Q&A Hero

Q: Discuss the sources of conflict between management and research.

Q: Name and describe the various research positions in mid-sized research firms.

Q: Explain when research should be conducted externally and when it should be done internally.

Q: Research that is conducted to support a specific claim in a legal action (e.g. a certain miles per gallon performance in city driving conditions) is known as ______ research.

Q: A(n) _____ occurs when one researcher works for two competing companies.

Q: When telemarketing is conducted under the "guise" of a research study, this is called ________ .

Q: Explain the difference between a research project and a research program.

Q: Your business research company has been asked to help a business understand why their sales are decreasing. Describe the procedure you should follow to address this research request and the type of business research you would recommend.

Q: Compare and contrast the three degrees of causality.

Q: Explain how a researcher makes causal inferences.

Q: Compare and contrast exploratory, descriptive, and causal research. Which approach is the best?

Q: The overall series of marketing research projects is called a research ______.

Q: _____ is the application of computation, summarizing, and reasoning to understand the gathered information.

Q: Methods in which research respondents do not have to be disturbed for data to be gathered are referred to as _____ methods.

Q: Any procedure that involves selecting a small number of people who are part of a larger population of people is called ______.

Q: The most common method of generating primary data in business research is through the use of a(n) _____.

Q: A plan that specifies the methods and procedures that will be used for collecting and analyzing data in a research study is called a(n) ______.

Q: A small-scale exploratory research project that collects data from respondents similar to those that will be used in the full study is called a _____ study.

Q: A directed search of published works, including periodicals and books, that discusses theory and presents empirical results that are relevant to the topic at hand is called a(n) _____.

Q: Information from a research study conducted by the company last year assessing employees' attitudes toward the company's absenteeism policy is an example of ______.

Q: In consulting, the term _____ is often used to describe the objectives to a research client.

Q: The goals to be achieved by conducting research are referred to as research _____.

Q: The idea that later stages of the research process influence earlier stages of the research process is referred to as ______.

Q: The last stage of the business research process is _____.

Q: A carefully controlled study in which the researcher manipulates a proposed cause and observes any corresponding change in the proposed effect is called a(n) _____.

Q: _____ causality means that the cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect.

Q: _____ association means any covariation between a cause and an effect is true and not simply due to some other variable.

Q: Research that is conducted to identify cause-and-effect relationships between variables is called ______ research.

Q: A research design that is intended to describe important characteristics of a population (e.g. age, gender, income) is called ______ research.

Q: _____ research aims to clarify ambiguous situations.

Q: _____ are observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem because they are caused by that problem.

Q: Managers at Procter & Gamble view business research at a strategic planning level, particularly for product-related decisions. Therefore, the company conducts numerous related studies that come together to help in their product planning decisions. This is referred to as a ____. A.research project B.research program C.research philosophy D.research integration

Q: When a researcher conducts numerous related studies that come together to address multiple, related research objectives, we refer to this as a research _____. A.agenda B.project C.program D.conglomeration

Q: When the researcher has only one or a small number of research objectives that can be addressed in a single study, that study is referred to as a _____. A.research project B.research program C.research assessment D.research snapshot

Q: Which of the following determines the appropriate analytical technique for data analysis? A.management's information requirements B.characteristics of the research design C.nature of the data gathered D.all of these choices

Q: The rules for interpreting, categorizing, recording, and transferring the data to the data storage media are called _____. A.edits B.hypotheses C.theories D.codes

Q: A researcher has completed the fieldwork of collecting data, and now he is checking the data collection forms for omissions, legibility, and consistency in classification. What is this researcher doing? A.analyzing the data B.editing the data C.coding the data D.reporting the results

Q: When drivers are unaware that a machine is recording how many cars pass a certain intersection that is being considered for a site for a new Wendy's franchise, this is an example of a(n) _____. A.obtrusive method B.unobtrusive method C.experiment D.exploratory research study

Q: Which of the following involves any procedure that draws conclusions based on measurements of a portion of the entire population? A.sampling B.theorizing C.segmenting D.causal inference

Q: An employee who pretends to be a customer in order to observe the sales behavior of a clerk at a cosmetics counter in a department store is called a(n) _____. A.secondary data researcher B.mystery shopper C.pilot researcher D.undercover researcher

Q: All of the following are examples of an observation study EXCEPT _____. A.a mystery shopper pretending to be a customer in a McDonald's outlet B.a cable laid across the street that records the number of cars that pass a certain intersection C.determining how long employees spend taking breaks to smoke cigarettes D.a consumer responding to a questionnaire about advertising

Q: Which of the following is a method of data collection that is used in surveys? A.telephone B.mail C.the Internet D.all of these choices

Q: Which of the following is a research technique in which a sample is interviewed in some form or the behavior of respondents is observed and described in some way? A.experiment B.observation study C.survey D.personal interview

Q: The most common way to generate primary data in business research is by means of _____. A.experimentation B.surveys C.observation D.focus groups

Q: The _____ is a master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information. A.research design B.research objective C.research program D.sample plan

Q: Carol was invited to participate in a research study along with ten other employees to discuss their experiences using the company intranet. The group was asked to discuss their experiences and were encouraged to feed on each other's comments. What is this type of study called? A.multivariate research B.literature review C.pretest D.focus group interview

Q: Which of the following refers to a small-scale study in which the results are only preliminary and intended only to assist in design of a subsequent study? A.pretest B.focus group C.primary test D.preliminary study

Q: The Small Business Development Center is conducting an email survey with 25 of its client small businesses to examine the use of mobile marketing applications. This is a precursor to a larger study in which the questionnaire will be sent nationwide to more than 1,000 similar small businesses. This initial small-scale project is known as a _____. A.testing study B.pilot study C.preliminary study D.test market

