Multiple Choice Questions

Chapter 14 Consumer Decision Process and Problem Recognition

Multiple Choice Questions

1.Beiersdorf is working to have their Nivea for Men brand introduced and publicized in America in order to _____.

A)fulfill a governmental mandate

B)have men recognize a problem with respect to facial care

C)market its new home hair coloring system

D)increase brand awareness

E)none of the above Answer: B Page: 509 Difficulty: moderate

2.What is the first stage of the consumer decision process?

A)information search

B)problem recognition

C)alternative evaluation

D)purchase

E)postpurchase behavior Answer: B Page: 510 Difficulty: easy

3.Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding consumer decisions and the consumer decision process?

A)The decision process model provides useful insight into all types of consumer purchases.

B)Consumer decisions are frequently the result of a single problem.

C)Consumer decisions are rational and functional; otherwise they do not involve decisions per se.

D)Some consumer decisions result from the convergence of several problems.

E)Once the decision process begins, it may evolve and become more complex with multiple goals. Answer: C Page: 510 Difficulty: hard

4.Which of the following is a type of consumer decision making discussed in your text?

A)nominal decision making

B)limited decision making

C)extended decision making

D)b and c

E)a, b, and c Answer: E Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

5.Which of the following is NOT a type of consumer decision making discussed in your text?

A)nominal decision making

B)extended decision making

C)complex decision making

D)limited decision making

E)all of the above are types of decision making Answer: C Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

6.The level of concern for, or interest in, the purchase process triggered by the need to consider a particular purchase is known as _____.

A)personal involvement

B)product involvement

C)purchase involvement

D)enduring involvement

E)activated involvement Answer: C Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

7.Blake doesn't much care about cars but is engaging in a substantial amount of information search about cars since he is about to buy a new car. In terms of involvement, Blake is _____.

A)high in product involvement; low in purchase involvement

B)high in value-expressive involvement; low in product involvement

C)high in product involvement; high in purchase involvement

D)low in product involvement; low in purchase involvement

E)low in product involvement; high in purchase involvement Answer: E Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

8.Very high levels of purchase involvement tend to produce _____.

A)extended decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)affective decision making

D)limited decision making

E)none of the above Answer: A Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

9.Emma noticed that she was almost out of gas, so she pulled into the nearest gas station and filled up her tank. Emma's decision on which gas to purchase is characterized by _____.

A)a high level of cognitive processing

B)a low level of purchase involvement

C)limited decision making

D)extended decision making

E)a high level of affective processing Answer: B Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

10.Which type of consumer decision making only includes the stages of problem recognition, limited internal information search, purchase, and limited postpurchase behavior?

A)nominal decision making

B)normal decision making

C)limited decision making

D)extended decision making

E)simple decision making Answer: A Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

11.Which type of consumer decision making does NOT include alternative evaluation?

A)routine decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)simple decision making

E)limited decision making Answer: B Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

12.Which type of consumer decision making includes only a limited internal information search and no external search for information?

A)routine decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)simple decision making

E)limited decision making Answer: B Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

13.Which type of consumer decision making includes the evaluation of only a few attributes, simple decision rules, and few alternatives?

A)routine decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)simple decision making

E)limited decision making Answer: E Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

14.Which type of consumer decision making involves the evaluation of many attributes and alternatives and employs complex decision rules?

A)routine decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)simple decision making

E)limited decision making Answer: C Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

15.Which type of decision making process in effect involves no decision per se?

A)simple decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)automatic decision making

E)default decision making Answer: B Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

16.Nominal decision making is sometimes referred to as _____.

A)habitual decision making

B)routine decision making

C)simple decision making

D)automatic decision making

E)default decision making Answer: A Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

17.A completely nominal decision does not even include consideration of _____.

A)information

B)problem recognition

C)the do not purchase alternative

D)purchase evaluation

E)all of the above Answer: C Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

18.Nominal decisions can be broken into which two distinct categories?

A)brand loyal decisions and repeat purchase decisions

B)primary decisions and secondary decisions

C)high involvement decisions and low involvement decisions

D)expensive decisions and inexpensive decisions

E)first purchase decisions and repeat purchase decisions Answer: A Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

19.Which type of nominal decision is characterized by a fairly high degree of product involvement but a low degree of purchase involvement?

