Deck 3: Problem Definition and the Research Process

Question 1

Which of the following is a problem associated with laboratory experiments?

A)They provide little useful information about a population.
B)The participants may act differently in a real-world setting.
C)The cost of simulating the real-world environment outweighs the benefits.
D)all of these
E)none of these

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Extremely low-incidence studies,such as trying to survey the automobile buyer characteristics of astronauts,are usually not feasible.A marketing research firm concerned about the feasibility of such a project would probably:

A)see if the information already exists.
B)first conduct a pilot survey.
C)conduct a focus group.
D)determine whether or not the question can be answered.
E)all of these

Answer 2

D

Question 3

_______________ is a discussion with knowledgeable individuals,both inside and outside the organization,who may provide insights into a problem.

A)Pilot study
B)Experience survey
C)Case analysis
D)Situation analysis
E)none of these

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In a causal study of the effect of shelf placement on sales of a brand of cereal,which is the dependent variable?

A)where the cereal was placed on the shelf
B)sales of the cereal
C)concomitant variation of the cereal
D)none of these

Question 5

Which of the following is not a form of exploratory research?

A)secondary data analysis
B)situation analysis
C)pilot study
D)experience survey
E)all of these are forms of exploratory research.

Question 6

Which of the following should be action oriented?

A)objectives statement
B)marketing research problem
C)management decision problem
D)statement of problem symptoms
E)none of these

Question 7

What does the iceberg principle refer to?

A)Most data analysis techniques tend to be outdated.
B)Research objectives are not often clearly defined.
C)Symptoms are often mistaken for problems in business.
D)none of these

Question 8

Once the research project is completed,it is critical to determine if the ___________have been met.

A)situation analyses
B)pilot studies
C)experience surveys
D)research objectives
E)all of these

Question 9

To test the effectiveness of changes in an advertising campaign,a marketing research firm decides to implement certain changes in Atlanta,other changes in Dallas,and no change to the ad campaign in Denver.With regard to the products in question,the purchasing propensities in the three cities are equal.What type of research design is the marketing research firm invoking?

A)exploratory study design
B)observational study design
C)descriptive study design
D)causal study design
E)all of these

Question 10

Managers may have the ability to look up previous research projects if their company has a sophisticated __________.

A)pilot study
B)experience survey
C)Intranet
D)situation analysis
E)none of these

Question 11

"We believe that raising the price of membership of our country club will make it more desirable,and will increase our membership base" is an example of a(n)_______.

A)objective
B)management problem
C)hypothesis
D)marketing research problem
E)none of these

Question 12

________________ is a goal statement,defining specific information needed to solve the marketing research problem.

A)Exploratory research
B)Marketing research objective
C)Management objective
D)Managerial decision problem
E)none of these

Question 13

When retailers monitor consumer shopping behavior by using scanner technology,this is an example of _______.

A)survey research
B)observation research
C)experimental research
D)cause-effect research
E)none of these

Question 14

A/An _______________ is a survey using a limited number of respondents and often employing less rigorous sampling techniques than are employed in large quantitative studies.

A)pilot study
B)experience survey
C)case analysis
D)situation analysis
E)none of these

Question 15

Large amounts of money,time,and effort are wasted because requests for marketing information were poorly formulated.The preceding could have been avoided if the researcher had: 1

A)found out exactly why the information was being sought.
B)stated his/her objectives more clearly.
C)recognized the opportunity.
D)determined whether the information already exists.
E)all of these

Question 16

Which of the following is a key question at the problem-definition stage?

A)Why is the information being sought?
B)Does the information already exist?
C)Can the question really be answered?
D)Is there an understanding of the decision making environment?
E)all of these

Question 17

The first step in the problem-definition process is:

A)stating research objectives.
B)recognizing that there is a problem or opportunity.
C)determining if the needed information is already available.
D)determining why the information is being sought.
E)none of these

Question 18

Suppose a sales manager makes the statement,"The problem with this company is declining sales." Why is such a statement shortsighted?

A)The sales manager has identified only a symptom of a deeper problem.
B)The sales manager is not in a position to make such a statement.
C)The sales manager has not been shortsighted, but has identified the problem.
D)none of these

Question 19

A teen consumer products firm notes that there were 30 million babies born between 1990 and 2002.The firm also recognizes that because of more single parent homes and dual-earner households,these young consumers are making many more purchase decisions.Beginning the process of marketing to that group of young consumers would be an example of which of the following?

A)determining if the information exists
B)using symptoms to clarify a problem
C)recognizing an opportunity
D)stating research objectives
E)none of these

Question 20

____________ is preliminary research conducted to increase the understanding of a concept,to clarify the exact nature of the problem to be solved,or to identify important variables to be studied.

A)Pilot study
B)Experience survey
C)Case analysis
D)Exploratory research
E)Situation analysis

Question 21

In depth discussions,usually consisting of 8-12 participants,led by a moderator and generally limited to one particular concept,idea or them are:

A)Study groups
B)Accuracy groups
C)Focus groups
D)Case groups

Question 22

All of the following are sections of a formal research request except:

A)Action
B)Use
C)Information
D)Logistics
E)All of these are sections in the formal research request

Question 23

What type of document does a research supplier prepare in response to an RFP?

A)research proposal
B)sampling report
C)finished research report
D)none of these

Question 24

Pilot studies are more scientific than other types of studies.

Question 25

The opportunity identification step comes after problem recognition.

