Which statement is NOT true about research design?

A) Research design is a framework for conducting the marketing research project.

B) Research design specifies the measurement and scaling procedures.
C) Research design is undertaken before developing the approach to the problem.
D) Research design is undertaken after the marketing research problem is defined.
C
The ________ is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project that
specifies the procedures necessary to obtain the information needed to structure and/or solve the
marketing research problem.
A) problem definition
B) research design
C) fieldwork design
D) data preparation and analysis
E) research directive
B
A type of research design that has as its primary objective the provision of insights into and
comprehension of the problem situation confronting the researcher is called ________.
A) conclusive research
B) descriptive research
C) causal research
D) exploratory research
E) insight research
D
________ is research conducted to gain ideas and insight into the problem confronting the
management or the researcher.
A) Exploratory research
B) Conclusive research
C) Descriptive research
D) Causal research
E) Directed research
A
Which of the following types of research design should be used when management realizes a problem
exists but does not yet understand why?
A) conclusive research
B) exploratory research
C) descriptive research
D) causal research
E) expeditionary research
B
________ is conducted on a small and nonrepresentative sample, so the findings should be regarded
as tentative and should be used as building blocks for further research.
A) Causal research
B) Exploratory research
C) Conclusive research
D) Descriptive research
E) Focused research
B
________ research is typically more formal and structured than ________ research.
A) Exploratory; conclusive
B) Conclusive; exploratory
C) Exploratory; descriptive
D) Subjective; observational
E) Lead; supporting
B
Large, representative samples are used to collect data that are analyzed with statistical techniques for
which of the following types of research designs?
A) subjective research
B) exploratory research
C) conclusive research
D) observational research
E) supporting research
C
Descriptive research is a type of ________ that has as its major objective the description of something
— usually market characteristics or functions.
A) subjective research
B) exploratory research
C) conclusive research
D) observational research
E) supporting research
C
________ is particularly useful whenever research questions relate to describing a market
phenomenon, such as frequency of purchase, identifying relationships, or making predictions.
A) Descriptive research
B) Exploratory research
C) Causal research
D) Subjective research
E) Identifying research
A
Which of the following is NOT an example of a descriptive research goal?
A) to develop a profile of a target market
B) to determine the cause of a sales decrease
C) to estimate the frequency of product use as a basis for sales forecasts
D) to determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated
E) to determine the relationship between product use and perception of product characteristics
B
________ assumes that the researcher has prior knowledge about the problem situation.
A) Exploratory research
B) Descriptive research
C) Objective research
D) Subjective research
E) Lead research
B
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of descriptive research?
A) based on data that is collected using small, nonrepresentative samples
B) based on a clear statement of the problem
C) based on specific hypotheses
D) based on specification of the information needed
E) collection of data in a structured fashion
A
Which of the following is NOT one of the major types of descriptive studies?
A) internally or externally focused sales studies
B) consumer perception and behavior studies
C) cause-and-effect qualitative studies
D) market characteristic studies
E) consumer behavior studies
C
A type of research design involving the one-time collection of information from any given sample of
population elements is called ________.
A) cross-sectional design
B) longitudinal design
C) horizontal design
D) vertical design
E) conditional design
A
________ is a type of research design involving a fixed sample of population elements that is
measured repeatedly.
A) Cross-sectional design
B) Longitudinal design
C) Horizontal design
D) Vertical design
E) Fixed design
B
According to the text, a ________ provides a series of pictures, which track the changes that take
place over time.
A) cross-sectional design
B) longitudinal design
C) horizontal design
D) vertical design
E) photographic design
B
A(n) ________ consists of a sample of respondents, generally households that have agreed to provide
information over an extended period.
A) focus group
B) panel
C) hypothesis
D) theory
E) research mix
B
Which of the following is an example of a longitudinal design in a descriptive research project?
