Mid term # 2 Ch.8-14

Question 1

Marketing research is a general noneconomic review of conditions affecting the marketing division’s business.

Answer 1

FALSE
Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful to marketing decision making.

Question 2

The marketing research process should begin with determining the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives.

Answer 2

FALSE

The marketing research process should begin with defining the research problem and establish research objectives.

Question 3

If data has been collected already by some other agency, then such data sources are known as secondary data sources.

Answer 3

TRUE
If the data are available—that is, if they have been collected already by some other agency—then such data sources are known as secondary data sources.

Question 4

Commercial sources, trade associations, management groups, and state and local governments are good sources of primary data for a researcher.

Answer 4

FALSE
The U.S. government provides comprehensive statistics for the United States; periodic censuses of U.S. population, housing, business, and agriculture are conducted and, in some cases, have been taken for over 100 years. Commercial sources, trade associations, management groups, and state and local governments are secondary data sources of detailed U.S. market information.

Question 5

One of the reliability problems faced by a marketing researcher that seeks to do secondary research in a foreign market is that official statistics are sometimes too optimistic.

Answer 5

TRUE
In the case of secondary research, available data may not have the level of reliability necessary for confident decision making. One of the problems associated with such a data source is that official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality, while tax structures and fear of the tax collector often adversely affect data.

Question 6

Less developed countries are particularly prone to being both overly optimistic and unreliable in reporting relevant economic data about their countries.

Answer 6

TRUE
Available data may not have the level of reliability necessary for confident decision making for many reasons. Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality. Although not unique to them, less developed countries are particularly prone to being both overly optimistic and unreliable in reporting relevant economic data about their countries.

Question 7

Checking the consistency of one set of secondary data with other data of known validity is an effective and often-used way of judging validity.

Answer 7

TRUE
Checking the consistency of one set of secondary data with other data of known validity is an effective and often-used way of judging validity.

Question 8

Data collected specifically for a particular research project at hand is known as secondary data.

Answer 8

FALSE

The data collected specifically for the particular research project at hand is known as primary data.

Question 9

In quantitative research, if questions are asked, they are almost always open-ended or in-depth.

Answer 9

FALSE
In qualitative research, if questions are asked, they are almost always open-ended or in-depth, and unstructured responses that reflect the person’s thoughts and feelings on the subject are sought.

Question 10

The most often used form of qualitative questioning is the survey questionnaire that contains questions with a set of choices from which respondents select their response.

Answer 10

FALSE

The most often used form of qualitative questioning is the focus group interview.

Question 11

Quantitative research is helpful in revealing the impact of sociocultural factors on behavior patterns and in developing research hypotheses that can be tested in subsequent studies.

Answer 11

FALSE
Qualitative research is helpful in revealing the impact of sociocultural factors on behavior patterns and in developing research hypotheses that can be tested in subsequent studies designed to quantify the concepts and relevant relationships uncovered in qualitative data collection.

Question 12

It is generally better to collect primary data before turning to secondary data.

Answer 12

FALSE
If, after seeking all reasonable secondary data sources, research questions are still not adequately answered, the market researcher must collect primary data.

Question 13

The ability to express attitudes and opinions about a product or concept depends on the respondent’s ability to recognize the usefulness and value of such a product or concept.

Answer 13

TRUE
The ability to express attitudes and opinions about a product or concept depends on the respondent’s ability to recognize the usefulness and value of such a product or concept. It is difficult for a person to formulate needs, attitudes, and opinions about goods whose use may not be understood, that are not in common use within the community, or that have never been available.

Question 14

Most problems in collecting primary data in international marketing research stem from the excessive cost of primary research in these markets.

Answer 14

FALSE
Most problems in collecting primary data in international marketing research stem from cultural differences among countries and range from the inability or unwillingness of respondents to communicate their opinions to inadequacies in questionnaire translation.

Question 15

With respect to international marketing research, cultural differences offer the best explanation for the unwillingness or the inability of many to respond to research surveys.

Answer 15

TRUE
Most problems in collecting primary data in international marketing research stem from cultural differences among countries and range from the inability or unwillingness of respondents to communicate their opinions to inadequacies in questionnaire translation.

Question 16

Convenience samples are generally used when detailed social, geographic, and economic information is available for the sampling universe.

Answer 16

FALSE
A lack of detailed information, however, does not prevent the use of sampling; it simply makes it more difficult. In place of probability techniques, many researchers in such situations rely on convenience samples taken in marketplaces and other public gathering places.

Question 17

In international marketing, the greatest problem in sampling stems from the lack of adequate demographic data and available lists from which to draw meaningful samples.

Answer 17

TRUE
In international marketing, the greatest problem in sampling stems from the lack of adequate demographic data and available lists from which to draw meaningful samples. If current, reliable lists are not available, sampling becomes more complex and generally less reliable.

Question 18

The most universal survey research problem in foreign countries is fear of government reprisal.

Answer 18

FALSE

The most universal survey research problem in foreign countries is the language barrier.

Question 19

In Italy and many Latin countries, family generally means only the parents and children.

