Exam 8: Observation, Focus Groups, and Other Qualitative Methods

Marketing researchers walking with seniors in their walking groups and listening to them discuss their hopes, fears, worries, health, family and friends would be an example of an application of ethnographic research.

A study was conducted on online buyers to determine purchasing differences among buyer segments such as males and females. The research began with a series of focus groups followed by in-depth interviews. Finally, an online survey was conducted of several thousand online buyers. If you had to classify this research, which of the following would be most appropriate?

Quantitative techniques deal with the "soft side" of marketing research.

Focus group participants are often interviewed by moderators, referred to as:

Focus groups should be composed of persons who are similar in terms of demographics and other relevant variables.

Which type of research would likely be called "soft" research?

In role-playing, participants are asked to pretend they are a "third person," such as a friend or neighbor, and describe how the third person would react in a certain situation.

Which type of qualitative research is most useful when it is thought that most respondents will be hesitant to relate their true opinions?

A combination of qualitative and quantitative research is referred to as pluralistic research.

One way to get consumers to bypass their rational controls and strike up a meaningful dialogue in focus groups is through the use of projective techniques such as "Sort Me Up" or "Sort Me Straight."

Using a device attached to a family's TV or recording a sales presentation in a laboratory are examples of undisguised observation techniques.

Which type of research may begin with exploratory research and then go on to conduct a full-scale, representative survey?

Which of the following best represents the future of focus groups?

Which of the following is a unique aspect of qualitative research?

Protocol analysis is NOT useful when the buying takes place over a long period of time, such as buying a house.

Jamie Sims developed a female public urinal that has the advantage of allowing women to use the restroom much faster. Jamie knows that waiting lines for women's rooms often are present in large, heavily used public facilities such as busy airports or spectator events. She has perfected her urinal and a major plumbing manufacturer is interested in producing and distributing the device. However, the manufacturer wants Jamie to provide some research evidence indicating how receptive women are to using the device. Jamie is concerned about how to conduct the research since the topic is socially sensitive. Given this situation, Jamie should use:

Wisconsin Research Associates is asked to help name a new product that is a new type of nonfat cheese. Several names are suggested: SkinnyCheese, CheeseSmart, LoFaCheez, and SansCholes. What would be the most appropriate qualitative technique to determine the meanings of these names to customers?

A researcher is to observe supermarket meat-shopping behavior. She has carefully laid out an observation form that contains a list of all possible relevant behaviors. This is an example of structured observation.

In which technique below are consumers' values determined, followed by determining which product or service attributes would be viewed as a means of achieving a desired value? For example, it is determined that "good health" is highly valued and "soy products replacing beef" is viewed as a means of achieving "good health."

A device that determines the level of excitement by measuring the electrical activity in the respondent's skin is known as: