While every step in a marketing research project is important, ________ is the most important step.

A) problem definition
B) problem correction
C) research design formulation
D) report generation and presentation
E) project completion
A
According to the problem definition and approach development process as given in the text, the tasks
involved in problem definition consist of all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A) discussions with the decision makers
B) interviews with industry experts
C) analysis of project costs
D) analysis of secondary data
C
According to the problem definition and approach development process as given in the text, the tasks
involved in problem definition consist of all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A) discussions with the decision makers
B) interviews with industry experts
C) analysis of project schedule
D) analysis of secondary data
E) qualitative research
C
According to the problem definition and approach development process as given in the text, the tasks
involved in problem definition consist of ________.
A) discussions with the decision makers
B) estimates of expected results
C) analysis of project costs
D) recommendations for decision makers
E) all of the above
A
According to the problem definition and approach development process as given in the text, the tasks
involved in problem definition consist of ________.
A) secondary data analysis
B) experimentation
C) budgeting of the project
D) scheduling of the project
E) all of the above
A
A statement of the management decision problem and a broad statement of marketing research
problem and identification of the specific components is called ________.
A) problem correction
B) problem definition
C) hypotheses generation
D) problem audit
E) project conceptualization
B
Michael Dell of Dell Computers wants his company to take market share from Hewlett-Packard and
Apple in the category of printers. As his marketing research director, which of the following would
NOT be part of the tasks involved in formulating the marketing research problem to support Dell's
strategic initiative in selling printers?
A) qualitative research
B) interviews with experts
C) secondary data analysis
D) discussions with Michael Dell
E) composing the research design
E
The ________ provides a useful framework for interacting with the decision maker and identifying the
underlying causes of the problem.
A) problem audit
B) management problem
C) problem definition
D) research presentation
E) none of the above
A
To identify the underlying causes of the problem, the researcher should ________.
A) conduct a problem audit
B) define the management decision problem
C) assess what past research was done for the firm
D) assess competitor success
E) all of the above
A

________ is a comprehensive examination of a marketing problem to understand its origin and

nature.
A) Problem definition
B) Problem correction
C) Hypotheses generation
D) Research directive
E) Problem audit
E

The problem audit involves discussions with the decision maker on all of the following issues EXCEPT
the ________.
A) history of the problem
B) criteria that will be used to evaluate the alternative courses of action
C) information that is needed to answer the decision maker's questions
D) alternative courses of action available to the decision maker
E) national culture as it's related to a country's trade barriers
E

Interviews with industry experts, those individuals who are knowledgeable about the firm and the
industry, may help formulate the marketing research problem. Which of the following statements is
true about interviews with industry experts?
A) These experts may be found both inside and outside the firm.
B) Typically, expert information is obtained by unstructured personal interviews without
Administering a formal questionnaire.
C) It is helpful to prepare a list of topics to be covered during the interview.
D) All of the above are true.
D
________ are data collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand.
A) Primary data
B) Secondary data
C) Virtual data
D) Observational data
E) Research data
B
Which of the following is true about secondary data?
A) Collection time is long.
B) Quality of data is high.
C) Cost of collecting the data is low.
D) It is easy to access.
E) It is highly relevant to marketing research problems.
According to the text, ________ are an economical and quick source of background information.
A) primary data
B) virtual data
C) secondary data
D) observational data
E) all of the above
C
Which of the following is NOT an example of a source of secondary data?
A) trade organizations
B) Census Bureau
C) Internet
D) industry associations
E) survey data
E
Which of the following represents an example of a secondary data source?
A) the formula for Coca-Cola
B) population census data
C) the new models to be introduced by GM in the next three to five years
D) interviews
E) experiments
B
Which sources of secondary data would be helpful in defining the problem of Wendy's increasing its
share of the fast food market?
A) a field research project to be conducted by Wendy's to answer the question of how to increase its
share of the fast food market
B) a report from the Fast Food Retailers Association on changing preferences for consumer tastes
C) a US Census Bureau report on the changing demographic profile of the US consumer
D) all of the above
E) B and C only
E
Data originated by the researcher specifically to address the research problem are called ________.
A) primary data
B) secondary data
C) virtual data
D) census data
E) research data
A
An unstructured, exploratory research methodology based on small samples intended to provide
insight and understanding of the problem setting is called ________.
A) quantitative research
B) qualitative research
C) descriptive research
D) causal research
E) secondary data
B
________ tend to be less structured and to have smaller samples than large-scale surveys.
A) Mail surveys
B) Pilot surveys
C) Online surveys
D) Census surveys
E) Telephone surveys
B
All of the following represent factors that comprise the environmental context of the problem EXCEPT
________.
A) resources of the firm
B) objectives of the decision maker
C) accounting practices used by the firm twenty years ago
D) economic environment
E) constraints of the firm
C
________ is a body of knowledge that tries to understand and predict consumers' reactions based on
an individual's specific characteristics.
A) Economic behavior
B) Organizational behavior
C) Buyer behavior
D) Ethical behavior
E) Census data
C
According to the text, ________ is a central component of the environmental context of the problem.
A) economic theory
B) organizational behavior
C) ethical behavior
D) stock price of the publicly held company in question
E) buyer behavior
E
________ includes the underlying motives, perceptions, attitudes, buying habits, and demographic
and psychographic profiles of buyers and potential buyers.
A) Buyer behavior
B) Economic behavior
C) Organizational behavior
D) Ethical behavior
E) Advertising creativity
A
Of which two objectives must the researcher have a clear understanding?
A) market share and profitability
B) daily and weekly
C) financial and non-financial
D) return on investment and return on equity
E) of the organization and of the decision maker
E
Which of the following is NOT considered an element of the legal environment?
A) public policies
B) general economic conditions
C) laws
D) government agencies
E) pressure groups
B
Which of following is NOT an element in the economic environment?
A) public policies
B) purchasing power
C) discretionary income
D) general economic conditions
E) disposable income
A
The problem confronting the decision maker is typically referred to as the ________.
A) management decision problem
B) theoretical decision problem
C) hypothetical decision problem
D) marketing research problem
E) research context problem
A

