MKTG 409

Corproate executives often prefer marketing research findings to be put into a report:

-that is clear, short, and simply expressed

When a sudden problem confronts a consumer, such as emergency automobile repair, he or she is likely going to view solutions to that problem as:

-unsought products

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

a business product

if a marketing researcher is interested in observing group interaction during an informal, unstructured, and open-ended data collection process, he or she should use:

a focus-group interview

a product line is defined as

a group of closely relation products that are considered a unit because of marketing, technical, or end-use considerations

in marketing research, a sample is best described as:

a limited number of units chosen to represent the characteristics of a total population

A distributor of plumbing supplies purchases a desktop computer to aid in inventory control. This computer is an example of which type of business product?

accessory equipment

Business products that are purchased routinely, do not become part of finished goods, and are expense items rather than capital goods are called

accessory equipment

One overlooked internal source of secondary marketing information discussed in the text is:

accounting records

an individual move into the adoption stage of the adoption process at the point when he or she

beings using that specific product

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

buyers intent for using the product

An online survey conducted before students could register for their fall semester classes asked, "do you think online professor evaluation forms would be better than paper and pencil forms administered during class?" This is an example of a ________ question

Dichotomous

Time warner uses its sales reports broken down by geographic regions as part of it marketing research to determine which markets are most rapidly adopting high-speed Internet connections. In this example, Time Warner is using

Internal secondary data

Lauren is a concert promoter who works for pop star Justin Timberlake. She works very hard to make sure most of Justin'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

During the maturity stage

some competitors are forced out

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 _______ product

specialty

The Carsons are going on a vacatino 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 ____ product

specialty

a product item is best described as a

specific version of a product

Assume that verizon is interested in sutdying the pricing expectations of its customers. if the study calls for selecting at random 100 people from each of three age groupings, ________ sampling is being used

stratified

Problem location and definition is the first step toward finding a solution to a marketing problem or launching a research study. The first sign of a problem:

is typically a departure from some normal function, such as a failure to attain objectives

Kathy Adkins, owner of Adkins Styling Salon, looks at the day's appointment schedule and notices that it is completely full. She wishes some of the empty slots from earlier in the week were available on this Saturday afternoon. Her thoughts deal with the ___________ characteristic of services.

perishability

When Jones' Soda launched its Turkey Gravy flavored soda, it was hoping to take advantage of the short-lived clear-products fad. By the time it launched the soda, the fad for quirky soda flavors had already waned, and customers were no longer clamoring for these type of products. The reason this product failed is

poor timing

Patricia Robertson is running for congress from the sixth district in her state. she is intrested in knowing the intended choices of the voters. all the registered voters in her district would constitute the study's:

population

Which of the following is the most typical example of a new product introduction?

pringles sold in snack-sized containers

products used directly in the production of a final product but are not easily identifiable are categorized as:

process materials

Which one of the following best characterizes a marketing information sytem?

provides a continuous flow of information about such things as distributing costs, prices, sales, and advertising expenses

Marriott wants to collect data about employee satisfaction within its organization. It decides to survey a sample of 50 employees by having a computer program automatically pick which employees will be in the sample. If every employee has an equal change of being selected, Marriott is using

random sampling

sales usually start to decline during the ______ stage of the product life cycle

end of the maturity

Suppose that marketers at Lever Bros. are trying to determine whether the use of free samples of Snuggle fabric softener was the reason for a sales increase in a particular store. The type of research conducted to answer this question is:

experimental

When marketing researchers try to manipulate an independent variable and measure the resulting changes in a dependent variable, they are engaging in:

experimentation

When more information is needed about a problem and a tentative hypotheses needs to be made more specific, marketers usually conduct ___________ research

exploratory research

Which of the following factors have contributed the least to the growth of the services in the US economy

increased number of high-tech goods

The growth of business services is largely attributed to

increases in the complexity and competitiveness of business environments

When banks add new services during the maturity stage, the objective they are most likely trying to achieve is

increasing their share of the customer

Frito-Lay, which is widely known for producing chips and other snack products, tried to introduce Frito-Lay lemonade. The reason this new product failed is likely because of

ineffective branding

aggressive pricing is typically during the __________ stage of the product life cycle

growth

an ad that stresses "get the real proactiv solution; accept no substitues" is best geared for which stage of product life cycle?

