Get rid of market anomalies and monopolies, say economists - The Malaysian Insider

Get rid of market anomalies and monopolies, say economists - The Malaysian Insider

Malaysians plagued by poor purchasing power - The Malaysian Insider

Malaysians plagued by poor purchasing power - The Malaysian Insider

Nike n KFC Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Marketing Ethics and Social Responsibility

Individual Assignments

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. What is Nike’s impact on consumers? Do most consumers need the high tech Nike builds into its shoes, thus increasing costs and prices? Explain your answer.
2. Is Nike creating materialism, or is it responding to it? Defend your answer.
3. Comment on Nike’s response to the “sweat shop” issues. What are your feelings about their comment that they are playing by the rules of the individual country? Should Nike try to change those rules if they are in conflict with typical U.S. practices?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond the questions from the instructor.
1. What are the primary criticisms of marketing? Which of the criticisms are fair? Unfair?
2. What is a deceptive practice?
3. What are deceptive practices that can take place in marketing?
4. What is planned obsolescence? Is it good or bad? Explain your answer.
5. Does marketing have a responsibility to serve all customers? Or only profitable ones? Who decides this?
6. What “evils” has advertising been accused of? Are these fair or unfair? Comment.
7. What is consumerism? What are the various “rights” under this concept?
8. What is environmentalism?
9. What is environmental sustainability? List and describe the four parts of Figure 20.1.
10. What is green marketing? Does it work?
11. According to Figure 20.2, what are all the marketing decision areas that may be called in question under the law?
12. List and describe the various forms of enlightened marketing. Which do you prefer? Why?
13. List and describe the forms of products shown in Figure 20.3. Which of these are desirable, and which are not?
14. How do firms meet their social responsibility function?

Outside Example

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known as PETA, claims animals have rights, and humans have no right to eat them, use them to produce clothing (leather goods and furs, for example), or for testing purposes. They are against practices they say are cruel and barbaric, everything from corporate animal farming to breeding dogs and cats to supply our nation’s pet supply.

The organization targets high profile companies and their practices, recently targeting Perdue Farms and KFC for cruelty to chickens. Their activists have been known to break into test labs and release the animals there. Others have released dogs that were with their owners at dog shows.

Some have decried PETA as the lunatic fringe, while others praise their efforts to force us all to treat animals humanely.

1. Should PETA be able to release animals they truly believe are suffering? Defend your answer.
2. If you were Perdue Farms, and PETA released videos taken undercover at one of your processing facilities, how would you react? How much influence would this have on your marketing practices?
3. If you worked for a fur manufacturer, how would you counteract PETA’s campaign to get people to stop wearing fur?

Coca-Cola Global Strategy Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Global Marketplace

Individual Assignment

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. What appears to be Coca-Cola’s primary global strategy?
2. Why is Coca-Cola referred to as an “all-world brand”?
3. What would be an example of Coca-Cola using a localization strategy?
4. What would be an example of Coca-Cola using a standardization strategy?
5. How has Coca-Cola used advertising to its advantage in constructing a global strategy?
6. What do you see as the “image” of Coca-Cola worldwide?
7. Do you see any dangers or problems with Coca-Cola’s approach to globalization?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. What is the result of protectionism?
2. Why do companies delay pursuing internationalism strategies?
3. What is a global industry? What is a global firm?
4. List and briefly describe the major decisions in international marketing as shown in Figure 19.1.
5. Define the following terms: tariff, quota, embargo, exchange controls, and nontariff trade barriers. Explain the role played by these terms in international trade.
6. What is the purpose of the World Trade Organization and GATT?
7. Why does the WTO cause conflict in certain sectors?
8. What are regional free trade zones? Economic communities?
9. Discuss the brief history of the European Union.
10. Discuss the history of NAFTA.
11. List and briefly describe the four types of international industrial structure.
12. What factors should be considered when making the decision as to whether to do business in a foreign country? Briefly explain each.
13. What is countertrade?
14. Give examples of differences in business norms and behavior in different countries.
15. What factors impact a company’s decision on whether to go international?
16. How does a company decide which market to enter in the international marketplace?
17. Discuss the three market entry strategies shown in Figure 19.2. Which of these strategies is the riskiest? Why?
18. Compare and contrast the strategies of adaptation versus standardization the international marketplace?
19. List and briefly discuss each of the five international product and promotion strategies shown in Figure 19.3.
20. What is dumping? Is it a sound strategy?
21. Discuss the whole-channel concept for international marketing.
22. Discuss the various options open to a company when forming an international organization structure. Examine the merits of each form.

