Market Research & Competitive Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Market Research & Competitive Analysis flashcards as text
Which U.S. government database provides country-specific market research reports, sector analysis, and trade leads prepared by U.S. Commercial Service officers abroad?
Answer: export.gov / trade.gov market intelligence
The U.S. Commercial Service publishes Country Commercial Guides and sector reports on trade.gov (formerly export.gov) to help U.S. exporters assess foreign markets.
A company wants to estimate the size of its addressable export market. Which formula correctly calculates the 'apparent consumption' of a product in a target country?
Answer: Domestic Production + Imports – Exports
Apparent consumption equals domestic production plus imports minus exports, representing how much of a product a market actually consumes.
When evaluating political risk in a potential export market, which factor is MOST directly associated with 'transfer risk'?
Answer: Risk that a government blocks conversion or repatriation of profits
Transfer risk specifically refers to the possibility that a host government will restrict the conversion of local currency or prevent the transfer of funds out of the country.
Which research methodology involves gathering qualitative data through open discussions with small groups of target customers to explore perceptions about a product?
Answer: Focus group interviews
Focus group interviews bring together a small number of participants to discuss products or concepts in depth, providing qualitative insights into customer perceptions.
A CES candidate is analyzing a target market and notes a Gini coefficient of 0.55. What does this high value indicate?
Answer: High income inequality within the country
The Gini coefficient measures income inequality; a value closer to 1 (or 100%) indicates greater inequality, which affects consumer purchasing power distribution.
Which trade data source provides U.S. export and import statistics broken down by Harmonized System (HS) code and destination/origin country?
Answer: U.S. Census Bureau USA Trade Online
The U.S. Census Bureau's USA Trade Online portal provides detailed merchandise trade statistics by HS code, country, district, and port.
In competitive analysis, the concept of 'competitive parity' means a company's marketing budget is set based on:
Answer: Matching what key competitors spend on marketing
Competitive parity budgeting sets marketing expenditure equal to that of major competitors, based on the logic that collective industry wisdom prevents overspending or underspending.