A "buying center"
A. is always identified on a firm's organization chart
B. is always controlled by the purchasing manager
C. is usually located in big cities
D. refers to all purchasing managers in an industry
E. varies from purchase to purchase
Answer: (E) A "buying center" comprises all those individuals who are involved in the purchase decision on behalf of a firm. A "buying center" is something that is mainly applicable to business marketing. "Buying centers" are not identified on a firm's organizational chart; therefore, (A) is incorrect. There is no evidence to support either (B) or (C), so both are incorrect. Since "buying centers" are firm-specific, (D) is incorrect. Finally, "buying centers" vary from purchase to purchase; thus, the correct answer is (E).