Deck 7: Marketing Research, Decision Support Systems, and Sales Forecasting

Question 1

What happens after the marketing research problem has been well defined?

A) Researchers can focus on securing the exact information needed to solve it.
B) The issue then becomes whether you're looking at a problem or at its symptoms.
C) The research process is sometimes slowed down and becomes inaccurate.
D) All that is left is to adjust the marketing mix to the conditions.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is one of the steps in the marketing research process?

A) identifying theories
B) defining the problem
C) determining whether data are primary or secondary
D) interviewing the marketing research staff about skill levels

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What kind of research seeks to discover the cause of a problem by discussing the problem with informed sources and examining pre-existing data?

A) situation analysis
B) informal investigation
C) exploratory research
D) cost or bottom-line analysis

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Walmart prefers transaction records sorted by customer type, product, sales method, type of order, and order size.What is analyzing internal data sorted in this manner called?

A) sales analysis
B) financial analysis
C) accounting analysis
D) marketing cost analysis

Question 5

After a problem has been defined and an exploratory investigation is conducted, what should the marketing researcher be able to do next?

A) collect both primary and secondary data
B) draw significant conclusions
C) immediately proceed to a solution
D) formulate a hypothesis

Question 6

What is a master plan or model for conducting marketing research called?

A) a hypothesis
B) a research design
C) a theory
D) an analysis

Question 7

What did much of the early marketing research consist of?

A) written testimonials received from purchasers of firms' products
B) use of mailed questionnaires to gather data
C) telephone surveys conducted to assess overall household preferences
D) sampling studies using techniques derived from voting records

Question 8

As part of his marketing research duties, Nathan evaluates company expenses for selling, warehousing, advertising, and delivery by the Mendocino Vinegar Cooperative.What is Nathan conducting?

A) an informal competency investigation
B) an experimental research project
C) an external profile project
D) a marketing cost analysis

Question 9

Which of the following areas are working more closely together in order to take advantage of the methodologies available?

A) telephone, in-person, and Internet research
B) food, beverage, and health care research
C) competitive intelligence, public intelligence, and private research
D) marketing research, database management, and competitive intelligence

Question 10

Which of the following describes Environics Research Group?

A) a full-service research supplier firm
B) a limited-service research supplier firm
C) a full-service media and advertising firm
D) a limited-service media and advertising firm

Question 11

What is a statement called that potentially explains the relationship among variables, which, in turn, carries clear implications for testing the relationship?

A) survey mission
B) census criterion
C) scanning protocol
D) hypothesis

Question 12

What does a marketing cost analysis evaluate?

A) effectiveness of the sales force
B) current levels of corporate assets and liabilities
C) profitability of certain customers, territories, or product lines
D) whether summaries of invoices and orders received can be useful

Question 13

Which of the following describes a symptom?

A) a problem that has outgrown its ability to be contained easily
B) the cause of market share loss
C) a bad decision or a poor use of strategic planning
D) an alert to marketers that a problem exists

Question 14

Who does market research aid by presenting pertinent information in a useable format?

A) managers with a means to judge sales performance
B) decision makers in analyzing data and suggesting possible actions
C) virtual marketplaces that will accurately depict what will happen in the actual marketplace
D) consumers to validate their purchases

Question 15

What is a benefit of using internal data for marketing research?

A) Most internal data are not current enough to be used.
B) Internal controls limit the use of such data.
C) Tracking consumer information lacks detail and consistency.
D) Sales analysis is one of the least expensive methods.

Question 16

Megan believes the reason the sales of one of her company's products have fallen is due to a price increase.She cites sales from the previous year to the same customers as evidence of declining sales.Where is Megan in the marketing research process?

A) defining a problem
B) developing a hypothesis
C) creating a research design
D) collecting data

Question 17

What type of firm is a marketing research firm who contracts with clients to conduct complete marketing research projects?

A) a syndicated firm
B) a limited-service firm
C) a full-service firm
D) a customer-service firm

Question 18

What can researchers begin doing once a firm has defined the problem it seeks to solve?

A) looking for government data that will provide the needed information
B) conducting exploratory research
C) completely changing the marketing mix
D) deciding whether to experiment or conduct a survey

Question 19

In recent years, how have advances in computer technology significantly changed the nature of marketing research?

A) by narrowing the focus of the data collection process
B) by allowing the use of simulations that ask "what-if" questions
C) by eliminating the need for outside research firms
D) by providing an in-house market research group with primary data

Question 20

When is marketing research MOST likely to be contracted to an outside firm?

A) when the problem is well defined and clearly understood by the hiring company
B) when the project is being led by in-house personnel with marketing degrees
C) when the outside provider has the ability to do the work for a lower cost
D) when the outside provider has the latest technology

Question 21

Phil is using data collected and published by a trade association in his marketing research study.What kind of data is Phil using?

