Questions and Answers of Marketing Research

While consumers certainly enjoy coupons, what do retailers stand to gain? Turns out, plenty. The study suggests that coupons have a significant impact on retailers’ bottom lines in addition to the
New capabilities are emerging that promise to remake the landscape of what research is and does. What’s less clear is how these changes enable marketers to better achieve their goals. The
Do you think that data collection by mobile devices will become increasingly popular?
What is the role of field service firms in marketing research?
What is Big Data, and why is it generating so much excitement?
List several key characteristics of corporate marketing research departments.
Discuss the various project offerings of syndicated service firms.
Divide the class into groups of five. Each group should select one section of the city in which the course is being taught (or the closest large city) and determine the zip codes for this section of
What do you see as the role of a code of ethics within an organization? What can be done to ensure that employees follow this code of ethics?
Who would you say has the greatest responsibility within the marketing research industry to raise the standards of ethics—marketing research suppliers, marketing research clients, or field services?
What role should the federal government play in establishing ethical standards for the marketing research industry? How might such standards be enforced?
If respondents consent to interviews after being told they will be paid $50 for their opinions, do they forfeit all respondent rights? If so, what rights have been forfeited?
What is the relationship between ethics and professionalism? What do you think can be done to raise the level of professionalism within the marketing research industry?
Are online and mobile tracking firms gathering too much information about people? Why or why not?
Mark Goodin is president of Aaron-Abrams Field Services, Las Vegas. The firm specializes in delivering respondents to qualitative marketing researchers. Here he discusses problems he sees in the
For several days Dyquan Gibson and his friends had a strong incentive to study every afternoon at a neighborhood Richmond, Virginia, Boys & Girls Club. “If you finished your homework, you got a
David Santee addresses marketing researchers and makes a plea for the research industry to become more strategic. Although it may not always be apparent, senior executives want our information and
One increasingly critical area of big data is consumer behaviors tracked across computer and mobile devices by using metering technologies like that of Luth Research’s ZQ Intelligence platform.
The question on the table is whether big data—that is, the accumulation and analysis of massive quantities of information—will change our world, or whether it’s just another overhyped
Bad, inept recruiting is my pet peeve, probably because it’s more difficult to work around than mediocre moderating or reporting. As a client, we go to great lengths to identify the types and mix
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults and approximately 17 percent—or 12.5 million—children and adolescents are obese. It goes without
The most common complaints that I hear about surveys are: the questions were confusing, the multiple choices available did not include the answer the respondent wanted to give, and the interview
Pitney Bowes is a mail and document servicing company with over $5 billion in sales. From a Pitney Bowes perspective, every single customer is vital to the organization’s success. The company has
Newphonia, Inc., is working on a design for a new smartphone. They surveyed potential customers to determine the characteristics that the customers want and expect in a smartphone. Newphonia’s
A hospital developed a design process consisting of the following steps: Plan, Design, Measure, Assess, and Improve. Below is a list of specific activities that comprise these five steps in random
Two processes, P and Q, are used by a supplier to produce the same component, Z, which is a critical part in the engine of the BearingPort 778 airplane. The specification for Z calls for a dimension
The average time to handle a call in the Call-Nowait call processing center has a specification of 6 ±1.25 minutes. The loss from a mishandled call is $12. A sample of 25 calls was drawn from the
The life of a watch battery is normally distributed with a mean of 950 days and standard deviation of 40 days. Using the appropriate Excel functions (see Chapter 5), determine the following:a. What
Compute the failure rate for six transformers that were tested for 600 hours each, three of which failed after 100, 175, and 350 hours.
Assuming an exponential distribution, a particular light bulb has a failure rate of 0.002. What is the probability of failure within 400 hours? What is the reliability function?
An electronic missile guidance system consists of the following components:Components A, B, C, and D have reliabilities of 0.96, 0.98, 0.90, and 0.99, respectively. What is the reliability of the
The MTBF of a circuit is 1,200 hours. Calculate the failure rate.
