Ch16 Alternative Evaluation and Selection

Chapter 16 Alternative Evaluation and Selection Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following was used by Sunbeam Appliance Company to assist in redesigning its many lines of small kitchen appliances? A) consumer usage and attitude survey B) consumer attribute and benefit survey C) conjoint analysis D) product line sales and market share simulations E) all of the above Answer: E Page: 565 2. How did Sunbeam Appliance Company use conjoint analysis to help them redesign its many lines of small kitchen appliances? A) It was used to determine how and for what purpose products in the product category are used, frequency of use, brand ownership, brand awareness, and attitudes toward the product. B) It was used to provide importance ratings of product attributes and benefits desired from the product category, along with perceptions of the degree to which each brand provides the various attributes and benefits. C) It was used to provide data on the structure of consumers' preferences for product features and their willingness to trade one feature for more of another feature. D) It was used to determine emotional dimensions of food processors. E) It was used to determine consumers' evoked sets with respect to small kitchen appliances. Answer: C Page: 565 3. Which of the following does NOT influence the evaluation of alternatives on each criterion? A) decision rules applied B) evaluative criteria C) importance of criteria D) alternatives considered E) all of the above influence the evaluation of alternatives on each criterion Answer: A Page: 566 4. Which theory assumes that the consumer is a rational decision maker with well-defined, stable preferences, and has sufficient skills to calculate which option will maximize his or her value and will choose on this basis? A) attribution theory B) rational choice theory C) dual coding theory D) affect theory E) calculated theory Answer: B Page: 566 5. What is the task in the rational choice theory? A) to identify a consumer's evoked set B) to identify the feelings and emotions influencing consumers' decisions C) to identify the trade offs consumers are willing to accept with respect to product attributes D) to identify or discover the one optimal choice for the decision confronting the decision maker E) to identify the cognitive structure of consumers when making a choice Answer: D Page: 566 6. A metagoal refers to _____. A) the overall amount of energy devoted to any given purchase B) the general nature of the outcome being sought C) the conscious thinking of all decision processes D) using nonfinancial criteria to make purchase decisions E) none of the above Answer: B Page: 567 7. Which of the following is an example of a metagoal? A) maximizing the accuracy of the decision B) minimize the cognitive effort required for the decision C) minimize the experience of negative emotion while making the decision D) maximize the ease with which a decision can be justified E) all of the above Answer: E Page: 567 8. Maximizing the accuracy of the decision or minimizing the experience of negative emotion while making the decision are examples of consumer _____. A) metagoals B) rational goals C) evoked goals D) affective goals E) primary goals Answer: A Page: 567 9. A limited capacity for processing information is known as _____. A) working memory B) bounded memory C) bounded rationality D) bounded processing E) finite processing Answer: C Page: 567 10. Duane is of average intelligence, and like most consumers, he cannot compare too many alternatives at one time. This limited capacity for processing information is known as _____. A) working memory B) bounded memory C) bounded rationality D) bounded processing E) finite processing Answer: C Page: 567 11. Which of the following is a type of consumer choice process? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) attribute-based choice D) a and b E) a, b, and c Answer: E Page: 567 12. Which of the following is NOT a type of consumer choice process? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) metachoice E) all of the above are types of consumer choice processes Answer: C Page: 567 13. Which of the following tends to be more holistic in nature, and the brand is not decomposed into distinct components that are evaluated separately from the whole? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: A Page: 568 14. Amy is shopping for a dress to wear to a formal dance. She tried on several dresses, not even noticing the price of each. After about two hours of this, she tried one on and exclaimed, “This is it!” That particular dress was the one that she thought made her look fabulous, so she bought it. Which type of choice did Amy use to select this dress? