Deck 23: Report Preparation and Presentation

Question 1

The researcher should remember that the rule is, "Tell it like it is," when writing the objective section of the marketing research report.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Each report will have a unique character based on the personalities, responsibilities, etc.of the researcher and the decision maker to whom the report is addressed.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Often the researcher must cater to the needs of several audiences with different levels of technical sophistication and interest in the project. Such conflicting needs may be met by including different sections in the report for different readers. Under no circumstances should separate reports be written.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Variation in type size and skillful use of white space can take away from the appearance and readability of the marketing research report.

Question 5

It is o.k.to include only the major headings and subheadings in the table of contents.

Question 6

The research design section contains a description of the theoretical foundations that guided the research, any analytical models formulated, research questions, hypotheses, and the factors that influenced the research design.

Question 7

Report preparation and presentation is the final step in the marketing research project.

Question 8

The techniques used for analysis should be described in detailed non-technical terms.

Question 9

The executive summary should be the first part of the report written.

Question 10

Moderators who write their own focus group project reports try to complete them within three to four weeks.

Question 11

When it is said that a report should be terse, it is meant that it should be as brief as possible but not at the expense of completeness.

Question 12

When writing the final report, the researcher should draw conclusions but should not make recommendations.

Question 13

The results section is normally the longest part of the report and may comprise several chapters.

Question 14

A logical organization leads to a coherent marketing research report.

Question 15

The marketing research report serves as a historical record of the project.

Question 16

A letter of transmittal authorizes the researcher to proceed with the project.

Question 17

The conclusions and recommendations section should only include a summary of the statistical results.

Question 18

The researcher must make sure that management does not overly rely on the research results or use them for unintended purposes, such as projecting them to unintended populations.

Question 19

Every table should have a number.

Question 20

While each report is unique, report formats do not vary with the researcher or the marketing research firm conducting the project, the client for whom the project is being conducted or the nature of the project itself.

Question 21

Which statement is not true about the report preparation and presentation process?

A)The findings should be presented in such a way that they can be used directly as input into decision making.
B)Conclusions should be drawn but recommendations should not be made.
C)The researcher should assist the client in understanding the report.
D)The researcher should assist the client in evaluating the research process in retrospect.

Question 22

Report formats are likely to vary based on all of the following except ________.

A)the marketing research firm conducting the research
B)the client for whom the project is being conducted
C)the nature of the project itself
D)the client's method of payment

Question 23

The marketing research report could be distributed in a variety of formats including hard copy and electronic. However, it is not advisable that research reports be published or posted directly to the Web.

Question 24

The ________ authorizes the researcher to proceed with the project and specifies the scope and the terms of the contract.

A)title page
B)letter of transmittal
C)letter of authorization
D)executive summary

Question 25

A useful form of schematic figures and flow charts is classification diagrams.

Question 26

The arrangement of data items in a table should emphasize the most significant aspect of the data.

Question 27

The oral presentation is not important because the executives are also given a written report with all the important information in it.

Question 28

Information such as the title of the report, information about the researcher or organization conducting the research, the name of the client and the date of release should appear on/in the ________.

A)title page
B)letter of transmittal
C)letter of authorization
D)executive summary

Question 29

The key to an effective presentation is preparation.

Question 30

In the United Airlines example given in your text, it was stated that all departments of the company used the results of its in-flight customer satisfaction survey. Which department used the customer satisfaction report to evaluate the performance of United, both internally in achieving its goals, and externally compared to the competition?

A)the marketing department
B)the airport department
C)the executive management
D)the finance department

Question 31

If the client was pleased with the research project and report, there is no need for the researcher to evaluate the research project.

Question 32

The letter of transmittal does all of the following except ________.

A)summarizes the researcher's overall experiences with the project
B)discusses the major results
C)identifies the need for further action on the part of the client
D)all of the above

Question 33

When developing a table, the footnotes should come after the source notes.

Question 34

If you are deliberating over whether to call the marketing research report "Practices Followed in Selecting Long-Distance Carriers" or "Long Distance Service Study," you are concerned with which elements of the marketing research report?

