1. Have you ever participated in a marketing research study? If so, describe how the

Chapter 1 Critical Thinking Exercises

• Have you ever participated in a marketing research study? If so, describe how the

research was conducted. Was the study exploratory, descriptive, diagnostic, or predictive in nature? Justify your answer.This exercise can be incorporated into lecture. Student answers will vary, and many may have trouble recalling enough details to determine whether the study was exploratory, descriptive, diagnostic, or predictive. As an alternative in-class exercise, the instructor may wish to provide students with a copy of a questionnaire, break students into groups, and ask each to attempt to determine which function of marketing research is best illustrated by the questionnaire.

• What impact do you think social media and smartphones and other forms of

emerging technology will have on the way companies conduct marketing research in the future?Student answers may vary. The proliferation of social media and change in consumer usage could present a substantial challenge to researchers, if for example, Facebook’s popularity wanes, as has happened with MySpace. Google+ may or may not be the “next” big social network. Regarding smart phones, many marketers have already learned that online surveys must be made available in a format that can be accessed via smartphones.Often, this means that the survey provider must create a specialized version of the survey that will be easily readable, given the screen size. This in turn may require programming or formatting differences, when compared to an online survey accessed via a computer and traditional web browser. As tablets become more popular, a similar situation may arise.Marketing researchers may begin to incorporate QR codes into research invitations, as the use of these codes could make it easier and faster for smart phones or tablets to access the survey.

• Think about the place where you currently work, or a place you have worked in the

past. Describe how marketing research could be used to gather information that would be beneficial to the business or organization.This question could be incorporated into class discussion. In asking students to describe the type of research that would beneficial, students should be directed to think about the type of marketing mix decisions that could be made as a result of the information. The instructor could further reinforce chapter material by challenging students to identify whether the studies being proposed are basic or applied research, and which function of research is being addressed. For example, a restaurant such as TGI Fridays might be considering a new addition to the menu. Two or more potential menu additions could be offered as daily specials. Patrons who order each special might be asked to complete a survey, or observation research (comparing the number of orders for each daily special) could be used to help decide which of the test items will be a permanent addition to the menu.

(Essentials of Marketing Research, Putting Research Into Practice 1e Kenneth Clow, Karen James) (Solution Manual all Chapter) 1 / 4

Clow/James, Essentials of Marketing Research: Putting Research Into Practice Instructor Resource

• Interview a professor at your school other than your instructor. Ask the professor

about the types of research he or she conducts. Is it applied or basic research? Show the individual the diagram in Figure 1.5. Ask if that process applies to his or her research process.Student answers will vary according to the nature of research performed by the professor, and his or her discipline.

• A research study investigated the factors that influence and determine a firm’s

reputation. The study included 150 firms from a variety of industries, and several factors that influence or determine firm reputation under various conditions were identified. Is this an example of applied research or basic research?This is an example of basic marketing research, because the results of this particular study advance general marketing knowledge related to the theoretical concept of “firm reputation”. It is not applied research, because the study results cannot be immediately applied to any particular problem facing a firm without additional research. However, the results of this basic research study could be incorporated into a future applied research study. Under this scenario, a specific business would ask its customers to rate their perceptions of the business firm with regard to the various factors that were found (in the basic research study) to determine a firm’s reputation. Poor ratings on one or more factors would help the business to better understand where their perceived weaknesses exist.

• Find an article in each of the following journals: Services Marketing Quarterly,

Journal of Services Marketing, Business Communication Quarterly, Journal of Health Care Marketing, and Journal of Advertising. Identify whether the research is applied or basic in each article. For applied research studies, briefly describe how the data were collected. If you classified an article as basic research, explain the theory or concept that was proposed or tested.This exercise is best assigned out-of-class, and submitted as a homework assignment.Study answers will vary.

• A student bookstore conducted a series of group interviews with several groups of

students in order to try to understand why textbook sales were declining, despite the fact that enrollment had increased during the same semester. Which function of research does this illustrate?This scenario describes the exploratory function of research, as the bookstore clearly has limited knowledge as to the reason why sales are declining. Group interviews are frequently used in exploratory research, but as they often rely on small sample sizes and are qualitative in nature, any results found cannot be considered definitive. Rather, the results of the group interviews should be considered when creating a data collection instrument that will collect quantitative data with a larger, more representative group of students.