A)routine decision

B)inexpensive decision

C)primary decision

D)brand loyal decision

E)low visibility decision Answer: D Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

20.Brad was out of soft drinks in his dorm room, so he went to the store and purchased Coke. This is the brand he always buys, and he would not even consider purchasing another brand. Which type of nominal decision does this illustrate?

A)routine decision

B)repeat purchase decision

C)primary decision

D)brand loyal decision

E)low visibility decision Answer: D Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

21.Which type of nominal decision is characterized by a consumer believing that all brands within a given product category are about the same and not attaching much importance to the product category or purchase?

A)routine decision

B)repeat purchase decision

C)secondary decision

D)inconsequential decision

E)indifferent decision Answer: B Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

22.Rita is doing her family's grocery shopping and purchases ice cream. She's purchased Blue Bell ice cream before and purchases it again. She's not committed to this brand; it's just that she and her family like it. Which type of nominal decision is this?

A)inconsequential decision

B)indifferent decision

C)automatic decision

D)repeat purchase decision

E)secondary decision Answer: D Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

23.Which type of decision making involves internal and external search, few alternatives, simple decision rules on a few attributes, and little postpurchase evaluation?

A)nominal decision making

B)routine decision making

C)limited decision making

D)partial decision making

E)extended decision making Answer: C Page: 513 Difficulty: moderate

24.Which type of decision making covers the middle ground between nominal and extended decision making?

A)limited decision making

B)partial decision making

C)mid-range decision making

D)modified decision making

E)internal decision making Answer: A Page: 513 Difficulty: moderate

25.Marla is bored with her cell phone. She wants to purchase a new one that has cool ring tones and can take a picture. She's not going to conduct a big search for a new phone as she's just going to consider a few others. Which type of decision making is this?

A)nominal decision making

B)limited decision making

C)extensive decision making

D)extended decision making

E)truncated decision making Answer: B Page: 513 Difficulty: moderate

26.Which type of decision making involves an extensive internal and external information search followed by a complex evaluation of multiple alternatives and significant postpurchase evaluation?

A)limited decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)complex decision making

E)complete decision making Answer: C Page: 513 Difficulty: moderate

27.The Smith's oldest daughter, Olivia, is a senior in high school. She has all A's and scored a 34 on the ACT. She is president of the debate team and the national honor society as well as a member of the cheerleading squad. Olivia wants to attend medical school, so both she and her parents are very concerned about which undergraduate school she attends. They have spent countless hours on the Internet examining universities, and they have already visited five campuses. For Olivia and her parents, which type of decision making does this represent?

A)limited decision making

B)nominal decision making

C)extended decision making

D)complex decision making

E)complete decision making Answer: C Page: 513 Difficulty: moderate

28._____ is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process?

A)Alternative evaluation

B)Problem recognition

C)Information search

D)Purchase

E)Postpurchase evaluation Answer: B Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

29.Tess noticed that she was almost out of shampoo. Which stage of the decision process will this observation activate?

A)problem recognition

B)information search

C)alternative evaluation

D)postpurchase evaluation

E)dissonance Answer: A Page: 514 Difficulty: easy

30.A(n) _____ is the way an individual perceives his or her feelings and situation to be at the present time.

A)current state

B)actual state

C)desired state

D)self-concept

E)self-assessment Answer: B Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

31.Bessie is at the grocery store and is trying to remember some of the things she needs to buy. She is in the cleaning products aisle looking at the floor cleaning products. She's pretty sure she has another bottle left at home, so she doesn't purchase another. Bessie's perception of her current situation regarding this product reflects her ____.

A)current state

B)desired state

C)actual state

D)self-concept

E)self-assessment Answer: C Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

32.A(n) _____ is the way an individual wants to feel or be at the present time.

A)current state

B)desired state

C)actual state

D)ideal state

E)idolized state Answer: B Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

33.Candice is on a diet and wants to lose 10 pounds. She wants to be thin right now, which represents her _____.

A)actual state

B)ideal state

C)healthy state

D)desired state

E)future state Answer: D Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

34.Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding problem recognition?

A)Problem recognition is the first stage in the consumer decision process.

B)Only when the desired state is greater than the actual state will a problem exist.

C)Problem recognition is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process.

D)Without recognition of a problem, there is no need for a decision.