Question 26

Because consumers' responses on surveys aren't always consistent with their actions,researchers sometimes turn to this type of research

A)syndicated research
B)observation research
C)experimental research
D)cause and effect research
E)none of these

Question 27

Most clients tend to prefer what type of reports?

A)elaborate written reports
B)oral reports
C)executive summaries
D)none of these

Question 28

Exploratory research is often referred to as preliminary research.

Question 29

Which of the following is a determinant of whether management will use the research information provided to them?

A)conformity to prior expectations
B)clarity of presentation
C)research quality
D)political acceptability within the firm
E)all of these are determinants

Question 30

Who puts together a request for proposal (RFP)?

A)custom research suppliers
B)syndicated data suppliers
C)companies that want to hire a research supplier
D)respondents
E)none of these

Question 31

In analyzing the effects of shelf placement on sales,shelf placement of the product is the _______.

A)independent variable
B)dependent variable
C)spurious variable
D)temporal variable
E)none of these

Question 32

The researcher cannot compute the statistical reliability of this type of sample.

A)probability sample
B)experimental sample
C)nonprobability sample
D)observational sample
E)all of these

Question 33

What is a plan for addressing the research objectives or hypotheses? In essence,the researcher develops a structure or framework to answer a specific research problem/opportunity.

A)Research Design
B)Design Strategy
C)Research Opportunity
D)Strategic Design

Question 34

A manager who wants to show cause-and-effect between two variables would be advised to use which basic method of research?

A)survey
B)observation
C)experiment
D)survey and observation

Question 35

According to a recent survey,what is the most desirable quality in a marketing researcher,from the client's perspective?

A)flexibility
B)attention to detail
C)maintains client confidentiality
D)customer-oriented

Question 36

A laboratory experiment would be better than a field experiment in helping a researcher eliminate _______.

A)causality
B)concomitant variation
C)variables
D)spurious associations
E)none of these

Question 37

A _____________ sample is characterized by every element in the population having a nonzero chance of being selected.

A)nonrandom
B)nonprobability
C)probability
D)nonrandom and nonprobablity
E)none of these

Question 38

Descriptive research allows the researcher to determine if one variable causes another.

Question 39

Ideally,who should define the problem in the marketing research process?

A)Entry-level employees
B)Middle managers
C)Always the CEO
D)Top Management

Question 40

Marketing research problems are much broader in scope than management problems.

Question 41

Probability samples allow marketing researchers to project their sample results to the population they are studying.

Question 42

Hypotheses are never stated in a null format.

Question 43

Recommendations are included in the typical research proposal.

Question 44

Two variables must be correlated in order to be causally related.

Question 45

A pilot study is more rigorous than other types of quantitative studies.

Question 46

It is often quite easy to hold all factors constant in a field experiment.

Question 47

Field service firms often provide group research facilities,mall intercept locations,test product storage,and kitchen facilities for preparing test food products to aid in the research process.

Question 48

Preparing proposal may be the most important function a research supplier performs inasmuch as proposals,and their acceptance or rejection,determine the revenue of the firm.

Question 49

Observation is a method of research that enables the researcher to see if one variable causes another.

Question 50

Spurious association implies that the relationship between two variables is related to some explainable cause.

Question 51

Secondary research can help define the research problem.

Question 52

Causality is relatively easy to prove in most marketing research studies.

Question 53

A probability sample is subset of a population in which the chances of selection for the various elements in the population are unknown.

Question 54

When research managers communicate ineffectively,generate quality data,control costs,and deliver information on untimely,they increase the probability that decision makers will use the research information they provide.

Question 55

The last step in the marketing research process is preparation and presentation of the research report.

Question 56

Situational analysis is important in the problem definition process.

Question 57

Exploratory research must always lead to a marketing decision.

Question 58

Exploratory research is the definitive research used to determine course of action.

Question 59

The two criterions that must be met for causality are temporal sequence and concomitant variation.

Question 60

Generally,we say that changes in the dependent variable are associated with or caused by changes in the independent variable.

Question 61

Suppose you are wanting to contract with a marketing research firm for a specific project.What criteria would you use in your selection process?

Question 62

What can researchers do to increase the chances that decision makers will use the marketing research information they generate?

Question 63

What is the difference between the marketing research problem and the management decision problem?

Question 64

You are part of a consulting team that is doing a marketing research project for a businessman in a small community.The proposal is in the final stages as it is being written and prepared for presentation.You hear one of the consultants remark "the proposal should be written in as much detail,especially statistical detail,and as eloquently as possible.The thicker the proposal; the better.We want them to know they are getting their money's worth." How would you respond to your colleague's statement?

Question 65

The United Way agency in your town has contacted you because it has been experiencing declining donations.You tell the agency that your basic plan to determine why donations are declining will be exploratory,then descriptive.Explain what the research firm means.

Question 66

What is the "Research Request?" Why is it so important? What should you include in the research request?

Question 67

The definition of the research problem is one of the most critical steps in the research process.Why? Who should be involved in this process?

Question 68

A firm is experiencing a 15% sales decline over the past year.The firm contracts with a marketing research firm to survey its customers to determine why sales are declining.Suggest how the principals in the marketing research firm should respond to their client's demands.

Question 69

The President of a small state college commissions a marketing research firm to determine why the college's enrollment has been declining.The President contends that the college is under funded by the state,compared with other colleges of the same size.The research firm does a study and finds the main reason that enrollment is declining is the lack of relationships between faculty and students.Why might the President not be motivated to use the results of the marketing research study?

Question 70

Describe the (3)three types of basic methods of research.Which ones would be used for descriptive research or causal research? Why?