Chapter 1—The Role of Marketing Research
TRUE/FALSE
1. Marketing research is basically about conducting surveys.
2. The term “research” means “to search again.”
3. A marketing researcher needs to be subjective in order to provide accurate information.
4. Marketing research is restricted to the promotion aspect of the marketing mix.
5. Marketing research is relevant to and used by non-profit organizations.
6. Conducting research to determine why consumers visit Starbucks is an example of basic marketing
research.
7. The procedures and techniques used by applied researchers and basic researchers differ substantially.
8. The scientific method used by researchers is essentially the same process in marketing as it is in “hard”
sciences, such as biology or physics.
9. When ideas can be stated in researchable terms, we reach the hypothesis stage of the scientific method.
10. Marketing research plays a more prominent role in product-oriented companies than in
customer-oriented companies.
11. A customer orientation means that all firm decisions are made with a conscious awareness of their
effect on the bottom line (that is, profits).
12. A stakeholder orientation recognizes that multiple parties are affected by firm decisions.
13. Keeping customers is less important that getting customers.
14. Developing and implementing a marketing strategy involves six stages.
15. When a marketing researcher describes the age, gender, income, and education of consumers in a
particular city, this is known as geo-demographic information.
16. Concept testing is a form of product research.
17. Distribution research focuses on the network of interdependent institutions that perform the logistics
necessary for consumption to occur.
18. The most common forms of performance-monitoring research are sales performance and profit
analyses.
19. Marketing research should be conducted regardless of how long it will take to perform.
20. Communication technologies have impacted marketing research greatly.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. _____ is the application of the scientific method in searching for the truth about marketing
phenomena.
a.
Marketing
b.
Business
c.
Marketing Research
d.
Science
2. Pamela is testing the hypothesis that states consumers will think a laundry detergent packaged in a
pastel-colored container will perceive the detergent to be more mild than one packaged in a
neon-orange container. Pamela is conducting _____.
a.
qualitative research
b.
essential research
c.
scientific deduction
d.
marketing research
3. All of the following are important aspects of the marketing research process EXCEPT:
a.
gathering information
b.
idea and theory development
c.
analyzing data
d.
making results publicly available
4. Which of the following are the two types of marketing research based on the specificity of its purpose?
a.
basic and applied
b.
scientific and non-scientific
c.
cross-sectional and qualitative
d.
quantitative and secondary
5. _____ is conducted to address a specific marketing decision for a specific firm or organization.
a.
Basic marketing research
b.
Qualitative marketing research
c.
Quantitative marketing research
d.
Applied marketing research
6. Campbell’s Soup is considering launching a new gumbo product and is testing different recipes with
consumers before full commercialization. What type of research is Campbell’s using to determine
which soup consumers will like the best?
a.
secondary marketing research
b.
basic marketing research
c.
applied marketing research
d.
test marketing research
7. Which type of research tries to verify a theory or to learn more about a marketing concept and is not
intended to solve a particular marketing problem?
a.
performance-monitoring research
b.
basic research
c.
total quality management
d.
the scientific method
8. A marketing professor is examining the relationship between age and shoplifting behavior. The
research is not being conducted for any specific retailer, but rather it is intended to better understand
and predict this behavior. This professor is conducting which type of marketing research?
a.
basic marketing research
b.
formal marketing research
c.
applied marketing research
d.
abstract marketing research
9. Which of the following refers to the way researchers go about using knowledge and evidence to reach
objective conclusions about the real world?
a.
qualitative method
b.
quantitative method
c.
scientific method
d.
primary method
10. A firm focusing more on how to provide value to customers than on the physical product or production
process is embracing which orientation?
a.
marketing orientation
b.
quality orientation
c.
external orientation
d.
value orientation
11. Which of the following is an important aspect of the marketing concept?
a.
a cross-functional perspective for the coordination of the organization’s activities
b.
an emphasis on long-term profitability instead of dollar sales volume
c.
a consumer orientation
d.
all of these choices
12. Marketers of snack foods who consider the nutritional value that parents desire as well as the fun and
experience that children want are demonstrating a(n) _____.
a.
emphasis on short-term profits
b.
cross-functional perspective
c.
customer orientation
d.
product orientation
13. According to the concept of cross-functional activities, which of the following can affect the
organization’s marketing efforts?
a.
the research & development department
b.
the accounting department
c.
the production department
d.
all of these choices
14. Which of the following is the first step in developing a marketing strategy?
a.
analyzing firm performance
b.
identifying and evaluating market opportunities
c.
selecting target markets
d.
planning and implementing a marketing mix that will provide value to customers and meet
organizational objectives
15. What type of information describes the demographic profile of consumers in a particular geographic
region?
a.
geo-demographics
b.
psychographics
c.
economic indicators
d.
place-based demographics
16. When the typical consumer in zip code 63119 is a senior citizen with several children over the age of
25, has a college degree, and is retired, this is an example of what type of information?
a.