A manufacturer of portable radios purchases major electronic components as modules. The reliabilities of components differ by supplier. Suppose that the configuration of the major components is given
In a complex manufacturing process, three operations are performed in series. Because of the nature of the process, machines frequently fall out of adjustment and must be repaired. To keep the system
An automated production system consists of three operations: turning, milling, and grinding. Individual parts are transferred from one operation to the next by a robot. Hence, if one machine or the
What is required for effective internal benchmarking?
What does the term dysfunctional corporate culture mean? What implications does it have regarding quality? Discuss how each of the cultural values of the Baldrige Award process can help eliminate a
Examine some corporate websites and comment on the cultural values that are reflected in the information you find. How important do these organizations view quality?
For each item in the Baldrige criteria, determine whether each of the core values and concepts are reflected (a) strongly, (b) moderately, or (c) little to not at all. Summarize your results in a
What is culture? How are cultural values reflected in organizations?
How can a manager effectively balance the key components of a Six Sigma implementation design related to who, what, where, when, why, and how it could be done?
Talk to individuals from some local organizations (companies, schools, government agencies) about the organization’s commitment to quality principles. What factors do they attribute to either the
How can a manager effectively balance the key components of a Six Sigma implementation design related to who, what, where, when, why, and how it could be done?
According to Juran, what are the five key behaviors that a company must foster in order to develop a positive quality culture?
Define strategic planning. What is its principal role in Six Sigma initiatives?
What are the three indicators that an organization suffers from poor deployment of Six Sigma principles?
Define knowledge management. How is it different from information management? What are the key components of any knowledge management system?
What are the categories of barriers that executives face in transferring outstanding practices from one location or function to another?
What are some of the logistical, structural, and cultural hurdles that organizations must overcome for effective sharing of knowledge?
An automatic cookie machine at AutoCM, Inc. must deposit a specified amount of 25 ±0.3 grams (g) of dough for each cookie on a conveyor belt. It costs $0.03 to scrap a defective cookie. A sample of
At Elektroparts Manufacturers’ integrated circuit business, managers gathered data from a customer focus group and found that any output voltage that exceeds 55 ± 2.5 volts was unacceptable to the
An electronic component at Eltcomp has a specification of 100 ± 0.4 ohms. Scrapping the component results in a $81 loss.a. What is the value of k in the Taguchi loss function?b. If the process is
Ruido Unlimited makes electronic soundboards for car stereos. Output voltage to a certain component on the board must be 12 ± 0.5 volts. Exceeding the limits results in an estimated loss of $60.
A specification for the length of an auto part at Parts Dimensions, Inc. is 5.0 ± 0.10 centimeters (cm). It costs $40 to scrap a part that is outside the specifications. Determine the Taguchi loss
A blueprint specification for the thickness of a refrigerator part at Refrigeria, Inc. is 0.300 ± 0.025 centimeters (cm). It costs $25 to scrap a part that is outside the specifications. Determine
In the 1990’s, General Electric’s CEO, Jack Welch, sent a memo to his senior managers telling them that to be promoted, they would have to require every employee to have started Six Sigma
Find an organization that has implemented Six Sigma. Prepare a report on the implementation issues and challenges that the organization faced. How did they address them, and what was the result of
Describe the role of senior management, middle management, and the workforce in Six Sigma implementation. Describe the responsibilities of each group and how they can support one another.
Discuss the following questions related to the Six Sigma in Practice vignette about Acme Foundry, Inc.:a. How was the Lean Six Sigma process implemented by training the management team at
Define enterprise leadership. How is it essential for Six Sigma implementation?
