Marketing Research, 8e (Burns/Bush)
Chapter 4 Research Design
1) Research design should be:
A) Selected after thoroughly considering the problem and research objectives.
B) Formulated after data analysis.
C) The first consideration in a research project.
D) Selected during the initial meeting with a client.
2) The research design is a ________ that specifies the methods that will be used to collect and
analyze the information needed for a research project.
A) methodology
B) master plan
C) generalized roadmap
D) proposed guide
3) Knowledge of research design is important in:
A) Selecting the appropriate data analytic visualization software.
B) Developing an appropriate sales and marketing plan.
C) Developing the research for the corporate strategic plan.
4) Once the researcher knows the basic research design, ________ may be made to form a
framework for the development of the research project.
A) the survey instrument
B) the research budget
C) staffing allocations
D) a series of advance decisions
5) The reason to justify the significance placed on research design includes:
A) Research designs may be “matched” to different kinds of problems, the research design may
serve as a blueprint for the researcher.
B) Research designs are like blueprints, they are most helpful during data analysis.
C) Research designs are used after studies are completed and are used to make improvements in
future research studies.
D) Research designs are important because clients often decide to fund research if they find the
design is pleasing to the eye.
6) Research design types include:
A) Exploratory, descriptive, and causal.
B) Exploratory, exploitive, and casual.
C) Deductive, descriptive, and causal.
D) Exploratory, causal, and prescriptive.
7) The choice of the type of research design depends largely on:
A) Budget restrictions.
B) Objectives of the research.
C) Whether the research is domestic or international.
D) Type of analytics required.
8) The less we know about a market or subject, the more likely it is that a researcher should use:
A) Causal research.
B) Descriptive research.
C) Exploratory research.
D) Formal research.
9) ________ should only be used when the researcher knows a fair amount about the problem.
A) Exploratory research
B) Descriptive research
C) Formal research
D) Causal research
10) Exploratory research is unstructured research, which means it does not have a:
A) Predetermined set of procedures.
B) Predetermined timetable for completion.
C) Predetermined management approval.
D) Predetermined budget.
11) ________ designs are used to test hypotheses or measure the reaction of one variable to a
change in another variable.
A) More informal
B) More formal
C) More expensive
D) Less expensive
12) A small family-owned jeweler experiences more than a 20 percent decline in sales. The
owners do not know what the problem is. The research design they should use is:
A) Causal.
B) Explanatory.
C) Exploratory.
D) Descriptive.
13) ________ is flexible in that it allows the researcher to investigate whatever sources he or she
identifies and to the extent he or she feels is necessary to gain an understanding of the problem at
hand.
A) Causal
B) Explanatory
C) Descriptive
D) Exploratory
14) Which of the following is NOT a use for exploratory research?
A) To confirm hypotheses
B) To gain background information
C) To define terms, to clarify problems, and hypotheses
D) To establish research priorities
15) ________ is the process of searching for and interpreting existing information relevant to the
research topic.
A) Primary data analysis
B) Secondary data analysis
C) Interpretative data analysis
D) Analytical data analysis
16) The core of exploratory research is often an analysis of:
A) Quantitative data.
B) Primary data.
C) Secondary data.
D) Qualitative data.
17) Executives often use trade journals and industry publications as sources of information for
innovation, trends, and news about customers, potential customers, competitors, and more. This
is form of:
A) Primary data analysis.
B) Quantitative data analysis.
C) Qualitative data analysis.
D) Secondary data analysis qualitative data analysis.
18) A medical device company developing a cardiac device surveys well-known cardiac
surgeons with subject matter knowledge about the problem the device company is trying to
solve. This is an example of:
A) Exploratory research.
B) Descriptive research.
C) Causal research.
D) Experience research.
19) Experience surveys differ from surveys conducted as part of ________ in that there is
usually no formal attempt to ensure that the survey results are representative of any defined
group of subjects.
A) descriptive research
B) causal research
C) exploratory research
D) prescriptive research
20) Since research situations typically have at least some similarities to a past situation,
executives may use ________ to review available information about one or more former
situations to gain understanding of a current research problem with similar characteristics.
A) exploratory analysis
B) case analysis
C) experience research
D) descriptive research
21) By providing access to the unfettered opinions of consumers, ________ offer an instant way
to gain background information for a problem, to define terms, to clarify problems and
hypotheses, and to establish research priorities.
A) focus groups
B) online panels
C) social media platforms
D) executive interviews
22) Social media websites are a powerful source for what types of data?
A) Primary research data
B) Descriptive research
C) Situational research data
D) Exploratory research data
23) An incident of adulterated milk in China in 2008 that led to the death of six infants and the
illness of hundreds of thousands of other babies has been studied to prevent other disasters from
occurring through supply chain management. What type of research technique does this
describe?
A) Exploratory analysis
B) Case analysis
C) Experience research
D) Descriptive research
24) Focus groups are one of the most widely used ________ methods to gain greater
understanding of a current problem or to develop preliminary knowledge to guide in the design
of descriptive or causal research.