A)table of contents
B)approach to the problem
C)title page
D)problem definition

Question 35

After the presentation, key executives in the client firm should be given time to read the report in detail.

Question 36

The histogram is a horizontal bar chart in which the width of the bars represents the relative or cumulative frequency of occurrence of a specific variable.

Question 37

A pie chart is useful for displaying relationships over time or relationships among several variables.

Question 38

If managers evaluate the quality of the entire project based on the quality of the report and presentation, which reason for the importance of the report and presentation most applies?

A)Management's decision to undertake marketing research in the future or to use the particular research supplier again will be influenced by the perceived usefulness of the report and the presentation.
B)The involvement of many marketing managers in the project is limited to the written report and the oral presentation.
C)Management decisions are guided by the report and the presentation.The researcher should assist the client in evaluating the research process in retrospect.
D)The report and presentation are the tangible products of the research effort.

Question 39

It is unethical to draw conclusions if data analysis did not reveal anything new or significant.

Question 40

As a follow-up to the marketing research report, the researcher might assist the client with implementing the findings.

Question 41

If you are trying to determine the best way to present data in a table, you should refer to the ________ for suggestions.

A)guidelines for tables
B)guidelines for graphs
C)guidelines for report writing
D)guidelines for oral presentations

Question 42

________ are used to set off data items in the written report.

A)Leaders
B)White spaces
C)Dots
D)Hyphens

Question 43

A ________ can be used to present absolute and relative magnitudes, differences, and change.

A)line chart
B)pictograph
C)bar chart
D)histogram

Question 44

All of the following should be considered when writing the marketing research report except ________.

A)how easy the report is to follow
B)the arrangement of data items
C)who the reader will be
D)how to present the information objectively

Question 45

The ________ is often the only portion of the marketing research report that executives read.

A)title page
B)letter of transmittal
C)letter of authorization
D)executive summary

Question 46

If you are trying to decide if something should be included or left out of the marketing research report, you are being mindful of the ________ element of report writing.

A)terse
B)comprehensive
C)objective
D)none of the above

Question 47

A marketing research report should do all of the following except ________.

A)be written for a specific reader or readers
B)take into account the reader's technical sophistication and interest in the project
C)use technical jargon
D)take into account the circumstances under which the report will be read

Question 48

A list of tables, list of graphs, list of appendices, and list of exhibits are found in which part of the marketing research report?

A)table of contents
B)letter of transmittal
C)letter of authorization
D)executive summary

Question 49

In order for the report to accurately present the methodology, results, and conclusions of the project, without slanting the findings to conform to the expectations of management, the research must be ________.

A)terse
B)comprehensive
C)objective
D)none of the above

Question 50

________ do not depict results precisely, hence, caution should be exercised when using them.

A)Line charts
B)Pictographs
C)Bar charts
D)Histograms

Question 51

The ________ section of the marketing research report highlights the discussions with the decision makers and industry experts, and discusses the secondary data analysis, the qualitative research that was conducted, and the factors that were considered.

A)table of contents
B)approach to the problem
C)title page
D)problem definition

Question 52

The ________ section contains a clear statement of the management decision problem and the marketing research problem.

A)approach
B)problem definition
C)limits and caveats
D)research design

Question 53

If you are trying to write about the budget, timeframe, and other organizational constraints pertaining to the marketing research project without eroding the client's confidence in the research or unduly minimizing the importance of those topics, you are working on the ________ section of the marketing research report.

A)approach
B)problem definition
C)limits and caveats
D)research design

Question 54

The ________ section of the marketing research report contains a description of the theoretical foundations that guided the research, any analytical models formulated, research questions, hypotheses, and the factors that influenced the research design.

A)approach to the problem
B)problem definition
C)research design
D)both A and B

Question 55

Effective oral presentation techniques include all of the following except ________.

A)the use of visual aids displayed with a variety of media
B)allowing sufficient opportunity for questions, both during and after the presentation
C)not spending much time on the reason for the research and getting to the results quickly
D)constant eye contact and interaction with the audience

Question 56

________ are an attractive way of illustrating trends and changes over time.

A)Line charts
B)Pictographs
C)Bar charts
D)Histograms

Question 57

Which statement is not true about the research design section of the marketing research report?