Outside Example

NAFTA has been a boon for many companies, allowing the free trade of goods and services across borders in North America. Although trade has blossomed among the three countries, the agreement is still, as the textbook says, being phased in over 15 years. And there are still barriers that exist.

Trade in food is a good example. The United States is among the world’s toughest in food safety regulations. But as it turns out, not all of our food products are welcomed by our neighbors to the north. Many poultry processors, for example, ignore the Canadian market because “it’s not worth the trouble” according to one major U.S. poultry company. The USDA Web site, http://www.usda.gov/, provides detailed information on export requirements for food processors.

1. What aspects of the global marketing environment would a food processor need to be aware of? Would it be different for a company that produces a meat product versus one that deals in fruits and vegetables? Why or why not?
2. What decisions might a food processor need to make in deciding whether to go international?
3. Outline a plan for how a food processor might want to select countries to enter.
4. Develop a global marketing plan for a pork processor (one who produces such items as bacon, hams, pork roasts, ribs, and the like). Would you take a standardized or adaptive approach? What would your product strategy be? Your promotion strategy?

Amazon.com Chapter 8

Chapter 18

Marketing in the Digital Age

Individual Assignments

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the follow­ing questions:
1. How does Amazon.com connect with its customers?
2. What are the advantages of this new type of intermediary? Are there any disadvantages? If so, what are they?
3. Does Amazon.com have a role to play in the B2B domain? If so, what is it? If not, why not?
4. Do you think click-only companies have a future? Explain your answer.

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. What is the New Economy (new digital age)?
2. What are the major forces shaping this New Economy?
3. What is the difference between an intranet, extranet, and Internet?
4. What is e-marketing?
5. What is the most important benefit to a buyer for doing business online? Explain.
6. Why does the B2B e-commerce model do so much more business than the other forms?
7. What are your biggest fears about doing business online? How could a marketer deal with these fears and reduce them?
8. How can marketers use viral marketing to their advantage?

Outside Example

The University of Phoenix was founded in 1976, well before there was at least one PC in every home. But its founding did happen to coincide with the debut of the first personal computer, the Apple 1. From its beginning, the University of Phoenix has focused on the educational needs of working adults—a constituency that was largely ignored prior to this. For several years, the University operated “on the ground”; that is, students had to go to class one or more nights a week, just like everywhere else.

But the University’s “online campus” was established in 1989, well before the advent of and widespread use of the World Wide Web. And since then, the University of Phoenix has exploded, and more and more adults are earning their Bachelor’s, Master’s and even Doctoral degrees online.

And because this model has been so successful, many traditional universities have added online options to their degree programs. Sometimes courses are only “Web enhanced,” meaning that the students still gather in a traditional classroom, but some work takes place on the Internet. Many colleges and universities, however, are moving at least some of their courses completely online. This allows them to reach many non-traditional students, and students who simply cannot relocate to the city in which their campus is located.

1. How has the University of Phoenix Online affected the college experience? Be specific.
2. What are the benefits of obtaining a degree online? What are the disadvantages, if any? How do both the advantages and disadvantages affect how the University of Phoenix reaches out to prospective students?
3. Analyze where the University of Phoenix Online advertises. Are they reaching their target audience?
4. Visit their Web site at http://www.phoenix.edu/. Is it an effective Web site? Defend your answer.
5. Although many clicks-only companies struggle to become profitable, University of Phoenix’s parent, Apollo Group, is highly profitable. Comment on your feelings regarding a for-profit University.

Washington Mutual Google n Yahoo Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Creating Competitive Advantage

Individual Assignment

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about answers to the following questions:
1. How might an assessment of competitors have led to Washington Mutual’s strategy?
2. Develop a customer value analysis on Washington Mutual. Develop one for another bank. What do they have in common? What is different?
3. According to Michael Porter, what basic competitive strategy is Washington Mutual following? Is there a better one for them to follow?
4. Do you think Washington Mutual is balanced in its orientation to customers and competitors? Explain your answer.