E)all of the above are true regarding problem recognition Answer: B Page: 514-515 Difficulty: hard

35.Which of the following drives problem recognition?

A)the consumer's perception of the actual state

B)objective reality of the consumer's actual state

C)the amount of information available

D)the number of alternatives from which to choice

E)others' perception of an individual's actual state Answer: A Page: 515 Difficulty: moderate

36.The level of one's desire to resolve a particular problem depends on which factors?

A)the consumer's perception of his or her actual state and the desired state

B)the length of time required to make a decision and the level of purchase involvement

C)the magnitude of the discrepancy between the desired and actual states and the relative importance of the problem

D)the degree of brand loyalty and the amount of time required to make a decision

E)the direction of the discrepancy between the desired and actual states and the relative importance of the purchase Answer: C Page: 516 Difficulty: hard

37.Relative importance of a problem is determined by which of the following?

A)how critical the problem is to the maintenance of the consumer's desired lifestyle

B)how critical the problem is to others

C)the magnitude of the discrepancy between the desired and actual states

D)the magnitude of the discrepancy between the actual self-concept and the ideal self-concept

E)the level of risk associated with the decision process Answer: A Page: 516-517 Difficulty: moderate

38.What are the types of consumer problems?

A)latent and manifest

B)primary and secondary

C)low involvement and high involvement

D)active and inactive

E)actual and perceived Answer: D Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

39.Which type of consumer problem is one the consumer is aware of or will become aware of in the normal course of events?

A)latent

B)manifest

C)active

D)inactive

E)blatant Answer: C Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

40.Many elderly consumers have problems with arthritis. This painful condition makes it almost impossible for them to open jars or medicine containers because the joints in their fingers are so stiff. Which type of consumer problem is this?

A)latent

B)manifest

C)active

D)inactive

E)blatant Answer: C Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

41.Which type of consumer problem is one on which the consumer is not aware?

A)latent

B)manifest

C)active

D)inactive

E)blatant Answer: D Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

42.The Martin's home has potentially unsafe levels of radon, but they have no idea because it is odorless and they have not been feeling any ill effects from it. In fact, several homes have this problem and the owners are not aware of it, and they may never become aware of it unless testing is done. What type of consumer problem is this?

A)latent

B)manifest

C)active

D)inactive

E)dangerous Answer: D Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

43.Which of the following statements is true regarding active and inactive consumer problems?

A)Active problems require the marketer only to convince consumers that its brand is the superior solution.

B)Active and inactive problems do not require different marketing strategies.

C)An active problem is one of which the consumer is not aware.

D)Even though a consumer is aware of it, an inactive problem is one that he or she has no desire to rectify.

E)Active problems are more serious than inactive ones. Answer: A Page: 517 Difficulty: hard

44.What has research revealed regarding consumers' variety-seeking behavior?

A)Once a consumer tries another brand, there is a high probably that he or she will not return to the previous brand.

B)Consumers usually switch to options within the same brand.

C)Consumers are unwilling to switch to options within the brand.

D)Consumers are more likely to become bored on sensory attributes such as taste.

E)Consumers are more likely to become bored with non-sensory attributes such as brand name. Answer: D Page: 519 Difficulty: moderate

45.James likes to eat a strawberry Pop-Tart for breakfast before school. After about two weeks of this, he starts to get bored with that and switches to waffles. James is displaying which type of behavior?

A)variety-seeking

B)brand-switching

C)entertainment

D)limited search

E)extended search Answer: A Page: 519 Difficulty: easy

46.Which of the following is a nonmarketing factor affecting problem recognition?

A)social status

B)past decisions

C)motives

D)situation

E)all of the above Answer: E Page: 519 Difficulty: easy

47.Which nonmarketing factor affects a consumer's desired state?

A)culture/subculture

B)normal depletion

C)product/brand performance

D)availability of products

E)all of the above Answer: A Page: 519 Difficulty: hard

48.All EXCEPT which of the following nonmarketing factor affects consumers' desired state?

A)reference group

B)household characteristics

C)normal depletion

D)financial status/expectations

E)culture Answer: C Page: 519 Difficulty: hard

49.Which of the following is a nonmarketing factor affecting consumers' actual state?

A)social status

B)household characteristics

C)product/brand performance

D)motives

E)culture Answer: C Page: 519 Difficulty: hard

50.All EXCEPT which of the following nonmarketing factors affect a consumer's actual state?