The management decision problem is ________.

A) the shakeup of the management
B) the problem confronting the decision maker
C) how to boost the stock price
D) how to meet objectives
E) how to please stockholders
B
The marketing research problem asks the question, ________.
A) how can we increase market share
B) how can we increase sales and profits
C) what information is needed and how can it best be obtained
D) how can we save money
E) where do we go from here
C
The ________ asks what information is needed and how can it best be obtained.
A) management decision problem
B) theoretical decision problem
C) hypothetical decision problem
D) research context problem
E) marketing research problem
E
According to the text, the ________ is information oriented.
A) marketing research problem
B) management decision problem
C) theoretical decision problem
D) hypothetical decision problem
E) research context problem
A
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a management decision problem?
A) focuses on symptoms
B) asks what the decision maker needs to do
C) is action oriented
D) focused on the underlying causes
E) All are characteristics of a management decision problem.
D

Which of the following is a characteristic of a management decision problem?

A) tends to focus on symptoms
B) asks what the decision maker would do without the need for information
C) focuses on the underlying causes
D) occurs late in the research process
E) all of the above
Answer: A
A
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a marketing research problem?
A) asks what the decision maker needs to do
B) asks what information is needed and how it should be obtained
C) is information oriented
D) focuses on the underlying causes
E) All are characteristics.
A
Which of the following is NOT an issue that would be addressed in a management decision problem?
A) Should the advertising campaign be changed?
B) Should the price of the product be changed?
C) Determine the impact on sales and profits of various levels of price changes.
D) What can a company do to expand its share of its product category?
E) B and C
C
Unbiased evidence that is supported by empirical findings is called ________.
A) objective evidence
B) sound evidence
C) legal evidence
D) subjective evidence
E) research data
A
A(n) ________ is a conceptual scheme based on foundation statements, which are assumed to be
true.
A) experiment
B) theory
C) objective
D) incident
E) investigation
B
An explicit specification of a set of variables and their interrelationships designed to represent some
real system or process in whole or in part is called ________.
A) an analytical model
B) a theory
C) a hypothesis
D) an objective
E) broad-based research
A
Which of the following is a common form of a model discussed in the text?
A) verbal model
B) graphical model
C) mathematical model
D) technological model
E) causal model
B
In ________, the variables and their relationships are depicted in a diagram.
A) verbal models
B) graphical models
C) mathematical models
D) technological models
E) provisional models
B
________ are visual and pictorially represent the theory.
A) Graphical models
B) Mathematical models
C) Verbal models
D) Technological models
E) Cartoons
A
Which of the following models are used to isolate variables and to suggest directions of relationships
but are not designed to provide numerical results?
A) graphical models
B) mathematical models
C) verbal models
D) technological models
E) specific models
A
________ are refined statements of the specific components of the problem.
A) Research questions
B) Theories
C) Hypotheses
D) Experiments
E) Scientific information
A
An unproved statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the
researcher is called a(n) ________.
A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) model
D) experiment
E) relationship
B
A hypothesis is a possible answer to a ________.
A) management decision problem
B) marketing research problem
C) theory
D) research question
E) none of the above
D
________ are statements about proposed relationships rather than merely questions to be answered.
A) Theories
B) Models
C) Experiments
D) Hypotheses
E) Scientific notations
D
An unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the
researcher is called a(n) ________.
A) situation
B) incident
C) hypothesis
D) theory
E) research question
C
The researcher can determine what information should be obtained by focusing on ________.
A) the components of the problem
B) research questions
C) hypotheses
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
D
Many international marketing efforts fail because ________.
A) the researcher cannot understand the language
B) the relevant environmental factors are not taken into account
C) the researcher is incompetent
D) funds are not provided to conduct the research
E) all of the above
B