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. List the steps in analyzing competitors.
2. What is “competitor myopia”?
3. How do companies assess competitors?
4. What is a strategic group?
5. What is benchmarking?
6. What type of reactions might a competitor be expected to have with respect to a company’s strategies?
7. How does a company select competitors to avoid and attack?
8. What is a competitive intelligence system?
9. With respect to marketing strategy and practice, three stages often describe the path taken by firms. As entrepreneurs begin their marketing journey, what are the three stages that may await them?
10. List and describe Michael E. Porter’s four basic competitive positioning strategies. Which of the four strategies is to be avoided? Why?
11. How do Porter’s strategies match those of Treacy and Wiersema?
12. List and describe each of the competitive position strategies described in the chapter. Demonstrate the advantages/disadvantages of each position and associated strategies employed by each of the positions. See Table 17.1.
13. Name one market nicher that you think will be making it big in the near future. Why?
14. Compare and contrast competitor-centered, customer-centered, and market-centered companies. Which form would you rather work for? Why?

Outside Example

Google is a name known by virtually everyone these days. Known for an incredible search engine, it recently went public with resounding success. Its IPO was credited with opening the market back up for technology stocks.

Google is popular not only because its search engine is superb, but also because it strictly segregates paid placements. While other search engines use pop-up ads and also lists Web sites that have paid them money first in their results pages, Google won’t do that. Many searchers never even notice the discreet advertising on the right side of the screen after they’ve entered a search term, but it’s there, and can be incredibly useful for those who wish to purchase what they are searching for.

But can Google maintain its current competitive advantage? Yahoo! and Microsoft are hot on its heels.

1. Research and report on the competitive reactions of Yahoo! and Microsoft to Google’s stunning success. Should Google have been able to predict it?
2. What is Google’s basic competitive strategy? Will it be effective in the long term? Explain your answer.
3. What is Google’s competitive position? Is it pursuing the correct strategy, given its position?
4. Do you think Google is balanced in its orientation to the market? Defend your response.

CDW Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Personal Selling and Direct Marketing

Individual Assignments

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. What is the role of the sales force in CDW?
2. What sort of people would you recruit for the CDW sales force?
3. Why would training take so long at CDW? Do you think they’d be as effective if they provided less training? Explain your response.
4. How would you motivate such highly-trained salespeople? Be specific.
5. In an Internet environment, how would you prospect for and qualify potential customers?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor:
1. What is the role of the sales force in modern business?
2. What are the primary types of sales positions? Describe each?
3. List and briefly identify each of the major steps in sales force management.
4. Identify the three major forms of sales force structure.
5. What is the workload approach? How is it calculated?
6. How are inside and outside sales forces different?
7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of team selling?
8. What are the methods of compensating salespeople? Evaluate each. How are strategic goals incorporated into a compensation scheme?
9. How should salespeople be evaluated?
10. List and identify the steps in the effective selling process.
11. What are the different presentation formats suggested by the chapter?
12. How should salespeople strive to build relationships? What is relationship marketing?
13. What is direct marketing?
14. What is the new direct-marketing model? How is this different form the old model?
15. What are the benefits to buyers of direct marketing?
16. What are the benefits to sellers from direct marketing?
17. How can marketers use customer databases to do a more effective job of marketing?
18. What is integrated direct marketing?
19. Briefly characterize the policy and ethical issues brought about by direct marketing.

Outside Example

The Women’s Investment Network (WIN) is a Philadelphia-based organization dedicated to helping women who are senior leaders in entrepreneurial and high-growth businesses. It is largely an educational forum, holding almost monthly programs on topics of interest to leaders of growing businesses, such as raising outside financing, legal issues, the types of insurance necessary to protect your business, how to hire interns, and the like. There are separate programs that are invitation only for CEOs and Venture Capitalists in which these groups discuss issues that are peculiar to their specific roles. The leaders of WIN are volunteers, although there is an outside organization that manages the logistics of running the organization.

