marketing test one Chapter Five – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Marketing research is best defined as
answer
the systematic design, collection, interpretation, and reporting of information to help marketers solve specific marketing problems or take advantage of market opportunities.
question
Marketing research is a process designed to gather information
answer
not currently available to decision makers
question
The use of marketing research is
answer
widespread throughout business and nonprofit organizations.
question
The real value of marketing research to the organization can best be measured by
answer
improvements in the ability to make decisions.
question
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
answer
the marketing research process.
question
All of the following are steps in the marketing research process except
answer
understanding your customer.
question
The first step in the marketing research process is
answer
defining the problem or research issue.
question
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
answer
is typically a departure from some normal function, such as a failure to attain objectives.
question
To maintain the control needed to obtain accurate information, marketers approach marketing research as a process. Which of the following steps of that process focuses on uncovering the nature and boundaries of the marketing situation to be studied?
answer
Locating and defining problems
question
Decreasing sales, increasing expenses, or decreasing profits
answer
are examples of symptoms that point to larger problems.
question
An overall plan for obtaining the information needed to address a research problem or issue is called the
answer
research design.
question
Jack Bateson knows his business has a problem because of an increasing number of consumer complaints received recently. He has decided how to make this problem a precise, researchable statement and should next move on to
answer
designing the research project
question
An informed guess or assumption about a certain problem or set of circumstances is known as
answer
a hypothesis.
question
Research design means developing a plan for obtaining the necessary market information. When a researcher forms an informed guess or assumption about a certain problem, he or she is
answer
forming a hypothesis.
question
If Staples believes that most of its sales are to businesses rather than consumers and that women are more likely to be making purchasing decisions, this would be a(n) ______ that Staples could test through marketing research.
answer
hypothesis
question
_____ that are either accepted or rejected become the primary conclusions of a marketing research study.
answer
hypothesis
question
When more information is needed about a problem and a tentative hypothesis needs to be made more specific, marketers usually conduct _________ research.
answer
exploratory
question
Avon believes that sales of one of its lipstick lines have fallen due to the introduction of a new lipstick line, but it wants to make this tentative hypothesis more specific before proceeding. Avon should conduct
answer
exploratory research.
question
Research designed to verify insights through an objective procedure to help marketers to choose between several alternatives is called
answer
conclusive
question
Research that is conducted to clarify the characteristics of certain phenomena to solve a particular problem is called ______ research.
answer
descriptive
question
The Gap wants to target an older crowd in order to increase its market share so it surveys men and women from ages 40 to 60 about how often and for what type of activities they wear casual clothing. This is an example of
answer
descriptive research
question
Research that allows marketers to make causal inferences about relationships is called
answer
experimental research
question
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
answer
experimental
question
If Little Caesars wants to determine the impact of different coupon offers on pizza unit sales, it needs to conduct
answer
experimental research
question
When marketing researchers try to manipulate an independent variable and measure the resulting changes in a dependent variable, they are engaging in
answer
experimentation
question
Designing research procedures that produce reliable marketing data means that
answer
others using the same procedure will get almost identical data.
question
Marketing researchers at Essex Co. repeated a particular experiment several times and discovered that the results produced each time were nearly identical. This phenomenon would indicate that the results were
answer
reliable
question
A valid study
answer
measures what it is supposed to
question
A firm has conducted market research and found that customer satisfaction with its product is quite high. Nonetheless, repurchase behavior is very low. The research design evidently has a problem with
answer
validity
question
A study that is valid and reliable
answer
measures what it is supposed to measure and produces almost identical results every time.
question
Palmetto Regional Hospital has designed an upcoming research project for determining the best methods for improving patient care. The next step the organization must take in the marketing research process is
answer
collecting data
question
Primary data are best described as the
answer
data that are observed, recorded, or collected directly from subjects.
question
Data that are observed or collected directly from respondents are called
answer
primary data
question
If Bloomingdale's wants to learn about consumers' attitudes toward on-line purchases and conducts a study to acquire this information, this study would collect ____________ data.