Q: Before designing a research study on employees' susceptibility to interpersonal influence when faced with an ethical dilemma, Cindy is searching for other studies that have addressed similar issues. This search is called a(n) _____. A.pilot study B.experiment C.preliminary analysis D.literature review

Q: All of the following are examples of exploratory research techniques EXCEPT _____. A.previous research B.pilot studies C.case studies D.experimentation

Q: What type of research is being conducted to answer the question: "Would this target market be interested in this type of new product?" A.causal research B.exploratory research C.situation analysis research D.descriptive research

Q: In research conducted for a specific client, research objectives are often referred to as _____. A.deliverables B.take-aways C.conclusions D.action items

Q: The goals that researchers intend to achieve by conducting research as referred to as _____. A.results B.causal inferences C.research outcomes D.research objectives

Q: The idea that the objectives of a research study will determine the composition of the sample to be used in the study is an example of _____. A.backward linkage B.concomitant variation C.forward linkage D.program strategy

Q: All of the following are stages in the research process EXCEPT _____. A.analyzing data B.formulating conclusions and preparing a report C.demonstrating causality D.planning a sample

Q: Which of the following is the first stage of the business research process? A.planning a research design B.defining the research objectives C.analyzing the data D.planning a sample

Q: _____ means that the researcher alters the level of the experimental variable in specific increments. A.Causality B.Testing C.Analyzing D.Manipulation

Q: The proposed cause which the researcher controls by manipulating its value in an experiment is referred to as a(n) _____. A.experimental variable B.dependent variable C.endogenous variable D.concomitant variable

Q: The Food and Drug Administration is targeting salt in processed foods as a health hazard, and some experts believe the agency will require food manufacturers to limit the amount of salt in processed foods. However, the reduction will occur in phases, with salt content being reduced in steps so that consumers will be weaned off of salt gradually. Carefully controlled research studies are underway in which the salt levels are varied and consumers' reactions to the taste are measured. This research is an example of a(n) _____. A.exploratory study B.descriptive study C.experiment D.diagnostic analysis

Q: Which of the following is a carefully controlled study in which the researcher manipulates a proposed cause and observes any corresponding change in the proposed effect? A.survey B.unobtrusive observation C.diagnostic analysis D.experiment

Q: Which of the following is the weakest form of causality but is still a useful concept? A.absolute causality B.contributory causality C.conditional causality D.secondary causality

Q: Which degree of causality means that the cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect? A.first-degree causality B.absolute causality C.conditional causality D.contributory causality

Q: All of the following are degrees of causality EXCEPT _____. A.contributory causality B.conditional causality C.absolute causality D.non-spurious causality

Q: Which type of association is said to occur when any covariation between a cause and effect is indeed due to the cause and not simply due to some other variable? A.nonspurious association B.spurious association C.concomitant association D.temporal association

Q: Jackie has noticed that when the temperature rises, sales at her clothing boutique also rise. This is an example of _____. A.concomitant variation B.nonspurious variation C.linear variation D.absolute variation

Q: Which aspect of causality deals with the time order of events? A.concomitant variation B.temporal sequence C.nonspurious association D.parallel sequencing

Q: Which of the following should a researcher do in order to infer causality? A.recognize the presence of alternative plausible explanations for the results B.establish a sequence of events C.measure the concomitant variation between the cause and the effect D.all of these choices

Q: A conclusion that when one thing happens, another specific thing will follow is known as a _____. A.diagnostic analysis B.manipulation C.causal inference D.deliverable

Q: Which type of research is being conducted when a researcher conducts an experiment to answer the question, "Will shareholders respond favorably if we increase executive pay?" A.causal research B.exploratory research C.pilot study research D.descriptive research

Q: Which type of research allows decision makers to make causal inferences? A.exploratory research B.descriptive research C.causal research D.all of these choices

Q: Which of the following seeks to diagnose reasons for business outcomes and focuses specifically on the beliefs and feelings respondents have about and toward specific issues? A.causal research B.diagnostic analysis C.concomitant research D.test-market

Q: Which type of business research addresses who, what, when, where, why, and how questions? A.causal research B.exploratory research C.descriptive research D.proscriptive research

Q: What type of research is being conducted to answer the question: "What is the average age of our employees?" A.exploratory research B.focus group research C.descriptive research D.causal research

Q: Companies, such as Kraft and Procter & Gamble, conduct research to clarify ambiguous situations or discover ideas that may be potential business opportunities. What type of business research is this? A.inferential B.causal C.descriptive D.exploratory

Q: ____ research aims to clarify ambiguous situations or discover ideas that may amount to true business opportunities. A.Exploratory B.Preliminary C.Clarifying D.Descriptive

Q: All of the following are types of business research EXCEPT _____. A.exploratory B.selective C.descriptive D.causal

Q: In which situation do symptoms exist, but are subtle and few, making problem identification difficult? A.problem-focused decision making and conditions of high ambiguity B.problem-focused decision making and conditions of low ambiguity C.opportunity-oriented research and conditions of high ambiguity D.opportunity-oriented research and conditions of low ambiguity

Q: Which of the following means that the decision maker has all information needed to make an optimal decision? A.certainty B.ambiguity C.concomitant variation D.non-spurious association

Q: _____ is the process of developing and deciding among alternative ways of resolving a problem or choosing from among alternative opportunities. A.Business B.Business research C.Decision making D.Verification

Q: Over the past five years, home values have been decreasing. This is an example of a(n) _____. A.symptom B.ambiguous situation C.descriptive hypothesis D.causal inference