A) surveys involving 600 mall intercepts in six major cities to determine the likes and dislikes of health
food
B) a variety of promotional offers displayed in stores, with each group of respondents seeing only one
offer and the resulting brand sales would be monitored.
C) a panel that consists of households that provide purchasing information at specified intervals over
an extended period
D) a cross-sectional study of the elderly held once at the end of the fiscal year
E) all of the above
C
________ is a type of conclusive research whose major objective is to obtain evidence regarding
cause-and-effect relationships.
A) Descriptive research
B) Causal research
C) Exploratory research
D) Subjective research
E) Conditional research
B
According to the text, the main method of causal research is a(n) ________.
A) panel
B) focus group
C) survey
D) experiment
E) client project
D
Which of the following is the best example in which to apply causal research?
A) the Andrew Jergens Company periodically conducting surveys to measure consumer's perceptions,
attitudes and use of soap bars and related personal care products
B) to determine the relationship between sales promotion and advertising expenditures and sales of
Mercedes
C) to gain insights on why Nokia is losing market share in Asia
D) to understand how consumers evaluate the Home Depot brand compared to competing brands
E) one-on-one depth interviews matching respondents and interviewers by gender
B
When little is known about the problem situation, it is desirable to begin with ________.
A) causal research
B) descriptive research
C) exploratory research
D) observational research
E) conditional research
C
________ is very versatile and can be used at any point in a study.
A) Causal research
B) Descriptive research
C) Exploratory research
D) Observational research
E) Provisional research
C
Which of the following is NOT a task a researcher must perform in formulating a research design?
A) specify the information needed
B) determine how to make the research design error free
C) specify the measurement and scaling procedures
D) determine the sampling process and sample size
E) develop a plan of analysis
B
When conducting exploratory research overseas in a country such as Saudi Arabia on the topic of
attitudes toward household appliances, it would be most effective to conduct ________.
A) focus groups of husbands, wives, and children
B) only secondary data collection
C) focus groups composed of both males and females
D) interviews with several in-country experts now living in the United States
E) one-on-one depth interviews matching respondents and interviewers by gender
E
________ is data originated by the researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the research
problem.
A) Primary data
B) Secondary data
C) Experimental data
D) Virtual data
E) Problem-focused data
A
Which of the following types of data represent any data that have already been collected for purposes
other than the problem at hand?
A) primary data
B) secondary data
C) experimental data
D) virtual data
E) special data
B
According to the text, the collection process of secondary data is ________ compared to the
collection process of primary data.
A) very involved
B) the same
C) rapid and easy
D) not correlated
E) long and involved
C
Compared to the collection cost of primary data, secondary data is ________.
A) more expensive
B) approximately the same cost
C) less expensive
D) nonexistent
E) more elusive
C
Which of the following is not a disadvantage of secondary data?
A) the objectives, nature, and methods used to collect the secondary data may not be appropriate to
the present situation
B) may lack in accuracy
C) may be expensive and time consuming
D) may not be completely current
E) may lack relevance
C
According to the text, a basic rule of research is to ________.
A) examine primary data first
B) examine secondary data first
C) examine experimental data first
D) examine virtual data first
E) examine special data first
B
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text as a primary criterion for evaluating secondary
data?
A) specifications
B) error
C) currency
D) availability
E) objective
D
If the key variables have not been defined or are defined in a manner inconsistent with the
researcher's definition, then the usefulness of the data is limited. This statement refers to the
________ criteria for evaluating secondary data.
A) nature
B) objective
C) error/accuracy
D) currency
E) relevance
A
An overall indication of the dependability of the data may be obtained by examining all of the
following EXCEPT the ________.
A) expertise of the source
B) reputation of the source
C) trustworthiness of the source
D) cost of the source
E) source being the original source rather than an acquired source
D
________ is data that originates outside of the client organization.
A) Internal data
B) External data
C) Modular data
D) Secondary data
E) Supporting data
B
________ is marketing that involves using powerful computers with advanced statistical and other
software to analyze large databases to discover hidden patterns in the data.