• Give an example of how a health club, fashion retailer, or manufacturer of fishing

boats might conduct four separate studies that exemplify each of the types of

research: exploratory, descriptive, diagnostic, and predictive.

Student responses will vary.Health club: Exploratory study – A focus group could be conducted with overweight 2 / 4

Clow/James, Essentials of Marketing Research: Putting Research Into Practice Instructor Resource

women to determine why they are reluctant to purchase a membership. Descriptive study: A member survey might seek to discover how current members learned about the health club. Diagnostic study: New members might be interviewed or surveyed to determine what factors influenced them to join the club. Predictive study: A survey of some type could be used to predict demand for a juice bar, which management might be considering adding to the facility.Fashion retailer: Exploratory study – Articles related to fashion trends published in newspapers, fashion trade magazines, and popular magazines read by consumers could be collected and analyzed to help the retailer decide what new fashions should be ordered for the upcoming retail season. Descriptive study – A profile of the store’s core target market could be built from questions asked as part of a store credit card application process.Diagnostic study – an observation study might be used to determine what type of customer service or facility problems (e.g., unclean bathrooms) exist in the store. Predictive study – an in-store experiment might be used to determine the relative effectiveness of different point-of-purchase displays in terms of influencing customers to buy impulse items.Fishing boat manufacturer – Exploratory analysis: A (content) analysis of product brochures produced by other fishing boat manufacturers might provide insight into new features that could be of interest to ultimate consumers. A national survey of individuals who have an active fishing license could be used to determine the demographic, geographic, media usage and fishing behavior profile (how often, where, how many people fish together, what types of fish are targeted, do they participate in tournaments, do they own a boat, if so, what brand, what year was it purchased, etc.). This information could be used to target potential boat owners more effectively. Diagnostic study: What boat features most strongly influence the purchase of a fishing boat among tournament anglers, compared to recreational anglers? Predictive study – What type of incentive will be most effective at influencing purchase; 0% financing, or a rebate?

• Have social media and smartphones changed culture? Explain. Have they changed the

way humans communicate with each other? Explain.People are now more “connected” to one another now than ever before due to the prevalence of social media and the growing ownership and usage of not only smartphones, but also tablets. Many extended families use social media to stay in touch and update relatives who are geographically distant regarding events or activities ranging from the trivial (high score on Bejewled Blitz) to key milestone life events (graduations, weddings, births, deaths). Geographically distant family and friends can communicate with ease, share photos, interests, and more. Smartphones allow for talking and texting on-the-go.Both have clearly changed the frequency and nature of how humans communicate with each other. A student of one of the authors commented that he prefers to text his girlfriend rather than speak directly to her over the phone, so he doesn’t “waste” as much time.Email via smart phones also allows for instantaneous inexpensive communication worldwide, that is easily accessible 24/7.

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Clow/James, Essentials of Marketing Research: Putting Research Into Practice Instructor Resource

• Do you use Twitter? Why do you use it? If so, how has it impacted your life? Have

you ever used Twitter to communicate with a company or brand? What happened as a result? If you have not used Twitter, why not?Student answers will vary. It may be interesting to start with a show of hands to see how many students use Twitter. This can be followed by explanations of usages. A small number of students may have received a response to a brand or corporate tweet. It would be interesting to ask the student to assess whether they believe the response was customized to their message, or more of a mass response generated in response to the receipt of several similar Tweets. On an interesting note, one of the authors’ students reported being contacted by a company whose brand he had tweeted about favorably. The student was asked for permission to use his tweet in future marketing communications implemented on behalf of the brand.

• Are you a Facebook fan of one or more brands? If so, which ones? Why did you

join? If you have stopped being a fan of a brand, which of the reasons shown in Figure 1.1 explain why? Did any other factors influence you to quit being a fan of a brand?Student answers will likely vary. The instructor may also wish to ask students what motivates them to become a fan of a brand in the first place.

• Interview five individuals of different ages ranging from young teenagers to a senior.

Ask them about their use of social media, cell phones, and smartphones. Write a short report contrasting the differences and how age impacts the use of modern technology.This exercise is meant to be assigned as an out-of-class assignment.

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