Deck 6: Using Secondary Data and Online Information Databases

Question 1

Which has done more to bring about fast and easy access to secondary data since the Gutenberg Press?

A) the Information Access Act of 2003
B) Bill Gates
C) the need for information
D) the Internet
E) cable TV

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When it is determined that the research project will require primary data, secondary data should:

A) be discarded
B) not be collected as it will be a waste of resources
C) be consulted anyway
D) be utilized only if it conforms to the findings contained in the primary data
E) be used only in cases where the primary data is not gathered using accepted industry standards

Answer 2

C

Question 3

If you wanted to know where to look in order to find different types of other reference sources on a topic, you should use:

A) a reference guide
B) an index
C) a directory
D) a dictionary
E) a biographical source

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following secondary data sources represents an ethical issue in terms of customer privacy issues?

A) published sources
B) fields
C) records
D) internal databases
E) external databases

Question 5

Which of the following would be classified as a part of internal secondary data?

A) internal database
B) online information database
C) demographic data within a company's target market
D) any government data
E) data within libraries

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT discussed as an advantage of using secondary data?

A) may be obtained quickly
B) may be obtained in any form desired by the researcher
C) is relatively inexpensive
D) is usually available
E) may achieve the research objective

Question 7

A CBSA stands for:

A) Confederation of Business Statisticians of America
B) Core Bulletin Statistical Association
C) Cleveland & Baltimore Secondary Analysis
D) Core Based Statistical Area
E) Combination (of) Business and Suburban Areas

Question 8

If you wanted to locate periodicals on a subject you would find them in:

A) a browser
B) a library catalog
C) an index
D) an encyclopedia
E) a directory

Question 9

Which of the following best describes CRM?

A) Certificate for Record Management; awarded by the MRA after passing certain record-keeping requirements.
B) Customer Relationship Management; the use of internal databases to strengthen customer relationships.
C) Certified Record Manager; awarded by the MRA for successfully passing a series of courses related to database management.
D) Customer Requirement Mandate; referring to customer requests that must be honored at all costs.
E) None of the above; there is no such thing as CRM.

Question 10

A great deal of secondary data are available to marketers to aid them in understanding the lifestyles and purchasing habits of demographic groups such as:

A) Baby Boomers and Gen Ms
B) Boomers and Oklahomans
C) Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Gen Yers
D) Baby Boomers and Gen Qs
E) Boomers and Sooners

Question 11

Which type of data refers to data that have been gathered by someone other than the researcher and/or for some other purpose than the research project at hand?

A) secondary data
B) basic data
C) primary data
D) complex data
E) online data

Question 12

Which type of data refers to information that is developed or gathered by the researcher specifically for the research project at hand?

A) basic data
B) complex data
C) secondary data
D) online data
E) primary data

Question 13

Which of the following reporting units contain BOTH Metropolitan SAs and Micropolitan SAs?

A) Core Bulletin Statistical Association
B) Combination (of) Business and Suburban Areas
C) Confederation of Business Statisticians of America
D) Core Based Statistical Areas
E) None of the above: there is no such thing as "Micropolitan SA"

Question 14

Which of the following was NOT discussed as a disadvantage of using secondary data?

A) there is a mismatch of the units of measurement
B) data may be collected too quickly causing problems with the project schedule
C) differing classifications of the data in terms of what is available and what is needed
D) the data may be dated
E) reporting units are incompatible with research needs

Question 15

Which of the following best represents a field within a database?

A) anything outside the company laboratory
B) a database record
C) records within customer names
D) customer names within a record
E) a data mine

Question 16

External data may be grouped into which three sources?

A) published, syndicated services data, and databases
B) published, nonpublished data, and other electronic sources
C) syndicated services data, external data, and complex data
D) fields, records, databases
E) published, fields, CRMs

Question 17

Which marketing research company maintains a Web site, SecondaryData.com, that is devoted totally to secondary information sources?

A) Secondary Resources, Inc.
B) Second Hand Helper Corp.
C) LOOK-IT-UP. COM
D) Decision Analyst, Inc.
E) Dewey, Cheatam & Howe

Question 18

Which of the following was given in your text as an example of "published source of secondary information"?

