Deck 4: The Business Research Process

Question 1

A business opportunity is a situation that makes some potential competitive advantage possible.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Pilot studies are a formal research method that produce precise results.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The purpose of exploratory research is to provide conclusive evidence for a particular business action.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Absolute causality means the cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect.

Question 5

When a researcher varies price levels and examines the impact on sales, he is conducting an experiment.

Question 6

Negative consumer attitudes is an example of a symptom.

Question 7

Test-marketing studies are a form of experimental research.

Question 8

Direct association means any covariation between a cause and an effect is true and not simply due to some other variable.

Question 9

Descriptive research often helps describe market segments.

Question 10

The first stage in the research process is to define the research objectives.

Question 11

One of the major advantages of observation studies is that they record actual behavior rather than relying on reports of behavior from respondents.

Question 12

Forward linkage means the researcher must follow the stages in the research process in sequential order.

Question 13

The three types of marketing research are exploratory, descriptive, and causal.

Question 14

There is always one best research design for a business research study.

Question 15

Uncertainty in decision making means that the nature of the problem itself is unclear and is the most difficult decision situation.

Question 16

Correlation is sufficient evidence to determine causality in experiments.

Question 17

A directed search of published works, including periodicals and books, that discusses theory and presents empirical results that are relevant to the topic at hand is called a literature review.

Question 18

Deliverables is the term used when describing the expected outcomes of basic research.

Question 19

Exploratory research is typically conducted in the early stages of decision-making.

Question 20

Descriptive studies are conducted with a considerable understanding of the situation being studied.

Question 21

Which type of research is being conducted when a researcher conducts an experiment to answer the question, "Will shareholders respond favorably if we increase executive pay?"

A) causal research
B) exploratory research
C) pilot study research
D) descriptive research

Question 22

Which type of business research addresses who, what, when, where, why, and how questions?

A) causal research
B) exploratory research
C) descriptive research
D) proscriptive research

Question 23

Which type of research allows decision makers to make causal inferences?

A) exploratory research
B) descriptive research
C) causal research
D) all of these choices

Question 24

Janna discovers a market segment that is underserved by competitors' products. For Janna's company, this segment represents a _____.

A) business threat
B) business opportunity
C) backward linkage
D) test market

Question 25

A research project refers to numerous related studies that come together to address issues about a single company.

Question 26

Management is most interested in detailed reporting of the research design and statistical findings.

Question 27

Researchers shouldn't draw conclusions from a sample.

Question 28

____ research aims to clarify ambiguous situations or discover ideas that may amount to true business opportunities.

A) Exploratory
B) Preliminary
C) Clarifying
D) Descriptive

Question 29

All of the following are types of business research EXCEPT _____.

A) exploratory
B) selective
C) descriptive
D) causal

Question 30

What type of research is being conducted to answer the question: "What is the average age of our employees?"

A) exploratory research
B) focus group research
C) descriptive research
D) causal research

Question 31

Coding is the application of reasoning to understand the data that have been gathered.

Question 32

Companies, such as Kraft and Procter & Gamble, conduct research to clarify ambiguous situations or discover ideas that may be potential business opportunities. What type of business research is this?

A) inferential
B) causal
C) descriptive
D) exploratory

Question 33

Over the past five years, home values have been decreasing. This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) symptom
B) ambiguous situation
C) descriptive hypothesis
D) causal inference

Question 34

Observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem because they are caused by that problem are called _____.

A) symptoms
B) leading indicators
C) forward linkages
D) descriptors

Question 35

Which of the following means that the decision maker has all information needed to make an optimal decision?

A) certainty
B) ambiguity
C) concomitant variation
D) non-spurious association

Question 36

Unobtrusive methods of data gathering are those in which the subjects do not have to be disturbed for data to be collected.

Question 37

Which of the following represents a situation that makes some potential competitive advantage possible for a business?

A) business threat
B) forward linkage
C) symptom
D) business opportunity

Question 38

In which situation do symptoms exist, but are subtle and few, making problem identification difficult?