growth

in which stage of the product life cycle do profits begin to decrease?

growth

a firm with a product in the decline stage of the product life cycle may decide to gradually reduce marketing expenditures and realign its marketing mix to one that requires fewer resources. This approach is called:

harvesting

H&R Block 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 ask Glenda what housekeeping service she would recommend in Oakview. Glenda responds that Prestine 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 failures?

heterogeneity

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

heterogeneity

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

heterogeneity

machinery such as ATMs and online customer services can reduce the _________ that comes from increased contact with human employees

heterogeneity

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

human labor

all of the following are reasons why new products fail except

followed as a systematic plan

During the growth stage of the product life cycle, marketers must

fortify the product position

Distribution for nonprofit organizations is

typically characterized by short channels

an importance difference between for-profit and nonprofit marketing is that

the goals of the nonprofit organization differ from the goals of the for-profit organizations

Nick Arnold's Auto Towing Service would best be described as a ___________ product

unsought

Decreasing sales, increasing expenses, or decreasing profits:

- are examples of symptoms that point to larger problems

students from marketing research class collect data from three areas on campus. When they analyze their data the response's are very similar. The students can stat they achieved which of the following?

- reliability

Which of the following is not a service product?

A 100 percent service satisfaction guarantee

Which of the following is similar for both for-profit and nonprofit marketing?

Ability to use effective marketing activites

an accountant buys a supply of pencils to be used in calculating the taxes of other business firms. Based on this information, pencils in this case would be considered what type of product?

Business

By installing ATMs, banks have increased production capacity and reduced the number of personnel. This results in a decrease in

Customer contact

Safe Auto Insurance advertises "minimum coverage for minimum budgets" for its automobile insurance. Which of the following best describes Safe Auto's approach?

For some services, customers look for the low-cost provider, which is what Safe claims to be

Which is the most typical distribution channel used in nonprofit organizations?

Nonprofit organization, client

Demand-based pricing most closely relates to the _______ of services

Perishability

which of the following best defines the interest stage in the product adoption process?

The buyer seeks information and is receptive to learning about the product

Tina, a waitress at the Riverfront Grill, is angry that a customer complained that his soup was cold because of her slow service. Riverfront owner Max Griffin reminds her that she must focus on service quality as defined by

The customer's perceptions

the difference between absolute and relative product failure is

absolute product failure results in a loss on the investment and is deleted from the product mix, whereas relative product failure results in a small profit, and improvements or repositions can create success later

Which of the following best defines nonprofit marketing

activities conducted by individuals and organizations to achieve some goal other than ordinary business goals such as profit or return on investment

a product mix is best describes as

all products offered by a firm

The use of marketing research is:

carefully monitored by each state's trade agencies

Business products are

classified according to their characteristics and intended uses.

Many services base their success on building a group of satisfied customers who use their services on a regular basis over long periods of time. This critical component of success is referred to as

client-based relationships

A first class airline ticket offers a ______ service of transportation as well as ________ services of drink and food service, special boarding rights, and extra customer service

core;supplementary

Dentist find it difficult to attract customers because many customers cannot distinguish whether or not the product offered is beneficial. This aspect of the dentists product is called ___________ quality

credence

A small private college in Tennessee paid a large sum of money to a marketing firm to study the college's current marketing strategy and help develop new strategies for attracting students. The college is having a difficult time evaluating the effectiveness of the marketing firm's work because this type of service has many

credence qualities

Which of the following service providers are most likely to use demand-based pricing?

cruise ships

the heterogeneity characteristic of services provides marketers with tremendous opportunity to

customize their services to meet unique individual needs

the main focus of a marketing information system is on:

data storage and retrieval

Weyerhaeuser is evaluating its complete product mix. It wishes to decrease some of its marketing expenditures and streamline its product offerings. Weyerhaeuser will most likely look at products in the ________ stage of the product life cycle as possibilities for elimination

decline

An American West Airlines flight from Dallas to Houston was full, and the tickets were more expensive than the almost-empty American West flight from Chicago to Phoenix. This is an example of what kind of service pricing?

