true of the introduction in a research report? A. It summarizes the findings of research. B. It indicates the subject of the report and the name of the recipient, along with his or her position and organization. C. It lists specific research objectives and questions the study was designed to answer. D. It lists the topics of the report in sequential order.

C. It lists specific research objectives and questions the study was designed to answer.

_______________ sampling involves the selection of additional respondents on the basis of referral from the initial respondents. A. Convenience B. Area C. Snowball D. Quota E. Cluster

C. Snowball

The mean is best defined as the A. middle value of a rank-ordered distribution. B. most common value in the set of responses to a question. C. arithmetic average of a sample. D. distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses.

C. arithmetic average of a sample.

While preparing a research report, a researcher should A. avoid providing interpretations of the statistical data and results. B. try making the report longer and more comprehensive by adding information that does not pertain directly to the research objectives. C. avoid the unnecessary use of sophisticated multivariate statistical techniques. D. base all conclusions or recommendations on one or a few statistically significant questions or results.

C. avoid the unnecessary use of sophisticated multivariate statistical techniques.

The objective of the methods-and-procedures section in a research report is to A. give background information for a complete understanding of the report. B. convey why the research was undertaken and to summarize the key findings. C. communicate how the research was conducted. D. list specific research objectives and questions the study was designed to answer.

C. communicate how the research was conducted.

True or False? If the number of data observations is odd, the median is generally considered to be the average of the first and last values.

False

Calculate the mode of the following raw responses: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, and 8. A. 7 B. 5 C. 8 D. 6

D. 6

Which of the following tests flags the means that are statistically different from each other? A. A pre-hoc test B. A Chi-square test C. A t-test D. A follow-up test

D. A follow-up test

________ is defined as the quality of a research report that is based on clear and logical thinking, precise expression, and accurate presentation. A. Subjectivity B. Desirability C. Generalizability D. Believability

D. Believability

Which of the following is true of the mean? A. It is the value that appears in a distribution most often. B. It is the distance between the smallest and largest values in a set of responses. C. It is greatly affected by the addition and deletion of data. D. It can be distorted if extreme values are included in the distribution.

D. It can be distorted if extreme values are included in the distribution.

Which of the following is true of the median? A. It is the value that appears in a distribution most often. B. If the number of data observations is even, the median is generally considered to be the average of the first and last values. C. It cannot be determined for data that are skewed to either the right or the left. D. It is especially useful as a measure of central tendency for ordinal data.

D. It is especially useful as a measure of central tendency for ordinal data.

Which of the following measures requires that the responses be first arranged in a hierarchical pattern? A. Mean B. Average C. Standard deviation D. Median

D. Median

Which of the following is true of skip questions? A. In order to speed through the data collection process, an interviewer may ask the respondent a few skip questions. B. If an interviewer (or respondent on a self-administered survey) fails to follow instructions for skip questions, the respondent can skip those questions. C. If a respondent on a survey fails to follow instructions for skip questions, the interviewer may inject a tone of negativity into the interviewing process. D. Skip questions are not a problem with online surveys since the computer controls the sequence of answering questions.

D. Skip questions are not a problem with online surveys since the computer controls the sequence of answering questions.

Which of the following sections in a report highlights each topical area, the subdivisions within each area, and corresponding page numbers? A. Appendix B. Title page C. Introduction D. Table of contents

D. Table of contents

Which of the following is true of coding the responses to survey questions? A. For open-ended questions, a coding process should be prepared before collecting data. B. Coding increases the difficulty of subsequent analysis of the data collected. C. Researchers should avoid assigning a coded value to missing data. D. The second phase of the process of developing codes is the consolidation of responses.

D. The second phase of the process of developing codes is the consolidation of responses.

The best way to handle omitted responses is to A. substitute the missing values with the mean of the variable. B. leave the data space blank for missing data without any numerical value. C. determine whether the software used for data entry performs "error edit routines" that identify the wrong type of data. D. check how the data analysis software treats missing data and then determine a course of action.

D. check how the data analysis software treats missing data and then determine a course of action.

The first step in error detection is to A. categorize the number of errors in two or more questions, thus showing the relationship between those two variables. B. reject an error value when it is very large or very small for a particular scaled item on a questionnaire. C. determine the amount of nonresponse to individual questions. D. determine whether the software used for data entry performs "error edit routines" that identify the wrong type of data.

D. determine whether the software used for data entry performs "error edit routines" that identify the wrong type of data.

Mia is preparing a research report. When including the data analysis and findings of the study in the body of the report, she should A. refrain from using graphs, tables, and figures. B. communicate how the research was conducted in detail. C. claim that the results are obvious or self-evident. D. explain the information in a straightforward fashion.

D. explain the information in a straightforward fashion.

The first step in developing codes for the anticipated responses to open-ended questions is A. consolidating the responses. B. assigning a numerical value as a code. C. assigning a value to each response. D. generating a list of potential responses.

D. generating a list of potential responses.

In the context of the format of a research report, a researcher is most likely to include relevant background information, definition of terms, and the study's scope and emphasis in the ________. A. table of contents B. methods-and-procedures section C. appendixes D. introduction

D. introduction

Peter wants to clearly portray the relative proportion of response to a question in his research report. In this scenario, Peter is most likely to use a(n) ________. A. area chart B. scatter chart C. line chart D. pie chart

D. pie chart

In a research report, the action statements that will help solve the problem at hand through the creation of a competitive advantage is most likely to be included in the ________. A. data analysis and findings section B. limitations section C. research methods section D. recommendations

D. recommendations

When polls report that their numbers are correct within 4%, what does this refer to? A. measurement error B. non-coverage error C. data processing error D. sampling error E. throwing error

D. sampling error

True or False? Scanning technology cannot be used to enter data.

False

True or False? The objective of the coding process is to expand the number of individual responses to a larger set of specific, yet related categories of answers that can be assigned numerical codes.

False

True or False? Common items contained in the appendix of a research report include the name, position, employing organization, address, telephone number of the person submitting the report, and the date the report is submitted.

False

True or False? Data is validated using the curbstoning process.

False

True or False? If the means of two groups are the same, then the underlying distributions of the two groups must also be the same.

False

True or False? In the process of editing the responses to open-ended questions, researchers typically fill out the incomplete answers based on their best judgment.

False

True or False? Reporting limitations often diminishes the credibility of a marketing research report.

False

True or False? Researchers should strive to communicate findings and key points using graphics and should avoid the use of text to explain the findings in graphs and tables in their reports.

False

True or False? Univariate statistics use several variables at a time to generalize about a population from a sample.

False

True or False? When reporting percentages in marketing research, it is common practice to show only one digit past the decimal.

False

True or False? When reporting results, writers should state that the results are obvious or self-evident.

False

True or False? Writing a summary of the findings is the final step in both qualitative and quantitative reports.

False

Census

If the information is obtained from every element in the defined target population

population specification error

Inaccurate definition of the research population

Frame Error

Incomplete or Inaccurate list of the research population

Snowball sampling

New participants are selected based on referrals from the initial respondents

Selection error

Sampling procedures are incomplete or improper or selection procedures are not followed

What is the simplest form of probability sampling?

Simple random sampling

What are the steps to cluster/area sampling?

Step 1: Divide the population into mutually exclusive clusters. Step 2: Random sample a number of clusters

What are the steps to stratified sampling?

Step 1: Divide the population into mutually exclusive groups. Step 2: Random select from each group

What are the steps in hypothesis testing?

Step 1: State the hypotheses (2 exclusive + exhaustive hypotheses) Step 2: Choose the appropriate statistical test. Step 3: Choose confidence/significance level Step 4: Calculate the test statistic value Step 5: Compare the absolute value of test statistic value to the critical value at the significance level α. State the conclusion

What is an advantage of judgement and quota sampling?

