Marketing Research, 8e (Burns/Bush)
Chapter 3 The Marketing Research Process & Defining the Problem and Research
Objectives
1) The marketing research process contains multiple steps. The first step of the process is:
A) Establishing the need for marketing research.
B) Defining the problem.
C) Establishing the research objectives.
D) Determining methods of accessing data.
2) When managers must make decisions and they have inadequate information, this signals the
need:
A) To define the problem.
B) For marketing research.
C) To establish research objectives.
D) To establish research design.
3) Sometimes problems arise for which marketing research is not the best solution. Which of the
following is NOT one of the major reasons that marketing may not be the best solution?
A) The information is already available
B) The timing is wrong to conduct marketing research
C) The company has revenue
D) Costs outweigh the value of the marketing research
4) Once a firm decides to conduct marketing research, the second step is to:
A) Decide the research approach.
B) Establish the research objective.
C) Establish the research budget.
D) Define the problem.
5) The information that tells the researcher exactly what needs to be gathered and analyzed to
allow managers to make decisions related to a problem is contained in the:
A) Research objectives.
B) Research design.
C) Research methodologies.
D) Research plan.
6) ________ need to be very clear, since they will determine the methods used and the content of
the measurement instrument.
A) Research instruments
B) Research objectives
C) Research approaches
D) Research design plans
7) A research objective should specify:
A) The research design used in the research study.
B) The sample size used in the research study.
C) The sampling procedure used in the research study.
D) From whom information is to be gathered.
8) The term “research design” refers to the research approach used to meet the research
objectives. Three widely recognized research designs are:
A) Exploratory, structured, and causal.
B) Formal research, descriptive, and causal.
C) Exploratory, descriptive, and causal.
D) Descriptive, casual, and exploratory.
9) Identifying information sources and types is an important part of the research process because:
A) Decisions need to be made about the methods of analytics.
B) The methods related to the research plan need to be determined.
C) The need to determine sample size.
D) Research provides information to help solve problems.
10) Questions must be phrased properly to ________ and therefore can be used to solve the
problem.
A) generate answers that satisfy the research objectives
B) generate responses that satisfy the sampling plan
C) promote respondent bias
D) elicit the answers the client is seeking
11) What term describes how each sample element is to be drawn from the total population?
A) Sample size
B) Sample plan
C) Sample frame
D) Sampling unit
12) To what does the number of elements of the population that are used to make up the sample
refer?
A) Sampling unit
B) Sample size
C) Sample frame
D) Sample plan
13) The most important step in the marketing research process is:
A) Defining the problem.
B) Determining the need for marketing research.
C) Determining the research objectives.
D) Defining the research plan.
14) The success of a marketing research project depends on properly pinpointing a problem to
formulate the:
A) Research plan.
B) Problem statement.
C) Research methods.
D) Research budget.
15) The marketing research process begins when a managerial problem or opportunity exists that
demands action, but there is not enough information to know how to respond to the problem.
This sets into motion a series of tasks that ultimately leads to:
A) Acknowledging the need for research.
B) Setting the research budget.
C) Establishing research objectives.
D) Determining the research plan.
16) A retailer may experience a decrease in sales over previous periods, a website begins losing
traffic, or an advertising campaign does not reach its expected level of awareness. These
situations are examples of:
A) Failure to perform marketing research.
B) Failure to perform marketing planning.
C) Failure to meet sales targets.
D) Failure to meet objectives.
17) A new use for a product is identified on social media, or those in a target market would like
to have a service delivered to their doors. These would be examples of:
A) Identification of an opportunity.
B) Identification of an alternative product.
C) Identification of a market.
D) Identification of a target market.
18) Companies find and identify opportunities in varying ways. Which of the following does
NOT represent a proactive way of finding and identifying opportunities?
A) Reliance on innovation to renew product and services
B) Having an opportunity fall into the company’s lap
C) Empowering sales teams and front-line employees to identify problems
D) Collaborating with clients in product development
19) Identification of problems is challenging. What portion of an MIS system would make
managers aware of promotions that are cannibalizing other products or indicate which
geographical regions are responding or not responding to promotions?
A) Marketing research system
B) Marketing intelligence system
C) Internal reports system
D) Marketing decision support system
20) A situation analysis is a form of ________ undertaken to gather background information and
data that may be helpful in properly defining the problem decision.
A) causal research
B) informal research
C) descriptive research
D) exploratory research
21) A situation analysis should be conducted in which of the following circumstances?
A) A client seeks help in properly defining the problem.
B) A client defines the problem and a researcher prepares research objectives.
C) When the information needed to define a problem is in the decision support system.
D) When the information needed to solve the problem is in the internal report system.
22) Symptoms are sometimes confused with problems. The researcher should:
A) Clarify the symptoms early in the research process.
B) Modify the research plan to address the symptoms.
C) Use a methodology that is appropriate for the problem.
D) Design a research plan to explore symptoms during the research phase.
23) When a gap exists between what did happen and what could have happened, it is known as:
A) Sampling error.
B) A symptom.
C) An opportunity.
D) A problem.
