Question: 1. What did the successful implementation of

> Exhorting firms to develop networks and alliances for purposes of value co-creation sounds like a good idea. However, is there a point at which such approaches can be taken too far (a) from a legal perspective, (b) from an ethical perspective, and (c

> Consider this statement: “It’s important in business today for all firms to work to cut out the middleman. Intermediaries represent costs that can be saved by finding ways to cut them out of the system. Down-channel buyers always benefit when this happ

> Review the section on change drivers and select any two within the set that you want to focus on. Pick an organization of your choice and answer the following questions: a. In what ways do each of the change drivers impact the firm’s ability to success

> Consider the issue of disintermediation in electronic channels. a. Do you believe that all channels will disintermediate down to simple direct channels over time? Why or why not? b. Does your opinion change if the question is asked only about B2C c

> The chapter discusses the importance of being “nimble” in all aspects of a firm’s operation – that is, to be in a position to be maximally flexible, adaptable, and speedy in response to change. a. Identify two firms in two different industries that yo

> Consider the concept of value co-creation. a. In your own words, explain the concept of value co-creation. b. What are some specific ways value can be co-created? c. Provide an example of a specific value network you believe results in a high level of v

> Assume that you are a marketing manager for Pantene shampoo and conditioner, two of P&G’s star products, and that several of P&G’s competitors have recently begun to cut prices to retailers and also to offer more aggressive channel allowances in order to

> Select any three of the pricing tactics identified in the chapter. For each tactic: a. Identify a brand (other than the examples in the chapter) that you believe is currently employing that tactic. b. Provide evidence to support the use of that tactic.

> Review Exhibit 11.3 on price-quality positioning, along with the accompanying discussion. a. Consider the low quality/high price quadrant. Identify a brand (other than the examples in the chapter) that you believe currently resides in this quadrant. H

> Pricing against competitors is common. Yet the approach carries some significant problems. a. What are the advantages of competitor-based pricing? b. What are the risks of using competitor-based pricing exclusive of other approaches? c. Identify a few

> Why might penetration pricing potentially negatively impact brand image and product positioning in the long run? Given this risk, why would a marketing manager use penetration pricing? Identify a brand (other than the examples in the chapter) that you

> Consider the five dimensions of service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. a. Identify a recent service encounter you have experienced as a customer (either B2C or B2B) that you would classify as a generally bad exp

> Review the Gap Model of Service Quality (Exhibit 10.6). Consider each of the five gaps where customer expectations might not be met. Select a firm of your choice and for each potential gap list specific actions that the firm could take to improve the l

> The market research director for John Deere has just received a call from the marketing manager in the company’s lawn tractor division. The manager wants to know how the new advertising campaign is being received by current customers. Design a research

> Review Exhibit 10.5 and the accompanying discussion on search, experience, and credence attributes of offerings. a. Why are the types of offerings on the far right side of the continuum – professional services – difficult for customers to evaluate? b. W

> The service-profit chain guides managers toward understanding and facilitating successful linkages in the service delivery system to drive loyalty, revenue growth, and higher profits. a. What functional areas of a firm must a marketing manager effecti

> 1. Marketing managers must be cognizant of the unique characteristics of services: intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability. a. How does each of these characteristics potentially impact the development and execution of marketing pl

> SanDisk is introducing a new line of flash drives to complement its existing products, and you are responsible for creating the package design. What key information and other creative elements would you include on the package?

> You have been asked by Coca-Cola’s product manager to present the arguments for and against extending the Coke brand to a new cola drink. What would be the arguments for and against extending the Coke brand to a new cola drink?

> Johnson & Johnson has been able to establish strong brand equity for its line of baby products. What benefits does J&J have because of its brand equity for these products?

> You are the product manager for Ralph Lauren’s Polo shirts. What specific information are you trying to convey in the brand’s iconic polo pony logo? For example, what does the Polo brand say about quality, features, style relative to the Tommy Hilfiger

> Motorola is introducing a new phone that incorporates Internet surfing capability using new LTE technology, a GPS program, and other new features that will greatly expand the features available on a cell phone. Develop a marketing strategy for the launch

> You are the marketing manager for Coca-Cola products in the United States. Describe the product line for Coke-branded products and briefly describe how each product differs from the other products in the Coke brand product line.