Answer 19

FALSE
In Italy and many Latin countries, family generally means the parents, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and so forth.

Question 20

In the decentering method of translation for questionnaires, more than two translators are used for the back translation; the results are compared, differences discussed, and the most appropriate translation is selected.

Answer 20

FALSE
In the parallel translation method, more than two translators are used for the back translation; the results are compared, differences discussed, and the most appropriate translation is selected.

Question 21

Back translation is a successive process of translation and retranslation of a questionnaire, each time by a different translator.

Answer 21

FALSE
De-centering is a successive process of translation and retranslation of a questionnaire, each time by a different translator.

Question 22

Consumers in America tend to respond to rating scales more conservatively than Japanese.

Answer 22

FALSE

Consumers in Japan tend to respond to rating scales more conservatively than Americans.

Question 23

Systematic monitoring of chat rooms, blogs, and personal websites to assess consumers’ opinions about products and services is known as serigraphy.

Answer 23

FALSE
Systematic monitoring of chat rooms, blogs, and personal websites to assess consumers’ opinions about products and services is known as netnography.

Question 24

Easy accessibility of volumes of up-to-date secondary data is the biggest advantage that Internet now provides to international marketing researchers.

Answer 24

TRUE
Today the real power of the Internet for international marketing research is the ability to easily access volumes of secondary data. These data have been available in print form for years, but now they are much easier to access and, in many cases, are more current.

Question 25

Due to the greater uncertainties and data limitations associated with foreign markets, two methods of forecasting demand are particularly suitable for international marketers: probabilistic forecasting and reference class forecasting.

Answer 25

FALSE
Given the greater uncertainties and data limitations associated with foreign markets, two methods of forecasting demand are particularly suitable for international marketers: expert opinion and analogy.

Question 26

In foreign markets, it is best to accept the information at face value because verifying information in foreign markets is extremely expensive.

Answer 26

FALSE
Accepting information at face value in foreign markets is imprudent. The meanings of words, the consumer’s attitude toward a product, the interviewer’s attitude, or the interview situation can distort research findings.

Question 27

It is helpful for a foreign market researcher to have a skeptical attitude in handling both primary and secondary data.

Answer 27

TRUE
The foreign market researcher must possess three talents to generate meaningful marketing information. One of those is a skeptical attitude in handling both primary and secondary data.

Question 28

Centralization of the marketing research ensures that the field personnel and resident managers have more intimate knowledge of the subtleties of the market.

Answer 28

FALSE
The obvious advantage to decentralization of the marketing research function is that control rests in hands closer to the market. Field personnel, resident managers, and customers generally have more intimate knowledge of the subtleties of the market and an appreciation of the diversity that characterizes most foreign markets.

Question 29

The ideal approach to multicountry marketing research is to have local researchers in each country, with close coordination between the client company and the local research companies.

Answer 29

TRUE
A comprehensive review of the different approaches to multicountry research suggests that the ideal approach is to have local researchers in each country, with close coordination between the client company and the local research companies.

Question 30

The public, face-saving truth is known as honne in Japan.

Answer 30

FALSE

In Japanese corporate culture the public, face-saving truth is known as tatemae.

Question 31

\_\_\_\_\_ is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful to marketing decision making.  
A. Marketing reach 
B. Market skimming 
C. Marketing research 
D. Market data analysis 
E. Market development

Answer 31

C. Marketing research
Marketing research is traditionally defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful to marketing decision making.

Question 32

Unisys Corporation’s planning steps for international marketing research calls for collecting and assessing various types of information. Which of the following types of information is the organization most likely to be interested in if it gathers information related to profitability for the division’s products, inflation, business cycle trends, and the like?
A. Economic and demographic.
B. Cultural, sociological, and political climate.
C. Overview of market conditions.
D. Summary of the technological environment.
E. Competitive situation.

Answer 32

A. Economic and demographic.

Companies are most likely to gather information related to profitability for the division’s products, inflation, business cycle trends etc. when they are interested in economic and demographic information related to the country.

Question 33

Unisys Corporation’s planning steps for international marketing research calls for collecting and assessing various types of information. Which of the following types of information is the organization most likely to be interested in if it gathers information related to ecology, safety, and leisure time and their potential impacts on the division’s business?
A. Economic and demographic.
B. Cultural, sociological, and political climate.
C. Overview of market conditions.
D. Summary of the technological environment.
E. Competitive situation.

Answer 33

B. Cultural, sociological, and political climate.

Companies are most likely to gather information related to ecology, safety, and leisure time and their potential impacts on the division’s business when they are interested in knowing about the cultural, sociological, and political climate.

Question 34

Unisys Corporation’s planning steps for international marketing research calls for collecting and assessing various types of information. Which of the following types of information is the organization most likely to be interested in if it conducts a general noneconomic review of conditions affecting the division’s business?
A. Economic and demographic.
B. Cultural, sociological, and political climate.
C. Overview of market conditions.
D. Summary of the technological environment.
E. Competitive situation.

