Marketing Research

Mean

(average of numbers) of n numbers is the sum of the numbers divided by n

Exploratory Research

-Formulate a problem or define a problem more precisely -identify alternative courses of action - Develop hypothesis isolate key variables and relationships for further examination -gain insight for developing and approach to the problem -establish priorities for further research

Structured Question

-Number of response categories -Ordering of responses is important -Include a "don't know" or "No Answer" category -5 to 9 usually sufficient - should be mutually exlusive and exhaustiv e

defining the MR problem Using Environmental context

-Past info and forecasts -resources and constraints -objectives of the decision maker -buyer behavior -legal environment -economic environment -marketing and technological skills

Conclusive Research

-Provide information that is useful in reaching conclusions or decision-making -it tends to be quantitative in nature, that is to say in the form of numbers that can be quantified and summarized

Non comparative itemized rating scale decisions

-Respondents evaluate only one object at a time -consist of continuous and itemized rating scales -continuous rating scales

Disadvantages of Focus Groups

-Subjective Interpretation High Cost per Participant -recruitment cost -compensation cost -moderator fees -Facility Rental

Advantages of focus groups

-generate fresh ideas -allow clients to observe the group -generally versatile and flexible -work well with special participants

In-depth interview disadvantages

-group synergy and dynamics -client involvement -collect the large amount of info -bias -cost per respondent

In-Depth interview advantages

-peer pressure/group influence -in-depth probing of individuals -hidden motives -discussion of sensitive topics -interviewing respondents who are competitors -interviewing respondents who are professionals -scheduling

Marketing Research Process

1. Defining the problem 2. developing and approach to the problem 3. formulating a research design 4. doing field work or collecting data 5. preparing and analyzing data 6. preparing and presenting report

Likert scale

A measurement scale with five response categories ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree", which requires the respondents to indicate a degree of agreement or disagreement with each of a series of statements relates to the stimulus object

Measure of central tendency

A number used to represent the center or middle of a set of data values.

Panel

A panel consists of a sample of respondents, generally households that have agreed to provide information at specified intervals over a extended period.

Nominal

A scale whose numbers serve only as labels or tags for identifying and classifying objects. when used for identification, there is a strict one-to-one correspondence between the numbers and the objects

Descriptive Research

A type of conclusive research that has as its major objective the description of something-usually market characteristics or functions

Longitudinal Design

A type of research design involving a fixed sample of population elements that is measured repeatedly. The sample remains the same over time,providing a series of pictures that, when viewed together, portray both the situation and the changes that are taking place.

Cross-sectional design

A type of research design involving a one-time collection of information from any given sample of population elements

(measurement and scaling) Origin

A unique or fixed beginning or true zero point of a scale

All of the following are considered to be controllable marketing variables except: a. competition b. pricing c. promotion d. distribution e. product

A. competition

Hypotheses definition

An unproven statement or position about a factor/phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher. it is a statement about the proposed relationships rather than merely questions to be answered. they reflect the researchers expectations and can be tested empirically

Nominal example

Did you have a problem in your stay? yes no

Interval

Differences between objects can be compared, zero point in arbitrary

Reason for Focus Groups

Focus groups are the most popular form of qualitative research. They are generally conducted at the front end of the project before collecting quantitative information.

Itemized rating scale

Has a number of brief descriptions associated with each response category

Ratio

Highest level of measurement. It allows the researcher to identify or classify objects, rank-order the objects, compare interval or differences, compute ratios of scale values

Marketing Research informs ___________ and Influences _____________

Informs- strategic marketing plan Influences- Marketing strategy and marketing mix

Comparative scaling

Involve the direct comparison of two or more objects Ex. Coca cola or Pepsi => paired comparison/rank order

MR problem vs Management decision problem

MR problem -asks what information is needed and how it should be obtained -information oriented -focuses on the underlying causes Management decision problem -asks what the decision-maker needs to do -Action-oriented -focuses on symptoms

Ordinal

Number indicates the relative positions of the objects but not the magnitude of differences between them

Conducting Exploratory Research

Obj.- Discovery of ideas and insight characteristics- flexible, versatile, and often the front end of total research design Methods- Expert surveys, pilot surveys, case studies, secondary data, qualitative research

Qualitative Research

Objective- To gain a qualitative understanding of the underlying reasons and motivations Sample- small number of non-representative cases

Quantitative Research

Objective- to quantify the data and generalize the results from the sample to the population of interest Sample-Large number of representative cases

External Providers of MR

Outside Marketing research companies hired to conduct a complete marketing research project or a component of it

interval example

Overall satisfaction low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

Research Question definition

Questions that will be answered by the study with the objective of identifying what specific pieces of information are necessary to solve the problem at hand

