Deck 7: Marketing Research

Question 1

The real value of marketing research to the organization can best be measured by:

A) its immediate impact on profits.
B) the amount of time spent.
C) how much it costs.
D) improvements in the ability to make decisions.
E) the increase in sales volume or market share.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Discuss the role of the marketing information system in helping marketing managers make better decisions.

Answer 2

A marketing information system (MIS) is a framework for the day-to-day management and structuring of information gathered regularly from sources both inside and outside an organization. As such, an MIS provides a continuous flow of information about prices, advertising expenditure, sales, competition and distribution expenses. The main focus of the marketing information system is on data storage and retrieval. Regular reports of sales by product or market category, data on inventory levels and records of sales people's activities are all examples of information that is useful in making marketing decisions. In the MIS, the means of gathering data receive less attention than do the procedures for marketing information system (MIS).

Question 3

Why would a personal interview be favoured over a mail or telephone survey?

Answer 3

Marketing researchers often employ sampling to collect primary data through mail, telephone, online or personal interview surveys. Selection of a survey method depends on the nature of the problem, the data needed to satisfy the research objectives and any hypotheses, and the resources, such as funding and personnel that are available to the researcher. In a personal interview survey, participants respond to questions face to face. Various audio-visual aids - pictures, products, diagrams or pre-recorded advertising copy - can be incorporated into a personal interview. Rapport gained through direct interaction usually permits more in-depth interviewing, including probes, follow-up questions or psychological tests. In addition, because personal interviews can be longer, they can yield more information. Finally, respondents can be selected more carefully, and reasons for nonresponse can be explored. A depth interview is a lengthy, one-to-one structured interview examining a consumer's views about a product in detail.

Question 4

All of the following are steps in the marketing research process except:

A) collecting data.
B) interpreting research findings.
C) designing the research project.
D) reporting research findings.
E) understanding your customer.

Question 5

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of collecting a sample.

Question 6

Examine the differences between the different ethical marketing codes of practice.

Question 7

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?

A) Locating and defining problems
B) Designing the project
C) Collecting data
D) Interpreting findings
E) Reporting findings

Question 8

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of collecting a sample.

Question 9

Explain the conditions that would favour an exploratory study and use an example to show this.

Question 10

Research designed to verify insights through an objective procedure to help marketers to choose between several alternatives is called ________

A) primary.
B) secondary.
C) exploratory.
D) conclusive.
E) hypothetical.

Question 11

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

A) descriptive
B) experimental
C) exploratory
D) analytical statistical
E) conclusive

Question 12

What makes for a "good" report for a company executive?

Question 13

An overall plan for obtaining the information needed to address a research problem or issue is called the:

A) research design.
B) problem recognition.
C) hypothesis.
D) data collection method.
E) sampling procedure.

Question 14

Examine the difference between quantitative and qualitative research.

Question 15

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:

A) involves an informed guess or assumption about a certain set of circumstances.
B) is usually accompanied by a cost/benefit analysis.
C) most often comes in the form of customer complaints.
D) is often mentioned in secondary data reports, such as trade journals.
E) is typically a departure from some normal function, such as a failure to attain objectives.

Question 16

An informed guess or assumption about a certain problem or set of circumstances is known as:

A) a description of the situation.
B) good research design.
C) a hypothesis.
D) a reliable guess.
E) managerial intuition.

Question 17

Marketing research is a process designed to gather information:

A) exclusively about a company's customers.
B) from the company's database.
C) not currently available to decision makers.
D) about the needs and desires of employees.
E) concerning the interpretation of the company's sales goals.

Question 18

Why is it essential that a questionnaire be carefully designed and prepared? What problems can arise when a survey has not been well thought out?

Question 19

Marketing research is best defined as:

A) the systematic design, collection, interpretation, and reporting of information to help marketers solve specific marketing problems or take advantage of market opportunities.
B) a framework for the day-to-day management and structuring of information gathered by marketers.
C) a continuous gathering of data for an organization to make marketing decisions
D) the collecting of data from secondary sources and internal documents.
E) an intuitive process for making decisions based on personal knowledge and experience.