A) secondary data
B) primary data
C) soft data
D) hard data

Question 22

A department manager recommends using secondary data in a marketing research project.Which of the following best describes what the department manager is looking for?

A) personal interviews of people not directly related to the project
B) information previously compiled and published
C) newly generated database entries that need to be sorted before use
D) personal observations of situations affecting the business

Question 23

What are the two important advantages of secondary data over primary data?

A) a wide variety of statistics and large sample groups used to create the data
B) a high level of detail and endorsement by other users
C) accuracy and specificity of the data gathered for the research study
D) cost and speed of locating the data

Question 24

What is the total group of people that a researcher wants to study called?

A) population or universe
B) sample or unit
C) quota or target
D) cluster or group

Question 25

Which of the following best describes primary data?

A) It is collected for the first time specifically for a marketing research study.
B) It takes less time to acquire and is less costly than secondary data.
C) Its newly published results consist of government investigations.
D) It is part of a strategic planning activity to ensure proper resource allocation.

Question 26

What is the basic characteristic of a probability sample?

A) every individual in the relevant universe has an equal chance of being selected
B) there is a chance of any member of the population being selected
C) all possible members of the population have provided information
D) 100 percent of all subgroups have been handpicked

Question 27

A marketer wants information about counties and cities in western Canada with 25 000 residents or more.Where would be a good place to look for this information?

A) Canada Revenue Agency
B) Canadian Post Office Postal Code Directory
C) Statistics Canada
D) provincial maps of land usage and title

Question 28

A consumer product company is analyzing data collected and published by trade associations and general business magazines.What is this data best referred to as?

A) internal and primary data
B) external and private data
C) internal and secondary data
D) external and public data

Question 29

Why is sampling one of the MOST important aspects of research design?

A) If a study fails to involve consumers who accurately reflect the target market, the research will likely yield misleading conclusions.
B) If a study includes a large enough number of people, it will be accurate; determining that number is the hard part.
C) If a study uses a sampling method that has never been tried before, the sampling method will have to be defended in depth before the conclusions can be used.
D) If a study doesn't say what people think it's going to say, it will have to be redone.

Question 30

What kind of data is collected and published by organizations such as trade associations or general business magazines?

A) primary data
B) external data
C) internal data
D) private data

Question 31

You are a market researcher for a cable television company seeking to determine the number of multi-dwelling buildings in a selected neighbourhood.What source would be your best chance of acquiring this information quickly?

A) Industry Canada
B) the local Better Business Bureau
C) interviews with neighbourhood leaders
D) interviews with the local Chamber of Commerce

Question 32

Along with reducing purchase transaction time, what are Universal Product Codes used for?

A) National Surveys of Canada data collection
B) Canada Border Services Agency monitoring
C) inventory control, ordering, and delivery research
D) Industry and Consumer Business Bureau tracking

Question 33

Managerial decision makers are often presented with the results of a marketing research study.What is a common problem these results confront them with?

A) They are too concerned about the costs associated with market research.
B) They prefer to use the finance department as their main source of information.
C) They believe the data will be of little use because of the research limitations.
D) The data presented does not lead directly to the solution stage.

Question 34

When is a research design deemed to be successful?

A) when a structured conclusion is drawn from an investigative study
B) when it measures only what researchers intend to measure
C) when the secondary data does not easily solve the problem
D) when it has the proper style for statistical and technical reports

Question 35

What kind of data is information collected for the first time, specifically for a marketing research study?

A) secondary data
B) primary data
C) soft data
D) experimental data

Question 36

What is a group of people chosen from a defined population to be survey respondents or research participants called?

A) a quota
B) a cluster
C) a sample
D) a community

Question 37

Since few libraries carry specialized trade journals, what is one of the best ways to gather data from these journals?

A) through the newspaper
B) through Maclean's magazine
C) through ProQuest Direct's ABI/Inform
D) through the City of Toronto Directory

Question 38

Raj is deciding which customers to include in a sample.Where is he in the marketing research process?

A) formulating a hypothesis
B) collecting data
C) creating a research design
D) defining a problem

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a good source of secondary data for marketing research studies?

A) Statistics Canada
B) Industry Canada
C) federal, provincial, and municipal governments
D) Internet newsgroups

Question 40

What is the final step in the marketing research process?

A) interpreting findings and presenting information to decision makers
B) in-depth computer analysis of the data followed by database update
C) evaluating the research design for improvement and efficiency
D) providing feedback to researchers concerning their effectiveness

Question 41

Which of the following in one of the obstacles to telephone interviewing for marketing research?