Constant Sum Scales

Respondents allocate a constant sum of units, such as points, dollars, or chip, among a set of alternatives according to some specified criterion Ex. to allocate 100 points to eight attributes of bath soaps

Rank Order

Respondents are simultaneously presented with several alternatives and asked to rank them according to come criterion ex. Consumers might be asked to rank brands of jeans according to overall preference

Stapel Scale

Unipolar ten-point scale,-5 to +5 with a neutral point

A measurement with five response categories ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree", which requires the respondents to indicate a degree of agreement or disagreement with each of a series of statements related to the stimulus object is called a(n)_________: a. Likert Scale b.Semantic Differential c.Stapel Scale d.Opinion Rating Scale

a

A scale with an equal number of favorable and unfavorable categories is called a(n)_____. a.Balanced Scale b.Unbalanced Scale c.Forced Scale d.Systematic Scale

a

While every step in a marketing research project is important, ________ is the most important step. a. Problem definition b. Problem correction c.Research design d.formulation Report generation and presentation

a

Stapel scale

a scale for measuring attitudes that consist of a single adjective in the middle of an even-numbered range of values (no zero point offered)

A type of research design involving the one-time collection of information from any given sample of population elements is called ________. a.Cross-Sectional design b.Longitudinal design c.Horizontal design d.Vertical design

a.

Which of the following is the first step in the questionnaire design process? a. Specify the information needed (research objectives) b.Specify the type of interviewing method c.Determine the content of individual questions d. Decide on the question structure

a.

A strategy for ordering questions in a questionnaire in which the sequence starts with general questions, which are followed by progressively more specific questions, in order to prevent specific questions biasing general questions, is called the _______. a.Unstructured Approach b.Funnel Approach c.Diagnostic Approach Goal-d.Oriented Approach

b

According to the text, a single question that attempts to cover two issues is called a ________. a.Filtered question b.Double-barreled question c.Random question d. Coefficient question

b

According to the text, exploratory research can benefit from use of all of the following methods EXCEPT: a.Survey of experts b.Quantitative data such as structured surveys with a larger representative sample of consumers c.Pilot Surveys Analysis of secondary data d.Qualitative research

b

Exploratory research is suitable for generating all of the following EXCEPT: a.Alternative courses of action b.Cause-and-effect relationships c.Research questions Hypotheses d.C and D

b

Sears is: (please check one answer for each pair below) Powerful ___ ____ ____ ____ _____ ______ _____ Weak Unreliable ___ ____ _____ ____ _____ ______ ______Reliable Good Value ____ _____ ______ ____ _____ _______ ______Poor Value The above scale is an example of a ______________. a.Likert Scale b.Semantic Differential Scale c.Continuous Rating Scale d.Comparative Scale

b

The ranking scale in the example below is called a(n) _______. Please rank the following coffee shops in Pittsburgh in terms of their atmosphere from 1 = best to 4 = worst. Starbucks ____ Dunkin Donuts____ La Prima Espresso Company_____ Redhawk Coffee_____ a.Nominal scale b.Ordinal scale c.Interval scale d.Ratio scale

b

When the researcher wants that a neutral or indifferent scale response be possible for at least some of the respondents, then: a. An even number of categories should be used b.An odd number of categories should be used c.Only one category should be used d.The number of categories used is important

b

Which of the following is NOT an objective of a questionnaire? a. A questionnaire must translate must translate the information needed into a set of specific questions that the respondents can and will answer b.Questionnaire data must be easy to analyze c.A questionnaire must uplift, motivate, and encourage the respondent to become involved in the interview, to cooperate, and to complete the interview d. A questionnaire should minimize response error

b

Which of the following types of information is considered most sensitive and, therefore, should appear at the end of the questionnaire? a.Basic information b.Identification (demographic: income, occupation, gender, etc.) information c.Random information d.Quantification information

b

Which of the following types of research design should be used when management realizes a problem exists but does not yet understand why? a.Conclusive Research b.Exploratory Research c.Descriptive Research d.Casual Research

b

______ research is typically more formal and structured than ________ research. a.Exploratory; Conclusive b.Conclusive; Exploratory c.Exploratory; Descriptive d.Subjective; Observational

b

__________ is conducted on a small and nonrepresentative sample, so the findings should be regarded as tentative and should be used as building blocks for further research. a.Casual Research b.Exploratory Research c.Conclusive Research d.Descriptive Research

b

Initial questions in questionnaires that screen potential respondents to ensure they meet the requirements of the sample are called_______. a.Double-barreled questions b.Filter questions c.Random questions d.Requirement questions

b.

Open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words are called _______. a.Structured questions b.Unstructured questions c.Double-barreled questions d.Filtered questions

b.

