Chapter 4—The Human Side of Marketing Research: Organizational and Ethical
Issues
TRUE/FALSE
1. One reason for an organization to hire an outside research supplier is to acquire access to that
organization’s experience in critical situations.
2. When secrecy is a major concern, it is best to use an outside research agency.
3. The placement of marketing research within a firm’s organizational structure and the structure of the
research department vary depending on the firm’s degree of marketing orientation and research
sophistication.
4. One advantage of conducting research in-house is cheaper costs.
5. Often the term “doer” is used by the research department to refer to line management for whom
services are being performed.
6. A syndicated service is a marketing research supplier that provides standardized information for many
clients in return for a fee.
7. A custom research provider specializes in only one particular research activity, such as field
interviewing, data warehousing, or data processing.
8. Small research firms typically only have a director of marketing research and a research analyst.
9. The manager of decision support systems supervises the collection and analysis of sales, inventory,
and other periodic customer relationship management (CRM) data.
10. Market research’s role often is not recognized formally on par with financial management.
11. Rushing into a research project may result in conducting a study that is not needed.
12. Researchers measure past, current, and future events.
13. A research analyst is responsible for client contact, project design, preparation of proposals, and so on.
14. In a truly market-oriented organization, all employees are involved in the intelligence-gathering and
dissemination process.
15. Ethical questions about marketing research are really philosophical questions.
16. Absolutism is a term that reflects the degree to which one rejects moral standards in favor of the
acceptability of some action.
17. Implicit consent means that the individual understands what the researcher wants him or her to do and
agrees to be a participant in the research study.
18. To the extent that the owner of a device connected to the Internet is the user, true anonymity does not
exist in the collection of this raw data.
19. A false experimental effect that is used to create the perception of a true experimental effect is called
pseudo-research.
20. An ethical dilemma refers to a situation in which one chooses from alternative courses of action, each
with different ethical implications.
21. One key question that can be used to determine whether a research participant is being treated ethically
as a result of an experimental procedure is “Can the research subject be easily returned to his or her
initial state?”
22. An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee that carefully reviews a proposed research design
to try to make sure the proposed research will satisfy the research objectives.
23. Pseudo-research is undertaken to support a specific claim in a legal action or to represent some
advocacy group.
24. The purpose of a push poll is to push consumers into a pre-determined response.
25. Confidentiality means that researchers will not share any individual’s information with others.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A potential advantage of using an outside research supplier over an in-house research department is
that it may be possible for the outside supplier to conduct the project ____.
a.
more objectively
b.
at a lower cost
c.
at a faster rate
d.
with more secrecy
2. All of the following are advantages of in-house research EXCEPT ____.
a.
quick turnaround
b.
better internal collaboration
c.
more objectivity
d.
cheaper costs
3. Commercial providers of marketing research services are called ____.
a.
research suppliers
b.
research generalists
c.
research analysts
d.
research syndicators
4. When J.D. Power and Associates sell the results of its research studies on new-car satisfaction to
multiple automobile producers, J.D. Power is acting as a ____.
a.
pseudo-research supplier
b.
syndicated service
c.
cross-functional team
d.
custom research supplier
5. A company that develops a unique methodology for investigating a specific business specialty area is
called a(n) ____.
a.
cross-functional team
b.
standardized research service
c.
research generalist company
d.
advocacy research organization
6. When AT&T hires a research agency to conduct research tailored to its unique needs, AT&T is being
provided with ____.
a.
custom research
b.
syndicated research
c.
limited research
d.
commercial research
7. Rob provides leadership in research efforts and integrates all staff-level research activities in the firm
in which he is employed. Rob’s job title is most likely a ____.
a.
research analyst
b.
research associate
c.
manager of decision support systems
d.
director of marketing research
8. Caleb’s job at a marketing research firm is to provide technical assistance with questionnaire design.
Which title best describes Caleb’s job?
a.
director of marketing research
b.
research assistant
c.
forecast analyst
d.
research generalist
9. Marketing research directors typically ____.
a.
spend more time in meetings and managing than actually conducting research
b.
find that companies place great importance on marketing research
c.
have extensive opportunities to engage in research themselves
d.
can expect average salaries of over $250,000 a year
10. A research project that is rushed ____.
a.
is likely to provide a particularly concise summary
b.
has the advantage of providing more up-to-date information
c.
is typically the most cost-effective approach
d.
almost certainly means cutting corners
11. Do-not-call legislation does NOT restrict ____.
a.
telemarketing calls to consumers with unlisted numbers
b.
telemarketing calls to consumers who register with a no-call list
c.
business calls to new customers
d.
survey calls from non-profit organizations
12. 3-M Corporation puts together teams of employees from various disciplines such as engineering,
production, finance, and marketing who share a common purpose, such as new-product development.