answer
primary
question
Marketers often begin the data collection phase of a research project by gathering secondary data. This type of information may come from both ___________ and ___________ sources.
answer
internal;external
question
Secondary data cannot be obtained from
answer
surveys
question
One overlooked internal source of secondary marketing information discussed in the text is
answer
accounting recrods
question
AOL Time Warner uses its sales reports broken down by geographic regions as part of its marketing research to determine which markets are most rapidly adopting high-speed Internet connections. In this example, AOL Time Warner is using
answer
internal secondary data
question
If Georgia-Pacific seeks information about trends in housing starts around the country and uses U.S. Department of Commerce reports to get this information, it is using ___________ data.
answer
secondary
question
When working as a summer intern for a local retail store, Jan Halverson was sent to the library to look up data on population forecasts for the city of San Antonio. The population information she found would be considered
answer
secondary data
question
Information from the U.S. Census Bureau is commonly used as ____ by a variety of agencies and organizations.
answer
external secondary data
question
Subscription services from firms such as ACNielsen provide marketing researchers with a good source of ___________ data.
answer
external secondary
question
If Carrie wants to do some market research about the footwear industry that her company is a part of, but she has limited money and time, she would most likely collect
answer
secondary data
question
All the elements, individuals, or units of interest to researchers for a specific study are called the
answer
population
question
If the University Bookstore wanted to understand the textbook and school supplies needs on the campus of the University of Michigan, the population of study would be
answer
all students, faculty, supporters, and staff of the University of Michigan.
question
Patricia Robertson is running for Congress from the Sixth District in her state. She is interested in knowing the intended choices of the voters. All the registered voters in her district would constitute the study's
answer
population
question
If you were to choose a sample with which to study the market for preschool toys in Illinois, the population would logically be defined as all
answer
families in Illinois that have or are expecting preschool children.
question
In marketing research, a sample is best described as
answer
a limited number of units chosen to represent the characteristics of a total population.
question
When marketing researchers consider sampling techniques, they are preparing to collect ___________ data.
answer
primary
question
The objective of sampling in marketing research is to
answer
select representative units from a total population
question
The two basic types of sampling that marketing researchers use are
answer
probability and nonprobability.
question
In what type of sampling does every element have a known chance of being selected for study?
answer
probability
question
Which sampling design gives every member of the population an equal chance of appearing in the sample?
answer
radnom
question
In which of the following sampling designs do all members of a population have an equal chance of being selected?
answer
random
question
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 chance of being selected, Marriott is using
answer
random sampling
question
When a population is divided into distinct groups based on some particular characteristic and a probability sample is taken from each group, this exemplifies _________ sampling.
answer
stratified
question
Assume that Verizon Wireless is interested in studying 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.
answer
stratified
question
Baskin Robbins is conducting research on possible new ice cream flavors and products. It is selecting at random 100 males and 100 females in order to collect data. This is an example of ______ sampling.
answer
stratified
question
If Weight Watchers is interested in collecting information about Americans' perceptions of dieting programs, and the company believes that significant regional differences may exist, the best type of sampling would be
answer
stratified.
question
In ___________ sampling, there is no way to calculate the likelihood that a specific element of the population being studied will be chosen.
answer
nonprobability
question
In which type of sampling design is the final choice of respondents left up to the interviewer?
answer
Quota
question
When researchers divide the population of interest in a study into groups and then arbitrarily choose participants from each group, they are using
answer
quota sampling
question
Quota sampling is most commonly used in
answer
exploratory studies
question
Nelson Marketing Research is concerned about using surveys to conduct a marketing research project because
answer
response rates are declining
question
What is the primary factor contributing to the increasing difficulty associated with gathering primary data through surveys?
answer
Fewer people are willing to participate in surveys.
question
Which of the following is the least flexible survey method?
