Deck 2: Defining the Marketing Research Problem and Developing an Approach

Question 1

Focusing on the underlying causes of a problem is a characteristic of a management decision problem.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The problem confronting the decision maker is typically referred to as the marketing research problem.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

While every step in a marketing research project is important,research design formulation is the most important step.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The corporate culture as it relates to decision making is one of the issues discussed with the decision maker during the problem audit.

Question 5

An unstructured,exploratory research methodology based on small samples intended to provide insight and understanding of the problem setting is called quantitative research.

Question 6

According to the text,primary data are an economical and quick source of background information.

Question 7

Case studies usually involve legal cases,and in this way they have come to be named "case studies."

Question 8

The management decision problem asks what information is needed and how it can best be obtained.

Question 9

Secondary data are data collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand.

Question 10

Problem audit is a comprehensive examination of a marketing problem to understand its origin and nature.

Question 11

The third component of the conceptual map is "Therefore,we should study (topic)."

Question 12

The political environment is a factor that comprises the environmental context of the problem.

Question 13

According to the text,buyer behavior is a central component of the environmental context of the problem.

Question 14

Buyer behavior is a body of knowledge that tries to understand and predict consumers' reactions based on an individual's specific characteristics.

Question 15

A broad statement of the general problem and identification of the specific components of the marketing research problem is called problem definition.

Question 16

Data originated by the researcher specifically to address the research problem are called primary data.

Question 17

Pilot surveys contain fewer open-ended questions than large-scale surveys.

Question 18

General economic conditions are considered elements of the legal environment.

Question 19

According to the text,the marketing research problem is information-oriented.

Question 20

The resume of the decision maker is one of the issues discussed with the decision maker during the problem audit.

Question 21

Verbal models are often a summary or restatement of the main points of the theory.

Question 22

Analysis of blogs and Facebook postings revealed to Hewlett-Packard (HP)that many customers who purchased its computers were having issues with service support.

Question 23

A limitation of social media in understanding consumer behavior is that we cannot determine how consumers interact with each other over time.

Question 24

Research questions are refined statements of the specific components of the problem.

Question 25

In graphical models,the variables and their relationships are stated in prose form.

Question 26

Verbal models explicitly specify the strength and direction of relationships among variables,usually in equation form.

Question 27

It is possible to identify industry experts,and an analysis of their social media sites can provide insights into their thinking as it relates to problem at hand.

Question 28

A marketing research problem asks what information is needed and how it should be obtained.

Question 29

According to the text,graphical models are logical,preliminary steps to developing mathematical models.

Question 30

With the use of social media such as blogs,Facebook,or Twitter,researchers can update consumers on the research that has been ongoing and the actions that have been taken.

Question 31

While every step in a marketing research project is important,________ is the most important step.

A) problem definition
B) problem correction
C) research design formulation
D) report generation and presentation
E) project completion

Question 32

An explicit specification of a set of variables and their interrelationships designed to represent some real system or process in whole or in part is called an analytical model.

Question 33

A theory is a conceptual scheme based on foundational statements,which are assumed to be true.

Question 34

Mathematical models are visual and pictorially represent the theory.

Question 35

Determining the impact on sales and profits of various levels of price changes is an issue that would be addressed in a management decision problem.

Question 36

Hypotheses are statements about proposed relationships rather than merely questions to be answered.

Question 37

An unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher is called a hypothesis.

Question 38

Unbiased evidence that is supported by empirical findings is called objective evidence.

Question 39

An unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher is called a theory.

Question 40

Graphical models are used to isolate variables and to suggest directions of relationships but are not designed to provide numerical results.

Question 41

Data originated by the researcher specifically to address the research problem are called ________.

A) primary data
B) secondary data
C) virtual data
D) census data
E) research data

Question 42

According to the text,examples of cases used in case studies could be all of the following EXCEPT:

A) customers.
B) stores.
C) firms.
D) markets.
E) surveys.

Question 43

________ is a body of knowledge that tries to understand and predict consumers' reactions based on an individual's specific characteristics.

A) Economic behavior
B) Organizational behavior
C) Buyer behavior
D) Ethical behavior
E) Census data

Question 44

The ________ provides a useful framework for interacting with the DM and identifying the underlying causes of the problem.

A) problem audit
B) management problem
C) problem definition
D) none of the above

Question 45

Interviews with industry experts-individuals knowledgeable about the firm and the industry-may help formulate the marketing research problem.Which of the following statements is true about interviews with industry experts?

A) These experts may be found both inside and outside the firm.
B) Typically, expert information is obtained by unstructured personal interviews without administering a formal questionnaire.
C) It is helpful to prepare a list of topics to be covered during the interview.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 46

________ are data collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand.

A) Primary data
B) Secondary data
C) Virtual data
D) Observational data
E) Research data

Question 47

According to the problem definition and approach development process as given in the text,the tasks involved in problem definition consist of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) discussions with the decision makers.
B) interviews with industry experts.
C) analysis of project costs.
D) analysis of secondary data.

Question 48

The problem audit involves discussions with the decision maker on all of the following issues EXCEPT:

A) the history of the problem.
B) the criteria that will be used to evaluate the alternative courses of action.
C) the information that is needed to answer the decision maker's questions.
D) the alternative courses of action available to the decision maker.
E) the national culture as it's related to a country's trade barriers.

Question 49

According to the text,________ are an economical and quick source of background information.

A) primary data
B) virtual data
C) secondary data
D) observational data
E) A and B

Question 50

________ includes the underlying motives,perceptions,attitudes,buying habits,and demographic and psychographic profiles of buyers and potential buyers.