These types of teams are referred to as ____.
a.
cross-functional teams
b.
syndicated teams
c.
synergistic teams
d.
focus groups
13. Which term refers to the application of principles of conduct to business behavior as related to the
exchange environment?
a.
moral relativism
b.
moral idealism
c.
marketing idealism
d.
marketing ethics
14. Claire believes she is a moral person, but she also believes that it is acceptable to tell a lie in certain
situations. Which term best reflects Claire’s beliefs?
a.
relativism
b.
idealism
c.
situationalism
d.
conformism
15. Which term reflects the degree to which one bases one’s morality on moral standards?
a.
relativism
b.
idealism
c.
absolutism
d.
conformism
16. When an individual understands what the researcher wants him or her to do and agrees to the research
study, the individual has given ____.
a.
a privacy wavier
b.
informed consent
c.
implicit consent
d.
a confidentiality waiver
17. The idea that information involved in a research will not be shared with others is known as ____.
a.
consent
b.
privacy
c.
anonymity
d.
confidentiality
18. A researcher working for ____ would be considered a conflict of interest.
a.
a for-profit firm
b.
a non-profit firm and a for-profit firm
c.
more than two firms
d.
two competing firms
19. Which of the following assures respondents that they cannot be identified or linked to their response in
any way?
a.
implicit consent
b.
anonymity
c.
confidentiality
d.
informed consent
20. Janice is participating in an experimental study of an herbal supplement that supposedly gives users
more energy. Since starting the experiment, she has noticed that she has more energy, but in reality,
she is just receiving a “blank” pill that does not contain the herbal supplement. What effect is Janice
demonstrating?
a.
false negative
b.
type I error
c.
type II error
d.
placebo
21. The session in which research subjects are fully informed of the research purposes and provided a
chance to ask any question that they may have about the experiment is called a(n) ____.
a.
wrap-up session
b.
post-hoc session
c.
debriefing session
d.
placebo session
22. Which agency offers syndicated research services?
a.
J.D. Power and Associates
b.
Burke
c.
Millward Brown
d.
Nielson Holdings
23. Many research companies have a(n) ____ that carefully reviews a proposed research design to try to
ensure that no harm can come to any research participant.
a.
human subjects review committee
b.
experimental design review committee
c.
ethical research review committee
d.
confidentiality review committee
24. Another term for the sponsoring client in research studies is the ____.
a.
researcher
b.
user
c.
subject
d.
respondent
25. A research firm has been hired by an attorney to undertake research that will support his client’s
defense in a legal dispute. What type of research is the firm being asked to conduct?
a.
push poll
b.
advocacy research
c.
confidentiality research
d.
deceptive research
26. Researchers have an obligation to respect the participant’s right to ____.
a.
honest reporting
b.
responsible participation
c.
open discussion
d.
privacy
27. Research sponsors have the obligation to respect the researcher’s right to ____.
a.
not disguise selling as research
b.
informed consent
c.
allow conflicts of interest
d.
avoid coercion
28. A marketing manager conducts a market test but has already decided to ignore the results if they do
not support a national launch of the product. This is an example of ____.
a.
a pseudo-research study
b.
a pretest
c.
a forecast analysis
d.
informed consent
29. A political candidate asks staff workers to phone registered voters of another party to ask a leading and
negative question about his opposing candidate. This is a form of ____.
a.
a push poll
b.
advocacy research
c.
a research supplier
d.
a cross-functional team
30. Mark is conducting research studies for two national rental car companies. Mark’s action represents a
potential ____.
a.
illegal situation
b.
advocacy situation
c.
push poll
d.
conflict of interest
COMPLETION
1. When an organization’s marketing research department refers to the managers for whom it is
performing research services, it is common to refer to the manager as the department’s
____________________.
2. A commercial marketing research company that conducts research for clients is known as a(n)
____________________.
3. A marketing research supplier that provides standardized information for many different clients (such
as different automobile manufacturers) is known as a(n) ____________________ research service.
4. A research organization that develops a unique methodology for studying a specialty area in marketing
(such as brand-name evaluation) is called a(n) ____________________ research service.
5. A research supplier who designs a marketing research study that is tailored specifically to the needs of
the client is using a(n) ____________________ research study.
6. The individual who plans, executes, and controls the marketing research function within the
organization is known as the ____________________ of marketing research.
7. An individual that is responsible for contacting clients, designing research projects, preparing research
proposals, selecting research suppliers, and supervising data collection, analysis, and reporting
activities is commonly referred to as a(n) ____________________.
8. A individual within the research organization who provides technical assistance with questionnaire
design, data analyses, and similar activities is known as a(n) ____________________.
9. Teams that are composed of representatives of marketing research, new product development,
production, and finance to study the feasibility of the national launch of a new product are knows as
____________________ teams.
10. The attempt to decide what is “right” and what is “wrong” in the conduct of marketing research studies
is called marketing ____________________.
11. ____________________ is a term that reflects the degree to which one bases one’s morality on moral
standards.
12. ____________________ means that information involved in the research will not be shared with
others.
13. A session in which research subjects are fully informed and provided with a chance to ask any
questions that they may have about an experiment is called a(n) ____________________ session.
14. Research that is conducted to support a specific claim in a legal action (e.g. a certain miles per gallon
performance in city driving conditions) is known as ____________________ research.
15. Telemarketing is conducted under the “guise” of a research study is called ____________________.
ESSAY
1. Explain when research should be conducted externally and when it should be done internally.
2. Discuss possible sources of conflict between marketing management and marketing research.
3. Define marketing ethics and explain how it applies to marketing research.
4. Discuss the rights and obligations of the research participant.
5. Discuss the rights and obligations of the researcher.