Deck 2: The Marketing Research Process and Proposals

Question 1

All of the following are true about a sample, EXCEPT:

A)it is best suited when the target population is large.
B)researchers use a representative sample of the population if they wish to generalize the findings.
C)serves as the blueprint for defining the appropriate target population.
D)sample size affects the accuracy and generalizability of research results.
E)nonprobability sampling plans measure sampling error.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

When designing a study, a researcher is wondering if she should ask respondents their age. She is not sure if she would need that information to do any analysis later in the research process. She is trying to:

A)determine the correct unit of analysis for her study.
B)conduct a situation assessment for her study.
C)determine the relevant variables for her study.
D)identify the symptoms and underlying problems for her study.
E)confirm the information value.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The first task in the information research process is to:

A)redefine the decision problems as research problems.
B)identify and clarify management's information needs.
C)determine the measurement issues and scales.
D)determine the sample plan and sample size.
E)establish research objectives and determine the value of the information.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A researcher finds that respondents will probably misinterpret the term "salient" used in a couple of survey questions. If the research is conducted in a scientific manner, this problem will most likely get caught at which stage of the research process?

A)Step 2 - specification of research questions
B)Step 4 - determine the research design
C)Step 7 - pretest the questionnaire
D)Step 9 - data analysis
E)Step 10 - instrument problem identification

Question 5

In identifying and clarifying information needs, which of the following component provides direction for activities such as scale development and sampling?

A)Determination of the correct unit of analysis.
B)Conducting of a situation assessment.
C)Determination of the relevant variables.
D)Identification and separation of symptoms.
E)Determination of the research purpose.

Question 6

In contrast to marketing researchers, management decision-makers are more focused on:

A)scientific and technical analysis of emerging phenomenon.
B)abstractions rather than concrete findings.
C)market performance.
D)proactive research.
E)long-term strategic investigation of the marketplace.

Question 7

A scientific research procedure should include all the following characteristics except being:

A)logical.
B)subjective.
C)systematic.
D)reliable.
E)valid.

Question 8

Symphony, a market research firm has formed a team to study a problem. In order to familiarize with the overall complexity of the problem, the market research team decides to gather and synthesize background information including events and factors that led to the current problem. This research team is engaged in doing a(n):

A)situation analysis.
B)symptomatic analysis.
C)unit of analysis.
D)pre-screening analysis.
E)screen-test analysis.

Question 9

At which stage of the research process is the Iceberg principle generally applicable?

A)Determination of the research problem
B)Selection of the appropriate research design
C)Execution of the research design
D)Communication of the research results
E)Interpretation of data to create knowledge

Question 10

A census refers to:

A)a situation where marketing performance can be significantly improved by undertaking new activities.
B)building complex models of cause-effect relationships.
C)formalized research procedures that can be characterized as logical, objective, systematic, reliable, valid, impersonal, and on going in nature.
D)raw data and structures that have yet to receive any type of meaningful interpretation.
E)a researcher's decision that it is important to contact and question or observe all members of a target population.

Question 11

A Marketing manager wants to do a market study before launching a new product. The research study will take three months to complete. Just two weeks before starting the study, she learns that their competitor is about to launch a product that will compete directly against her company's new product. Given this new development, she decides to cancel the research study and launch the product immediately. The reason for NOT conducting the study is:

A)the problem can be resolved using existing information.
B)the problem is not of strategic or tactical importance.
C)adequate information is available in the company's internal records to resolve the problem.
D)time constraints associated with the problem make it impossible to conduct the study.
E)the cost of conducting the study outweighs the benefit of additional information.

Question 12

Causal research is most appropriate when:

A)generating insights to help define the problem situation confronting the researcher.
B)improving the understanding of consumer motivations, attitudes, and behavior that are not easy to access using other research methods.
C)it enables the decision maker to make "If-then" statements about the variables.
D)using historical data structures of variables that have been previously collected and assembled for some research problem or opportunity situation other than the current situation.
E)collecting quantitative data to answer research questions such as who, what, when, where, and how.

Question 13

Which of the data collection technique is used in exploratory research studies?

A)Image assessment surveys
B)Customer satisfaction surveys
C)Narrative surveys
D)Patronage behavior surveys
E)Pilot studies

Question 14

According to the Iceberg principle:

A)one can often get blindsided by problems that could otherwise have been easily anticipated by proactive marketing research.
B)problems are not readily "visible" until they become crises; marketing research can help identify problems in their early stages.
C)mostly, managers are aware of just a small portion of the true problem; this small portion is generally the visible symptoms of the bigger underlying problem.
D)80 percent of marketing research budget is typically spent on solving 20 percent of all the problems facing a company.
E)the importance of marketing research is often underestimated in organizations; what people see is a small "public" aspect of a much bigger support apparatus.

Question 15

Information research process:

A)helps understand the value of the research compared to the cost.
B)gathers and synthesizes background information to familiarize the researcher with the overall complexity of the problem.
C)is a systematic approach to collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and transforming data into decision-making information.
D)specifies whether data should be collected about individuals, households, organizations, departments, geographical areas, or some combination.
E)serves as a written contract between the decision maker and the researcher.

