Exam 9: Decision Support Systems and Marketing Research

A decision support system (DSS)involves the planning,collection,and analysis of data relevant to marketing decision making and the communication of the results of this analysis to management.

Explain how researchers conduct an experiment and discuss the characteristic of a good experiment.Why is it impossible to conduct a perfect experiment?

All of the following are types of probability samples EXCEPT:

_____ studies collect data on two different projects using one questionnaire.

Your supervisor has instructed you to conduct a marketing research effort that will determine how your company's business customer demographics have changed.You have also been instructed to use primary data.You will:

Callaway Golf Co. Callaway Golf Co.has long been a leader in women's golf equipment,but it wanted to expand its lead in this growing sector of the market.While Callaway's technical people knew what could be done with design,they did not know exactly what women wanted in their clubs.Callaway management decided what it needed to do was to bring the technicians and women golfer together.Beginning about three years ago Callaway sent a team of researchers,designers,and golf pros out to visit with 40 women golfers of various abilities in locations from California to Florida.In selecting the golfers to study Callaway decided to focus on women that were just beginning to play and experienced,competitive golfers that wanted to own the latest equipment.Callaway management felt that these two extreme groups of golfers had been overlooked by golf club manufacturers.Further,Callaway felt that if they could learn enough about these two groups they would also learn enough to serve the rest of the women golfer market.Basically the research team observed the women playing golf and listened to their comments and concerns.The information gathered by this research team was built into every aspect of the design of a new golf club,including the feel of the club,the length of the club shaft and size of the club head,and the weight of the club.When prototypes of the new clubs were completed they were sent to the women golfers to get their feedback.That feedback was then used to refine the club design.This process went on until the women said the new clubs worked.The entire process from original prototype to final product took a little less than one year. -Refer to Callaway Golf.The type of research gathered by the Callaway Golf research team would be called:

A _____ error occurs because the selected sample is an imperfect representation of the overall population.

You have been given the task of creating a questionnaire that requires each respondent to provide a rich array of information based on his/her own frame of reference.Which of the following types of questions would best deliver such information?

_____ occurs when a sample,in some ways,is not representative of the target population.

_____ specialize in arranging interviews for data collection on a subcontract basis.They also conduct focus groups,mall intercepts,retail audits,and other data-collection services.

_____ is the process of planning,collecting,and analyzing data relevant to marketing decision making.The results of this analysis are then communicated to management.

The population from which a sample in a marketing research study will be drawn is referred to as the:

Suppose the American Red Cross sent out a questionnaire that included the question "Why are so many people reluctant to donate blood?" This would be an example of a(n):

_____ is essential to the success of focus-group research.

Callaway Golf Co. Callaway Golf Co.has long been a leader in women's golf equipment,but it wanted to expand its lead in this growing sector of the market.While Callaway's technical people knew what could be done with design,they did not know exactly what women wanted in their clubs.Callaway management decided what it needed to do was to bring the technicians and women golfer together.Beginning about three years ago Callaway sent a team of researchers,designers,and golf pros out to visit with 40 women golfers of various abilities in locations from California to Florida.In selecting the golfers to study Callaway decided to focus on women that were just beginning to play and experienced,competitive golfers that wanted to own the latest equipment.Callaway management felt that these two extreme groups of golfers had been overlooked by golf club manufacturers.Further,Callaway felt that if they could learn enough about these two groups they would also learn enough to serve the rest of the women golfer market.Basically the research team observed the women playing golf and listened to their comments and concerns.The information gathered by this research team was built into every aspect of the design of a new golf club,including the feel of the club,the length of the club shaft and size of the club head,and the weight of the club.When prototypes of the new clubs were completed they were sent to the women golfers to get their feedback.That feedback was then used to refine the club design.This process went on until the women said the new clubs worked.The entire process from original prototype to final product took a little less than one year. -Refer to Callaway Golf.Callaway used its contacts at golf courses around the country to find the 40 women for its study.The 40 women would most likely be called a _____ sample.

To save money on marketing research,a marketing manager suggests the company use the results of a survey conducted last year because similar questions were asked then.The manager is suggesting use of primary data.

An online focus group is a selected group of consumers who agree to participate in an ongoing dialogue with a particular corporation.

Which of the following is a form of observation marketing research that uses data mining coupled with identifying Web surfers by their IP addresses?

The marketing research problem:

When Wilson,a manufacturer of tennis racquets,sent a team of researchers,designers,and tennis pros out to visit with 40 women tennis players of various abilities in locations from California to Florida to find out what women players want in a racquet,what kind of research were they conducting?