demand-based

Many cellular phone plans contain a certain number of anytime minutes and then either significantly more or even unlimited night and weekend minutes. This is an example of

demand-based pricing

Prudential insurance uses "the rock" symbol to communicate stability and security to customers. This is Prudential's attempt to help customers better understand its service by

emphasizing tangible cues in promoting the service

production and consumption of services must simultaneously occur due to the _______ characteristic of services

heterogeneity

which of the following service characteristics results in variability of service quality yet provides the opportunity for customizing services to match the specific needs of individual customers?

heterogeneity

Which of the following statements about customer contact in services marketing is false?

high-contact services are less expensive to deliver because they are typically equipment based.

depending on the length of time it takes them to adopt a new product, people can be divided into five major adopter categories: -early adopters -early majority -late majority -laggards -and?

innovators

A sign in a doctor's office waiting room says "Please be courteous of the others waiting with you." The doctor's office is trying to positively influence the _______ aspect of services.

inseparability

Jason Robinson, a dentist, finds that he is not bringing in enough revenue to cover his expenses. He would like to schedule more patients, but he finds that in almost every time slot, he is seeing an existing patient. Jim's difficulty in expanding his practice involves the aspect of service called

inseparability

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

installations

Brittany recently moved to a new city and is trying to find a new mechanic to do maintenance and repair on her car. She visits several places to judge their overall appearance, cleanliness, and organization and finally chooses a mechanic. Brittany was trying to overcome the ________ aspect of services

intangibility

Service marketers make promises to customers, suggesting that the customer place some degree of trust in the service provider. In this way, service marketers are trying to address the challenge of the service characteristic of

intangibility

Transamerica's pyramid-shaped building in San Francisco is used to symbolize strength, security, and reliability. This type of promotion is designed to address the ___________ characteristic of services.

intangibility

Carlos was given the task of conducting a research project for his firm and proceeds with the following steps: he asks questions to determine the research topic, conducts a telephone survey, writes a report describing the survery results, and gives that report to his boss. Which step of the marketing research process has carlos omitted?

interpreting research

the four major stages of a product life cycle include:

introduction, growth, maturity, and decline

Brunswich's bowling balls, bowling bags, and shoes are individual product ________ for this porting good manufacturer

lines

shopping products have a _____ inventory turnover and need ______ distribution outlets than convenience goods

lower;fewer

The producers of Schick razor blades use a marketing strategy that includes large advertising expenditures and more price flexibility for the various types of blades offered. Based on this example, razor blades are in the _______ stage of the product life cycle

maturity

a common business objective of the ________ stage of the product life cycle is to generate cash flow

maturity

A valid study:

measures what is supposed to

When a theater entices customers to see movies during the daytime by offering tickets at a reduced price, it is trying to solve the services marketing problem of

off-peak demand

any service provider that offers time-sensitive receives most if its revenue during

peak demand

according to your text, one perspective from which to view services is as a _______ targeted at a _________

performance targeted to an audience

Using appointments or reservations for scheduling delivery of services is an attempt to address the __________ characteristic of services

perishability

In an attempt to attract customers, service marketers often promise great results and satisfaction to customers, but marketers should be careful not to

promise too much and cause customer expectations beyond what they can deliver

Convenience products are

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

Tara finds evaluating a new pair of jeans much easier than evaluating tennis lessons because she can try on the jeans to see exactly how they feel and fit. In other words, the jeans have many___________ qualities

search

When service companies change high-contact services into low-contact services, the

service becomes less personalized

what are the three primary ways that marketers deliver services?

service facilities, customer's home, or from a distance

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

service-dominant products on one end to good-dominant products on the other end.