A) problem-focused decision making and conditions of high ambiguity
B) problem-focused decision making and conditions of low ambiguity
C) opportunity-oriented research and conditions of high ambiguity
D) opportunity-oriented research and conditions of low ambiguity

Question 39

_____ is the process of developing and deciding among alternative ways of resolving a problem or choosing from among alternative opportunities.

A) Business
B) Business research
C) Decision making
D) Verification

Question 40

Which of the following seeks to diagnose reasons for business outcomes and focuses specifically on the beliefs and feelings respondents have about and toward specific issues?

A) causal research
B) diagnostic analysis
C) concomitant research
D) test-market

Question 41

Jackie has noticed that when the temperature rises, sales at her clothing boutique also rise. This is an example of _____.

A) concomitant variation
B) nonspurious variation
C) linear variation
D) absolute variation

Question 42

The goals that researchers intend to achieve by conducting research as referred to as _____.

A) results
B) causal inferences
C) research outcomes
D) research objectives

Question 43

Before designing a research study on employees' susceptibility to interpersonal influence when faced with an ethical dilemma, Cindy is searching for other studies that have addressed similar issues. This search is called a(n) _____.

A) pilot study
B) experiment
C) preliminary analysis
D) literature review

Question 44

A conclusion that when one thing happens, another specific thing will follow is known as a _____.

A) diagnostic analysis
B) manipulation
C) causal inference
D) deliverable

Question 45

All of the following are examples of exploratory research techniques EXCEPT _____.

A) previous research
B) pilot studies
C) case studies
D) experimentation

Question 46

Which of the following should a researcher do in order to infer causality?

A) recognize the presence of alternative plausible explanations for the results
B) establish a sequence of events
C) measure the concomitant variation between the cause and the effect
D) all of these choices

Question 47

The idea that the objectives of a research study will determine the composition of the sample to be used in the study is an example of _____.

A) backward linkage
B) concomitant variation
C) forward linkage
D) program strategy

Question 48

_____ means that the researcher alters the level of the experimental variable in specific increments.

A) Causality
B) Testing
C) Analyzing
D) Manipulation

Question 49

In research conducted for a specific client, research objectives are often referred to as _____.

A) deliverables
B) take-aways
C) conclusions
D) action items

Question 50

All of the following are stages in the research process EXCEPT _____.

A) analyzing data
B) formulating conclusions and preparing a report
C) demonstrating causality
D) planning a sample

Question 51

What type of research is being conducted to answer the question: "Would this target market be interested in this type of new product?"

A) causal research
B) exploratory research
C) situation analysis research
D) descriptive research

Question 52

Which of the following is a carefully controlled study in which the researcher manipulates a proposed cause and observes any corresponding change in the proposed effect?

A) survey
B) unobtrusive observation
C) diagnostic analysis
D) experiment

Question 53

The Food and Drug Administration is targeting salt in processed foods as a health hazard, and some experts believe the agency will require food manufacturers to limit the amount of salt in processed foods. However, the reduction will occur in phases, with salt content being reduced in steps so that consumers will be weaned off of salt gradually. Carefully controlled research studies are underway in which the salt levels are varied and consumers' reactions to the taste are measured. This research is an example of a(n) _____.

A) exploratory study
B) descriptive study
C) experiment
D) diagnostic analysis

Question 54

Which aspect of causality deals with the time order of events?

A) concomitant variation
B) temporal sequence
C) nonspurious association
D) parallel sequencing

Question 55

Which type of association is said to occur when any covariation between a cause and effect is indeed due to the cause and not simply due to some other variable?

A) nonspurious association
B) spurious association
C) concomitant association
D) temporal association

Question 56

All of the following are degrees of causality EXCEPT _____.

A) contributory causality
B) conditional causality
C) absolute causality
D) non-spurious causality

Question 57

Which of the following is the first stage of the business research process?

A) planning a research design
B) defining the research objectives
C) analyzing the data
D) planning a sample

Question 58

Which of the following is the weakest form of causality but is still a useful concept?