A) exploratory research
B) case study analysis research
C) experience research
D) descriptive research
25) A marketing researcher would use what type of research to find out how many customers
there are, what brands they buy and in what quantities, which advertisements they recall, what
are their attitudes toward the company, and who is the competition?
A) Descriptive research
B) Exploratory research
C) Causal research
D) Case study analysis
26) What types of studies do descriptive research studies include?
A) Studies that specify the causality in the problem
B) Studies that need answers to who, what, when, where, and how questions
C) Studies that describe previous findings in similar problems
D) Studies that answer who, what, when, where, how, and why questions
27) The two basic types of studies categorized as descriptive research include:
A) Case analysis and experiments.
B) Longitudinal studies and case analysis.
C) Longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies.
D) Focus groups and case analysis.
28) The types of descriptive research study that measure a population at only one point in time
is:
A) Point–in–time studies.
B) Longitudinal studies.
C) Cross-point studies.
D) Cross-sectional studies.
29) Which type of panel asks panel members the same questions on each panel measurement?
A) Continuous panels
B) Variable panels
C) Multivariate panels
D) Discontinuous panels
30) Which type of panel varies questions from one panel measurement to the next?
A) Continuous panels
B) Repetitive panels
C) Multivariate panels
D) Discontinuous panels
31) Brand-switching studies can be invaluable to brand managers because ________ that show
changes in market shares between several brands can be misleading.
A) longitudinal studies
B) cross-sectional studies
C) directional studies
D) discontinuous studies
32) Tracking studies are studies that involve the monitoring of the same variables of interest,
such as market share or unit sales, over time. These types of studies are an example of:
A) Cross-sectional studies.
B) Multi-directional studies.
C) Longitudinal studies.
D) Discontinuous studies.
33) When conducting ________, “if-then” statements become a researcher’s way of manipulating
variables of interest.
A) causal research
B) focus group research
C) exploratory research
D) descriptive research
34) What is the type of study in which one or more independent variables are manipulated to see
how one or more dependent variables are affected, while also controlling the effects of additional
extraneous variables?
A) Hypothetical research study
B) Experimental research study
C) A procedural study
D) An observational study
35) Level of advertising expenditure, type of advertising appeal (humor, prestige), display
location, placement of website ads, method of compensating salespersons, price, and type of
product are examples of:
A) Dependent variables.
B) Independent variables.
C) Co-dependent variables.
D) Non-dependent variables.
36) Sales, market share, customer satisfaction, sales force turnover, time spent on site, and
unique net profits are examples of:
A) Dependent variables.
B) Independent variables.
C) Co-dependent variables.
D) Non-dependent variables.
37) A variable that exerts influence on the dependent variable but is not an independent variable
is a(n):
A) Extraneous variable.
B) Non-extraneous variable.
C) Complex variable.
D) Co-dependent variable.
38) A procedure for ensuring that ________ is experimental design.
A) any and all effects on all experimental values are measured
B) the change in the dependent variable may be solely attributed to the change in the extraneous
variable
C) the change in the independent variable may be solely attributed to the change in the complex
variable
D) the change in the dependent variable may be solely attributed to the change in the
independent variable
39) Which of the following concerns internal validity?
A) The extent to which the change in the dependent variable was actually due to the independent
variable
B) The measurement of extraneous variables that is internal to the experimental setting itself
C) The extent that the observed relationship between the independent variable and the dependent
variable is generalizable to the real world
D) The representativeness of the sample test units
40) A firm wants to test the marketing mix or product variables through the company’s normal
distribution channels. What type of test marketing should be used?
A) Standard test markets
B) Simulated test markets
C) Electronic test markets
D) Controlled test markets
41) Which of the following does NOT represent criteria useful for selecting test-market cities?
A) Representativeness
B) Degree of isolation
C) Ability to control distribution and promotion
D) Major U.S. market
42) Because one of the major reasons for conducting a test market is to achieve ________, the
test-market city should be representative of the marketing territory in which the product will
ultimately be distributed.
A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) internal variability
D) external variability
43) An outside research firm guarantees distribution of a product that pre-specified types and
numbers of distributors. This is an example of what type of test market?
A) Electronic test markets
B) Controlled test markets
C) Simulated test markets
D) Standard test markets
44) Several firms flood a test market with sales promotions when they know a competitor is test-
marketing a product. This is an example of:
A) Test market sale promotion support.
B) Parallel product test marketing.
C) Test market sabotage.
D) Test market diversity.
45) Which of the following does NOT represent an advantage of test marketing?
A) Test product acceptability
B) Test marketing mix variable in a field setting
C) Assists with sales forecasting
D) Competition can run a simultaneous field test
46) Which of the following statements reflect a potential disadvantage of using a simulated test
market?
A) A simulated test market is not as accurate as full-scale test marketing.
B) A simulated test market lacks confidentiality.
C) Simulated test marketing is often too expensive.
D) Simulated test marketing lacks confidentiality.
47) After submitting a winning proposal and becoming familiar with the client, researchers select
a research design, which is a master plan that specifies the methods that will be used to collect
and analyze the information needed for a research project.
48) Knowledge of research design is important in developing an appropriate study to approach a
problem or opportunity.