> One of the most difficult characteristics of a product to define is style. You are the marketing manager for Cadillac; define the product style for an Escalade. Compare and contrast that with product style for Chevrolet Tahoe (another large SUV built o

> Put yourself in the role of a marketing manager – from this perspective, do you agree with the concepts of societal marketing and sustainability? Why or why not? How does a focus on sustainability affect the marketing manager’s role and activities? Id

> Choose two comparable phones from Samsung and Microsoft/Nokia and examine each product. How does the product form differ between the two products? How are they the same? Now consider the features of the two products. What features are unique to each

> You are a marketing manager for Starbucks. Describe the following as it relates to the product experience at Starbucks: essential benefit, core product, and enhanced product. Now imagine you are the marketing manager for Aquafresh Extreme toothpaste.

> McDonald’s is interested in your opinion of how it would stack up on a perceptual map against Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Chick-fil-A on the attributes of convenience and product quality. Create the map by putting convenience as the vertical axi

> Consider each of the brands below. Review the list of potential sources of differential competitive advantage (differentiation) highlighted in the chapter. For each: (a) indicate which one differentiation source you believe is most important to them cu

> Assume for a moment that you are in marketing for Staples (the office supply company) and that the clients you are responsible for are business users (not end-user consumers). What five business market segmentation variables do think will be most useful

> You work for Siemens Power Generations systems and are responsible for the sale of large, expensive ($2 million to $5 million) turbine generators to power utility companies. You have been contacted by the Ever-Sure Utility Corporation in Any Town, USA.

> You are the marketing manager for Lenovo laptop computers. Identify and briefly discuss the differences between the consumer market for laptops and the business market. Then give an example of each difference using college students as the consumer mark

> You are the marketing manager for the Bowflex Revolution Home Gym. You believe the product appeals to both men and women. As you develop the marketing strategy, what differences might you consider in the product based on whether a man or woman is buyin

> Pick a firm that interests you and for which you have some knowledge of its offerings. a. How would this firm benefit from a marketing dashboard approach? b. What elements would you recommend it put onto its dashboard? Why do you recommend the ones y

> Select an organization that employs a highly personalized approach to selling products or services to its customers online. Ideally, this is one that you have used in the past so that you are more familiar with it. a. What are some different ways that

> In the chapter we make a strong case for the relevance of Peter Drucker’s key themes today, even though much of his writing was done decades ago. Do you agree that his message was ahead of its time and is still relevant? Why or why not? Assume you are

> In the chapter you read about several Big Data sources. For each Big Data source listed below, identify an organization that you believe uses (or could use) that data source and then briefly describe how you believe the organization currently uses (or co

> Consider the CRM process cycle of knowledge discovery, market planning, customer interaction, and analysis and refinement. Pick a company of interest to you and identify one of its important brands or product lines (it can be a good or a service). Chart

> Consider each of the brands below. Assuming that a strong CRM system is in place in each brand’s parent firm, what specific actions can marketing managers take in each case to ensure high satisfaction and loyalty among the most profitable customers?

> As a market manager at Lenovo, what key information from outside the company would be important to help in the design of a new laptop for small and medium-sized businesses?

> Historically, the theme park industry in Orlando is heavily impacted by a large number of macro-level external environmental factors. From each of the five major categories of macro-level external factors, identify a specific example of how some element

> Select any industry of interest to you and identify several competing firms. Using Miles and Snow’s Strategy Types, identify the following: (1) a firm that you believe is a prospector; (2) a firm that you believe is an analyzer; (3) a firm that you beli

> Why is it so important for marketing managers, when engaged in marketing planning, to successfully deal with both Marketing (Big M) and marketing (little m) elements? What would be the likely negative outcome if a marketing plan paid a lot of attention

> Consider the concept of the value chain. Identify a firm that you believe does an especially good job of investing in elements in the value chain in order to gain higher profit margins versus competition. Which two or three elements in the value chain

> What is a value proposition? For each of these brands, articulate your perception of their key value proposition:

> The CEO of Timberland has called and asked you to develop a triple bottom line report for the company. What might be included in a TBL report for Timberland?

> Consider the various marketing misconceptions introduced in this chapter. a. Pick any two of the misconceptions and develop a specific example of each from your own experience with firms and brands. b. How will it be beneficial for a new marketing man

> 1. What is the name of the theory that says countries produce and export goods that require resources that are abundant and import goods that require resources in short supply? 2. Factor proportions theory divides a nation’s resources into what two categ

> 1. A nation that is able to produce a good more efficiently than other nations is said to have what? 2. What does a nation have when it is unable to produce a good more efficiently than other nations but it can produce the good more efficiently than it c

> 1. List several benefits of international trade? 2. World merchandise exports are valued at how many times the value of worldwide service exports? 3. What portion of total world merchandise trade is accounted for by two way trade between high income econ

> 1. During what time period did China undergo its most rigorous experience with central planning? 2. What challenges might pose a threat to China’s future economic performance? 3. Over what aspects of Russia’s centrally planned economy did planners exerci

> 1. How can a company incorporate political risk into its business strategies? 2. What is a good source of information to help conduct accurate political risk forecasting? 3. What might result from unfavorable political relations among countries?

