Chapter 3: Problem Definition and the Research Process
Multiple Choice
1. The first step in the problem-definition process is:
a. stating research objectives.
b. recognizing that there is a problem or opportunity.
c. determining if the needed information is already available.
d. determining why the information is being sought.
e. none of the above
2. A teen consumer products firm notes that there were 30 million babies born
between 1990 and 2002. The firm also recognizes that because of more single
parent homes and dual-earner households, these young consumers are making
many more purchase decisions. Beginning the process of marketing to that group
of young consumers would be an example of which of the following?
a. determining if the information exists
b. using symptoms to clarify a problem
c. recognizing an opportunity
d. stating research objectives
e. none of the above
3. Large amounts of money, time, and effort are wasted because requests for
marketing information were poorly formulated. The preceding could have been
avoided if the researcher had:
a. found out exactly why the information was being sought.
b. stated his/her objectives more clearly.
c. recognized the opportunity.
d. determined whether the information already exists.
e. all of the above
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Difficulty: Hard
Response: See page 59-60
Ref: Critical Importance of Correctly Defining the Problem
Learning Objective 3.1: To understand the problem definition process.
4. Which of the following is a key question at the problem-definition stage?
a. Why is the information being sought?
b. Does the information already exist?
c. Can the question really be answered?
d. Is there an understanding of the decision making environment?
e. all of the above
5. ____________ is preliminary research conducted to increase the understanding of
a concept, to clarify the exact nature of the problem to be solved, or to identify
important variables to be studied.
a. Pilot study
b. Experience survey
c. Case analysis
d. Exploratory research
e. Situation analysis
6. A/An _______________ is a survey using a limited number of respondents and
often employing less rigorous sampling techniques than are employed in large
quantitative studies.
a. pilot study
b. experience survey
c. case analysis
d. situation analysis
e. none of the above
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Difficulty: Easy
Response: See page 60
Ref: Critical Importance of Correctly Defining the Problem
Learning Objective 3.1: To understand the problem definition process.
7. _______________ is a discussion with knowledgeable individuals, both inside
and outside the organization, who may provide insights into a problem.
a. Pilot study
b. Experience survey
c. Case analysis
d. Situation analysis
e. none of the above
8. What does the iceberg principle refer to?
a. Most data analysis techniques tend to be outdated.
b. Research objectives are not often clearly defined.
c. Symptoms are often mistaken for problems in business.
d. none of the above
9. Managers may have the ability to look up previous research projects if their
company has a sophisticated __________.
a. pilot study
b. experience survey
c. Intranet
d. situation analysis
e. none of the above
Learning Objective 3.1: To understand the problem definition process.
10. Which of the following is not a form of exploratory research?
a. secondary data analysis
b. situation analysis
c. pilot study
d. experience survey
e. All of the above are forms of exploratory research.
11. Suppose a sales manager makes the statement, “The problem with this company is
declining sales.” Why is such a statement shortsighted?
a. The sales manager has identified only a symptom of a deeper problem.
b. The sales manager is not in a position to make such a statement.
c. The sales manager has not been shortsighted, but has identified the
problem.
d. (a) or (b)
e. none of the above
12. ________________ is a goal statement, defining specific information needed to
solve the marketing research problem.
a. Exploratory research
b. Marketing research objective
c. Management objective
d. Managerial decision problem
e. none of the above
Learning Objective 3.2: To learn the steps involved in the marketing research
process.
13. Which of the following should be action oriented?
a. objectives statement
b. marketing research problem
c. management decision problem
d. statement of problem symptoms
e. none of the above
14. Extremely low-incidence studies, such as trying to survey the automobile buyer
characteristics of astronauts, are usually not feasible. A marketing research firm
concerned about the feasibility of such a project would probably:
a. see if the information already exists.
b. first conduct a pilot survey.
c. conduct a focus group.
d. determine whether or not the question can be answered.
e. all of the above
15. Once the research project is completed, it is critical to determine if the
___________have been met.
a. situation analyses
b. pilot studies
c. experience surveys
d. research objectives
e. all of the above
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Ref: Critical Importance of Correctly Defining the Problem
Learning Objective 3.2: To learn the steps involved in the marketing research
process.
16. “We believe that raising the price of membership of our country club will make it
more desirable, and will increase our membership base” is an example of a(n)
_______.
a. objective
b. management problem
c. hypothesis
d. marketing research problem
e. none of the above
17. In a causal study of the effect of shelf placement on sales of a brand of cereal,
which is the dependent variable?
a. where the cereal was placed on the shelf
b. sales of the cereal
c. concomitant variation of the cereal
d. none of the above
18. Which of the following is a problem associated with laboratory experiments?
a. They provide little useful information about a population.
b. The participants may act differently in a real-world setting.
c. The cost of simulating the real-world environment outweighs the benefits.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
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19. To test the effectiveness of changes in an advertising campaign, a marketing
research firm decides to implement certain changes in Atlanta, other changes in
Dallas, and no change to the ad campaign in Denver. With regard to the products
in question, the purchasing propensities in the three cities are equal. What type of
research design is the marketing research firm invoking?
a. exploratory study design
b. observational study design
c. descriptive study design
d. causal study design
e. all of the above
20. When retailers monitor consumer shopping behavior by using scanner technology,
this is an example of _______.
a. survey research
b. observation research
c. experimental research
d. cause-effect research
e. none of the above
21. Because consumers’ responses on surveys aren’t always consistent with their
actions, researchers sometimes turn to this type of research.
a. syndicated research
b. observation research
c. experimental research
d. cause and effect research
e. none of the above
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Ans: B
Difficulty: Hard
Response: See page 68
Ref: Marketing Research Process
Learning Objective 3.4: To learn the advantages and disadvantages of survey,
observation, and experiment research techniques.