Question 20

Why is defining the problem the most important step in marketing research?

Question 21

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):

A) in-home interview.
B) mail-group survey.
C) focus-group interview.
D) shopping mall intercept interview.
E) chat room interview.

Question 22

Conclusive research is used when marketers need more information about a problem or want to make a tentative hypothesis more specific.

Question 23

Survey and observation are considered secondary data collection techniques.

Question 24

Experimental research is used to make tentative hypotheses more specific.

Question 25

A valid study:

A) portrays the population being studied.
B) results in a causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
C) uses random sampling.
D) verifies expected results.
E) measures what it is supposed to.

Question 26

Which of the following survey methods has the potential to offer quick response at a lower cost than traditional mail and telephone surveys?

A) Total population surveys
B) In-home (door-to-door) interviews
C) Focus-group interviews
D) Personal interview surveys
E) Online surveys

Question 27

The key to locating and defining problems is always to probe beneath any superficial symptoms.

Question 28

A telephone survey is a good example of a completely random sample for the entire population.

Question 29

Research that allows marketers to make causal inferences about relationships is called _____

A) variable research.
B) relationality.
C) exploratory research.
D) linkage research.
E) experimental research.

Question 30

The first sign of a problem is usually a departure from some normal function, such as a failure to attain objectives.

Question 31

Marketing research is a systematic and orderly gathering of information supplied through the routine reporting system within the organization.

Question 32

Exploratory research is concerned with identifying the characteristics of markets or categorizing market activities.

Question 33

Which of the following is the least flexible survey method?

A) Telephone surveys
B) Focus-group interviews
C) Personal interview surveys
D) Mail surveys
E) Observation

Question 34

Data regarding attitudes toward a particular product are collected. To test a hypothesis, the data are used and then stored. If these data are used again in a future research study, they will be considered primary data.

Question 35

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

A) surveys.
B) secondary data gathering.
C) interviews.
D) observation.
E) experimentation.

Question 36

Spam and privacy are both issues of concern related to:

A) personal interview surveys.
B) telephone surveys.
C) shopping mall intercept interviews.
D) e-mail surveys.
E) online experimentation.

Question 37

A research technique is said to be reliable if it produces almost identical results in successive repeated trials.

Question 38

The hypothesis being tested determines the general data-gathering approach to use.

Question 39

Marketing research can be used to test a hypothesis.

Question 40

Compared to a mail survey, telephone surveys have:

A) lower response rates.
B) a slower response time.
C) invalid results.
D) fewer expenses.
E) higher response rates.

Question 41

In probability sampling, there is no way to calculate the likelihood that a specific element of the population being studied will be chosen.

Question 42

Marketing researchers should allow for continual evaluation of the data during the entire data collection period.

Question 43

In general, corporate executives prefer research reports that are short, clear, and simply expressed.

Question 44

The technique of sampling in marketing research is the process of selecting representative units from a total population (a sample) and being able to project the characteristics of the total population from the sample considered.

Question 45

Secondary data are data collected from inside the organization; primary data are those collected from outside the organization.

Question 46

The observation method of research systematically examines and records secondary data information about the physical conditions, events, and overt behaviour of respondents.

Question 47

Marketers can only use databases developed by other firms.

Question 48

A marketing information system provides an irregular and unstructured flow of information from internal sources within the organization.

Question 49

One common mistake in questionnaire construction is developing the questionnaire before objectives have been established.

Question 50

The main difference between marketing research and a marketing information system is that the MIS is an information-gathering process for specific situations whereas marketing research provides continuous data input.

Question 51

Online focus groups gather data from large and geographically diverse groups in a less intensive manner than focus-group interviews.

Question 52

Ethical conflict typically occurs because the parties involved in marketing research often have different objectives.

Question 53

Stratified sampling may reduce some of the error that could occur in a simple random sample.