A) telephone caller-ID systems
B) the cost of multiple telephone lines and long-distance charges
C) getting quality interviewers
D) the call-waiting service

Question 42

What kind of sampling involves "on the street" interviews conducted with anyone who passes by?

A) media
B) convenience
C) cluster
D) stratified

Question 43

What method was developed by social anthropologists in which customers are observed in their natural setting and their behaviour is interpreted based on social and cultural characteristics?

A) controlled experiment
B) mall intercept surveys
C) exploratory research
D) interpretive research

Question 44

Net Assets is a regional Internet company that has decided to conduct online research through its business.What is a major feature of such online research?

A) People consider it more intrusive and, therefore, results are more detailed for the researcher.
B) The ease of answering a survey online encourages higher response rates.
C) It can be extraordinarily time consuming.
D) It is associated with increased costs.

Question 45

What kind of survey on highway drivers includes 100 drivers from north of downtown, 100 from south of downtown, 100 from west of downtown, and 100 from east of downtown?

A) vehicle
B) cluster
C) quota
D) convenience

Question 46

What are the two types of nonprobability samples?

A) convenience and quota samples
B) cluster and convenience samples
C) stratified and convenience samples
D) random and cluster samples

Question 47

What is the average size of a focus group?

A) 3-7
B) 8-12
C) 13-17
D) 18-22

Question 48

Which of the following statements is an advantage of personal interviews?

A) They provide biased and inaccurate information.
B) They allow the researcher to collect more detailed information.
C) They are a relatively quick method of ongoing data collection.
D) They have limited flexibility in the format of the interviews.

Question 49

Which of the following describes people meters?

A) physical devices used in interviewing techniques
B) secondary-data generators for tracking turnstile activity
C) electronic devices that record TV viewing habits
D) phone-interview tracking procedures

Question 50

When might market researchers employ the survey method?

A) when it is necessary to obtain exact demographic information
B) when it is not necessary to establish contact or involvement with the respondent
C) when it is more cost-effective than secondary data collection
D) when it is coupled with observation to create a "complete" research technique

Question 51

Teenage Research Unlimited, a consumer-oriented marketing research firm, wishes to obtain data on the buying habits and shopping preferences of teenagers.What kind of research should it use?

A) observations of how teenagers walk around and check out their cars
B) a mail survey sent out to high school students
C) interviews of sales people in stores catering to teens
D) focus group interviews with teens

Question 52

How do marketers obtain primary data?

A) through trend analysis, exponential smoothing, and the Delphi technique
B) through observation, surveys, and experiments
C) through private data, government data, and internal data
D) through marketing information systems, business intelligence, and consumer intentions

Question 53

Erica is a marketing researcher involved in improving drug store layouts.Erica would like to know how frequently customers in a particular store actually turn left to the cosmetics counter and try out tester fragrances.What would be the best method for Erica to collect this data?

A) observation
B) controlled experiment
C) voluntary mail-back questionnaires
D) interviews at the cash register

Question 54

What kind of probability sample is constructed so that randomly selected subsamples of different groups are represented in the total sample?

A) a stratified sample
B) a convenience sample
C) a quota sample
D) a cluster sample

Question 55

Which of the following is one result of using nonprobability sampling?

A) The handpicked sample will represent a true population.
B) Representatives will answer honestly because they are proud to have been chosen.
C) A homogenous sample will be selected.
D) A definitive study will not be done on this data.

Question 56

Overall, what is the ideal method for obtaining primary data about consumers?

A) telephone interviews
B) focus groups
C) videotaping behaviour over an extended period of time
D) personal interviews conducted face-to-face

Question 57

Which of the following products is the LEAST likely to be subject to test-marketing prior to introduction?

A) a new brand of low-carb pasta
B) a new type of Internet service
C) a new type of debit card
D) a new car model

Question 58

What is introducing a new product into a chosen area and then observing its degree of success is the marketing research technique known as?

A) laboratory experimentation
B) concept testing
C) test-marketing
D) observational marketing

Question 59

Which of the following is an advantage of using mail surveys when conducting market research?

A) Mail surveys take a short time from the point of view of the researcher.
B) Mail surveys may encourage more honest responses.
C) Mail survey respondents are not susceptible to biases.
D) Mail surveys have a higher response rate than personal interviews.

Question 60

Which of the following describes the experimental method of marketing research?

A) It is the least expensive of all marketing research procedures.
B) Most marketing research experiments are conducted in the laboratory.
C) The researcher controls or manipulates a test group.
D) It is a nonscientific investigation compared to survey research.

Question 61

Marc is an entrepreneur who wants to export products to other countries.What is a major source for Marc to learn about marketing activities and consumers in those countries?

