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 important types of situations.
2. One advantage of using an outside agency to conduct research at cheaper costs.
3. If secrecy is a major concern, then it is best to conduct research in-house.
4. 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.
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 unidimensional research service provides a unique methodology for investigating a business
specialty area like retail location.
8. A custom research provider specializes in only one particular research activity, such as field
interviewing, data warehousing, or data processing.
9. Small research firms typically only have a director of marketing research and a research analyst.
10. The director of marketing research supervises the collection and analysis of sales, inventory, and other
periodic customer relationship management (CRM) data.
11. One problem typically faced by marketing research directors is that the research management role
often is not formally recognized.
12. To be truly marketing-oriented, all employees should be involved in the intelligence-gathering and
dissemination process.
13. Ethical questions about marketing research are really philosophical questions.
14. Being asked by a client to share information from research conducted for a competitor poses an ethical
dilemma for researchers.
15. Absolutism is a term that reflects the degree to which one rejects moral standards in favor of the
acceptability of some action.
16. Society at large is one of the stakeholders involved in research.
17. The issue as to whether the respondent in a research study can choose to answer or not to answer a
specific question is a matter of confidentiality.
18. The use of spyware violates the right to privacy and confidentiality of Internet users.
19. A false experimental effect that is used to create the perception of a true experimental effect is called
pseudo-research.
20. It is not considered to be an invasion of an employee’s privacy to use mystery shoppers in department
stores.
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 no harm can come to any research participant.
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. A breech of confidentiality occurs when one researcher works for two competing companies.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A possible advantage of 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.
faster
d.
subjectively
2. Best Buy is expanding internationally, but the managers are concerned that they need to better
understand a foreign market before entering it. The company has conducted research in-house in the
United States, but it really doesn’t have the capacity to conduct this type of research in other countries.
Which of the following is the best reason for hiring an outside agency for this purpose?
a.
An outside agency may have local expertise allowing it to specialize in research in a
foreign market.
b.
An outside agency can usually conduct research more quickly than doing it in-house.
c.
An outside agency often can be more objective.
d.
An outside agency is often more economical.
3. All of the following are advantages of in-house research EXCEPT _____.
a.
quick turn-around
b.
better collaboration with employees
c.
more objectivity
d.
cheaper costs
4. Which term is used to refer to the entity for whom research services are being performed?
a.
doer
b.
participant
c.
intermediary
d.
client
5. Commercial providers of marketing research services are called _____.
a.
research suppliers
b.
research generalists
c.
research analysts
d.
research syndicators
6. A(n) _____ is a marketing research supplier that provides standardized information for many clients in
return for a fee.
a.
full-service firm
b.
boutique service
c.
one-stop service
d.
syndicated service
7. When J.D. Power and Associates sell the results of its research studies on new-car satisfaction to
automobile producers, J.D. Power is acting as a _____,
a.
research intermediary
b.
syndicated service
c.
research medium
d.
custom research supplier
8. Research firms that develop a unique methodology for investigating a business specialty area is
referred to as a _____.
a.
standardized research service
b.
custom research service
c.
focused research service
d.
research intermediary
9. A research organization that specializes in studies about advertising effectiveness is an example of a(n)
_____.
a.
cross-functional team
b.
standardized research service
c.
research generalist
d.
advocacy research organization
10. When AT&T hires a research agency to conduct research among business users regarding mobile
technology needs, this is called _____.
a.
custom research
b.
syndicated research
c.
limited research
d.
commercial research
11. 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 _____.
a.
research analyst
b.
research associate
c.
manager of decision support systems
d.
director of marketing research
12. Who is responsible for client contact, project design, preparation of proposals, selection of research
suppliers, and supervision of data collection, analysis, and reporting activities?
a.
manager of decision support systems
b.
director of marketing research
c.
research analyst
d.
research vice president
13. Caleb’s job at a marketing research firm is to provide technical assistance with questionnaire design.
Which of the following best describes Caleb’s job title?
a.
director of marketing research
b.
research assistant
c.
forecast analyst
d.
research generalist
14. Another name for a research assistant is _____.
a.
junior analyst
b.
research analyst
c.
research vice president
d.
account executive
15. Which position in a mid-sized research firm supervises the collection and analysis of sales, inventory,
and other periodic customer relationship management (CRM) data?
a.
director of marketing research
b.
manager of decision support systems
c.
research analyst
d.
research assistant
16. A job posting for a research firm advertised it was looking for someone who can use SPSS software to
forecast sales. What is this position typically called in a research firm?
a.
forecast analyst
b.
statistical analyst
c.
research assistant
d.
research analyst
17. Which of the following is NOT a problem a marketing research director typically faces?
a.
spends more time in meetings and managing than actually conducting research
b.
research management role often is not formally recognized
c.
often does not have the tools available to conduct the research properly
d.
research is often seen as a hodgepodge of techniques available to answer individual,
unrelated questions
18. _____ teams are composed of individuals from various functional areas such as engineering,
production, finance, and marketing who share a common purpose.
a.
Specialized
b.
Cross-functional
c.
Hybrid
d.
Task-oriented
19. 3-M Corporation puts together teams of employees from various functional areas such as engineering,
production, finance, and marketing when developing new products. These types of teams are referred
to as _____.
a.
cross-functional teams
b.
syndicated teams
c.
synergistic teams
d.
focus groups
20. _____ is the application of morals to business behavior related to the exchange environment.
a.