A) the pioneer experiments
B) Quirk's Marketing Research Review
C) Nielsen's Secondary Panel Pamphlets
D) Primary and Secondary Sources Review

Question 19

The President/CEO of Decision Analyst states that his company:

A) seldom, if ever, uses secondary data research. It is a primary data firm
B) conducts experiments which do not require secondary data
C) specialize in its own consumer panels so there is no need for access to secondary data
D) makes certain that it is aware of existing information about an industry, a product category and the client company before research objectives for a project are decided on
E) does not use secondary data because they are usually from untrustworthy sources and they are dated

Question 20

Which of the following represents an application of secondary data?

A) predicting broad changes in culture
B) selecting a street location for a new car wash
C) economic trends forecasting
D) corporate intelligence
E) All of the above are applications of secondary data.

Question 21

Which of the following secondary information sources provides a baseline of data every 10 years?

A) baseline reports
B) NAICS (decade report)
C) census of the population
D) Survey of Buying Power
E) Decennial Marketing Research Handbook

Question 22

Which of the following will now provide current data about communities every year instead of once every 10 years?

A) U.S. Census Annual Update Files
B) The American Community Survey
C) Annual Census Update
D) The Annual American Community Update Record
E) Census - Annual Release

Question 23

A boat manufacturer wishes to use secondary data to locate cities that may offer good market potential for its yachts. It needs cities with average incomes exceeding $75,000. However, the secondary information source found the income category of $50,000 and over. This represents:

A) differing class definitions of the data
B) a mismatch of the units of measurement
C) dated data
D) data having high credibility
E) incompatible reporting units

Question 24

Which of the following best represents the hierarchy of organization for information databases?

A) databanks, databases, records, words, or fields
B) databases, databanks, records, fields, words, or numbers
C) records, databanks, databases, fields, words, or numbers
D) fields, words or numbers, text in the fields, databanks, or databases
E) databanks, databases, records, fields, words, or numbers

Question 25

Which of the following best represents the operators of Boolean logic?

A) AND, OR, and NOT
B) real ADJ estate or Bill NEAR Gates
C) forecast?
D) SSH
E) None of the above represents Boolean operators.

Question 26

One of the advantages of the system replacing the SIC is that:

A) the system will be less expensive to users
B) the system will cover the United States, Canada, and Mexico
C) the system will be available on CD-ROM
D) publication of the system will be outsourced to private industry
E) the system will use a simpler three-digit code instead of the more complex four-digit system

Question 27

How do you gain access to the Survey of Buying Power?

A) The Buying Power Index Today Magazine
B) Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
C) www.surveyofbuyingpower.com
D) LexisNexis
E) The Government Printing Office (GPO)

Question 28

The system replacing the SIC will:

A) provide for 20 broad classifications instead of the SIC's 11
B) provide industries to be classified by six-digit codes instead of the SIC's four
C) provide additional classifications to existing classifications such as eating and drinking places
D) provide for "new" industries such as high tech and services
E) all of the above

Question 29

Organizing all books, magazine articles, manuals, and journal articles by topic in an electronic database allows for finding information on the topic using a:

A) database called TOPICsearch Plus
B) standard subject heading
C) Boolean logic formula
D) nesting formula
E) secondary data research consultant

Question 30

A study is released that shows that a majority of Americans want to keep the penny in circulation. It is learned that the study was conducted by the zinc industry (most pennies are made with zinc). This illustrates:

A) there are ethical issues in secondary data; some secondary data are not objective
B) it is difficult to conduct accurate research when you are dealing with emotional issues such as keeping the penny in circulation
C) even though the study was sponsored by the zinc industry, the research company conducting the research would not be unethical in reporting the data
D) research results may be used to determine national policy
E) the FTC protects the public from manipulations of fact

Question 31

In the Survey of Buying Power, EBI stands for:

A) Exclusive Buying Index (for higher priced goods)
B) Electronic Buying Index (for electronic goods and services)
C) Essential Buying Income
D) Effective Buying Income
E) Electronic Business Index

Question 32

BPI is a general measure of buying power of the total population. Which of the items listed below may be better suited for use by a luxury car manufacturer to determine the market potential for his/her luxury car?

A) Luxury Automobile Market Today Magazine
B) Survey of Buying Power Plus
C) Demographics USA
D) Life Style Market Analyst
E) Customized BPI

Question 33

Which of the following is replacing the SIC?

A) NAFTA
B) NAICS
C) SIC2005
D) NACIS
E) SECDAT

Question 34

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of "limiting" in searching databases for secondary information?

