| A | B |
| analysis | the process of summarizing, combining, or comparing information so that decisions can be made |
| closed-ended questions | questions that offer two or more choices as answers |
| discretionary purchases | discretionary purchases - nonessential purchases that satisfy consumers wants |
| experiments | controlled situations in which all factors are the same except the one being studied |
| external information | provides an understanding of factors outside of the organization |
| focus group | a small number of people brought together to discuss identified elements of an issue or problem |
| input | information that goes into the system that is needed for decision making |
| internal information | information developed from activities that occur within the organization |
| marketing information system (MkIS) | an organized method of collecting, storing, analyzing, and retrieving information to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing decisions |
| marketing research | a procedure to identify solutions to a specific marketing problem through the use of scientific problem solving |
| observation | a way to collect information by recording actions without interacting or communicating with the participant |
| open-ended questions | questions that allow respondents to develop their own answers without information about possible choices |
| output | the result of analysis that is given to decision makers |
| population | all of the people in the group that a company is interested in studying |
| primary data | information collected for the first time to solve the problem being studied |
| random sampling | a procedure in which everyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected in a sample |
| sample | a small group selected from the population |
| secondary data | information already collected for another purpose that can be used to solve the current problems |
| simulations | experiments where researchers create the situation to be studied |
| storage | the resources used to maintain information, including equipment and procedures, so that it can be used when needed |
| survey | a planned set of questions to which individuals or groups of people respond |
| test markets | specific cities or geographic areas in which marketing experiments are conducted |