117. Max is the product manager for a new type of lumbar supports used in the production of office chairs. His
company sells the lumbar supports to approximately 70 different chair manufacturers. The price for this new
product still needs to be finalized. Max has decided to take the data recently collected in a marketing research study
and apply it to different pricing scenarios in order to set the best price for his company. He will be utilizing
computer software to obtain results from the various scenarios. Max is most likely using a _____.
a. database
b. marketing research system
c. marketing information system
d. marketing decision support system
e. single-source system
118. Marketing information systems and marketing research have changed rapidly because customers and companies
around the world have been linked by _____.
a. the computer
b. the super database
c. the Interactive network
d. electronic online services
e. evolving telecommunications
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
119. The following are all guidelines for questionnaire construction that support ethical marketing research except to
_____.
a. allow the interviewer to introduce him/herself by name
b. indicate that this is a marketing research project
c. explain that no sales will be involved
d. state the likely duration of the interview
e. keep the name of the research company confidential
120. Which of the following statements about conducting marketing research internationally is false?
a. The marketing research process may need to be modified to allow for regional differences.
b. A detailed search for and analysis of secondary data can help researchers gain a greater understanding of a
particular marketing environment and pinpoint issues that must be taken into account in gathering primary
research data.
c. Primary data gathering may have a greater chance of success if the firm employs local researchers who
better understand how to approach potential respondents and can do so in their own language.
d. Specific differences among countries can have a profound influence in data gathering.
e. Specific differences among countries have no effect on data gathering or the marketing research process.
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
Scenario 4.1
Use the following to answer the questions.
Because of the development of optical scanners and cable television, marketing researchers can now test the
effectiveness of advertising more precisely. Volunteers in a minimum of six cities are offered food discounts in
return for allowing marketing research firms to monitor grocery purchases and send trial commercials to their
homes through cable television.
The research subjects shop only at stores equipped with UPC scanners, and their purchases are identified by a
special card. Respondents are also told that some of the commercials they see on cable television may differ from
those seen by their neighbors. Buying patterns are then compared. For example, Kashi cereals tested a Crunchy
Wheat promotion using this system. Half of the 5,000 participating homes in one city saw a commercial announcing
the promotion; the other half saw a commercial that did not mention the promotion. Kashi used scanner data to
evaluate the promotion’s success and offered the commercials nationwide.
121. Refer to Scenario 4.1. Kashi’s testing of the Crunchy Wheat promotion is an example of _____.
a. the collection of secondary data used in a descriptive study
b. information feedback used in an exploratory study
c. the collection of secondary data used in an exploratory study
d. the collection of primary data used in a descriptive study
e. the defining and locating problems through an observational technique
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
122. Refer to Scenario 4.1. Suppose that when selecting the 5,000 homes to participate in scanner studies in one city, the
research firm first divided the city’s population into upper-, middle-, and lower-class families, then took a probability
sample within each group. This would be a(n) ____ sample.
a. random
b. stratified
c. area
d. quota
e. population
123. Refer to Scenario 4.1. The 5,000 households that allowed their group purchases to be scanned are a _____.
a. focus group
b. quota
c. sample
d. target market
e. population
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
124. Refer to Scenario 4.1. In which stage of the marketing research process did the researchers compare the average
sales of Crunchy Wheat for the group that saw the promotion with the average sales for the group that did not see
the promotion?
a. Defining and locating problems
b. Reporting research findings
c. Developing hypotheses
d. Collecting data
e. Interpreting research findings
Scenario 4.2
Use the following to answer the questions.
Colin Jackson recently purchased Blue Waters Adventures, a kayak and canoeing rental business near the
Chatsworth River in Arizona. Blue Waters Adventures had been in operation for five years and was located in an
ideal area. Even though the winters in the area can be cold, kayaking and canoeing activities are generally popular
year-round. After two months of operation, it became clear why the previous owners had sold the business. While
the business appeared to be ideally located, sales were extremely disappointing.
125. Refer to Scenario 4.2. Colin developed a research design to aid his investigation. This design included a
questionnaire that attempted to measure “outdoor activity preferences;” however, Colin’s professor said that the
questionnaire measured something other than the “outdoor activity preferences.” The professor was questioning the
research design’s _____.
a. reliability
b. significance
c. truthfulness
d. corroboration
e. validity
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
126. Refer to Scenario 4.2. Besides administering the questionnaire, Colin observed people who went kayaking and
canoeing on the Chatsworth River, making notes about their appearances and behavior. The type of data he
collected is ____ data.
a. indirect
b. mechanical
c. secondary
d. primary
e. direct
127. Refer to Scenario 4.2. Before administering the questionnaire, Colin discovered, through talking to other sports
rental businesses, that although retired males made up a small percentage of the area’s population, they often rented
kayaks and canoes. In light of this, Colin decided to include a minimum of 25 percent retired males in his sample.
The final choice of respondents was left up to the interviewers. This sampling method is known as ____ sampling.
a. quota
b. stratified
c. random
d. representative
e. area
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
128. Marketing research is a systematic and orderly gathering of information supplied through the routine reporting
system within the organization.
a. True
b. False
129. The purpose of marketing research is to inform an organization about customers’ needs and desires, marketing
opportunities for particular goods and services, and changing attitudes and purchase patterns of customers.
a. True
b. False
130. The first sign of a problem is usually a departure from some normal function, such as a failure to attain objectives.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
131. The key to locating and defining problems is always to probe beneath any superficial symptoms.
a. True
b. False
132. Marketing research can be used to test a hypothesis.
a. True
b. False
133. A hypothesis is a fact about the problem or topic under investigation.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
134. The hypothesis being tested determines the general data-gathering approach to use.
a. True
b. False
135. Exploratory research is concerned with identifying the characteristics of markets or categorizing market activities.
a. True
b. False
136. Conclusive research is used when marketers need more information about a problem or want to make a tentative
hypothesis more specific.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
137. Descriptive research can be used to better understand the characteristics of certain phenomena to solve a
particular problem.
a. True
b. False
138. Experimental research is used to make tentative hypotheses more specific.
a. True
b. False
139. A research technique is said to be reliable if it produces almost identical results in successive repeated trials.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
140. If a research method measures what it is supposed to measure, it is said to be reliable.
a. True
b. False
141. The opportunity to obtain data via the Internet has resulted in more than half of all marketing research coming from
secondary sources.
a. True
b. False
142. Secondary data are data collected from inside the organization; primary data are those collected from outside the
organization.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems
143. One of the most overlooked sources of secondary data is the organization’s own accounting records.
a. True
b. False
144. Survey and observation are considered secondary data collection techniques.
a. True
b. False
145. Data regarding attitudes toward a particular product are collected. To test a hypothesis, the data are used and then
stored. If these data are used again in a future research study, they will be considered primary data.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 4 – Marketing Research and Information Systems