A) Data mining
B) Mass marketing
C) Parallel marketing
D) Traditional marketing
E) Competitive intelligence
A
A ________ is a centralized database that consolidates company-wide data from a variety of
operational systems.
A) syndicated service
B) bibliography
C) competitive intelligence system
D) Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system
E) data warehouse
E
Psychographics refers to ________.
A) qualitative inventories of business personalities
B) pictorial renderings of individuals' psychological traits
C) psychological assessments of consumers' behavior
D) graphic depictions of psychological testing results
E) quantified psychological profiles of individuals
E
According to the text, ________ is the largest source of secondary data in the United States.
A) Nielsen
B) Yahoo!
C) Arbitron
D) the U.S. government
E) Microsoft
D
Which of the following is true about census data?
A) The information in census data is available in only one form.
B) The data can be geographically categorized at various levels of detail.
C) Census data does not need to be detailed as long as it is accurate.
D) Integrating enhanced census data with internal company databases is a waste of secondary
sources.
E) all of the above
B
Which of the following describes information services offered by marketing research organizations
that provide information from a common database to firms that subscribe to the service?
A) syndicated services
B) primary services
C) secondary services
D) modular services
E) online services
A
Comparisons between numerical data from different countries can be difficult because of all of the
following EXCEPT ________.
A) units of measurement might differ
B) accuracy may vary across countries
C) frequency of census data collection can differ
D) differences in tax evasion rates affect reported business income
E) language differs across countries
E
According to the text, what is an ethical responsibility of a research agency?
A) To use all forms of data, as well as data obtained from any source — internal or external.
B) Discussion about all issues surrounding the relevance and accuracy of the secondary data used with
the client should be done only when required by law.
C) After a detailed analysis of secondary data has been conducted, the researcher should reexamine
the collection of primary data stipulated in the proposal.
D) Privacy related to the client's issues is not as important as safe keeping of the client's databases.
E) B and D are valid statements.
C
Companies that collect and sell common pools of data designed to serve information needs shared by
a number of clients are called ________.
A) syndicated services /sources
B) data processing services
C) field services
D) qualitative research services
E) pooling services
A
________ make their money by collecting data and designing research products that fit the
information needs of more than one organization.
A) Data processing services
B) Syndicated services
C) Field services
D) Qualitative research services
E) Pooling services
B
Which of the following are the two types of general surveys?
A) periodic and panel
B) panel and shared
C) shared and periodic
D) cross-sectional and shared
E) quasi and true
A
Syndicated sources can be classified based on units of measurement, such as ________ and
________.
A) observations; insights
B) surveys; interviews
C) qualitative; quantitative
D) secondary; primary
E) households/consumer; institutions
E
________ collect data on the same set of variables at regular intervals, each time sampling from a
new group of respondents.
A) Periodic surveys
B) Panel surveys
C) Shared surveys
D) Parallel surveys
E) Regular surveys
A
Which of the following types of general surveys measure the same group of respondents over time
but not necessarily on the same variables?
A) periodic surveys
B) panel surveys
C) shared surveys
D) parallel surveys
E) regular surveys
B
For which of the following types of syndicated services do electronic devices automatically record
behavior that supplement a diary?
A) purchase panels
B) audit services
C) surveys
D) media panels
E) online surveys
D
Verification of product movement by examining physical records or performing inventory analysis are
characteristics of which of the following types of syndicated services?
A) surveys
B) audits
C) purchase panels
D) media panels
E) movement exams
B
Relatively precise information at the retail and wholesale levels is an advantage of which of the
following syndicated services?
A) media panels
B) surveys
C) purchase panels
D) movement exams
E) audit services
E
________ refer to the psychological profiles of individuals and to psychologically based measures of
lifestyle, such as brand loyalty and risk taking.
A) Psychometrics
B) Psychographics
C) Demographics
D) Geodemographics
E) Ego-profiling
B
The distinctive models of living of a society or some of its segments refers to ________.