A)past decisions

B)normal depletion

C)product/brand performance

D)reference group

E)availability of products Answer: D Page: 519 Difficulty: hard

51.Which of the following is a concern marketing managers have related to problem recognition?

A)discovering consumer problems

B)developing the marketing mix to solve consumer problems

C)helping consumers recognize problems

D)suppressing problem recognition among consumers

E)all of the above Answer: E Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

52.What is the most common approach to discovering consumer problems?

A)activity analysis

B)intuition

C)product analysis

D)problem analysis

E)qualitative research Answer: B Page: 520 Difficulty: moderate

53.Rudy is a product category manager for a major consumer packaged goods manufacturer. Part of his job requires that he analyze a given product category and logically determine where improvements could be made. Rudy has determined several consumer problems this way. Which of the following best describes how Rudy uncovers consumer problems?

A)activity analysis

B)intuition

C)product analysis

D)problem analysis

E)qualitative research Answer: B Page: 520 Difficulty: moderate

54.Which research technique asks relatively large numbers of individuals about the problems they are facing?

A)survey

B)focus group

C)content analysis

D)laddering

E)perceptual mapping Answer: A Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

55.Which type of research technique gathers 8 to 12 similar individuals (e.g., working mothers) brought together to discuss a particular topic?

A)survey

B)focus group

C)content analysis

D)laddering

E)perceptual mapping Answer: B Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

56.Mickey and his three roommates were asked to participate in a research study. They arrived and were seated in a room with about 8 other guys their age. Then the researcher started asking them questions about their sporting activities, but he let them talk pretty freely. Mickey and the others participated in which type of research technique?

A)survey

B)focus group

C)content analysis

D)laddering

E)perceptual mapping Answer: B Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

57.The person present during a focus group discussion that keeps the discussion moving and focused on the topic is called a(n) _____.

A)coordinator

B)director

C)moderator

D)initiator

E)interpreter Answer: C Page: 520 Difficulty: moderate

58.Which of the following is an approach to problem identification?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)emotion research

E)all of the above Answer: E Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

59.Which approach to problem identification focuses on a particular activity such as lawn maintenance?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: A Page: 520 Difficulty: easy

60.Kim was participating in a focus group in which the discussion centered around the participants' problems encountered while taking care of their hair. Which approach to problem identification is this?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: A Page: 520 Difficulty: moderate

61.Which approach to problem recognition examines the purchase or use of a particular product or brand?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: B Page: 521 Difficulty: easy

62.A manufacturer of a digital music player asked several consumers the problems associated with using these types of products. Several consumers said that they had trouble downloading music onto their computers and then onto their music players. Which approach to problem recognition is this marketer using?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: B Page: 521 Difficulty: moderate

63.Which approach to problem recognition starts with a problem and asks respondents to indicate which activities, products, or brands are associated with (or perhaps could eliminate) those problems?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: C Page: 521 Difficulty: moderate

64.A food manufacturer asked a group of working mothers to think about the problem of serving nutritious meals to their families given their time constraints and to indicate what activities, products, or brands are associated with or perhaps could eliminate those problems. This manufacturer is using which approach to problem recognition?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: C Page: 521 Difficulty: moderate

65.Which approach to problem recognition attempts to determine human capabilities in areas such as vision, strength, response time, flexibility, and fatigue and the effect on these capabilities of lighting, temperature, and sound?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: D Page: 521 Difficulty: easy

66.The manager of a bank branch is concerned about the number of mistakes the tellers were making, so he started manipulating different aspects of the environment in the bank to see what effect each has on the tellers' performance. He examined factors such as the lighting, temperature, and the volume of the music playing in the bank. Which approach to problem recognition is this manager using?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: D Page: 521 Difficulty: moderate

67.Which approach to problem recognition examines emotions associated with certain problems?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: E Page: 521 Difficulty: easy

68.One retailer asked a group of consumers the types of emotions they experience in both positive and negative retail situations. The purpose of this research was to uncover consumer reactions to various situations so that clerks could be trained to respond appropriately. Which approach to problem recognition is this?

A)activity analysis

B)product analysis

C)problem analysis

D)human factors research

E)emotion research Answer: E Page: 521 Difficulty: moderate

69.Two basic approaches to causing problem recognition are _____.