Permissible statistics for ordinal scaled data include all of the following EXCEPT: a.Median b.Mean c.Percentile d.Mode e.All of the above are permissible statistic for ordinal scaled data

b.

According to the text, _________ research is typically used to address the environment and diagnose problems. a. Problem-Solving b.Problem-Manipulation c.Problem-Identification d.Problem-Correction

c

All of the following represent factors that compromise the environmental context of the problem EXCEPT: a.Resources of the firm b.Objectives of the decision maker c.Accounting practices used by the firm twenty years ago d. Economic Environment

c

Ethical questions in marketing research arise when conflict occurs between any of the following four stakeholders: a.The government; the marketing researcher; the client; the respondent b.The client; the marketing researcher; the government; the respondent c.The respondent; the marketing researcher; the client; the public d.The public; the government; the marketing researcher; the client

c

In ________, the researcher provides a choice of answers, and respondents are asked to select one or more of the alternatives given. a.Open-ended questions b.Dichotomous questions c.Multiple Choice questions d.Random questions

c

Outside marketing research companies hired to supply marketing research data are called ___________. a.Horizontal Suppliers b.Vertical Suppliers c.External Suppliers d.Internal Suppliers

c

The most complex of the primary scales of measurement is the ____________. a.Ordinal Scale b.Interval Scale c.Ratio Scale Ratio Scale d.Nominal Scale

c

The problem confronting the decision maker is typically referred to as the __________. a.Hypothetical decision problem b.Theoretical decision problem c.Management decision problem d.Marketing research problem

c

Which of the following is an example of a longitudinal design in a descriptive research project? a. Surveys with regular consumers at 10 malls in six major cities to determine the likes and dislikes of health food b.A variety of promotional offers would be displayed in stores, with each group of respondents seeing only one offer and the resulting brand sales would be monitored c.A panel that consists of households that provide purchasing information at a specified intervals over an extended period d.A and B only

c

Which statement is not true about research design? a. Research design is a framework for conducting the marketing research project b.Research design specifies the measurement and scaling procedures c.Research design is undertaken before developing the approach to the problem d.Research design is undertaken after the marketing research problem is defined

c

A Marketing research project is warranted when __________. a. The required information is already in the organization b.The decision which the research addresses has already been made c.Time or money are not available in adequate amounts d.The cost of the research is less than its eventual benefits

d

According to the text, _______ are the simplest to use. a.Ratio Scales b.Ordinal Scales c.Interval Scales d.Nominal Scales

d

All of the following are examples of words that are often considered confusing to respondents EXCEPT: a.Usually b.Normally c.Frequently d.Definitely e.Sometimes

d

Deciding if a question is necessary or if several questions are needed rather than one are decisions involved with _______. a.Determining the order of scales b.Choosing questions wording c.Choosing question structure d.Individual question content

d

Descriptive research is a type of _______ that has as its major objective the description of something-usually market characteristics or functions. a.Subjective Research b.Exploratory Research c.Conclusive Research d.Observational Research

d

In a department store project, numbers 1 through 10 were assigned to the 10 stores considered in the study. Suppose, store number 9 refered to Sears and store number 6 referred to Neiman Marcus. Using this information, which of the following statements is true? a.Sears is in some way superior or inferior to Neiman Marcus b.It is meaningful to state that the number of the average store is 5.5 c.Both A and B are true d.None of the above statements are true

d

According to the text, most commercial market research is ________ in nature. a.Subjective b.Exploratory c.Casual d.Descriptive

d.

The ___________ asks what information is needed and how it can best be obtained. a.Management decision problem b.Hypothetical decision problem c.Research Context Problem d. Marketing Research Problem

d.

To measure the central tendency for nominal scaled data, you should use the following statistic: a.Median b.Mean c.Percentile d.Mode e.All of the above

d.

All of the following represent examples of sources of secondary data EXCEPT: a.Trade organizations b.The bureau of census c.The Internet d.A and B e.Survey Data

e

Ordinal example

how many times have you been a guest at this Hilton. 1 2 3 4 5+

Marketing Research Definition

is a set of techniques and principles for systematically collecting, recording, analyzing, and interpreting data that can aid decision makers who are involved with marketing goods, services or ideas

Dispersion Measures

is a statistic that tells you how dispersed, or spread out, data values are.

Median

numbers in the middle when the numbers are written in order

(Measurement and scaling) Description

refers to the unique labels or descriptors that are used to designate each value of the scale, all scales posses description

sematic differential scale

seven-point scale with bipolar labels

(measurement and scaling) Distance

the absolute differences between the scale descriptors are known and can be expressed in units

mode

the number or numbers that occur most frequently

(measurement and scaling) Order

the relative sizes or positions of the the descriptors, its is denoted by descriptors such as greater than, less than, and equal to