A) geodemographics
B) lifestyles
C) psychometrics
D) demographics
E) usage segments
B
According to the text, ________ are the primary means of obtaining information about consumers'
motives, attitudes, and preferences.
A) surveys
B) focus groups
C) secondary research
D) experiments
E) in-depth interviews
A
Purchase panel respondents like those on NPD's Online Panel provide detailed information on all of
the following EXCEPT ________.
A) brand and amount purchased
B) price paid
C) special deals used
D) store where purchased
E) All of the above are provided by those NPD respondents.
E
A data gathering technique that is comprised of samples of respondents whose television viewing
behavior is automatically recorded by electronic devices is referred to as ________.
A) scanner panels/cable TV
B) scanner panels
C) purchase panels
D) media panels
D
________ are data obtained by passing merchandise over a laser scanner that reads the UPC code
from the packages.
A) Scanner data
B) Secondary data
C) Qualitative data
D) Modular data
E) Cashier data
A
Scanner data where panel members are identified by an ID card allowing each panel member's
purchases to be stored with respect to the individual shopper are referred to as ________.
A) scanner panels with cable TV
B) volume tracking data
C) scanner panels
D) none of the above
C
Scanner data that provides information on purchases by brand, size, price, and flavor or formulation
are called ________.
A) segmenting data
B) volume-tracking data
C) secondary data
D) modular data
E) audiologs
B
Which of the following is a type of scanner data that is currently available?
A) scanner panels
B) modular data
C) volume-tracking data
D) scanner panels with cable TV
E) A, C, and D
E
The collection of product movement data for wholesalers and retailers is called a(n) ________.
A) audit
B) panel
C) survey
D) focus group
E) movement exam
A
If a company is interested in determining the in-store shelf exposure of their brand versus competitive
brands, the most effective way to obtain this information is via ________.
A) scanner data
B) in-store intercepts where consumers were observed purchasing a product in a particular category
C) telephone interviews with individuals who made a recent purchase in a particular category
D) an audit
E) panel data from individuals in the interested category
D
________ provide secondary data derived from industrial and organizational sources that are
intended for industrial or institutional use.
A) Industrial Firms/Organizations
B) Single-source services
C) Customized services
D) Retail services
E) Movement services
A
An effort to combine data from different sources by gathering integrated information on household
and marketing variables applicable to the same set of respondents is called ________.
A) single-source data
B) dual-source data
C) multiple-source data
D) qualitative data
E) cashier data
A
Information gathered from social media is used to ________.
A) understand the market
B) answer clients' concerns
C) connect to consumers and potential participants
D) conduct online research
E) all of the above
E
Which of the following practices might be unethical?
A) the use of secondary data alone when the research requires primary data collection
B) The client is billed a fixed fee for the project.
C) the unnecessary collection of expensive primary data when the research problem can be addressed
based on secondary sources alone
D) Both A and C are correct.
D
Regarding supermarket loyalty cards, a shopper provides demographic and shopping-related
information when applying for the cards. At check-out, the UPC-coded loyalty cards are swiped prior
to scanning the items for purchase. Typically, databases gather the list of items that are scanned at
check-out and match them to the shopper's records.
A) Maintaining these databases reduces grocery-store profits by 11 percent each year.
B) In 2004, Congress proposed legislation limiting loyalty card programs.
C) The supermarkets' data from these loyalty programs cannot be sold to syndicated research firms.
D) Forty percent of supermarkets have reported increased sales as a result of implementing their
loyalty card programs.
E) Most consumers are unaware that the supermarkets have all this information on them.
E

Informed consent is an ethical principle which ________.

A) applies to the contracts between clients and research agencies
B) applies primarily to syndicate firms
C) deals with requests for social security numbers from respondents
D) occurs when retailers don't take title to goods until they are purchased by customers
E) requires researchers to avoid both uninformed and misinformed participation in marketing
research projects E