> 1. How does political abroad risk affect companies? 2. Companies fear open violence and conflict abroad because it can threaten to do what? 3. What is the name given to the forced transfer of assets from a company to the government with compensation?

> 1. What does the economic transition process involve? 2. What are the key obstacles for countries in transition? 3. Transition replaces dependence on the government with greater emphasis on what?

> 1. An increase in the economic well-being, quality of life, and general welfare of a nation’s people is called what? 2. What are the drawbacks of using national production to measure economic development? 3. The human development index measures what aspe

> 1. The essence of which philosophy is captured by the expression, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”? 2. Possible consequences of corruption include what? 3. What are some criteria a product must meet to be Fair Trade certified? 4. The environmental imp

> You are the CEO of a multinational corporation that operates in more than 100 nations worldwide. Recent changes in the global economy are redrawing many geographical and political borders. The growing interdependence of socially, politically, economicall

> 1. What are some examples of intellectual property rights? 2. What are the different types of industrial property? 3. Laws that hold manufacturers, sellers, individuals, and others responsible for damage, injury, or death caused by defective products ar

> 1. Which legal system decides cases by interpreting the law on the basis of tradition, precedent, and usage? 2. Which legal system is based on a detailed set of written rules and statutes that constitute a legal code? 3. A legal tradition based on religi

> 1. What factors contributed to the decline of centrally planned economies? 2. Which economic system strives toward low unemployment, low poverty, steady economic growth, and an equitable distribution of wealth? 3. Laissez-faire economics calls for less g

> 1. What features characterize the political ideology called pluralism? 2. Communists believe that a violent revolution is needed to seize control over resources, wish to eliminate political opposition, and do what else? 3. What does a representative demo

> 1. People living in different cultures often have different views regarding their what? 2. What is an example of cultural imperialism? 3. The Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck framework does investigate whether people do what? 4. In the Hofstede framework, the term “

> 1. Social structure embodies a culture’s fundamental organization, including what? 2. A person and his or her immediate relatives including parents and siblings, is called what? 3. The departure of highly educated people from one profession, region, or n

> 1. What are examples of values? 2. What type of custom might a conservative group oppose in a culture? 3. The law that restricts the gift giving by U.S. firms at home and abroad is called?

> 1. It helps to think about international business as four elements that occur within a what? 2. How does managing an international firm differ from managing a purely domestic business?

> 1. People opposed to globalization say that it does what to national cultures? 2. Regarding national sovereignty, opponents of globalization say that it does what? 3. With regard to the physical environment, what do globalization supporters argue?

> 1. Every culture has a communication system that it uses to convey what? 2. A special language understood by two parties who speak different native languages is called what? 3. An interesting fact about body language is what?

> The Caribbean nations do not participate in NAFTA and CAFTA-DR. Many people in southern U.S. states complain that NAFTA and CAFTA-DR are unfair to their extended families living on the Caribbean islands. Some experts argue that the term free trade agreem

> 1. Which denomination of Christianity has a “work ethic” named after it? 2. India is home to more than 90 percent of the adherents of which religion? 3. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political head of what religion?

> 1. What global organizations have helped expand globalization? 2. What technological innovations are helping to propel globalization? 3. What nations rank high in terms of globalization?

> 1. Globalization causes the institutions and economies of nations to become what? 2. What benefits might a company obtain from the globalization of markets? 3. Sustainability is development that meets present needs without compromising what?

> 1. How might a subculture differ from the dominant culture? 2. What do we call the belief that one man’s culture is superior to that of others? 3. What do we call detailed knowledge about a culture that enables a person to work happily within it?

> 1. Because labor–management relations are human relations they are rooted in what? 2. German workers have a direct say in the strategies and policies of their employers under a plan called what?

> 1. A manager who goes to work in an unstable country might receive a bonus called what? 2. Some factors that contribute to the compensation of expatriate managers include what?

> 1. What constitutes the most basic level of cultural training? 2. What type of training is said to get one “into the mind” of the local people?

> 1. The process of forecasting a company’s human resource needs and supply is called what? 2. When recruiting employees, from where can employers attract qualified applicants 3. Culture shock is a psychological process that affects people who live where?