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: A Page: 568 15. Which of the following motives are most likely in affective choices? A) consummatory motives B) primary motives C) affective motives D) immediate motives E) instrumental motives Answer: A Page: 568 16. Which type of motives underlie behaviors that are intrinsically rewarding to the individual involved? A) instrumental motives B) affective motives C) cognitive motives D) consummatory motives E) personal motives Answer: D Page: 568 17. Pamela likes to sew because it relaxes her. To her, it's like therapy. For Pamela, sewing represents which type of motive? A) instrumental motive B) affective motive C) cognitive motive D) consummatory motive E) personal motive Answer: D Page: 568 18. Which type of motives activates behaviors designed to achieve a second goal? A) instrumental motives B) affective motives C) cognitive motives D) consummatory motives E) personal motives Answer: A Page: 568 19. Hannah asked her mother to buy her a certain brand of athletic shoes because that's what all the other kids are wearing at school. For Hannah, which type of motive is most likely underlying her request for that specific brand? A) instrumental motive B) affective motive C) cognitive motive D) consummatory motive E) personal motive Answer: A Page: 568 20. Which type of consumer choice process requires the knowledge of specific attributes at the time the choice is made, and it involves attribute-by-attribute comparisons across brands? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: D Page: 570 21. Joseph is considering the purchase of a computer, and he is comparing brands on the basis of price, memory, speed, and reliability. He mentally ranks each alternative on these attributes and makes a selection based on these rankings. Joseph is using which type of choice process? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: D Page: 570 22. Which type of consumer choice process involves the use of general attitudes, summary impressions, intuitions, or heuristics, and no attribute-by-attribute comparisons are made at the time of choice? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: B Page: 570 23. Bobbie bought a Dell computer because her brother has one, and he seems to be satisfied with it. She did not compare any other computers when making this choice. Which type of choice process did Bobbie use? A) affective choice B) attitude-based choice C) rational choice D) attribute-based choice E) instrumental choice Answer: B Page: 570 24. Which of the following statements is true regarding consumer choice processes? A) Attitude-based choices require the knowledge of specific attributes at the time the choice is made. B) The greater the motivation to make an optimal decision, the more likely an attitude-based choice will be made. C) Motivation, information availability, and situational factors interact to determine which choice process will be used. D) Consumers do not use attitude-based choices for important decisions. E) Attitude-based choices require the comparison of each specific attribute across all brands considered. Answer: C Page: 570-571 25. The various dimensions, features, or benefits consumers look for in response to a specific problem are called _____. A) alternatives B) choices C) heuristics D) evaluative criteria E) motives Answer: D Page: 572 26. Nancy usually considers price and quality when she has to make a major purchase, such as an appliance or an automobile. These two features represent Nancy's _____. A) alternatives B) choices C) heuristics D) evaluative criteria E) motives Answer: D Page: 572 27. Evaluative criteria can differ on which of the following? A) type B) number C) importance D) a and b E) a, b, and c Answer: E Page: 573 28. Evaluative criteria differ on all EXCEPT which of the following? A) type B) number C) quality D) importance E) evaluative criteria can differ on all of the above Answer: C Page: 573 29. The two types of evaluative criteria are _____. A) primary and secondary B) tangible and intangible C) manifest and latent D) direct and indirect E) consummatory and instrumental Answer: B Page: 573 30. Cost and performance features are examples of which type of evaluative criteria? A) tangible B) intangible C) primary D) secondary E) instrumental Answer: A Page: 573 31. Andrew is considering the purchase of a portable DVD player. He is comparing alternatives on the basis of screen size, battery life, and price. Andrew is using which type of evaluative criteria? A) tangible B) intangible C) primary D) secondary E) instrumental Answer: A Page: 573 32. Style, taste, prestige, feelings generated, and brand image are examples of which type of evaluative criteria? A) tangible B) intangible C) primary D) secondary E) instrumental Answer: B Page: 573 33. Samantha is purchasing a new car. She knows she should compare alternatives on the basis of cost and performance features, but she can't help but consider the styling and the color. She also wants a car that will make her look “cool” and feel special when she's driving it. Styling, color, and how the car will make her feel are examples of _____ evaluative