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QUESTIONS

13 May, 2016 - 13:23
  • Marketing research is sometimes referred to as a "problem-solving tool." Explain what is meant by this statement.
  • It is often argued that only such fields as physics, chemistry, and mathematics are really "scientific" and that marketing research, as common with all behavioral research, cannot be scientific. How would you respond to someone who stated this opinion?
  • Do you think that a distinction can be made between "pure" and "applied" research in marketing?
  • Select a local or campus enterprise with which you are familiar. Identify a marketing problem that it faces. (You may need to interview the manager of the establishment.) Translate this marketing problem into its informational elements. Conduct a small-scale informal investigation: (a) What tentative hypotheses can you develop? (b) What types of research design do you believe would be necessary to test these hypotheses?
  • A small manufacturer of highly specialized medical laboratory equipment and a manufacturer of a proprietary (nonprescription) cold remedy need information to assist in planning new product introductions. What would be the advantages and drawbacks of using primary versus secondary marketing information for each firm?
  • You are the advertising manager of a company that manufactures professional baseball equipment. Your firm employs 50 field salespeople who make periodic calls on sporting goods dealers, large schools and colleges, and professional athletic organizations. You also place full-page advertisements in a trade publication for the sporting goods industry, Scholastic Coach. The president of your company has questioned the use of this publication and has asked you to find out how effective it is in increasing awareness about your products and in stimulating sales. How would you go about this task?
  • In 1970, Ford Motor Company introduced its subcompact automobile, the Pinto. Suppose you had been a marketing research analyst working for another car manufacturer. What kinds of primary and secondary marketing research would you have conducted to evaluate the success of this new product introduction?