A) Buyer behavior
B) Economic behavior
C) Organizational behavior
D) Ethical behavior
E) Advertising creativity

Question 51

All of the following represent factors that comprise 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.
E) constraints of the firm.

Question 52

The researcher must have a clear understanding of two types of objectives.Objectives:

A) that are precise and that are specific.
B) for daily and for weekly work.
C) for finance and for marketing.
D) for marketing and for research.
E) of the organization, and of the decision maker.

Question 53

________ tend to be less structured and to have smaller samples than large-scale surveys.

A) Mail surveys
B) Pilot surveys
C) Online surveys
D) Census surveys
E) Telephone surveys

Question 54

________ is a comprehensive examination of a marketing problem to understand its origin and nature.

A) Problem definition
B) Problem correction
C) Hypotheses generation
D) Research directive
E) Problem audit

Question 55

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.

Question 56

According to the text,________ is a central component of the environment.

A) economic behavior
B) organizational behavior
C) ethical behavior
D) stock price of the publicly held company in question
E) buyer behavior

Question 57

Michael Dell of Dell Computers wants his company to take market share from Hewlett-Packard and Apple in the category of printers.As his marketing research director,which of the following would NOT be part of the tasks involved in formulating the marketing research problem to support Dell's strategic initiative in selling printers?

A) qualitative research
B) interviews with experts
C) secondary data analysis
D) discussions with Michael Dell
E) composing the research design

Question 58

Which sources of secondary data would be helpful in defining the problem of Wendy's increasing its share of the fast food market?

A) a field research project conducted by Wendy's to answer the question of how to increase its share of the fast food market
B) a report from the Fast Food Retailers Association on changing preferences for consumer tastes
C) a U.S. Census Bureau report on the changing demographic profile of the U.S. consumer
D) all of the above
E) B and C only

Question 59

An unstructured,exploratory research methodology based on small samples intended to provide insight and understanding of the problem setting is called ________.

A) quantitative research
B) qualitative research
C) descriptive research
D) causal research
E) secondary data

Question 60

A broad statement of the general problem and identification of the specific components of the marketing research problem is called ________.

A) problem correction
B) problem definition
C) hypotheses generation
D) problem audit
E) project conceptualization

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT considered an element of the legal environment?

A) public policies
B) general economic conditions
C) laws
D) government agencies
E) pressure groups

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a common form of a model?

A) verbal model
B) graphical model
C) mathematical model
D) technological model
E) A and B

Question 63

________ are visual and pictorially represent the theory.

A) Graphical models
B) Mathematical models
C) Verbal models
D) Technological models
E) Cartoons

Question 64

Unbiased evidence that is supported by empirical findings is called ________.

A) objective evidence
B) sound evidence
C) legal evidence
D) subjective evidence
E) research data

Question 65

Which of the following models are used to isolate variables and to suggest directions of relationships but are not designed to provide numerical results?

A) graphical models
B) mathematical models
C) verbal models
D) technological models
E) specific models

Question 66

________ are refined statements of the specific components of the problem.

A) Research questions
B) Theories
C) Hypotheses
D) Experiments
E) Scientific information

Question 67

The ________ asks what information is needed and how it can best be obtained.

A) management decision problem
B) theoretical decision problem
C) hypothetical decision problem
D) research context problem
E) marketing research problem

Question 68

A(n)________ is a conceptual scheme based on foundation statements,which are assumed to be true.

A) experiment
B) theory
C) objective
D) incident
E) investigation

Question 69

All of the following are characteristics of a marketing research problem EXCEPT:

A) asks what the decision maker needs to do.
B) asks what information is needed and how it should be obtained.
C) is information oriented.
D) focuses on the underlying causes.
E) A and D

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a management decision problem?

A) focuses on symptoms
B) asks what the decision maker needs to do
C) is action oriented
D) focused on the underlying causes
E) A and C

Question 71

________ explicitly specify the strength and direction of relationships among variables,usually in equation form.

A) Graphical models
B) Mathematical models
C) Verbal models
D) Technological models
E) Provisional models

Question 72

All of the following are considered as elements in the economic environment EXCEPT:

A) public policies.
B) purchasing power.
C) discretionary income.
D) general economic conditions.
E) disposable income.

Question 73

According to the text,the ________ is information oriented.

A) marketing research problem
B) management decision problem
C) theoretical decision problem
D) hypothetical decision problem
E) research context problem

Question 74

In ________,the variables and their relationships are stated in prose form.

A) verbal models
B) graphical models
C) mathematical models
D) technological models
E) provisional models

Question 75

Which of the following models are often a summary or restatement of the main points of the theory?

A) graphical models
B) mathematical models
C) verbal models
D) technological models
E) provisional models

Question 76

An unproved statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher is called a(n)________.

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) model
D) experiment
E) relationship

Question 77

According to the text,________ are logical,preliminary steps to developing mathematical models.

A) theoretical models
B) verbal models
C) technological models
D) graphical models
E) durable models

Question 78

An explicit specification of a set of variables and their interrelationships designed to represent some real system or process in whole or in part is called a(n)________.

A) analytical model
B) theory
C) hypothesis
D) objective
E) broad-based research

Question 79

The problem confronting the decision maker is typically referred to as the ________.

A) management decision problem
B) theoretical decision problem
C) hypothetical decision problem
D) marketing research problem
E) research context problem

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT an issue that would be addressed in a management decision problem?

A) Should the advertising campaign be changed?
B) Should the price of the product be changed?
C) Determine the impact on sales and profits of various levels of price changes.
D) What can a company do to expand its share of its product category?
E) B and C