A) asking for a standard subject heading
B) asking for all cases where U.S. is adjacent to PRESIDENT
C) asking for all records that have dates from 2005 to the present
D) asking for all cases that have any ending to the root word STOCK
E) asking for a search in the author field

Question 35

Which of the following is a main reason marketers find the Survey of Buying Power so useful?

A) It reports data from the Census every year
B) EBI is reported in only three categories, making it easy to use
C) It contains the BPI, which is an indicator of the market potential of a geographic area
D) The SBP is available in print only, but it is available once a week, and it is free of charge
E) The SBP has a "low readability" index which makes it simple to read

Question 36

Which of the following was NOT discussed as a method of evaluating secondary data?

A) What was the purpose of the study?
B) How readily available is the information to the public?
C) Who collected the information?
D) How consistent is the information with other information?
E) How was the information obtained?

Question 37

When two or more secondary sources provide conflicting information, you should:

A) select the one source that has been in business the longest
B) evaluate the information from each source and select the source that best suits your needs for reliable and valid information
C) probably abandon the project if there is conflicting information; you will never have objective results upon which to base your decision
D) call the client/manager and ask which source is desired
E) report the discrepancies immediately to the two sources

Question 38

The first step in conducting a search of secondary data sources is:

A) identify what you wish to know and what you already know about your topic
B) develop a list of key terms and names
C) begin with going through the Business Periodicals Index
D) call a trade association that best represents your topic/firm/industry
E) call key spokespersons in the industry that would most closely represent your subject

Question 39

Online information about the U.S. Census may be found at:

A) The U.S. census org
B) www.census.gov
C) www.directory of Government Documents. com
D) http://The U.S. Statistical Abstract
E) Online Census Guidebook.org

Question 40

Which of the following best represents proximity operators?

A) AND, OR, and NOT
B) forecast?
C) real ADJ estate or Bill NEAR Gates
D) SSH
E) None of the above represents proximity operators.

Question 41

CRM stands for Custom Reporting Methods and refers to a standardized process used by secondary data firms to report data.

Question 42

A database refers to a collection of data and information describing items of interest. Each unit of information in a database is called a record.

Question 43

Secondary data refers to information that is developed or gathered by the researcher specifically for the research project at hand.

Question 44

A catalog consists of a library's holdings of periodicals.

Question 45

Access to secondary data that may be useful for marketing research purposes may be found at www.secondarydata.com.

Question 46

External secondary data was classified in the textbook into three sources: published, nonpublished, and video.

Question 47

Secondary data are gathered from a variety of sources such as warranty cards, boat registrations, car registrations, and so on.

Question 48

An example of a disadvantage of secondary data not being reported in measurement units that match the researchers needs would be: income being reported before tax, household income instead of per capita, and after-tax income.

Question 49

Syndicated sources of secondary data cover a variety of general topics of interest to the public and are widely available in libraries.

Question 50

Although there are many sources of secondary data, USES of secondary data are limited to only four or five applications at most.

Question 51

Had it not been for the Baby Boomers, Elvis Presley might still be driving a truck in Memphis, Tennessee

Question 52

Which one of the following secondary information sources would give you information on demographics of bicyclists, other activities bikers indulge in, which markets have the heaviest concentration of bikers, and which magazines bikers read?

A) Lifestyle Market Analyst
B) NAICS
C) Demographics, Bicycles USA
D) Cycling Today
E) the U.S. Census

Question 53

It is never prudent to search secondary data until you have become fully familiar with the primary data you have collected.

Question 54

Internal secondary data refers to any information that is stored in the internal memory of a computer.

Question 55

Data mining is the name for software that is now available to help managers make sense out of seemingly senseless masses of information contained in databases.

Question 56

One of the advantages of using secondary data is that it may enhance primary data.

Question 57

One application of secondary data is using it to study major demographic groups such as the Baby Boomers and Gen Yers.

Question 58

If two secondary sources of information report different information for what appears to be the same entity, a researcher should avoid using either information source at all costs.

Question 59

Procter & Gamble, owning the major market share for disposable diapers, published a research report showing that cloth diapers were as harmful to the environment as disposable diapers. This example illustrates why it is important to evaluate all secondary research and fully understanding the true purpose of the research.

Question 60

Which of the following sources of secondary data would you use if you were the brand manager for "Here Kitty Kitty" cat food and you wanted to know the demographic profile of cat owners?

