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Chapter 3: Problem Definition, Exploratory Research, and the Research Process
Multiple Choice
1. The first step in problem definition is:
a. determining why the information is needed.
b. using symptoms to help clarify the problem.
c. recognizing a problem or opportunity.
d. determining whether or not the information already exists.
e. stating the research objectives.
2. The first step in the marketing research process is:
a. choosing the data analysis technique.
b. secondary data analysis.
c. designing a survey.
d. stating the objectives of the study.
e. defining the problem.
3. The last step in the problem definition process is:
a. stating the research objectives.
b. determining whether the information already exists.
c. recognizing the problem or opportunity.
d. analyzing the data.
e. selecting the type of statistical analysis needed.
4. All of the following are examples of exploratory research EXCEPT:
a. focus groups.
b. pilot studies.
c. experience surveys.
d. experiments.
e. secondary data analysis.
5. When an executive at American Airlines interviews the airline’s flight attendants in an
attempt to determine how customer service on the airline can be improved, this is an
example of a(n):
a. secondary data analysis.
b. experience survey.
c. focus group.
d. case analysis.
e. longitudinal study.
6. When a marketing researcher who works for the St. Louis Rams professional football
team studies the Web site of ESPN to determine which offensive and defensive statistics
appear to be most closely related to the number of games a team wins in a season, this is
an example of:
a. case study analysis.
b. a focus group.
c. a depth interview.
d. secondary data analysis.
e. an experience survey.
7. Bank One of Columbus, Ohio is famous in the banking industry for creating new
products and services that can be sold to its existing business customers. When UMB
Bank in St. Louis studies the products and services offered by Bank One to see which
ones would be good products or services to offer to UMB’s business customers, this is a
form of what type of research?
a. Secondary data analysis
b. Focus group analysis
c. Experiment
d. Experience survey
e. Case analysis
8. When McDonald’s conducts an in-depth discussion for 90 minutes with eight of its
current customers in a group discussion led by a moderator to try to come up with new
menu offerings that would be of interest to these customers, this type of research is:
a. secondary data analysis.
b. an experiment.
c. focus group research.
d. a descriptive study.
e. a case analysis.
9. When a marketing researcher at Burger King believes that if Burger King increases it
advertising budget in St. Louis by $100,000 over the next three months, that St. Louis
profits will increase by five percent, this is an example of a(n):
a. hypothesis.
b. focus group.
c. descriptive study.
d. experience survey.
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e. secondary data analysis.
10. When BMW designs a research study to determine the age, gender, income, and
education of buyers of its 3-sedan during the past year, this is a type of what type of
research design?
a. Experience study
b. Descriptive study
c. Focus group
d. Secondary data analysis
e. Causal study
11. When a marketing researcher designs a test market study in two cities in which the price
of one of its products in increased by five percent in one of these cities but is not
increased in the other city to determine the impact of this price change on the product’s
profits, price is:
a. the dependent variable.
b. the moderator variable.
c. the independent variable.
d. the spurious variable.
e. the outlier variable.
12. When Southwest Airlines sends a five-item questionnaire over the Internet to its frequent
fliers from St. Louis to Newark the day after the flight to determine their degree of
customer satisfaction with the airline, this is an example of what type of research design?
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a. Experience survey
b. Experiment
c. Observation
d. Secondary data analysis
e. Survey research
13. When the city of St. Louis uses cameras at busy intersections to record the license plates
of drivers who run a red light so that it can send them a ticket for a $100 fine in the mail,
this is a type of what kind of research design?
a. Focus group
b. Experiment
c. Secondary data
d. Observation
e. Experience survey
14. When Kellogg’s increases its square feet of shelf space for its Corn Flakes in Kansas City
supermarkets to determine the impact of this change on unit sales, this is an example of
what kind of research design?
a. Experiment
b. Focus group
c. Secondary data analysis
d. Descriptive study
e. Experience survey
15. When Procter & Gamble sends a request to several marketing research suppliers asking
them to bid on a test market study for a new type of shampoo, this is an example of a(n):
a. MBO.
b. PERT.
c. dependent variable.
d. independent variable.
e. RFP.
True/False
16. An intranet provides easy access to external data.
17. Marketing researchers need to distinguish between symptoms and problems.
18. A management decision problem describes an action that needs to be taken.
19. Research findings which are “interesting” need to be translated into decision-making
information in order to be useful.
20. There is always one best research design to be used in a marketing research study.