Getting ready to celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2006, WIN continues to struggle with how best to expand membership. Not interested in sheer numbers of members, it focuses on identifying and inviting for membership its core constituency—senior leaders of growing businesses, especially those that feel they want a forum in which to safely discuss their concerns about running their business, as well as those who want to help others succeed as they have. It does not turn away anyone who wants to join, and in fact, actively seeks those who could be the next generation of entrepreneurial women, those in both undergraduate and graduate programs in local universities studying entrepreneurship or business in general.

You can learn more about this organization by visiting their Web site at http://www.winwomen.org/.

1. How can such an organization utilize direct marketing to its advantage?
2. Describe a way for this organization to gather information about is members that will help it plan their programs.


3. Of the forms of direct marketing, which ones do you think are best suited for WIN and other organizations of its ilk? Explain your answer.
4. Design an integrated direct marketing campaign for this organization.

CPB Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Advertising, Sales Promotion, and Public Relations

Individual Assignments

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. How does CPB approach setting advertising objectives? How does this differ from its competitors?
2. How does the firm gain attention for the advertising message? How do their ads break through the clutter?
3. What do you think CPB’s opinion of traditional advertising media would be?
4. Would CPB’s method of marketing communication work in an international environment? Why or why not?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor:
1. What are the key components of the definition of advertising?
2. What is an advertising objective?
3. How can an advertising objective be measured?
4. On what factors does an advertising budget depend? Which of these factors is the most important? How can you tell?
5. What is the first step in developing an effective advertising strategy?
6. What is the “big idea”?
7. What are the characteristics of an advertising appeal?
8. Which of the message execution formats is your favorite?
9. What are the differences between reach, frequency, and impact? Explain each.
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages between the mass media forms as shown in Table 15.2? Which form could be the best for promoting an ocean cruise?
11. What is an alternative media form that would be good for reaching a 14-year-old?
12. Outline the forms of timing for a media schedule. Which seems the most reasonable? Under what circumstances?
13. How is sales promotion different from advertising?
14. What is a good sales promotional objective?
15. List and briefly identify the consumer promotional tools identified in the chapter.
16. List and briefly identify the trade promotional tools identified in the chapter.
17. List and briefly identify the business promotional tools identified in the chapter.
18. How is public relations different from advertising?
19. List and briefly identify the major public relations tools.
20. How can public relations be used on the Internet?

Outside Example

No one had defined stylish living as much as Martha Stewart. Her name has become synonymous with perfect cooking, perfect gardening, perfect decorating, perfect weddings, and on and on. Unfortunately, her name has also recently become synonymous with lying about her personal stock trades, and she began serving jail time for that conviction in late 2004.

Agree with her prosecution or not, it caused quite a problem for her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.  Its stock is fighting its way back from a low of $5 after a pre-crisis high of $35.

Although public relations is not all about crisis management, it certainly plays a huge role in ensuring a company can stay alive when its eponymous founder and leader faces federal prosecution.

1. What publics would you have focused on when news of the federal probe broke? Explain your answer.
2. What PR tools could be useful to contain a crisis such as this?  How would you use them?
3. Is there an effective way for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to utilize the Internet to keep the company on track? Outline what information you would include, and how you would keep it current.

BMW Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy

Individual Assignment

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions.
1. What is BMW’s primary communications strategy for the MINI?
2. How does it differ from its main competitors?
3. Using Figure 14.2, illustrate how BMW’s advertising agency successfully utilized the communication process.
4. Describe how BMW used the AIDA framework for designing a message.
5. How do you think BMW set the promotional budget?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. What are the elements of the marketing communications mix?
2. Briefly describe each of the elements in the marketing communications mix.
3. What is integrated marketing communications? Why has a shift in this direction occurred?
4. Identify the components of the personal communications process. Which element(s) is(are) the most critical for successful communication?
5. What are the steps in developing successful, effective communications?
6. How do you determine communications objectives?
7. What are the stages in the buyer-readiness mode?
8. What is the difference between an emotional appeal, a moral appeal, and a rational appeal? Illustrate.
9. What is the difference between personal and nonpersonal communication? Which is generally more effective? How can you tell?
10. What are the general rules about a message’s source?
11. List and briefly identify each of the promotional budget methods.
12. Demonstrate the differences between push and pull advertising strategies.
13. What are the general rules to follow when attempting to integrate the promotional mix?
14. What is socially responsible marketing communications? Illustrate.