A) Feline Reporter
B) Survey of Buying Power Plus
C) Life Style Market Analysis
D) Market Index Reporter
E) Demographics USA

Question 61

Mary Morgan is the owner of a chain of auto parts stores specializing in high-end, expensive, third market accessories and replacement parts for luxury cars. For example, her stores allow Lexus and Mercedes owners a choice of exotic seat covers, including alligator and a very expensive synthetic product that resembles very soft suede leather and is impervious to stains or burns. She has been so successful that she is thinking about expanding throughout the country. She knows that the success of her expansion will depend largely on choosing the "right" markets. She knows that her target market makes in excess of $150,000 annual income, is between 35 and 60 years of age, and of course own luxury cars. Which of the following methods would be appropriate for Mary to consider as a source of information to measure market potential in different geographic areas?

A) Survey of Buying Power
B) directory of Automotive Expenditures by county
C) U.S. Statistical Abstract
D) LifeStyle Market Analyst
E) a customized BPI

Question 62

The factors comprising the Buying Power Index are those that make up a market; that is, people (measured by population), ability to buy (measured by EBI), and willingness to buy (past retail sales is used as a surrogate measure of what people are willing to buy in the future).

Question 63

Hartsfield Software has developed a new program to help CPAs set up an automated billing system for their clients. The company is considering a direct mail campaign to contact and inform CPAs about the merits of the new software program. The company needs a list of CPAs for every state in the nation. What type of secondary data source should Hartsfield seek?

A) dictionaries
B) directories
C) encyclopedias
D) indexes and abstracts
E) legal sources

Question 64

Information searching skills can be greatly improved by finding standard subject headings.

Question 65

A great deal of "census" information is actually based upon statistical sampling.

Question 66

One of the disadvantages of the Survey of Buying Power is that the Elongated Billing Index (EBI)is actually calculated during a very short time period.

Question 67

NAICS stands for Northern Alliance of Information Compiled Sources.

Question 68

Use of the terms AND, OR, and NOT in an online search illustrate the use of "field searching."

Question 69

Walt Lewis was interested in knowing how best to allocate territories in Texas to the new, 10 member sales force he hired. While the sales force was undergoing training, Walt sought some secondary data that would help him allocate sets of counties to the salespersons. He knew he had to be equitable and felt strongly that each set of counties should have a market potential about equal to all the other sets. He needed some quantifiable measure of the market potential for each county, and he didn't want to use any Census data because he felt like this was outdated. Which secondary data source should Walt use?

A) County Maps International, Market Potential Edition
B) Statistical Abstract of the United States
C) Survey of Buying Power
D) Information provided by each county's chamber of commerce
E) World Market Potentials

Question 70

A secondary data source, Lifestyle Market Analyst, analyzes several dozen lifestyle categories such as "Avid Book Readers," "Cat Owners," "Have Grandchildren," "Own Camcorder," and "Shop by Catalog/Mail."

Question 71

Judy Mancuso is interested in opening a health and fitness center. Being a fitness enthusiast for many years, she is knowledgeable of many of the programs designed to shape and trim one's figure. However, she needs information on the business aspects of a health and fitness center. She goes to the local library and uses the computerized search system. Using a keyword search, Judy tries "health," "fitness," and finally "health and fitness." At first she is excited because her searches generate so many "hits." But, she soon learns that more than 50,000 hits is not good. Although there may be some good information available in the sources found, she soon learns that many of the "hits" don't really have much to do with her topic. Which of the following should Judy try to find on her subject?

A) a library consultant specializing in business aspects of health and fitness
B) a truncated search
C) a search limiting all records found to the last three years
D) she should add the keyword "business"
E) a standard subject heading

Question 72

Within the Survey of Buying Power, EBI is defined as Elongated Billing Index.

Question 73

NAICS is not really a source of information in and of itself; rather, it is a coding system that may be used to access information.

Question 74

Census of the population data serve as a baseline for much marketing information that is produced during the "in-between" census years.

Question 75

In the textbook chapter on secondary data, your authors discuss how young Baby Boomers changed the preferences for types of music in the 1950s and 1960s. This example was used in the book to illustrate:

A) how marketers focus on music trends
B) how marketers, using secondary data, study the attitudes and behaviors of selected demographic groups such as Baby Boomers and Gen Yers
C) how marketers, using secondary data, monitor sales in the music industry
D) how firms such as MTV report unusual secondary data in order to get publicity
E) why marketing research firms cannot stereotype demographic groups