answer
mail surveys
question
Peter Demos, director of marketing at Holcomb, Inc., calls in Andrea Carter, the firm's marketing research director. Peter wants a study done to assess the company's image relative to a new competitor, Levitt Labs. He has a flexible time schedule, has very little money to devote to the research, and feels that a relatively low response rate will not be a major problem. Andrea will probably recommend using a ___________ survey.
answer
mail
question
Maggie has limited funds for collecting data about a new pricing strategy, but she needs data from a wide geographic area. Under these circumstances, Maggie should use
answer
mail surveys
question
The major disadvantage of a mail survey versus a telephone or personal survey is
answer
the failure of respondents to return the questionnaire
question
An offshoot of mail surveys, ______ have shortcomings because the people who participate in them generally have higher incomes and education levels than the general population.
answer
purchase diaries
question
Compared to a mail survey, telephone surveys have
answer
higher response rates
question
The manager of MegaMarket is interested in asking consumers what they think about the store's new layout and expanded produce selection. If the manager would like to obtain a high response rate and have the study conducted as quickly as possible, which data collection method would you recommend?
answer
telephone surveys
question
Although telephone surveys can be conducted very quickly, a major limitation is
answer
that only a small portion of the population likes to participate in telephone surveys.
question
The National Do-Not-Call list affects the ability of marketing researchers to use
answer
telephone surveys
question
Which of the following survey methods has the potential to offer quick response at a lower cost than traditional mail and telephone surveys?
answer
online surveys
question
Which of the following basic survey methods is the least expensive method if there is an adequate response rate?
answer
online surveys
question
Spam and privacy are both issues of concern related to
answer
e-mail surveys
question
Marketing researchers typically favor ___________ because they are extremely flexible.
answer
personal interviews
question
Participants in _______ frequently get to see pictures, products, advertising samples, and diagrams.
answer
personal interviews surveys
question
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
answer
a focus-group interviews
question
A research method in which a number of people are exposed to an idea or concept and the interaction of the people is observed is called a(n)
answer
focus-group interview
question
Emily Dawson and seven other people were paid to get together and discuss a new product idea proposed by Johnson & Johnson. Researchers observed the interaction of the group. This method is called a
answer
focus-group interview
question
Kelsey thinks she will be able to get the highest quality of responses concerning the product features most sought by consumers through personal interviews. She decides to conduct her interviews at _____ because this is the most common location for personal interviews.
answer
a shopping mall
question
A survey question that requires a yes or no answer is called a
answer
dichotomous question.
question
An item on the University Book Store's survey asks respondents to tell the store, in their own words, what they like least about textbook shopping. This item would be an example of a(n) ___________ question
answer
open-ended
question
When Pepsi Max implemented a telephone survey to determine the effectiveness of a recent advertising campaign. One of the questions the interviewer asked was, "Have you ever heard of a cola with twice the caffeine of regular colas?" This is an example of which of the following kinds of questions?
answer
Dichotomous
question
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(n) ______ question.
answer
dichotomous
question
For demographic purposes, a mail survey sent out by the American Cancer Society asks each respondent to identify their race by choosing among a list of possibilities. This common type of question is called a(n) _____ question.
answer
multiple-choice
question
When a market researcher is using ethnographic techniques, he or she is engaging in
answer
observation
question
Cameras, counting machines, and scanners are used most often in
answer
observation
question
Having recording biases and collecting only descriptive information are two of the primary drawbacks to
answer
observation
question
If Procter & Gamble, the maker of Dawn dishwashing liquid, wants to know what percentage of customers examine product labels before making a product selection in the grocery store, it can best gain this information through
answer
observation
question
Nathan, a marketing manager for Casual Express, a retail clothing store chain, wants to use observation methods to gather information about shopping behavior. Which of the following should Nathan know about observation methods of data collection?
answer
Observation can tell Nirendra what is being done, but not why
question
Which step in the marketing research process follows collecting data?