The sample contains subgroups in the proportions desired by researchers and reduces selection bias by field workers

True or False? A coded value can be rejected if it is too large or too small for a particular scaled item on a questionnaire.

True

True or False? A one-way frequency table shows the number of respondents who answered each possible response to a question given the available alternatives.

True

True or False? Codes must be assigned to facilitate quantitative data analysis only after responses are reviewed and themes and common words and patterns are identified.

True

True or False? For interval or ratio data, the mean is appropriate, except when there are extreme values within the interval or ratio data, which are referred to as outliers.

True

True or False? Generally, actual population parameters are unknown since the cost to perform a true census of almost any population is prohibitive.

True

True or False? In the context of the process of coding the responses to survey questions, developing consolidated categories is a subjective decision that should be made only by an experienced research analyst with input from the project's sponsor.

True

True or False? Information in the appendix of a research report is cited in the report to guide a reader to further technical or statistical detail.

True

True or False? Measures of central tendency locate the center of a distribution.

True

True or False? One of the simplest ways to present regression findings in a research report is to create a diagram in Word or in PowerPoint that displays the predictor and the outcome variables with arrows showing the relationships between the variables.

True

True or False? Recommendations are generated by critical thinking.

True

True or False? Researchers can use the Chi-square test to determine whether responses observed in a survey follow the expected pattern

True

True or False? The Scheffé follow-up test identifies differences between all pairs of means at high and low confidence interval ranges.

True

True or False? The purpose of inferential statistics is to make a determination about a population on the basis of a sample from that population.

True

Convenience sampling

Using people who are easily accessible

What is needed to implement random sampling?

a complete and accurate list of the research population is needed

Margin of Error

as how far from the sample statistic the researchers may believe the population parameter might be

What is a limitation of cluster/area sampling?

assumes that every cluster is as diverse and heterogeneous as the entire population

How can systematic error be eliminated?

by a solid research & sample design and skilled interviewers

What does ANOVA do?

checks difference between the means of 3 or more groups

What does a t-test do?

compares mean scores of 2 groups on the same variable to determine the probability that the groups are different

What is the purpose of screening questions?

confirm that respondents are within the research population and identify characteristics of respondents who should not be included

How can random error possibly be raised?

increase in sample size

What is a sampling frame?

list of population elements from which units can be selected or a specific procedure that is used to generate a list

regression analysis

measures the impact of a set of variables on another variable

Systematic/sequential sampling

members of the population are numbered and selected based on a skip interval

Non-probability sampling

members of the population do not have a known probability of being chosen in the sample

What does a scatter diagram do?

plots the relative position of two variables using horizontal and vertical axes to represent the variable values

What can the size of the correlation coefficient be used for?

quantitatively describe the strength of the association

Scale reliability

refers to the extent to which a scale can reproduce the same or similar measurement results in repeated trials

Z-value

represents how many standard deviations above or below the mean

What is one common way of visually describing the covariation between two variables?

scatter diagram

Sampling

selection of a small number of elements from a larger defined target group of elements

In what ways is systematic sampling better than random sampling?

simpler, less time consuming, and less expensive

Pearson correlation coefficient

statistical measure of the strength of a linear relationship between two metric variables

covariation

the amount of change in one variable that is consistently related to the change in another variable of interest

Simple random sampling

the entire population has an equal probability to be included in the sample

Confidence level

the probability that the confidence interval will include the population parameter

Judgement sampling

the selection is based on the researcher's judgment as to how well the sample represents the research population

Quota samples

the selection of prospective participants according to pre-specified quotas for either

Correlation analysis is used to determine

the strength of the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables

What is the goal of an oral presentation of a marketing research report?

to condense complex research information into an interesting, informative, and conclusive discussion

How are quota samples useful?

to increase the representativeness of a non-probability sample

When is cluster/area sampling useful?

when the population size is very large and geographically dispersed

Difference hypothesis

which claims that there is a difference between two groups

Relational hypothesis

which claims that there is a relationship between two variables