A)generic problem recognition and selective problem recognition

B)active problem recognition and inactive problem recognition

C)actual problem recognition and desired problem recognition

D)perceived problem recognition and objective problem recognition

E)primary problem recognition and secondary problem recognition Answer: A Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

70.Which problem recognition involves a discrepancy that a variety of brands within a product category can reduce?

A)generic problem recognition

B)selective problem recognition

C)active problem recognition

D)inactive problem recognition

E)primary problem recognition Answer: A Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

71.Campbell's soup used several advertising campaigns that stressed the benefits of soup in general. For example, one tagline used was Soup is good food, and another was Never underestimate the power of soup. Which type of problem recognition was Campbell's attempting to stimulate?

A)generic problem recognition

B)selective problem recognition

C)active problem recognition

D)inactive problem recognition

E)primary problem recognition Answer: A Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

72.Which condition is appropriate to attempt to influence generic problem recognition?

A)It is early in the product life cycle.

B)The firm has a high percentage of the market.

C)External search after problem recognition is apt to be limited.

D)It is an industry-wide cooperative effort.

E)all of the above Answer: E Page: 522 Difficulty: easy

73.Which of the following is NOT an appropriate condition to attempt to influence generic problem recognition?

A)It is early in the product life cycle.

B)The firm has a small percentage of the market.

C)External search after problem recognition is apt to be limited.

D)It is an industry-wide cooperative effort.

E)all of the above are appropriate conditions to attempt to influence generic problem recognition Answer: B Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

74.Which problem recognition involves a discrepancy that only one brand can solve?

A)generic problem recognition

B)selective problem recognition

C)active problem recognition

D)inactive problem recognition

E)primary problem recognition Answer: B Page: 523 Difficulty: moderate

75.An advertisement for Topol toothpaste, which is targeted at smokers and coffee and wine drinkers, stresses how this is the only brand that can remove the stains associated with these consumption behaviors. Which type of problem recognition is this marketer attempting to stimulate?

A)generic problem recognition

B)selective problem recognition

C)active problem recognition

D)inactive problem recognition

E)primary problem recognition Answer: B Page: 523 Difficulty: moderate

76.A firm that introduces a new line of non-fat snack food due to increasing consumer concern with health is _____.

A)activating problem recognition

B)reacting to problem recognition

C)suppressing problem recognition

D)triggering problem recognition

E)none of the above Answer: B Page: 522 Difficulty: easy

77.Effective quality control and distribution and package inserts that assure the consumer of the wisdom of their purchase are attempts at _____.

A)responding to consumer problems

B)helping consumers recognize problems

C)discovering consumer problems

D)diverting consumers' attention away from problems

E)suppressing problem recognition Answer: E Page: 526 Difficulty: moderate True/False Questions

78.Problem recognition is the first stage of the consumer decision process. Answer: True Page: 510 Difficulty: easy

79.If purchase involvement is high, then enduring product involvement will also be high. Answer: False Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

80.The three types of decision making are rebuy, limited, and extended. Answer: False Page: 511 Difficulty: moderate

81.Nominal decision making is sometimes referred to as habitual decision making. Answer: True Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

82.Two distinct categories of nominal decision making are brand loyal decisions and repeat purchase decisions. Answer: True Page: 512 Difficulty: moderate

83.Problem recognition is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process. Answer: True Page: 514 Difficulty: moderate

84.When a consumer's actual state is perceived as being greater than the desired state, recognition of a problem does not occur. Answer: False Page: 515 Difficulty: hard

85.The level of one's desire to resolve a particular problem depends on two factors: the actual state and the desired state. Answer: False Page: 516 Difficulty: hard

86.An latent problem is one of which the consumer is not aware. Answer: False Page: 517 Difficulty: moderate

87.A consumer's desired state can be influenced by previous decisions. Answer: True Page: 518-519 Difficulty: moderate

88.Variety-seeking behavior is a challenge to marketers because it means the consumers switch brands for reasons beyond a company's control. Answer: True Page: 519 Difficulty: moderate

89.One difficulty with using intuition alone to identify consumer problems is that it is a complex research technique that requires extensive training. Answer: False Page: 520 Difficulty: moderate

90.Approaches to discovering consumer problems include activity analysis, product analysis, problem analysis, human factors research, and emotion research. Answer: True Page: 520-521 Difficulty: moderate