answer
Interpreting research findings
question
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 survey results, and gives that report to his boss. Which step of the marketing research process has Carlos omitted?
answer
Interpreting research
question
In the process of conducting marketing research, marketers should allow for
answer
continual evaluation of the data during the entire collection period.
question
Which step in the marketing research process involves the use of data analysis and statistical techniques to help draw conclusions?
answer
Interpreting research findings
question
According to the text, ___________ interpretation focuses on what is typical or what deviates from the average.
answer
statistical
question
Darren uses Microsoft Excel to determine how much the responses to his survey about household decision making for toilet paper vary. Darren is in the ______ step of the marketing research process.
answer
interpreting research findings
question
Suppose that a retail store conducts a mail survey of its customers and finds that 50 percent of the customers believe store personnel are "courteous." Which benchmark or comparison would be most useful for interpreting this result?
answer
How the 50 percent figure compares with that for competitors
question
The final step in the marketing research process is
answer
reporting the research findings
question
Corporate executives often prefer marketing research findings to be put into a report
answer
that is clear, short, and simply expressed.
question
In reporting marketing research findings, the researcher should
answer
provide explanations in language that those who use the report to make decisions can understand.
question
There is some concern that marketing research has been used incorrectly by some firms. The major problem comes from ___________ because the researcher wants to obtain favorable results
answer
bias and distortion
question
A framework for gathering and managing information from sources both inside and outside an organization is referred to as
answer
a marketing information system
question
Which one of the following best characterizes a marketing information system (MIS)?
answer
An MIS provides a continuous flow of information about such things as distribution costs, prices, sales, and advertising expenses.
question
The main focus of a marketing information system is on
answer
data storage and retrieval.
question
American Flooring sells all types of floor coverings to contractors and other businesses. It keeps a collection of information about all of its clients that can be easily accessed on the company's computer system. This collection of information is called a
answer
database
question
Bart's Appliance Center owner Ron Bart feels that his organization has access to a great deal of information generated both inside and outside the firm, but much of this information is presently going to waste. Apparently, Bart needs to develop a
answer
marketing information system
question
A(n) ___________ is a collection of information arranged for easy access and retrieval.
answer
database
question
Information provided by a single firm on household demographics, consumer purchases, television viewing behavior, and responses to promotions is called ___________ data.
answer
single-source
question
Behavior Scan, a research company, provides information on household demographics, television viewing habits, and purchases tracked with Hotline cards. This is
answer
single-source data
question
Computer software that aids marketing managers in decision making by helping them anticipate the effect of certain decisions is known as a
answer
marketing decision support system
question
Marketing information systems and marketing research have changed rapidly because customers and companies around the world have been linked by
answer
the internet
question
The following are all guidelines for questionnaire construction that support ethical marketing research except to
answer
keep the name of the research company confidential.
question
Which of the following statements about conducting marketing research internationally is false?
answer
Specific differences among countries have no affect on data gathering or the marketing research process.
question
Because of the development of optical scanners and cable television, marketing researchers can now test the effectiveness of advertising more precisely. Volunteers in a minimum of six cities are offered food discounts in return for allowing marketing research firms to monitor grocery purchases and send trial commercials to their homes through cable television. The research subjects shop only at stores equipped with UPC scanners, and their purchases are identified by a special card. Respondents are also told that some of the commercials they see on cable television may differ from those seen by their neighbors. Buying patterns are then compared. For example, Kashi cereals tested a Crunchy Wheat promotion using this system. Half of the 5,000 participating homes in one city saw a commercial announcing the promotion; the other half saw a commercial that did not mention the promotion. Kashi used scanner data to evaluate the promotion's success and offered the commercials nationwide. Kashi's testing of the Crunchy Wheat promotion is an example of
answer
a descriptive study.