TQM
b.
performance-monitoring
c.
geo-demographic
d.
the marketing concept
17. All of the following are a type of product research EXCEPT _____.
a.
concept testing
b.
product testing
c.
brand-name evaluation
d.
pricing analysis
18. Asking consumers what they think about possible brand names for a new product is an example of
which type of research?
a.
product research
b.
promotion research
c.
product testing
d.
concept testing
19. When Cheetos snack food conducted research in China to determine which flavors consumers would
find appealing, this was an example of which type of research?
a.
pricing research
b.
promotion research
c.
product research
d.
distribution research
20. Asking target market members to compare the performance of a prototype of a possible new product to
the performance of a competitor’s product is an example of which type of research?
a.
distribution research
b.
copytesting
c.
promotion research
d.
product testing
21. Which aspect of the marketing mix is represented by the value that a consumer places on a good when
this consumer purchases that good?
a.
product
b.
place
c.
price
d.
promotion
22. Research that attempts to determine which critical attributes of the product consumers use to perceive
the value of the product is an example of which type of research?
a.
product research
b.
distribution research
c.
promotion research
d.
pricing research
23. A network of interdependent institutions that perform the logistics necessary for consumption to occur
is called a _____.
a.
marketing channel
b.
distribution network
c.
supply channel
d.
distribution linkage
24. When Pottery Barn conducted research to determine which products it should offer to customers over
the Internet, this was an example of which type of research?
a.
distribution research
b.
promotion research
c.
pricing research
d.
product research
25. When an organization is attempting to decide whether to use a company such as UPS or FedEx to
deliver its products or to establish its own means to deliver the product to its customers, this is an
example of which type of research?
a.
promotion research
b.
pricing research
c.
distribution research
d.
product research
26. When McDonald’s studies traffic patterns and population density patterns in order to select sites for
future restaurants, this is an example of which type of research?
a.
pricing research
b.
distribution research
c.
promotion research
d.
product research
27. When Wal-Mart is attempting to decide where to locate its regional warehouses in order to minimize
travel time from its warehouses to its stores, this is an example of which type of research?
a.
product research
b.
pricing research
c.
distribution research
d.
promotion research
28. _____ is the communication function of the firm responsible for informing and persuading buyers.
a.
Marketing
b.
Research
c.
Distribution
d.
Promotion
29. When Procter & Gamble attempts to determine the effectiveness of mailing free samples of a new type
of shampoo to residents in specific zip codes on unit sales performance, it is engaged in which type of
research?
a.
product research
b.
distribution research
c.
promotion research
d.
pricing research
30. When Nike discovered an 80 percent recognition of its logo with consumers who typically spend at
least $100 on athletic shoes, this was an example of which type of research?
a.
distribution research
b.
promotion research
c.
pricing research
d.
product research
31. Ensuring that all promotional efforts, such as advertising, public relations, personal selling, and so
forth, are coordinated to communicate a consistent image is the basic tenet underlying _____.
a.
synergistic marketing communications
b.
integrated marketing mix
c.
integrated marketing communications
d.
promotion research
32. When Target stores monitors the sales activities of its retail stores in order to detect any indication of
dollar sales changes, this is an example of which type of research?
a.
relationship marketing research
b.
total quality management research
c.
basic research
d.
performance-monitoring research
33. When a marketing manager decides not to do research because a decision needs to be made before the
results of the study can be analyzed, this is an example of which aspect in the determination of the
need for marketing research?
a.
nature of the decision
b.
time constraints
c.
availability of the data
d.
cost considerations
34. When a marketing manager is trying to decide whether a new product launch decision should be
postponed until some additional marketing research can be conducted, which of the following
questions should this manager ask himself or herself?
a.
Is the proposed research expenditure the best use of the available funds?
b.
Will the information gained by marketing research improve the quality of the marketing
decision enough to warrant the expenditure?
c.
Will the payoff from the research be worth the dollar expenditures for research?
d.
all of these choices
35. Consumer research conducted in the United States indicates that many consumers consider the country
of origin when purchasing products, and consumers tend to prefer products that are made in the U.S.A.
To determine if consumers in other countries are partial to their own country’s products, what must be
done before the empirical findings from the research conducted among U.S. consumers also exist and
behave similarly in another culture?
a.
reliability assessment
b.
cultural cross-validation
c.
benefit/cost analysis
d.
cultural-monitoring research
COMPLETION
1. The application of the scientific method in searching for truth about marketing phenomena is known as
______.
2. The two types of marketing research based on the specificity of its purpose are called basic and _____
research.
3. Organizations conducting research in order to make a decision about a real situation faced in the
marketplace are conducting ______ research.
4. Research that attempts to verify a theory but which is not intended to solve any specific business
problem is known as ______ research.
5. The way researchers go about using knowledge and evidence to reach objective conclusions about the
real world is known as the ______ method.
6. When a company focuses all of its efforts aimed at consumers based on its technical superiority in
product design and features, this company is said to be _____ – oriented.
7. A company that applies the marketing concept in its dealings with its customers is using a _____
orientation.
8. The _____ orientation recognizes that multiple parties are affected by firm decisions.
9. One of the goals of marketing is to establish a long-term relationship with customers so that they
continue to purchase the organization’s products in the future. This is known as ______.
10. Information describing the demographic profile of consumers in a particular geographic region is
called _____.
11. _____ testing exposes potential customers to a new product idea to judge the acceptance and feasibility
of the concept.
12. The term _____ is sometimes used to refer to a channel of distribution.
13. _____ research investigates the effectiveness of advertising, premiums, coupons, sampling, discounts,
public relations, and so forth.
14. Marketing _____ refer to quantitative ways of monitoring and measuring marketing performance.
15. When empirical evidence from two different cultures suggests that people in one culture act in ways
that are similar to people in a different culture, we say that this fact _____ the hypothesis that the two
cultures are similar to one another.
ESSAY
1. Describe basic and applied marketing research and design an example of each.
2. Discuss how marketing researchers apply the scientific method when conducting marketing research.
3. Explain the differences among a product-oriented firm, a production-oriented firm, and a
marketing-oriented firm and the role marketing research plays in each.
4. You’ve just been hired as a research assistant in the brand management unit of a major consumer
packaged-goods manufacturer. Describe two types of product research you may be involved in
conducting.
5. Discuss how businesses analyze marketing performance and the role performance-monitoring research
performs in this function.
6. Discuss the factors that influence whether or not marketing research is needed.
7. Explain why marketing research, like all business activity, continues to change.