A)The topics should be presented in a non-technical, easy to understand manner.
B)The technical detail should be included in an appendix.
C)A description of the theoretical foundations that guided the research should be included.
D)This section of the report should justify the specific methods selected.

Question 58

________ can be used to display the steps or components of a process.

A)Pie charts
B)Pictographs
C)Schematic figures and flow charts
D)Geographic maps

Question 59

As a general guideline, a pie chart should not require more than ________ sections.

A)six
B)seven
C)eight
D)ten

Question 60

________ can communicate relative location and other comparative information.

A)Pie charts
B)Pictographs
C)Schematic figures and flow charts
D)Geographic maps

Question 61

Define the "Tell 'Em" principle and the "KISS 'Em" principle.

Question 62

List some of the ethical issues faced by the researcher and the client in the report preparation and presentation stage of the marketing research project.

Question 63

If you are asking questions such as "Could this project have been conducted more effectively or efficiently?", "Was the best research design used?" or, "Were the conclusions and recommendations appropriate and useful to the client?", you are at the ________ stage of ________.

A)assisting the client; research follow-up
B)evaluation of the project; research follow-up
C)research design; reading the research report
D)execution of the research procedures; reading the research report

Question 64

Ethical issues arise when ________.

A)client firms such as tobacco companies, use marketing research findings to formulate questionable marketing programs
B)a client distorts the research findings to develop a biased advertising campaign that makes brand claims that have not been substantiated by marketing research
C)the marketing research problem is defined to suit hidden agendas
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 65

According to the example given in your text, Thomas Greenbaum, president of a market research company focusing on qualitative research, notes a disturbing trend in recent years in the focus group service sector. Some moderators of focus groups misrepresent their work to clients because their reports are actually written by ghostwriters who did not participate in the focus group sessions. Why does Greenbaum think using ghost writers is such a large problem?

Question 66

What are the steps in the report preparation process (Figure 22.1 in the text)?

Question 67

Which statement is not true concerning the guidelines for reading the report and evaluating the marketing research project developed by the Advertising Research Foundation?

A)The report should assume that the reader has prior knowledge of the problem situation and all the relevant information.
B)The report should include a discussion of the information needs, data-collection methods, scaling techniques, questionnaire design and pre-testing, sampling techniques, and fieldwork.
C)The interpretation of the basic results should be differentiated from the results per se.
D)Factors that limit the generalizability of the findings, such as the nature and representativeness of the sample, mode and time of data collection, and various sources of error should be clearly identified.

Question 68

Which of the following is a way in which the researcher might assist the client after the marketing research report has been presented?

A)selection of a new product or advertising agency, development of a pricing policy, marketing segmentation, or other marketing actions
B)further research projects
C)help the client firm make the information generated in the marketing research project a part of the firm's marketing (management)information system (MIS)and decision support system (DSS)
D)all of the above

Question 69

Effective oral presentation techniques include all of the following except ________.

A)the speaker should vary the volume, pitch, voice quality, articulation, and rate while speaking
B)terminate the presentation with a strong closing
C)the presentation should be sponsored by a top-level manager in the client's organization
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 70

Discuss the results section of the marketing research report.

Question 71

Which of the following is not a special concern for international research during report preparation and presentation?

A)the need to prepare reports for management in different countries and in different languages
B)the presenter should be sensitive to cultural norms
C)the subjective experience and gut feelings of managers could vary widely across countries, necessitating that different recommendations be made for implementing the research findings in different countries
D)whether clients should use the research results in an ethical manner

Question 72

How can the marketing researcher make the report appropriate for audiences with different levels of technical sophistication and interest in the project?

Question 73

To what length should the researcher go when writing the conclusions and recommendations section of the marketing research report?

Question 74

What are the advantages to publishing marketing research reports on the Web?

Question 75

Discuss why the report and its presentation are important parts of the marketing research project.