> 1. A firm that staffs its operations abroad with home-country nationals uses a staffing policy called? 2. Polycentric staffing is when a company staffs its operations with people from where? 3. Geocentric staffing is typically reserved for whom?

> 1. In general, through what source do companies obtain financial resources? 2. A common way for non-U.S. companies to access U.S. capital markets is to issue what? 3. A firm’s mix of equity, debt, and internally generated funds that it uses to finance i

> You are the U.S. senator deciding whether to vote yes or no on a new legislation. The potential new law places restrictions on the practice of outsourcing work to low-wage countries and is designed to protect U.S. workers’ jobs. These days it is increasi

> 1. Why might a company strive for quality improvement? 2. The international certification that a company gets when it meets the highest quality standards in the industry is called what? 3. Under what conditions might a company reinvest earnings in its op

> 1. Vertical integration is the process by which a company extends its control over what? 2. Why might a company make a product in-house rather than buy it? 3. Why might a firm buy a product rather than make it in-house?

> 1. Assessing a firm’s ability to produce enough output to satisfy demand is called what? 2. Location economies can arise from the optimal execution of what? 3. What typically determines the process that a firm uses to create its product?

> 1. What makes worldwide pricing difficult to achieve? 2. To apply dual pricing successfully, how must a firm treat its domestic and international buyers? 3. Parent firms and subsidiaries often transfer products among themselves as a price called what?

> 1. What type of channel grants the right to sell a product to many resellers? 2. In terms of channel length, direct marketing is known as what? 3. A product with a low value density tends to have a distribution system that is more what?

> 1. A strategy that pressures channel members to carry and promoted a product is called what 2. Firms that standardize international advertising often control campaigns from where? 3. The process of sending promotional messages about products to target ma

> 1. Deciding whether to keep a marketing strategy the same or modify it a broad is also known as what? 2. What factors influence a country’s international product strategy? 3. What product characteristic is more likely than others to offend people in anot

> 1. When selecting a partner for cooperation it is important to remember what? 3. What factors may discourage an investment entry mode? 2. What factors may encourage an investment entry mode?

> 1. What is the name of a specific type of investment entry mode? 2. A wholly owned subsidiary is a facility owned and controlled by what? 3. What is the name of a specific type of joint venture? 4. A strategic alliance is similar to a joint venture excep

> 1. What is the name of a specific type of contractual entry mode? 2. What is it called when companies use agreements to exchange intangible property? 3. A disadvantage of both management contracts and turnkey projects is what?

> The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), a nonprofit trade and industry group based in Washington DC, won a court battle against the state of Massachusetts. In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the NFTC and struck down a Massachus

> 1. Export/import financing that presents the most risk for exporters is called what? 2. Export/import financing in which a bank acts as an intermediary without financial risk is called what? 3. Export/import financing in which the importer’s bank issues

> 1. What are the four steps, in order, involved in creating an export strategy? 2. When a company sells its products to intermediaries who then resell to buyers in a target market it is call what? 3. What is the name of a specific type of countertrade?

> 1. Collecting and analyzing original data and applying the results to current research needs is called what? 2. A trade show is the same thing as what? 3. A firm researching a very unfamiliar but potentially very profitable market might be best to do wha

> 1. Obtaining information that already exists within or outside the company is called what? 2. What are possible sources of secondary research data? 3. What are potential problems that can arise with the use of secondary research data?

> 1. The sensitivity of demand for a product relative to changes in income is called what? 2. What variable is commonly included in a market potential indicator? 3. How important is it for top managers to pay a visit to a market or site before making a fi

> 1. What is the first step in the screening process for potential markets and sites? 2. What forces should a company research when assessing a nation’s business environment? 3. Evaluating a product from a certain country as superior to similar products fr

> 1. What type of organizational structure tends to concentrate all international expertise in one division? 2. An organizational structure that divides worldwide operations according to a firm’s product areas is called what? 3. What do we call a group of

> 1. How a company divides its activities among separate units and coordinates activities among units is called what? 2. What type of decision making helps coordinate the operations of international subsidiaries? 3. What is the benefit of decentralized dec

> 1. What strategy involves adapting products and their marketing strategies to national markets to suit local preferences? 2. What is the benefit of using a global strategy? 3. Deciding on a general competitive strategy in the marketplace is the key to de

> 1. A written statement of why a company exists and what it plans to accomplish is called a what? 2. A special ability of a company that competitors find extremely difficult or impossible to equal is called a what? 3. Value-chain analysis involves separat