A) absolute causality
B) contributory causality
C) conditional causality
D) secondary causality

Question 59

Which degree of causality means that the cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect?

A) first-degree causality
B) absolute causality
C) conditional causality
D) contributory causality

Question 60

The proposed cause which the researcher controls by manipulating its value in an experiment is referred to as a(n) _____.

A) experimental variable
B) dependent variable
C) endogenous variable
D) concomitant variable

Question 61

Which of the following involves any procedure that draws conclusions based on measurements of a portion of the entire population?

A) sampling
B) theorizing
C) segmenting
D) causal inference

Question 62

The _____ is a master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information.

A) research design
B) research objective
C) research program
D) sample plan

Question 63

All of the following are examples of an observation study EXCEPT _____.

A) a mystery shopper pretending to be a customer in a McDonald's outlet
B) a cable laid across the street that records the number of cars that pass a certain intersection
C) determining how long employees spend taking breaks to smoke cigarettes
D) a consumer responding to a questionnaire about advertising

Question 64

Which of the following determines the appropriate analytical technique for data analysis?

A) management's information requirements
B) characteristics of the research design
C) nature of the data gathered
D) all of these choices

Question 65

When a researcher conducts numerous related studies that come together to address multiple, related research objectives, we refer to this as a research _____.

A) agenda
B) project
C) program
D) conglomeration

Question 66

Which of the following is a method of data collection that is used in surveys?

A) telephone
B) mail
C) the Internet
D) all of these choices

Question 67

Carol was invited to participate in a research study along with ten other employees to discuss their experiences using the company intranet. The group was asked to discuss their experiences and were encouraged to feed on each other's comments. What is this type of study called?

A) multivariate research
B) literature review
C) pretest
D) focus group interview

Question 68

The rules for interpreting, categorizing, recording, and transferring the data to the data storage media are called _____.

A) edits
B) hypotheses
C) theories
D) codes

Question 69

The Small Business Development Center is conducting an email survey with 25 of its client small businesses to examine the use of mobile marketing applications. This is a precursor to a larger study in which the questionnaire will be sent nationwide to more than 1,000 similar small businesses. This initial small-scale project is known as a _____.

A) testing study
B) pilot study
C) preliminary study
D) test market

Question 70

Managers at Procter & Gamble view business research at a strategic planning level, particularly for product-related decisions. Therefore, the company conducts numerous related studies that come together to help in their product planning decisions. This is referred to as a ____.

A) research project
B) research program
C) research philosophy
D) research integration

Question 71

The most common way to generate primary data in business research is by means of _____.

A) experimentation
B) surveys
C) observation
D) focus groups

Question 72

_____ research aims to clarify ambiguous situations.

Question 73

A research design that is intended to describe important characteristics of a population (e.g. age, gender, income) is called ______ research.

Question 74

Which of the following is a research technique in which a sample is interviewed in some form or the behavior of respondents is observed and described in some way?

A) experiment
B) observation study
C) survey
D) personal interview

Question 75

When drivers are unaware that a machine is recording how many cars pass a certain intersection that is being considered for a site for a new Wendy's franchise, this is an example of a(n) _____.

A) obtrusive method
B) unobtrusive method
C) experiment
D) exploratory research study

Question 76

Which of the following refers to a small-scale study in which the results are only preliminary and intended only to assist in design of a subsequent study?

A) pretest
B) focus group
C) primary test
D) preliminary study

Question 77

A researcher has completed the fieldwork of collecting data, and now he is checking the data collection forms for omissions, legibility, and consistency in classification. What is this researcher doing?

A) analyzing the data
B) editing the data
C) coding the data
D) reporting the results

Question 78

An employee who pretends to be a customer in order to observe the sales behavior of a clerk at a cosmetics counter in a department store is called a(n) _____.

A) secondary data researcher
B) mystery shopper
C) pilot researcher
D) undercover researcher

Question 79

_____ are observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem because they are caused by that problem.

Question 80

When the researcher has only one or a small number of research objectives that can be addressed in a single study, that study is referred to as a _____.

A) research project
B) research program
C) research assessment
D) research snapshot