Outside Example

DHL had long been the leader in global package delivery when they decided to put a big push in the United States market and compete head to head with the two big U.S. behemoths, Federal Express and UPS.

DHL actually began operations in San Francisco, but it looked to the west, rather than the east, for its business. Its initial operations were sending documentation ahead of cargo ships to Hawaii. From there it went even further west, to Asia, and then on to Africa and Europe. It is now majority owned by the German postal service, Deutsche Post AG.

Although DHL was long known in American global companies for their overseas delivery services, it was not the first choice for delivery within the United States. Its recent advertising campaign is trying to change all that. Its television ads show such scenes as FedEx and UPS drivers racing each other to a business location, only to find DHL already on its way out. Or a harried UPS driver getting ready for vacation, only to find constant reminders of DHL’s ubiquity while he’s supposed to be relaxing away from the job.

So, how does a company enter what is effectively a new market, even though this is the market where it began? By carefully planning out a communications strategy to reach the right people with the right message.

1. Using the communication process outlined in Figure 14.2, explain how a message can utilize DHL’s “field of experience” to effectively reach that of the intended recipient. Who is the intended recipient?
2. What stage of buyer readiness would a U.S.–based global corporation be in? How about a mid-size firm? And a smaller firm that is just branching out beyond the city in which they are located? How does DHL reach them all?
3. What kind of appeal would work for a DHL ad? Explain your answer.
4. What promotional tools should DHL use in its promotional mix?
5. Does DHL use a push strategy, a pull strategy, or both in its communications?

Wal-Mart Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Retailing and Wholesaling

Individual Assignment

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. What is Wal-Mart’s overall strategy?
2. Describe Wal-Mart based on the types of retailers described in the text—via service, product line, prices, and organizational approach.
3. Describe Wal-Mart’s decisions they have made for each of the 4 Ps.
4. If you were a wholesaler, who would you approach Wal-Mart to carry your products? How would you position your company?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. What is retailing?
2. How is retailing different from wholesaling?
3. How can retailers be classified?
4. What are the three levels of service? How are they different?
5. Briefly characterize the various retail forms found in Table 13.1.
6. What is a category killer? What is a hypermarket?
7. Explain how a franchise works.
8. What are the benefits and drawbacks of a franchise?
9. How do retailers target a market?
10. How do retailers establish a position in the marketplace?
11. What is meant by “a shortening retail life cycle”?
12. Briefly characterize each of the wholesale forms mentioned in Table 13.3.


13. What are the functions of wholesalers? Can these be replaced? If so, how?
14. What do you think is the most dramatic trend in wholesaling?

Outside Example

Both Barnes & Noble and Borders have been described as category killers. These very large book stores are fairly ubiquitous in shopping malls, strip malls, and downtown locations in major cities. In addition to books, they carry music, newspapers and magazines, and generally will have small cafes within them to encourage customers to hang around for a while.

Barnes & Noble established a major online presence in response to the early success of Amazon.com. Borders has taken another tack for its online sales, teaming up with the enemy, Amazon.com itself. So these two giants have presence virtually everywhere you go, even cyberspace, and they have both largely squeezed out independent bookstores. Even the movie You’ve Got Mail! discusses the impact of this specific kind of category killer.

1.      Discuss the kind of service you get at the stores. Are they self-service, limited-service, or full-service retailers? How about their online stores?

2.      If you have never visited one of these stores, visit one. What is the atmosphere? What do you like about the store? What do you dislike?

3.      Describe their targeting efforts for their physical store locations. What type of customer is likely to go to a store versus buy on the Internet?

4.      How do these two stores compete with Amazon.com when it comes to product assortment? Can you differentiate them at all? If so, how?

5.      Do you find these retailers comfortable as “hang outs”? Do you use them that way yourself? Why or why not? Do they instill a sense of community?

