MRA Competitive Intelligence Gathering 4

Question 1

A company wants to assess competitor pricing without direct access to their price lists. Which method is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Conducting a mystery shopping exercise

Answer

Mystery shopping — posing as a potential customer — is a common and ethical method for obtaining competitor pricing and sales process information.

Question 2

In competitor financial analysis, 'gross margin compression' signals which competitive pressure?

Accepted Answer

The competitor faces pricing pressure or rising input costs eroding profitability

Answer

Gross margin compression means revenue growth is not keeping pace with cost of goods sold, often due to price wars, commodity cost increases, or operational inefficiencies.

Question 3

Which analytical technique assigns numerical scores to competitor capabilities across predefined criteria to enable objective comparison?

Accepted Answer

Weighted competitive benchmark scorecard

Answer

A weighted competitive benchmark scorecard quantifies and compares competitors across standardized criteria, reducing subjective bias in capability assessments.

Question 4

Which public database is most useful for CI analysts researching competitor patent activity in the US?

Accepted Answer

USPTO Patent Full-Text Database

Answer

The USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) Patent Full-Text Database provides searchable records of all US patent applications and grants.

Question 5

A CI analyst wants to understand a competitor's distribution strategy. Which source would be LEAST useful?

Accepted Answer

The competitor's federal corporate tax return

Answer

Federal corporate tax returns are private and not publicly accessible, making them unavailable as a CI source regardless of their potential relevance.

(MRA) Market Research Analyst Certification Practice Test

(MRA) Market Research Analyst Certification Practice Test

MRA Competitive Intelligence Gathering 4