22. The researcher cannot compute the statistical reliability of this type of sample.
a. probability sample
b. experimental sample
c. nonprobability sample
d. observational sample
e. all of the above
23. SPSS would most likely be used for what?
a. determining research objectives
b. selecting a sample
c. analyzing data
d. putting together an RFP
e. none of the above
24. Who puts together a request for proposal (RFP)?
a. custom research suppliers
b. syndicated data suppliers
c. companies that want to hire a research supplier
d. respondents
e. none of the above
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Ref: Managing the Research Process
Learning Objective 3.5: To become familiar with how the marketing research
process is initiated.
25. A _____________ sample is characterized by every element in the population
having a nonzero chance of being selected.
a. nonrandom
b. nonprobability
c. probability
d. (a) and (b)
e. none of the above
26. What type of document does a research supplier prepare in response to an RFP?
a. research proposal
b. sampling report
c. finished research report
d. none of the above
27. A manager who wants to show cause-and-effect between two variables would be
advised to use which basic method of research?
a. survey
b. observation
c. experiment
d. none of the above
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Learning Objective 3.4: To learn the advantages and disadvantages of survey,
observation, and experiment research techniques.
28. In analyzing the effects of shelf placement on sales, shelf placement of the
product is the _______.
a. independent variable
b. dependent variable
c. spurious variable
d. temporal variable
e. none of the above
29. A laboratory experiment would be better than a field experiment in helping a
researcher eliminate _______.
a. causality
b. concomitant variation
c. variables
d. spurious associations
e. none of the above
30. Most clients tend to prefer what type of reports?
a. elaborate written reports
b. oral reports
c. PowerPoint presentations
d. none of the above
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31. According to a recent survey, what is the most desirable quality in a marketing
researcher, from the client’s perspective?
a. flexibility
b. attention to detail
c. maintains client confidentiality
d. customer-oriented
32. In depth discussions, usually consisting of 8-12 participants, led by a moderator
and generally limited to one particular concept, idea or them are:
a. Study groups
b. Accuracy groups
c. Focus groups
d. Case groups
33. Ideally, who should define the problem in the marketing research process?
a. Entry-level employees
b. Middle managers
c. Always the CEO
d. Top Management
34. What is a plan for addressing the research objectives or hypotheses? In essence,
the researcher develops a structure or framework to answer a specific research
problem/opportunity.
a. Research Design
b. Design Strategy
c. Research Opportunity
d. Strategic Design
35. All of the following are sections of a formal research request except:
a. Action
b. Use
c. Information
d. Logistics
e. All of the above
36. The opportunity identification step comes after problem recognition.
37. Descriptive research allows the researcher to determine if one variable causes
another.
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38. Exploratory research is often referred to as preliminary research.
39. Marketing research problems are much broader in scope than management
problems.
40. Pilot studies are more scientific than other types of studies.
41. Observation is a method of research that enables the researcher to see if one
variable causes another.
42. Probability samples allow marketing researchers to project their sample results to
the population they are studying.
43. Secondary research can help define the research problem.
44. Causality is relatively easy to prove in most marketing research studies.
45. Generally, we say that changes in the dependent variable are associated with or
caused by changes in the independent variable.
46. Spurious association implies that the relationship between two variables is related
to some explainable cause.
47. Two variables must be correlated in order to be causally related.
48. A pilot study is more rigorous than other types of quantitative studies.
49. Recommendations are included in the typical research proposal.
50. It is often quite easy to hold all factors constant in a field experiment.
51. Exploratory research must always lead to a marketing decision.
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52. The two criterions that must be met for causality are temporal sequence and
concomitant variation.
53. Preparing proposal may be the most important function a research supplier
performs inasmuch as proposals, and their acceptance or rejection, determine the
revenue of the firm.
54. When research managers communicate ineffectively, generate quality data,
control costs, and deliver information on untimely, they increase the probability
that decision makers will use the research information they provide.
Essay Questions
55. The President of a small state college commissions a marketing research firm to
determine why the college’s enrollment has been declining. The President
contends that the college is under funded by the state, compared with other
colleges of the same size. The research firm does a study and finds the main
reason that enrollment is declining is the lack of relationships between faculty and
students. Why might the President not be motivated to use the results of the
marketing research study?
56. A firm is experiencing a 15% sales decline over the past year. The firm contracts
with a marketing research firm to survey its customers to determine why sales are
declining. Suggest how the principals in the marketing research firm should
respond to their client’s demands.
57. The United Way agency in your town has contacted you because it has been
experiencing declining donations. You tell the agency that your basic plan to
determine why donations are declining will be exploratory, then descriptive.
Explain what the research firm means.
58. You are part of a consulting team that is doing a marketing research project for a
businessman in a small community. The proposal is in the final stages as it is being
written and prepared for presentation. You hear one of the consultants remark “the
proposal should be written in as much detail, especially statistical detail, and as
eloquently as possible. The thicker the proposal; the better. We want them to know they
are getting their money’s worth.” How would you respond to your colleague’s
statement?
59. Suppose you are wanting to contract with a marketing research firm for a specific
project. What criteria would you use in your selection process?
60. What is the “Research Request?” Why is it so important? What should you
include in the research request?