Consumers look closely at service quality when comparing competing services because

services are very difficult to evaluate

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

specialty

If best western bundles its rooms with services such as free local phone calles, cable television, wireless internet access, and complimentary breakfast, these services are known as ____________ services

supplementary

Children with muscular dystrophy who receive treatments developed through research programs funded by MDA represent ___________ for this charitable organization

target publics

in nonprofit organizations,

the direct consumers of the product are the client public

American Life uses leather-look portfolios and high-quality paper and printing for its life insurance policies in order to indicate

the quality of its services

to make intangible products more tangible or real to the consumer, marketers often

use symbols or cues to help symbolize product benefits

A firm has conducted market research and found that customer satisfaction with it product is quite high. Nonetheless, repurchase behavior is very low. The research designe evidently has a problem with:

validity

Just Relax Massage Therapists have a large customer base although they do very little advertising. Their promotion strategy relies mostly on

word of mouth

Janet sets up her new interior decorating business and advertises her expertise in high-quality draperies and other window treatments. One of her first customers is extremely dissatisfied with Janet's work, so Janet redoes the job at her own expense because she knows how powerful _____ is (are) for services and wants to stay in business.

word-of-mouth communication

Jack and Amy Douglas are purchasing their first home and have certain expectations for the mortgage company with which they are working. After a long series of "unexplainable" delays, Jack and Amy become very frustrated and decide to stay in their apartment at least another year. The mortgage company failed to provide service within Jack and Amy's

zone of tolerance

Cadillac recognized it needed to revitalize its brand and attract different market segments. These are indications that Cadillac's products were primarily in the __________ stage of the product life cycle

Decline

Dish Network satellite TV cut back advertising expenditures to minimum levels and reduced the number of channel members for its industrial satellite product. These actions indicate that its product is in the _______ stage of its life cycle

Decline

business products are classified into the follwing seven categories according to characterstics and intended uses: -raw materials - installations -accessory equipment -component parts -process materials -business services - and:

MRO equipment

Marketing research is best defined as: - the systematic design, collection, interpretation, and reporting of information to help marketers solve specific marketing problems or take advantage or market opportunities.

The systematic design, collection, interpretation, and reporting of information to help marketers solve specific marketing problems or take advantage of market opportunities

a company wanting to maintain market share during the maturity stage requires moderate to large:

advertising expenditures

if the university bookstore wanted to understand the textbook and school suplies needs on the cmapus of the university of michigan, the population study would be

all students, faculty, supporters, and staff of the university of michigan

As Jessica enters Best Buy's car electronics department, she is asked by the salesperson if she has seen the new plug-in cell phones with TV display. She answers that she didn't know that this type of phone accessory for cars was available. Based on this information, she is now in what stage of the product adoption process for this item?

awareness

Any human or mechanical effort that adds value to a product is called

customer service

a set of Bose car speakers sold to ford for use in the production of a car, would be an example of a

component part

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

consumers are barnd loyal to convenience products and are not likely to substitute other brands

The intangibility aspect of a service means that

consumers may have a problem evaluating service offerings

procter and gamble makes at least eight different laundry detergents. This is most relevant to the issue of

depth of product mix

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

dinner at the Olive Garden

When Sony realized its CD players were in the decline stage, it decided to immediately withdraw all of its marketing support from these declining products, an approach known as:

divesting

Client-based relationships are most likely to be developed by

doctors

Heinz promoting its vinegar as an effective cleaner for wall, glass, and kitchen and bathroom surfaces would most likely be a strategy for the _____ stage of the product life cycle

maturity

all of the following elements of the inseparability characteristics of services except that

services are easy to standardize and control

Shannon Hill needed to buy an airline ticket to visit her parents. She called several airlines to compare rates and chose a flight on southwest air lines because, for comparable prices, it had a better reputation for service. For shannon, this flight is an example of which type of product?

shopping

Wade is puzzled by the recent decrease in sales at one of the Auto Zone locations for which he is the regional manager. He knows the best way to approach this problem and obtain accurate information is to use:

the marketing research process

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

When Saturn offers to let qualified buyers test drive the car, the dealer is trying to stimulate which stage of the product adoption process?

trial

When minute maid mailed out free samples of its new instant drink mix, it was trying to move prospective customers into the __________ stage of the product adoption process

trial