A marketing research firm interviewed visitors at a car show. The show featured new cars with various types of environmentally oriented enhancements, such as hybrid engines, alternative types of fuels (such as bio fuels), and aerodynamic styling. The interviews of 25 visitors who indicated they were interested in buying a hybrid included the question: What appeals most to you about a hybrid car? The question offered three possible answers:
(a) Savings on fuel expenses, (b) concern about global warming, and (c) desire for cutting-edge technology.
Motivation
(a) Why would a manufacturer be interested in the opinions of those who have already stated they want to buy a hybrid? How would such information be useful?
Method
(b) The question offered three choices, and customers could select more than one. If a manufacturer of hybrids is interested in the desire for cutting-edge technology, can we obtain Bernoulli trials from these responses?
(c) What random variable describes the number of visitors who indicated that cutting-edge technology appeals to them in a hybrid car? Be sure to think about the necessary assumptions for this random variable.
Mechanics
(d) Past shows have found that 30% of those interested in a hybrid car are drawn to the technology of the car. If that is still the case, how many of the 25 interviewed visitors at this show would you expect to express interest in the technology?
(e) If fve at this show were drawn to the cutting-edge technology, would this lead you to think that the appeal of technology had changed from 30% found at prior shows?
Message
(f) Summarize the implications of the interviews for management, assuming that 5 of the 25 visitors expressed a desire for cutting-edge technology.