criteria. A) tangible B) intangible C) primary D) secondary E) consummatory Answer: B Page: 573 34. Before a marketing manager or public policy decision maker can develop a sound strategy to affect consumer decisions, he or she must determine _____. A) which evaluative criteria are used by the consumer B) how the consumer perceives the various alternatives on each criterion C) the relative importance of each criterion D) a and b E) a, b, and c Answer: E Page: 574 35. Before a marketing manager or a public policy decision maker can develop a sound strategy to affect consumer decisions, her or she must determine all EXCEPT which of the following? A) which evaluative criteria are used by the consumer B) how the consumer perceives the various alternatives on each criterion C) the relative importance of each criterion D) all of the above must be determined E) none of the above Answer: D Page: 574 36. To determine which criteria are used by consumers in a specific product decision, the marketing researcher can utilize which two methods of measurement? A) primary and secondary B) manifest and latent C) direct and indirect D) immediate and delayed E) nominal and interval Answer: C Page: 575 37. Which measurement method involves asking consumers what criteria they use in a particular purchase or, in a focus group setting, noting what consumers say about products and their attributes? A) direct B) indirect C) projective D) perceptual mapping E) word association Answer: A Page: 575 38. Chaz was asked by a market researcher which criteria he uses when purchasing beer. He told the researcher that taste and price are important to him. Which method did the researcher use to obtain this information from Chaz? A) direct B) indirect C) projective D) perceptual mapping E) word association Answer: A Page: 575 39. Which measurement technique used to assess consumers' evaluative criteria assumes consumers will not or cannot state their evaluative criteria? A) direct B) indirect C) primary D) secondary E) differential Answer: B Page: 575 40. Which of the following are indirect measurement techniques used to determine consumers' evaluative criteria? A) conjoint analysis and factor analysis B) factor analysis and regression analysis C) regression analysis and perceptual mapping D) projective techniques and perceptual mapping E) projective techniques and regression analysis Answer: D Page: 575 41. Which indirect measurement techniques used to determine consumers' evaluative criteria allow the respondent to indicate the criteria someone else might use? A) tangible B) intangible C) projective techniques D) perceptual mapping E) conjoint analysis Answer: C Page: 575 42. Gwen is an elderly lady and is participating in a market research study. The researcher asked her to describe the criteria someone who needs adult diapers might use to evaluate alternatives. The researcher was not asking Gwen what criteria she would use, but rather, the criteria Gwen thinks someone else would use. Which type of technique is this known as? A) tangible technique B) intangible technique C) projective technique D) perceptual mapping E) conjoint analysis Answer: C Page: 575 43. A technique that requires consumers to judge the similarity of alternative brands is _____. A) conjoint analysis B) attitude survey C) semantic differential scale D) perceptual mapping E) none of the above Answer: D Page: 575 44. Gail was participating in a market research study, and she was given 20 pairs of brands of shampoo and asked to indicate which pair is most similar, which is second most similar, and so forth until all pairs were ranked. Which type of indirect measurement technique used to assess Gail's evaluative criteria does this represent? A) perceptual mapping B) conjoint analysis C) evaluative mapping D) regression analysis E) factor analysis Answer: A Page: 575 45. With the information provided by perceptual mapping the marketer can determine all of the following EXCEPT _____. A) how the position of brands changes in response to marketing efforts B) how different brands are positioned according to evaluative criteria C) how to position new brands using evaluative criteria D) how consumers will trade one evaluative criteria for another E) all of the above Answer: D Page: 575 46. Which of the following is the most widely used technique for measuring consumers' judgments of brand performance on specific attributes? A) rank ordering scales B) semantic differential scales C) constant sum scales D) Likert scales E) nominal scales Answer: B Page: 575 47. Which of the following is the most common method of direct measurement of the relative importance of consumers' evaluative criteria? A) rank ordering scales B) semantic differential scales C) constant sum scales D) Likert scales E) nominal scales Answer: C Page: 576 48. Which of the following is the most popular indirect measurement approach to measuring the relative importance of consumers' evaluative criteria? A) perceptual