24) When the manager and researcher are in agreement about which symptom or symptoms are
in need of attention, it is time to determine what could possibly cause the symptoms. A
________ should have identified these possible causes.
A) competitive analysis
B) situation analysis
C) financial analysis
D) product analysis
25) A manager considers which actions may resolve the problem. Actions such as price changes,
product modification or improvement, promotion of any kind, and adjustments in channels of
distribution are examples of:
A) Product alternatives.
B) Distribution alternatives.
C) Decision alternatives.
D) Pricing alternatives.
26) To evaluate decision alternatives, managers must speculate as to the consequences of
selecting each alternative. This process is called:
A) Choosing an alternative.
B) Selecting an action.
C) Planning actions.
D) Weighing the alternatives.
27) An important step in the problem definition process involves ________, which is the
quantity and quality of evidence a manager possesses for each of his or her assumptions.
A) assessing the existing information state
B) explaining the existing information state
C) assessing research objectives
D) assessing marketing actions
28) A retailer wants to understand the consequences of an increase in sales by baby boomers and
a decrease in sales by millennials during the past 12 months. This is an example of:
A) Problem definition
B) Problem statement
C) Weighing alternatives
D) Problem consequences
29) As part of the research process, researchers develop a goal-oriented statement or question
that specifies what information is needed to solve a problem. This is called:
A) Establishing the need for marketing
B) Defining the problem
C) Establishing research objectives
D) Creating the problem statement
30) Researchers realize that an important part of developing research objectives is determining
what type of information should be measured. What is the term for multiple characteristics used
to measure a concept?
A) A survey instrument
B) A survey measurement
C) Construct measurement
D) A construct
31) ________ is sometimes used interchangeably with the term construct.
A) Variable
B) Measurement
C) Function
D) Dependent
32) Marketing researchers find constructs helpful. Once it is determined that a specific construct
is applicable to the problem, there are customary ways of ________ the constructs.
A) synchronizing
B) operationalizing
C) analyzing
D) projecting
33) Researchers realize that, when they are formulating their research objectives, the information
requested of respondents must be worded using the:
A) Industry’s frame of reference.
B) Researcher’s frame of reference.
C) Respondent’s frame of reference.
D) Client’s frame of reference.
34) What is the pre-designation of some quantity of a measured attribute or characteristic that
must be achieved for a predetermined action to take place?
A) Achievement standard
B) Characteristic standard
C) Attribute standard
D) Action standard
35) Action standards entail making important decisions before data collection, but also:
A) Set clear guidelines for action after data collection.
B) Set guidelines for information to be collected from the respondent.
C) Set guidelines for measured characteristics for a research objective.
D) Set actions for development of the research plan.
36) Action standards provide a path for:
A) Research design.
B) Decision-making.
C) Creating research objectives.
D) Choosing a methodology.
37) What is the document that the marketing researcher pledges to deliver as a result of the
marketing research process?
A) Marketing research plan
B) Marketing research report
C) Marketing research proposal
D) Marketing research presentation
38) What is the name of the type of document that is routinely used in all business sectors when
a firm desires supplier firms to present proposals or bids?
A) RFP
B) RTP
C) MRD
D) PRD
39) It is critical that the proposal ________ to be sure that the client and the research firm are in
agreement about the goals of the projects.
A) states the type of statistical analysis to be used
B) very clearly defines the problem and states the research objectives
C) outline the sample size and methods
D) indicates the type of reports and presentations that will be delivered
40) One of the keys to successful proposals is:
A) To have the research project priced competitively.
B) To stress the technology and software that will be used.
C) To provide a comprehensive background of the problem and proposed methods.
D) To highlight the type of statistical and data analysis.
41) The first and one of the most critical elements of a proposal is:
A) Research objective.
B) Research method.
C) Project cost.
D) Problem statement.
42) A marketing research proposal contains:
A) Symptoms associated with research.
B) The action standards for a project.
C) Important assumptions made by the researcher.
D) The timetable for a research project.
43) What portion of the proposal indicates whether the research will be exploratory, descriptive,
or causal?
A) The research objective
B) The research method
C) The problem statement
D) The statement of deliverables
44) The marketing research proposal process is an area where clients and researchers should be
sensitive to ethical issues. Which of the following would constitute an ethical issue?
A) Asking for an extension of time to complete the research project
B) Sharing one company’s proposal with another bidder
C) Seeking help from subject matter experts outside the company
D) Purchasing additional analytical software to complete the project
45) What document outlines the code of ethics to which marketing research companies should
adhere?
A) CASRO Code of Ethics
B) AMA Market Research Code
C) MRA Code of Marketing Research Standards
D) AAPOR Ethics Code
46) One of the most important guiding ethical principles of the marketing research proposal is
that ________ in the agreement with the client.
A) deadlines should be met as specified
B) invoices should be issued as specified
C) technologies should be used as specified
D) work must be performed as specified
47) The value in characterizing the steps in the marketing research process is two fold. The first
is that the steps give researchers and others an overview of the process.
48) In almost all cases, the research process is made up of 11 definite and clearly defined steps.
49) Most research projects follow an orderly, step-by-step process.