question
Because of the development of optical scanners and cable television, marketing researchers can now test the effectiveness of advertising more precisely. Volunteers in a minimum of six cities are offered food discounts in return for allowing marketing research firms to monitor grocery purchases and send trial commercials to their homes through cable television. The research subjects shop only at stores equipped with UPC scanners, and their purchases are identified by a special card. Respondents are also told that some of the commercials they see on cable television may differ from those seen by their neighbors. Buying patterns are then compared. For example, Kashi cereals tested a Crunchy Wheat promotion using this system. Half of the 5,000 participating homes in one city saw a commercial announcing the promotion; the other half saw a commercial that did not mention the promotion. Kashi used scanner data to evaluate the promotion's success and offered the commercials nationwide. Suppose that when selecting the 5,000 homes to participate in scanner studies in one city, the research firm first divided the city's population into upper-, middle-, and lower-class families, then took a probability sample within each group. This would be a(n) _________ sample.
answer
stratified
question
Because of the development of optical scanners and cable television, marketing researchers can now test the effectiveness of advertising more precisely. Volunteers in a minimum of six cities are offered food discounts in return for allowing marketing research firms to monitor grocery purchases and send trial commercials to their homes through cable television. The research subjects shop only at stores equipped with UPC scanners, and their purchases are identified by a special card. Respondents are also told that some of the commercials they see on cable television may differ from those seen by their neighbors. Buying patterns are then compared. For example, Kashi cereals tested a Crunchy Wheat promotion using this system. Half of the 5,000 participating homes in one city saw a commercial announcing the promotion; the other half saw a commercial that did not mention the promotion. Kashi used scanner data to evaluate the promotion's success and offered the commercials nationwide. The 5,000 households that allowed their group purchases to be scanned are a
answer
sample
question
Because of the development of optical scanners and cable television, marketing researchers can now test the effectiveness of advertising more precisely. Volunteers in a minimum of six cities are offered food discounts in return for allowing marketing research firms to monitor grocery purchases and send trial commercials to their homes through cable television. The research subjects shop only at stores equipped with UPC scanners, and their purchases are identified by a special card. Respondents are also told that some of the commercials they see on cable television may differ from those seen by their neighbors. Buying patterns are then compared. For example, Kashi cereals tested a Crunchy Wheat promotion using this system. Half of the 5,000 participating homes in one city saw a commercial announcing the promotion; the other half saw a commercial that did not mention the promotion. Kashi used scanner data to evaluate the promotion's success and offered the commercials nationwide. When the researchers compared the average sales of Crunchy Wheat for the group that saw the promotion with the average sales for the group that did not see the promotion, in which stage of the marketing research process were they?
answer
Interpreting research findings
question
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the Chatsworth River in Arizona. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business: even though it seemed to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing. Colin decided to apply some of the things he had learned in his MBA marketing research class to his business. The first thing he did was to
answer
define the problem to be researched.
question
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the Chatsworth River in Arizona. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business: even though it seemed to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing. Colin developed a research design to aid his investigation. This design included a questionnaire that attempted to measure "outdoor activity preferences"; however, Colin's MBA professor said that the questionnaire measured not "outdoor activity preferences" but something else. The professor was questioning the research design's
answer
validity.
question
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the Chatsworth River in Arizona. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business: even though it seemed to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing. Colin went to the university library and collected everything he could find on the kayaking and canoeing sports industries. The type of data he collected are known as ___________ data.
answer
secondary
question
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the Chatsworth River in Arizona. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business: even though it seemed to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing. Besides administering the questionnaire, Colin observed people who went kayaking and canoeing on the Chatsworth River, making notes about their appearance and behavior. The type of data he collected are ___________ data.
answer
primary
question
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the Chatsworth River in Arizona. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business: even though it seemed to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing. Before administering the questionnaire, Colin discovered through talking to other sports rental businesses that, although retired males made up a small percentage of the area's population, they often rented kayaks and canoes. In light of this, Colin decided to include a minimum of 25 percent retired males in his sample. The final choice of respondents was left up to the interviewers. This sampling method is known as ___________ sampling.
answer
quota