mapping B) regression analysis C) factor analysis D) conjoint analysis E) cluster analysis Answer: D Page: 576 49. In which type of indirect measurement approach to measuring the relative importance of consumers' evaluative criteria are consumers presented with several descriptions of alternatives and asked to rank all of them in terms of his or her preference for those combinations of features? A) perceptual mapping B) regression analysis C) factor analysis D) conjoint analysis E) cluster analysis Answer: D Page: 576 50. Jamie was participating in a market research study regarding computers when he was presented with 24 different computers that varied on four criteria. He was asked to rank all 24 descriptions in terms of his preference for those combinations of features. Which approach to assess the relative importance Jamie places on evaluative criteria was this research using? A) perceptual mapping B) regression analysis C) factor analysis D) conjoint analysis E) cluster analysis Answer: D Page: 576 51. Which of the following is an example of a federal law passed to facilitate direct comparisons among alternatives? A) Telephone Consumer Protection Act B) Truth-in-Lending law C) Federal Trade Commission Act D) Wheeler-Lea Amendment E) Just Noticeable Difference law Answer: B Page: 577 52. The ability of an individual to distinguish between similar stimuli is called _____. A) stimulus generalization B) perceptual generalization C) perceptual discrimination D) sensory perception E) sensory discrimination Answer: E Page: 577 53. Sensory discrimination is _____. A) the minimum amount that one brand can differ from another with the difference still being noticed B) the maximum amount that one brand can differ from another without it being perceived as unreasonable by consumers C) the ability of an individual to distinguish between distinctly different stimuli D) the ability of an individual to distinguish between similar stimuli E) the relative importance consumers place on evaluative criteria Answer: D Page: 577 54. The minimum amount that one brand can differ from another with the difference still being noticed is referred to as the ______. A) discriminatory difference B) sensory difference C) just noticeable difference D) recognition difference E) obvious difference Answer: C Page: 577 55. Procter & Gamble is the manufacturer of Pampers diapers. At one time, the price of a typical package of diapers was relatively high (i.e., over $12 a package). Due to the threat of store brands stealing market share because of their lower price, P&G decided to lower the price for Pampers. While most consumers noticed the price reduction because P&G promoted that fact, what most of them did not notice was that the number of diapers per package also decreased. However, the reduction was only one or two diapers per package. Which of the following best explains why consumers did not notice the reduction in the quantity? A) Number of diapers per package was not important to consumers. B) The reduction in the quantity did not reach the level of a just noticeable difference. C) Price is more important than quantity to consumers. D) Consumers are price conscious for this product category. E) Consumers are brand loyal. Answer: B Page: 577 56. An attribute used to stand for or indicate another attribute is known as a _____. A) determinant attribute B) substitute indicator C) surrogate indicator D) secondary indicator E) proxy Answer: C Page: 578 57. Which of the following is often used as a surrogate indicator of quality? A) price B) advertising intensity C) warranties D) country of origin E) all of the above Answer: E Page: 578 58. Sam is a retiree with considerable resources, so he doesn't really spend much time on purchase decisions. His belief is that the most expensive brand is probably also the best in terms of quality. Sam uses price as a _____ indicator of quality. A) surrogate B) proxy C) primary D) substitute E) secondary Answer: A Page: 578 59. Which of the following does NOT affect how important various criteria are for consumers? A) usage situation B) competitive context C) advertising effects D) all of the above E) none of the above Answer: D Page: 579 60. John drinks Schwepps Ginger Ale for dinner as a beverage, while Jack uses it only as a mixer in his cocktails. Which factor that influences the importance of evaluative criteria is this? A) usage situation B) competitive context C) advertising effects D) quantity of criteria E) temporal perspective Answer: A Page: 579 61. Speed of service and convenient location are criteria Jake considers when deciding at which restaurant to eat lunch during a work day. However, when he and his wife go out for a romantic dinner, the ambiance and quality of the food are more important. Which factor is influencing the importance he places of various criteria? A) usage situation B) competitive context C) advertising effects D) experience E) social influences