Caterpillar Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Marketing Channels and Supply Chain Management

Individual Assignment

1. Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:
1. What appears to be Caterpillar’s primary distribution strategy?
2. Why are dealers important to Caterpillar?
3. How is service linked to distribution in the industrial equipment industry?
4. How have Caterpillar’s dealers attempted to build a strong customer relationship?
5. What are the basic principles used by Caterpillar to establish strong partnerships? Which of these do you think is most important? Explain.
6. What recommendations would you suggest to Caterpillar for the future?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate an answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. Are marketing channel decisions are among the most important decisions that management faces? Explain.
2. Why are marketing intermediaries used? Explain.
3. What is a distribution channel?
4. What do you think is the most important distribution channel function? Explain.
5. What is a direct marketing channel? An indirect channel?
6. What is channel conflict and how does it occur? What is generally the remedy to channel conflict?
7. What are the advantages to a vertical marketing system? What are the types? Describe each.
8. Characterize the different types of franchise organization.
9. How is a horizontal marketing system different from a vertical marketing system?
10. What is disintermediation? How might it be brought on? What role does it have to play in e-commerce or on the Internet?
11. What is a channel objective?
12. Characterize the three different forms of marketing intermediaries.
13. How can channel members be motivated?
14. What public policy acts affect distribution?
15. Characterize the major logistics functions.
16. What is integrated logistics management?
17. When should third-party logistics be used?

Outside Example

A leading industrial conglomerate has an excellent reputation for delivering a high-quality material for a largely indoor household application. Its research labs have found a way to extend this technology to an exterior application and have proven the concept in a few instances. Now it wants to launch the technology into this new market, and has asked you to help them.

The very first decision is their value delivery network. For the indoor applications, they supply material to value-added distributors, who take that material and turn it into the finished product. It then goes to general contractors, who actually install it in consumer’s homes and some businesses.  The company is not yet sure that their current distributors will have a role to play in this new application, but they also don’t want to just walk away from them in this new application. They feel like their distributors have been good to them, so they should return the favor. And some of the distributors have already helped them out in getting the few installations they do have.

Through answering the questions below, help them diagram their new value chain. You may need to pull in knowledge you gained in previous chapters to answer these questions effectively.

1. How might a channel partner help them get to market? Think about the role the intermediary could play as described in the text.
2. How would you reduce and/or eliminate channel conflict if the company elects to not use the current distributor network?


3. Because this is a market they’ve not sold to before, how would you go about analyzing customer needs?
4. Would you recommend intensive, exclusive, or selective distribution for this market?

Disney n Black & Decker Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Company and Marketing Strategy:

Partnering to Build Customer Relationships

Individual Assignment 

1.      Read the opening vignette to the chapter. Think about the answers to the following questions:

a.       What strategies have been used by Disney in the past to expand market share?

b.      What new strategies are being devised to ensure Disney’s future growth and success?

c.       What (if any) danger could Disney face with its strategies?

d.      What “connections” is Disney attempting?

Share your findings with the class.

Think-Pair-Share

1. Consider the following questions, formulate and answer, pair with the student on your right, share your thoughts with one another, and respond to questions from the instructor.
1. What is the difference between a business or company strategy and a marketing strategy?
2. Compare the Boston Consulting Group’s portfolio analysis method to the product/market expansion grid. Which method would you rather use in your own business? Why?
3. Why would a focus on the 4 Cs be more important than the 4 Ps?
4. What is the difference between a market segment and a market target?
5. What is a value chain? Why is the concept important?

Outside Example

Black & Decker is name known to many Americans. The company brings forth images of Dad out in the shed, perhaps building a dog house with his Black & Decker power tools. But did you know that Black & Decker also offers garment steamers, coffee pots, and more? Go to their Web site at http://www.blackanddecker.com/ to see the wide range of products offered by this company. You can also view their corporate site by clicking on the link on this site, or going directly to http://www.bdk.com/. The company’s vision statement is in the Investor Relations section of that Web site.

1. Outline Black & Decker’s product portfolio. Try to group them into business units (the Web site can help in that regard). Do you think these various products fit together nicely in one business? Why or why not?
2. How would you recommend Black & Decker position themselves in the marketplace against their key competitors? Can you position the entire company, or can it only be done by product line, given the diverse nature of its products?
3. Define Black & Decker’s 4 Ps for their power tools. For price, note the range of prices that you can find. You might want to look at the advertising circulars in your local Sunday newspaper for retail prices, or visit local hardware stores.