Answer 34

B.
Cultural, sociological, and political climate.

Companies are most likely to conduct a general noneconomic review of conditions affecting the division’s business when they are interested in knowing about the cultural, sociological, and political climate.

Question 35

Which of the following best describes the basic difference between domestic and foreign market research?
A. The cost of foreign market research.
B. The willingness of the respondents to give information.
C. The broader scope of research for foreign research.
D. The complexity of the governing rules.
E. The ability to get accurate pricing data from foreign markets.

Answer 35

C. The broader scope of research for foreign research.

The basic difference between domestic and foreign market research is the broader scope needed for foreign research, necessitated by higher levels of uncertainty.

Question 36

Bert Wong has decided to pursue a marketing research effort to acquire information before his company makes a strategic relocation move to the West Coast. Which of the following marketing research process steps would be the first step that Bert’s company (and marketing researchers) should take as it embarks on the research effort?
A. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.
B. Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.
C. Determine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives.
D. Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort.
E. Gather relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or both.

Answer 36

A. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.

The first step of a market research process is to define the research problem and establish research objectives.

Question 37

Which of the following is the first step of a market research process?
A. Determine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives.
B. Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.
C. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.
D. Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort.
E. Gather the relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or both.

Answer 37

C. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.

The first step of a market research process is to define the research problem and establish research objectives.

Question 38

Harry and his team have undertaken a marketing research study to help their company expand in the Eastern European region. Which of the following marketing research process steps is Harry likely to end his research efforts with?
A. Define the research problem and establish research objectives.
B. Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.
C. Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.
D. Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort.
E. Gather the relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or both.

Answer 38

C. Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.

The last step of a market research process is to effectively communicate the results of the research study to decision makers.

Question 39

Which of the following is the last step of a market research process?
A.
Define the research problem and establish research objectives.

B.
Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.

C.
Analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.

D.
Consider the costs and benefits of the research effort.

E.
Gather the relevant data from secondary or primary sources, or both.

Answer 39

B.
Effectively communicate the results to decision makers.

The last step of a market research process is to effectively communicate the results of the research study to decision makers.

Question 40

Once the researcher has defined the research problem and established research objectives, the researcher must next:
A.
effectively communicate the problem and objectives to decision makers.

B.
analyze, interpret, and summarize the results.

C.
determine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives.

D.
assess the suitability of available statistical methods for analyzing the data.

E.
evaluate the cost and benefits of the research effort.

Answer 40

C.
determine the sources of information to fulfill the research objectives.
Once the problem is adequately defined and research objectives have been established, the researcher must determine the availability of the information needed.

Question 41

Ben Grissom has decided to use information collected by the U.S. government in his upcoming research project on cultural trends. This is an example of using a _____ data source.
A.
referential

B.
secondary

C.
tertiary

D.
parallel

E.
derived

Answer 41

B.
secondary

Once a problem is adequately defined and research objectives established, the researcher must determine the availability of the information needed. If the data are available—that is, if they have been collected already by some other agency—the researcher should then consult these secondary data sources.

Question 42

Which of the following types of data are commercial sources, trade associations, management groups, and state and local governments a good source of?

A.
Referential data

B.
Secondary data

C.
Tertiary data

D.
Parallel data

E.
Derived data

Answer 42

B.
Secondary data

Commercial sources, trade associations, management groups, and state and local governments are additional secondary data sources for the researcher.

Question 43

Which of the following reasons best describes why much of the data provided by foreign governments is suspected with respect to reliability?

A.
The data in foreign countries are usually written in a foreign language and there are translation difficulties that are often insurmountable.

B.
The size of the sample and the technique used for sampling may be faulty.

C.
Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality.

D.
The data in foreign countries is usually not safeguarded.

E.
The data tend to be incomplete, and outdated.
Available data may not have the level of reliability necessary for confident decision making for many reasons. Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality, while tax structures and fear of the tax collector often adversely affect data.

Answer 43

C.
Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality.

Available data may not have the level of reliability necessary for confident decision making for many reasons. Official statistics are sometimes too optimistic, reflecting national pride rather than practical reality, while tax structures and fear of the tax collector often adversely affect data.

Question 44

Which of the following countries comes a close second to the United States with respect to the quantity and quality of the marketing-related data available?
A.
Brazil

B.
Australia

C.
China

D.
Japan

E.
Kenya

Answer 44

D.
Japan

While the quantity and quality of marketing-related data available in the United States is unmatched in other countries, things are improving. The data available on and in Japan is a close second, and several European countries do a good job of collecting and reporting data.

Question 45

Harry leads the international marketing department of a smartphone manufacturer, Myfone. Myfone has recently decided to expand its presence in Brazil. As part of the marketing research effort, Harry has decided to use data on competitors provided by independent market research agencies located in Brazil. Which of the following problems is Harry likely to face?

A.
Defining the research problem.

B.
Communicating the results.

C.
Availability of data.

D.
Storage of data.

E.
Relevance of data.

Answer 45

C.
Availability of data.

The problems associated with the use of secondary data include its availability, reliability, and comparability