Answer: A Page: 579 62. Which type of test is one in which the consumer is not aware of the product's brand name? A) surrogate tests B) generic tests C) blind tests D) primary tests E) perceptual tests Answer: C Page: 579-580 63. The famous Pepsi challenge had consumers taste two brands of cola without letting them know the brand name of either. Which type of test is this? A) surrogate tests B) generic tests C) blind tests D) primary tests E) perceptual tests Answer: C Page: 579-580 64. Which type of test enables the marketer to evaluate the functional characteristics of the product and to determine if an advantage over a particular competitor has been obtained without the contaminating, or halo, effects of the brand name or the firm's reputation? A) surrogate tests B) generic tests C) blind tests D) primary tests E) perceptual tests Answer: C Page: 580 65. Firms with a limited reputation sometimes do which of the following with a reputable firm so as to gain from the quality associated with the known brand? A) conduct blind tests B) form brand alliances C) use two-sided messages D) form conjoint alliances E) form conjunctive alliances Answer: B Page: 580 66. A new brand of peanut butter cookies includes Hershey's Kisses chocolates on top. Which of the following is this new brand using in an attempt to gain from the quality associated with Hershey's chocolate? A) blind test B) brand alliance C) two-sided message D) conjoint alliance E) conjunctive alliance Answer: B Page: 580 67. Which of the following is a decision rule used by consumers? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) compensatory E) all of the above Answer: E Page: 581 68. Which of the following is NOT a decision rule used by consumers? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) compensatory E) conjoint Answer: E Page: 581 69. Which of the following is a noncompensatory decision rule? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) all of the above Answer: E Page: 581 70. Which decision rule establishes minimum required performance standards for each evaluative criterion and selects the first or all brands that meet or exceed these minimum standards? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: A Page: 581 71. Conrad is considering the purchase of a laptop computer. He has decided that he will not spend more that $1200, the computer must weigh no more that 4 pounds, and battery life must last at least 4 hours. He has similar minimum requirements for a few other criteria he is using to evaluate alternatives. If an alternative does not meet ALL of these minimum requirements, he will not consider it further. Which decision rule is Conrad using? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: A Page: 581 72. Given the following minimum standards (cutoff points) Price = 3, Quality = 4, and Ease of use = 3, which of the following computers would be chosen using the conjunctive decision rule? A) IBM B) NEC C) Compaq D) There's not enough information to decide. E) None of the above computers would be chosen. Answer: A Page: 581-582 73. Given attribute cutoffs of Price = 5, Quality = 5, and Weight = 4, which of the following would be chosen using the disjunctive decision rule? A) NEC B) Compaq C) IBM D) Compaq and IBM would be considered further. E) Compaq and NEC would be considered further. Answer: E Page: 583 74. Which decision rule establishes a minimum level of performance for each important attribute (often a fairly high level), and all brands that meet or exceed the performance level for any key attribute are considered acceptable? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: B Page: 583 75. Which decision rule requires the consumer to rank the evaluative criteria in terms of their importance and to establish a cutoff point for each criterion, and all brands are first considered on the most important criterion, the second most important, and so on until only one brand remains? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: D Page: 583 76. Miles is considering the purchase of a new car. Price is the most important criterion for him, and he will only consider those models that do not exceed $20,000. Since several models satisfy this criterion, he then considers how each alternative performs with respect to gas mileage, and he will not consider any that get less than 20 miles per gallon in the city. Which decision rule is Miles using? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: D Page: 583 77. Given the following information, which of the following compact disc players would be chosen using the elimination-by-aspects decision rule? A) Sony B) Sanyo C) Pioneer D) Sony and Pioneer would be considered further. E) none of the above Answer: D Page: 583 78. Given the following information, which of the following compact disc players would be chosen using the lexicographic decision rule? A) Sony B) Sanyo C) Pioneer D) Sony and Pioneer would be considered further. E) none of the above compact disc players would be chosen Answer: A Page: 584 79. Which decision rule requires the consumer to rank the criteria in order of importance, and then the consumer selects the brand that performs best on the most important attribute? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: C Page: 584 80. Given the following importance weights Price = 50, Quality = 40, and Ease of use = 10, which of the following computers would be chosen using a compensatory decision rule? A) IBM B) A tie between Compaq and IBM. C) NEC D) Compaq E) A tie between NEC and IBM. Answer: D Page: 586-587 81. Which decision rule states that the brand that rates highest on the sum of the consumer's judgments of the relevant criteria will be chosen? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: E Page: 587 82. The multiattribute model is which type of decision rule? A) compensatory B) noncompensatory C) disjunctive D) lexicographic E) elimination-by-aspects Answer: A Page: 587 83. Joanne is considering the purchase of a microwave oven and has four evaluative criteria. For each criterion, she has attached an importance weight (“W”), and each brand is evaluated on its performance on that criterion (“B”). Then a rating is calculated by summing the product of the B's and W's on a criterion for each brand, and the brand with the highest overall rating is chosen. Which type of decision rule is Joanne using? A) conjunctive B) disjunctive C) lexicographic D) elimination-by-aspects E) compensatory Answer: E Page: 587 True/False Questions 84. All consumers have a bounded rationality. Answer: True Page: 567 85. Affective choices tend to be holistic in nature. Answer: True Page: 568 86. Attribute-based choices involve the use of general attitudes, summary impressions, intuitions, or heuristics. Answer: False Page: 570 87. Attitude-based choices are not used for important decisions. Answer: False Page: 571 88. Evaluative criteria can differ in type, number, and importance. Answer: True Page: 573 89. Indirect measurement techniques used to determine consumers' evaluative criteria differ from direct measurements in that they assume consumers will not or cannot state their evaluative criteria. Answer: True Page: 575 90. The most common method of direct measurement to determine the relative importance of evaluative criteria is the semantic differential. Answer: False Page: 576 91. An attribute used to stand for or indicate another attribute is known as a proxy indicator. Answer: False Page: 578 92. Factors affecting the relative importance and influence of evaluative criteria include usage situation, competitive context, and advertising effects. Answer: True Page: 579 93. Conjunctive, disjunctive, elimination-by-aspects, and lexicographic are noncompensatory decision rules. Answer: True Page: 581 94. The conjunctive decision rule establishes minimum required performance standards for each evaluative criterion and selects the first or all brands that meet or exceed these minimum standards. Answer: True Page: 581 95. The disjunctive decision rule establishes an optimum level of performance for each evaluative criterion. Answer: False Page: 583 96. For a target market using the elimination-by-aspects rule, it is critical to meet or surpass the consumers' requirements on one more (in order) of the criteria used than the competition. Answer: True Page: 584 97. In a compensatory decision, a brand's weakness on one attribute cannot be overcome by it's strength on another attribute. Answer: False Page: 586-587 Essay Questions 98. Compare and contrast the three types of consumer choice processes. Page: 566-570 Answer: The three types of consumer choice processes are: affective choice, attitude-based choice, and attribute-based choice. Affective choices tend to be more holistic in nature. The brand is not decomposed into distinct components, each of which is evaluated separately from the whole as it is in the attribute-based choice. The evaluation of such products is generally focused on the way they will make the user feel as they are used. The evaluation itself is often based exclusively or primarily on the immediate emotional response to the product or service. Attribute-based choice requires the knowledge of specific attributes at the time the choice is made, and it involves attribute-by-attribute comparisons across brands. Attitude-based choices, on the other hand, involve the use of general attitudes, summary impressions, intuitions, or heuristics; no attribute-by-attribute comparisons are made at the time of choice. There can also be combinations of these forms. Motivation, information availability, and situational factors interact to determine which choice process will be used. The greater the motivation to make an optimal decision, the more likely an attribute-based choice will be made. In general, the importance of making an optimal decision increases with the value of the item being considered and consequences of a nonoptimal decision. 