Discuss the following questions related to the Six Sigma in Practice vignette about GfG Instrumentation:a. How was the Lean Six Sigma process at GfG implemented, with the help of the Michigan
The distribution center manager at Internet distributor CyberAuto Warehouse wants to find a confidence interval for the average time required for an associate to fill an order for shipment. A sample
A quality consultant was asked to analyze the data from order errors at the Audubon Books, Inc., distribution center as shown in the table in the worksheet Prob07-10 in the Ch07Data.xlsx file on the
One hundred insurance claim forms are inspected daily at Full Life Insurance Co. over 25 working days, and the number of forms with errors have been recorded in the worksheet Prob07-06 in the
SpeedyNetService.com, an Internet service provider (ISP), is concerned that the level of access for customers is decreasing, as a result of heavier use. The proportion of peak period time when a
From Table 5.2 in the case study, what can you conclude, given the F values and the p-values in the table? What steps should the team take regarding use of vendors and further testing for this
Using whatever “market research” techniques are appropriate, define a set of customer attributes for:a. Purchasing books at your college bookstoreb. A college registration processc. A hotel room
Top Billers processes bills for customers. Lately, they have been getting complaints of errors in the bills they have processed. Bills can contain errors resulting from a number of causes, such as
Research several companies to identify the type of problem solving and improvement approaches (such as Six Sigma or lean principles) they use. Compare and contrast their approaches. Which, if any, of
Under what conditions should a variable sample size be used to construct a p-chart? How does the use of variable sample sizes affect the construction of p-charts?
Referring to the Corwill case study, how were the teams trained by combining kaizen and Six Sigma concepts?
What is Design for Six Sigma? Explain the four basic elements of DFSS and the various tools and methodologies that comprise this body of knowledge.
Fill in the relationship matrix below (Figure 8.22) of a House of Quality for a screwdriver. By sampling your classmates, develop priorities for the customer attributes and use these and their
Discuss (with examples) how DFMEA might be used in a service application rather than in a pure product design application.
Most children (and many adults) like to assemble and fly balsa-wood gliders. From your own experiences or from interviews with other students, define a set of customer requirements for a good glider.
Suppose that you were developing a small pizza restaurant with a dining area and local delivery. Develop a list of customer requirements and technical requirements and try to complete a House of
Explain the difference between nominal dimensions and tolerances. How should tolerances be realistically set?
Explain the Taguchi loss function and how it is used in process and tolerance design.
How do Taguchi methods differ from traditional design of experiments (DOE)?
How can product design affect manufacturability? Explain the concept and importance of design for manufacturability.
What is design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA)? Provide a simple example illustrating the concept.
What is the importance of reliability and why has it become such a prominent area within the quality disciplines?
Explain the product life characteristics curve and how it can be used.
Define reliability. Explain the definition thoroughly.
What is the difference between a functional failure and a reliability failure?
What is the definition of failure rate? How is it measured?
What is the signal-to-noise ratio and how is it used in design optimization?
What is a reliability function? Discuss different ways of expressing this function.
Explain how to compute the reliability of series, parallel, and series-parallel systems.
The data (Prob04-06 in Ch04Data.xlsx on the Student Companion Site) represent the weight of castings (in kilograms) being made in the Harrison Metalwork foundry. Based on this sample of 100 castings,
You are asked by the owner of the Moonbow Motel to develop a customer satisfaction survey to determine the percentage of customers who are dissatisfied with service. In the past year, 10,000
Interview black belts or project champions in an organization that has adopted a Six Sigma approach. Discuss their requirements for data and find out how easy or difficult it is to gather the data
Auditors at the Numeros Verdes Partners, P.S.C., took a sample of 200 accounts payable bills, as shown in the table found in the worksheet Prob04-03 in the Excel workbook Ch04Data.xlsx on the Student
What does the acronym SMART stand for, and how can these characteristics be used to develop good process measures and indicators?
How can measurement be used to control and improve the daily operations of your college or university?
Conduct an R&R study with a team of your fellow students to measure a set of sharpened pencils of various sizes. Use both an ordinary ruler and a metric ruler. What conclusions do you reach?
Outline the steps needed to systematically generate useful process performance measures.
How does the adoption of a Six Sigma approach within an organization change the amount and types of data that may be gathered routinely, as well as for specific projects?
Visit several of the following metrology websites (and identify some others) and summarize new ideas, concepts, or findings that are not discussed in this chapter.a. www.kinematics.comb.
The quality manager at the Noscrap Shirt Company took a random sample of 10 workers’ output of good and defective shirts produced for 10 days each on a check sheet, as shown in the worksheet

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