Moral relativism
b.
Moral idealism
c.
Marketing idealism
d.
Marketing ethics
21. Principles reflecting one’s beliefs about what is ethical and unethical are called _____.
a.
guiding principles
b.
ethical imperatives
c.
functional standards
d.
moral standards
22. Claire believes she is a moral person, but she does believe that it is acceptable to tell a lie in certain
situations. Which of the following term best reflects Claire’s beliefs?
a.
relativism
b.
idealism
c.
situationalism
d.
conformism
23. Which term reflects the degree to which one bases one’s morality on moral standards?
a.
relativism
b.
idealism
c.
absolutism
d.
conformism
24. Before participating in a research study, John was provided with information regarding the purpose of
the study and was asked to sign a form agreeing to participate in the study. John has given _____ to
participate in the study.
a.
implicit consent
b.
informed consent
c.
ideal consent
d.
voluntary consent
25. Which of the following behaviors result in implicit consent in passive research?
a.
a person taking a shower
b.
a person shopping in a store
c.
a person talking to her doctor
d.
a person trying on clothes in a store dressing room
26. Which of the following is generally considered to be a public place in which unobtrusive observation
is not a serious invasion of privacy?
a.
an airport check-in counter at Logan Airport in Boston
b.
the St. Louis Art Museum
c.
a Radio Shack retail store
d.
all of these choices
27. Which of the following is a type of software that is placed on users’ computers without consent or
knowledge while using the Internet?
a.
pop-ups
b.
spyware
c.
stealth file
d.
COPPA
28. One right a research participant has is that information involved in the research will not be shared with
others, which is known as _____.
a.
consent
b.
active research
c.
passive research
d.
confidentiality
29. Janice is participating in an experimental study of an herbal supplement that is supposed to give 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
30. The session in which research subjects are fully informed and provided a chance to ask any question
that they may have about the experiment is called a _____.
a.
wrap-up session
b.
post-hoc session
c.
debriefing session
d.
placebo session
31. Researchers hired to go into airport flight lounges posing as members of the airline’s frequent flyer
program to see how well customers are treated are called _____.
a.
mystery shoppers
b.
undercover agents
c.
placebo shoppers
d.
stealth shoppers
32. All of the following are questions used to determine whether the experimental procedures treat a
research participant unethically EXCEPT _____.
a.
Is the research subject subjected to substantial or psychological trauma?
b.
Can the research subject be easily returned to his or her initial state?
c.
Has the research subject provided consent to participate in an experiment?
d.
Is the research participant informed of the purpose of the experiment prior to
participating?
33. Most universities require researchers to submit research proposals to a committee that carefully
reviews them to make sure no harm can come to any research participant. What is this committee
called?
a.
human subjects review committee
b.
experimental design review committee
c.
ethical research review committee
d.
confidentiality review committee
34. Another term for the sponsoring client in research studies is the _____.
a.
researcher
b.
user
c.
subject
d.
respondent
35. A research firm has been hired by an attorney to undertake research that will support his client’s
defense in a legal dispute regarding whether or not the company can sell essentially the same product
to different markets under a different name and charge higher prices in some markets. What type of
research is the firm being asked to conduct?
a.
push poll
b.
advocacy research
c.
confidentiality research
d.
deceptive research
36. Which of the following is conducted not to gather information for marketing decisions but to bolster a
point of view or satisfy other needs?
a.
pretest
b.
pseudo-research
c.
shilling
d.
stealth research
37. When a marketing manager conducts a test market 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
38. When a political candidate has staff workers 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
39. A(n) _____ occurs when one researcher works for two competing companies.
a.
breech of confidentiality
b.
ethical violation
c.
conflict of interest
d.
legal conflict
40. Mark is currently conducting research studies for Enterprise and Avis, two national rental car
companies. In fact, Mark has conducted studies for two other rental car companies in the past five
years. Mark’s actions represent a potential _____.
a.
illegal situation
b.
advocacy situation
c.
push poll
d.
conflict of interest
COMPLETION
1. Research performed by employees of the company that will benefit from the research is called _____
research.
2. A commercial marketing research company that conducts research for clients is known as a research
______.
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. When a research supplier designs a marketing research study that is tailored to the needs of the client,
this is known as a(n) ______ research study.
6. The individual who plans, executes, and controls the marketing research function within the
organization is known as the ____
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 ______.
8. Jacques runs computer software programs, such as SAS and SPSS, to forecast sales for clients.
Jacques job title is _____.
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. A situation in which one chooses from alternative courses of actions, each with different ethical
implications is called a(n) _____.
11. _____ is a term that reflects the degree to which one bases one’s morality on moral standards.
12. When public behaviors are observed in passive research, it is assumed that _____ consent is given by
those being observed.
13. _____ means that information involved in the research will not be shared with others.
14. A session in which research subjects are fully informed and provided a chance to ask any questions
that they may have about an experiment is called a(n) _____ session.
15. 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.
ESSAY
1. Explain when research should be conducted externally and when it should be done internally.
2. Raising Canes is a restaurant located primarily in the south and the owner is interested in expanding
nationwide. Name and describe the various types of research suppliers and discuss which type could
meet his need for finding the best locations in new markets.
3. Name and describe the various marketing research positions in mid-sized marketing research firms.
4. Define marketing ethics and explain how it applies to marketing research.
5. Discuss the rights and obligations of the researcher.