A) conduct exploratory studies in each foreign country
B) establish a market research department in each country
C) contact Industry Canada
D) join his local Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Question 62

Tarek is the owner of a construction company and uses a Marketing Information System to provide him with statistics reflecting the previous week's contracts.Why should Tarek use Marketing Decision Support System software?

A) to determine contract volume and needed levels
B) to make the appropriate decisions regarding his overall future business plans
C) to connect him with the top five lumber offers that week
D) to transform the data into a format that will help him make better decisions

Question 63

Which of the following should NOT be utilized as short-run sales forecasting technique?

A) the survey of buyer intentions
B) the Delphi technique
C) the jury of executive opinion
D) the sales force composite

Question 64

Julia is focused on finding information about her firm's competitors.She is looking through published sources, as well as reviewing her competition's advertising.What is Julia engaged in?

A) business intelligence
B) competitive intelligence
C) data mining
D) the Delphi technique

Question 65

What is involved in interpretive research?

A) It involves influencing a customer in his or her natural setting.
B) It is often used to interpret consumer behaviour in domestic cultures.
C) It was developed by social networks.
D) It is a relatively expensive source of primary data.

Question 66

What is a common barrier for Canadian companies doing research outside Canada?

A) language and cultural issues
B) lack of an effective research plan and a means of carrying it out
C) lack of skilled personnel and high-tech hardware
D) the economics of getting the research job done

Question 67

What technique uses mail-in questionnaires, online feedback, telephone polls, and personal interviews with people representative of present and potential customers?

A) market tests
B) quantitative forecasting techniques
C) survey of buyer intentions
D) the Deming model

Question 68

Carlos, CEO of Fresh Foods, wants a qualitative forecasting technique that is quick, inexpensive, and can be effectively used to forecast sales in the short run and for new product development.What method should he use?

A) the sales force composite
B) the survey of buyer intentions
C) the Delphi technique
D) the jury of executive opinion

Question 69

What is it called when huge amounts of customer information are entered into a database to be used for data mining?

A) a data warehouse
B) a marketing decision data cube
C) a statistical database
D) a data storage base

Question 70

Rather than relying completely on company executives, the qualitative forecasting technique seeks opinions from outside the firm, such as university researchers and scientists.What is this technique known as?

A) the jury of executive opinion
B) exponential smoothing
C) the Delphi technique
D) the sales force composite

Question 71

A marketing research firm has set up a special store where customers are told they may be observed while shopping.Customer behaviour is observed in this setting, and then the firm interprets the data based on an understanding of social and cultural characteristics of that setting.What type of research is this firm conducting?

A) secondary data collection research
B) interpretative research
C) controlled experiment research
D) focus group research

Question 72

What is the outcome of a properly constructed marketing information system?

A) It makes appropriate decisions.
B) It provides information instantaneously.
C) It accurately predicts sales and profits.
D) It places orders for needed amounts of products at the appropriate time.

Question 73

What is the sales forecasting technique called that typically works from the bottom up?

A) the sales force composite
B) market testing
C) trend analysis
D) exponential smoothing

Question 74

What do sales forecasts play a major role in?

A) quality control
B) marketing research
C) new product decisions
D) qualitative techniques

Question 75

Subway introduces a new line of vegetarian sandwiches in 20 locations in Southern Ontario for a six-month period.If the product and promotional efforts behind it are successful, the company may launch the sandwiches nationwide.What type of research is being conducted to determine potential success?

A) test-marketing
B) exploratory research
C) random sampling
D) focus groups

Question 76

A basic building block of marketing planning is an estimate of the firm's revenue for a specified future time period.What is this referred to as?

A) a sales forecast
B) marketing research
C) a marketing audit
D) market growth/market share matrix

Question 77

Which of the following statements best describes primary data collection methods used by marketing researchers in Canada?

A) It can be used without alteration in most foreign countries because they are universal.
B) It may need to be adjusted when used elsewhere because some methods may not transfer.
C) It is completely unusable anywhere else because it is based uniquely on the use of English.
D) It will have become outdated and will need significant improvement.

Question 78

Dana is working with a computer-based system that provides a continuous flow of information relevant to his responsibilities.What system is Dana working with?

A) marketing decision support
B) business intelligence
C) data mining
D) marketing information

Question 79

Which of the following is a qualitative sales forecasting technique?

A) econometric forecasting model
B) Delphi technique
C) exponential smoothing
D) trend analysis

Question 80

Keith is working on a computerized search through one of his company's massive data files.The purpose of the search is to try to detect patterns in product sales.What is Keith engaged in?

A) data forecasting
B) marketing decision support systems
C) data mining
D) sales forecasting