99. Define evaluative criteria, and discuss the two types. Page: 572-573 Answer: Evaluative criteria are the various dimensions, features, or benefits a consumer looks for in response to a specific problem. The type of evaluative criteria a consumer uses in a decision varies from tangible cost and performance features to intangible factors such as style, taste, prestige, feelings generated, and brand image. 100. Amelia is a marketing researcher and conducts studies to determine which evaluative criteria consumers use in a given purchase situation, their judgments of brand performance on specific criteria, and the relative importance they place on evaluative criteria. Explain how Amelia does this. Page: 575-576 Answer: Determination of Which Evaluative Criteria Are Used. To determine which criteria are used by consumers in a specific product decision, the marketing researcher can utilize either direct or indirect methods of measurement. Direct methods include asking consumers what criteria they use in a particular purchase or, in a focus group setting, noting what consumers say about products and their attributes. Direct measurement techniques assume that consumers can and will provide data on the desired attributes. Indirect measurement techniques differ from direct in that they assume consumers will not or cannot state their evaluative criteria. Hence, frequent use is made of indirect methods such as projective techniques, which allow the respondent to indicate the criteria someone else might use. Perceptual mapping is another useful indirect technique for determining evaluative criteria. Determination of Consumers' Judgments of Brand Performance on Specific Evaluative Criteria. A variety of methods are available for measuring consumers' judgments of brand performance on specific attributes. These include rank ordering scales, semantic differential scales (most widely used), and Likert scales. Determination of the Relative Importance of Evaluative Criteria. The importance assigned to evaluative criteria can be measured either by direct or by indirect methods. No matter which technique is used, the usage situation should be specified as attribute importance varies with the situation. The constant sum scale is the most common method of direct measurement, and the most popular indirect measurement approach is conjoint analysis. 101. Explain the difference between a compensatory decision rule and a noncompensatory decision rule. Page: 581 Answer: Noncompensatory rule means that a high level of one attribute cannot offset a low level of another. A compensatory rule means that consumers average across attribute levels, allowing for a high level of one value to offset a low value of another. 102. Think of a major purchase decision you (or your family) have made. Identify from the decision rules discussed in the text the specific rule you used (or combination of rules), define that rule, and describe how you used that rule to select the alternative that you purchased. If you cannot think of a recent major purchase in your life, explain the decision rule you would use to make a major purchase decision (e.g., purchasing a car, computer, home, etc.). Page: 580-587 Answer: Consumers commonly use five decision rules, and students should use one (or a combination) of these to answer this question (students' applications will vary): Conjunctive--establishes minimum required performance standards for each evaluative criterion and selects the first or all brands that meet or exceed these minimum standards. Any brand falling below any of these minimum standards (cutoff points) would be eliminated from further consideration. Disjunctive--establishes a minimum level of performance for each important attribute (often a fairly high level). All brands that meet or exceed the performance level for any key attribute are considered acceptable. Elimination-by-Aspects--requires the consumer to rank the evaluative criteria in terms of their importance and to establish a cutoff point for each criterion. All brands are first considered on the most important criterion. Those that do not meet or exceed the cutoff point are dropped from consideration. If more than one brand remains in the set after this first elimination phase, the process is repeated on those brands for the second most important criterion. This continues until only one brand remains. Lexicographic--requires the consumer to rank the criteria in order of importance. The consumer then selects the brand that performs best on the most important attribute. If two or more brands tie on this attribute, they are evaluated on the second most important attribute. This continues through the attributes until one brand outperforms the others. Compensatory--the brand that rates highest on the sum of the consumer's judgments of the relevant evaluative criteria will be chosen, which is the same as the multiattribute attitude model discussed in Chapter 11.