91.Universal problem recognition involves a discrepancy that a variety of brands within a product category can reduce. Answer: False Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

92.Attempts to influence generic problem recognition are appropriate for brands that have a high market share. Answer: True Page: 522 Difficulty: moderate

93.Firms attempt to cause selective problem recognition to gain or maintain market share. Answer: True Page: 523 Difficulty: moderate Essay Questions

94.Name and describe the three types of consumer decision making, and discuss the factor that influences the type consumers will use. Page: 510-513 Difficulty: moderate Answer: The three types of consumer decision making are nominal, limited, and extended. As the consumer moves from a very low level of involvement with the purchase to a high level of involvement, decision making becomes increasingly complex. Purchase involvement is the level of concern for, or interest in, the purchase process triggered by the need to consider a particular purchase. While purchase involvement is a continuum, it is useful to consider nominal, limited, and extended decision making as general descriptions of the types of processes that occur along various points along the continuum.Nominal decision making, sometimes referred to as habitual decision making, in effect involves no decision per se. A problem is recognized, internal search provides a single preferred solution, that brand is purchased, and an evaluation occurs only if the brand fails to perform as expected. Nominal decisions occur when there is very low involvement with the purchase, and there are two distinct categories: brand loyal decisions and repeat purchase decisions.Limited decision making involves internal and limited external search, few alternatives, simple decision rules on a few attributes, and little postpurchase evaluation. It covers the middle ground between nominal decision making and extended decision making.Extended decision making involves an extensive internal and external information search followed by a complex evaluation of multiple alternatives and significant postpurchase evaluation. It is the response to a high level of purchase involvement. After the purchase, doubt about its correctness is likely and a thorough evaluation of the purchase takes place.

95.Explain what is meant by the term problem recognition. Page: 514-515 Difficulty: moderate Answer: Problem recognition is the first stage in the consumer decision process and is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process. An actual state is the way an individual perceives his or her feelings and situation to be at the present time. A desired state is the way an individual wants to feel or be at the present time. Any time the desired state is perceived as being greater than or less than the actual state, a problem exists. It is important to note that it is the consumer's perception of the actual state that drives problem recognition, not some objective reality.

96.Joan currently drives a Toyota automobile, and it's been a very reliable car. However, she desires to own a BMW, but her finances cannot support such a purchase as she has to pay her mortgage, utilities, and her son's college tuition. Explain the two factors that affect one's desire to resolve a particular problem, and specify which one most likely is influencing Joan's inaction to resolve this discrepancy between her actual state and her desired state. Page: 516-517 Difficulty: moderate Answer: The level of one's desire to resolve a particular problem depends on two factors: (a) the magnitude of the discrepancy between the desired and actual states, and (b) the relative importance of the problem. Joan has an automobile that works just fine, so the magnitude of the discrepancy is not large enough to spur her to action. However, if her car was damaged in an accident, then the magnitude of the discrepancy would become much larger. To Joan, she has other, more important financial commitments that preclude her from solving this problem. Compared to her other more important problems, this one is perceived as relatively unimportant.

97.List the four concerns marketing managers have related to problem recognition. Page: 520 Difficulty: easy Answer: First, they need to know the problems consumers are facing. Second, they must know how to develop the marketing mix to solve consumer problems. Third, managers occasionally want to cause consumers to recognize problems. Finally, there are times when they desire to suppress problem recognition among consumers.

98.Alex is a brand manager tasked with discovering consumer problems related to the several products and brands his company manufactures. Name and describe three of the several approaches discussed in the chapter that he could use to identify consumer problems. Page: 520-521 Difficulty: moderate Answer: There were five approaches discussed in the chapter, and students can discuss any three:a. Activity Analysis--focuses on a particular activity and attempts to determine what problems consumers encounter during the performance of the activity.b. Product Analysis--similar to activity analysis but examines the purchase or use of a particular product or brand.c. Problem Analysis--starts with a problem and asks respondents to indicate which activities, products, or brands are associated with (or perhaps could eliminate) those problems.d. Human Factors Research--attempts to determine human capabilities in areas such as vision, strength, response time, flexibility, and fatigue and the effect on these capabilities of lighting, temperature, and sound.e. Emotion Research--examines the emotions associated with certain problems.

374