Question 16

Marilynn Castillo is a Marketing manager with a major firm. She is debating whether to conduct a marketing research study before commercializing a product. She believes that she will spend about $100,000 to conduct the study. If she launches the product without conducting the study and the product fails, her firm could suffer a loss of $2 million. One can say that Marilynn is doing:

A)an assessment of the research problem.
B)a cost-benefit assessment.
C)an assessment of the research design.
D)a time availability analysis for doing the research.
E)market sensitivity analysis of her options.

Question 17

A marketing researcher feels that her job is becoming more and more challenging. All of these factors could make the job of a marketing researcher more challenging, EXCEPT:

A)people are using gatekeeper technologies more extensively.
B)newer technologies are radically changing the way marketing research information is collected, processed, and distributed.
C)the marketing researcher's firm has recently ventured into several foreign markets.
D)advances in statistical software have made it difficult to do data analysis.
E)marketing research is playing a more important role in strategy development.

Question 18

Which step in the research process is important for descriptive and causal designs?

A)Step 3
B)Step 5
C)Step 7
D)Step 4
E)Step 6

Question 19

Which of the following helps generate insights that will help define the problem situation confronting the researcher?

A)Exploratory research
B)Descriptive research
C)Causal research
D)Assessment research
E)Pilot research

Question 20

John and Bill work for CompTech Solutions. Bill often comments that John is a typical "marketing researcher" whereas he (Bill) is a "management decision-maker." Assuming that Bill's characterization of John is correct, identify which of the following statements will most likely be false about John?

A)John tends to be a scientific, technical, and an analytical thinker.
B)John accepts prolonged investigations to ensure completeness.
C)John is sensitive to the cost of obtaining additional information.
D)John loves surprises.
E)John advocates proactive inquiry into the ever-changing marketplace.

Question 21

Which of the following section in a research proposal discusses the method used to collect the needed data, including the various types of scales?

A)Definition of the target population
B)Sample design
C)Data collection method
D)Specific research instruments
E)Definition of the sample size

Question 22

Causal research designs can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming.

Question 23

Marketing research plays a critical role in developing competitive intelligence.

Question 24

A researcher collected data by conducting surveys in two cities - Los Angeles and New York. After the primary data had been collected, and before moving to the next step of data analysis, the researcher must perform all of the following activities, EXCEPT:

A)interpret data to create knowledge.
B)assign numerical descriptors to all response categories.
C)enter data from the Los Angeles survey into the database.
D)enter data from the New York survey into the database.
E)examine data for coding and data-entry error.

Question 25

An advantage of questioning over observation (as a way of collecting data) is that:

A)questioning needs fewer researchers in the field.
B)questioning allows for a large sample size.
C)questioning is more scientific.
D)questioning allows you to collect data on variables such as intentions and attitudes that are usually invisible.
E)questioning generates data that are error free.

Question 26

The information research process is comprised of four phases and eleven steps. These phases and steps always proceed in a linear fashion (from step 1 to step 11).

Question 27

Image assessment surveys are an example of causal research designs.

Question 28

While the cost of doing marketing research can be estimated accurately, determining the true value of the expected information remains difficult.

Question 29

Secondary data is also called "off-the-shelf" research studies.

Question 30

Researchers must use a representative sample of the population if they wish to generalize the findings.

Question 31

Data entry errors are typically caught in which stage of the research process?

A)Step 7 (pretest the questionnaire)
B)Step 8 (collect and prepare data)
C)Step 9 (analyze data)
D)Step 10 (interpret data)
E)Step 6 (measuring the variables related to the research problem)

Question 32

The initial recognition of the existence of a problem or opportunity should be the primary responsibility of the researcher.

Question 33

In order to do a situation analysis, a marketing researcher must depend solely on the information provided by the client.

Question 34

A research report would include all the following, EXCEPT:

A)discussing the type of research design with justification of choice.
B)describing the incentive plans and justifications.
C)including the study's limitation.
D)the profile of all research company capabilities.
E)description of the problem and research objectives.

Question 35

The statement "If I increase my advertising budget by 15 percent, then overall sales volume should increase by 20 percent." is indicative of using the causal research method.

Question 36

Data becomes knowledge when someone, either the researcher or the decision-maker, interprets the data and attaches meaning.

Question 37

Measurement and scaling issues are relevant only in primary research.

Question 38

Advances in gatekeeper technologies help marketers to easily reach respondents.

Question 39

In most cases, research should be conducted only when the expected value of the information to be obtained exceeds the cost of the research.

Question 40

According to the Iceberg principle, given the submerged (hidden) nature of a large part of a problem, it is not possible to include those portions of the problem in the problem definition and research design.

Question 41

The research proposal and the final research report are the same.

Question 42

A research proposal should present a brief profile of the researchers and their qualifications.

Question 43

The research report must be written in a technical, research-oriented fashion, so that the statistical sophistication of the analysis can be highlighted.

Question 44

Discuss the Iceberg principle.

Question 45

Discuss the importance of pretesting a questionnaire.

Question 46

Observational research can collect information about attitudes, intentions, motivations, and past behavior, which are usually invisible in the questioning approach.

Question 47

Nonprobability sampling plans limit the generalizability of the research findings.

Question 48

Discuss when descriptive research designs and causal research designs are most appropriate.

Question 49

Describe the two fundamental dimensions for classifying data as either secondary or primary in nature.

Question 50

Is it necessary or advisable to always conduct marketing research in order to support decision-making? Under what conditions may you decide against doing marketing research?