List several reasons consumers often blame intermediaries for distribution inefficiencies.
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of using everyday low prices?
> What role does an advertising agency play in developing an advertising campaign?
> Discuss several ways to post test the effectiveness of advertising.
> Discuss the different methods for determining the advertising appropriation.
> What are the unique product features that could make evo a global brand? Evo is an active sports retailer that has unexpectedly become a global distributor. Founded as an online store in 2001, the company opened its first retail store in 2006; this comb
> When Under Armour prepares to set the price for a new shirt equipped with LED lights, how much emphasis should it place on its evaluation of competitors’ prices?
> Describe L’Oréal’s integrated marketing strategy. What are the strengths? Weaknesses?
> Why is it important to have a story to tell when developing content marketing?
> Do you think L.L. Bean’s website will ever entirely take the place of its mail-order catalog? Why or why not?
> What forms of direct marketing does L.L. Bean employ? Which additional forms of direct marketing should L.L. Bean consider using?
> In the pursuit of profits, how might Urban Farmz use a combination of cost-based, demand-based, and competition-based pricing for the products it sells? Explain your answer.
> What type(s) of location do you think would be most appropriate for future L.L. Bean stores, and why?
> If you were in charge of choosing IKEA’s next U.S. store location, what factors would you consider in making your decision?
> Would you recommend that IKEA continue printing and mailing catalogs or should it switch to an online-only catalog? Explain your answer.
> What are the main logistical issues IKEA must address to be able to make 100 percent of its products available for online purchase and delivery?
> How much channel power does IKEA possess? What are the implications for the role it plays in the channel?
> Why are manufacturers’ sales offices and branches classified as wholesalers? Which independent wholesalers are replaced by manufacturers’ sales branches? By sales offices?
> How is door-to-door selling a form of retailing? Some consumers believe direct-response orders bypass the retailer. Is this true?
> What major issues should be considered when determining a retail site location?
> In what ways are traditional specialty stores and off-price retailers similar? How do they differ?
> What are the major differences between discount stores and department stores?
> Urban Farmz wants to price the organic soap at $15.95 per bar, while the soap maker prices the same soap at $14 per bar. What perceptions do you think consumers will have of each price? What recommendations do you have regarding this price difference?
> What value is added to a product by retailers? What value is added by retailers for producers and ultimate consumers?
> Drop shippers take title to products but do not accept physical possession of them, whereas commission merchants take physical possession of products but do not accept title. Defend the logic of classifying drop shippers as wholesale merchants and commis
> What is the difference between a full-service merchant wholesaler and a limited-service merchant wholesaler?
> What services do wholesalers provide to producers and retailers?
> If you were opening a retail business, would you prefer to open an independent store or to own a store under a franchise arrangement? Explain your preference.
> Discuss the major factors that help to determine a retail store’s image. How does atmosphere add value to products sold in a store?
> Describe the three major types of traditional shopping centers. Give an example of each type in your area.
> Considering your product’s attributes and your target market’s (or markets’) buying behavior, will your product likely be sold to the ultimate customer or to another member of the marketing channel?
> If your product will be sold to another member in the marketing channel, discuss whether a merchant wholesaler, agent, or broker is most suitable as your channel customer.
> Are direct marketing or direct selling methods appropriate for your product and target market?
> Should Gannett and The Wall Street Journal be looking at competitors’ prices when setting their own prices? Why or why not?
> If your product will be sold to the ultimate customer, what type of retailing establishment is most suitable to your product? Consider the product’s characteristics and your target market’s buying behavior. Refer to Ta
> Discuss how the characteristics of the retail establishment, such as location and store image, have an impact on the consumer’s perception of your product.
> How would you describe the store image of Dick’s Sporting Goods?
> Would you recommend that Dick’s Sporting Goods test direct selling through at-home consultants? Explain your answer.
> What effect do you think the opening of NHL stores-within-stores will have on the retail positioning of Dick’s Sporting Goods?
> Which distribution channels does Taza use, and why are they appropriate for this company?
> In what ways are Taza’s distribution efforts influenced by the fact that its products are organic?
> In what ways does Taza benefit from selling directly to some consumers? What are some potential problems of selling directly to consumers?
> Describe supply-chain management. Why is it important?
> Comment on this statement. “Channel cooperation requires that members support the overall channel goals to achieve individual goals.”
> What type of psychological pricing are Gannett and The Wall Street Journal using when they offer print and digital subscriptions together for one price? What do you think of this approach to pricing?
> Under what conditions is a producer most likely to use more than one marketing channel?
> Describe an industrial distributor. What types of products are marketed through an industrial distributor?
> Identify and describe the factors that may influence marketing channel selection decisions.
> Outline the four most common channels for business products. Describe the products or situations that lead marketers to choose each channel.
> Compare and contrast the four major types of marketing channels for consumer products. Through which type of channel is each of the following products most likely to be distributed: a) new automobiles, b) saltine crackers, c) cut-your-own Christmas trees
> Describe the major functions of marketing channels. Why are these functions better accomplished through combined efforts of channel members?
> Under what conditions are tying agreements, exclusive dealing, and dual distribution judged illegal?
> Compare and contrast the five major transportation modes in terms of cost, speed, dependability.
> Explain the major differences between private and public warehouses. How do they differ from a distribution center?
> When The Wall Street Journal began charging for online access, the number of visitors to its site dropped dramatically and slowly began rising again. What does this suggest about the price elasticity of demand for its products?
> Explain the trade-offs that inventory managers face when reordering products or supplies. How is the reorder point computed?
> What are the main tasks involved in order processing?
> Discuss the cost and service trade-offs involved in developing a physical distribution system.
> Explain the major characteristics of each of the three types of vertical marketing systems (VMS): corporate, administered, and contractual.
> Explain the differences among intensive, selective, and exclusive methods of distribution.
> Marketing intermediaries perform many activities. Using Table 14.2 as a guide, discuss the types of activities where a channel member could provide needed assistance. Table 14.2 Table 14.2 Marketing Channel Activities Performed by Intermediaries Ma
> What issues in channel conflict might arise from Procter & Gamble’s special arrangements with Amazon.com?
> Do you think Procter & Gamble should use a direct channel to sell to consumers? Identify one or more arguments for and against using a direct channel for disposable diapers and paper towels.
> Would you recommend that Procter & Gamble use any mode of transportation other than trucks to transport cartons to retailers? Explain your answer.
> What ideas and services are involved in UNICEF’s product?
> What are the benefits of cost-based pricing?
> Identify UNICEF’s target public and client publics. Who is the target market for Good Shirts’ social media messages?
> What kinds of objectives do you think UNICEF set for the Good Shirts Project? How should UNICEF evaluate the results of this project?
> What are the challenges for the Chevrolet brand in the future?
> How has GM managed product innovation to sustain the Chevrolet brand for over 100 years?
> Evaluate the product mix brands Cruze, Camaro, and Corvette in terms of their target market.
> What is service quality? Why do customers find it difficult to judge service quality?
> For each marketing-mix element, which service characteristics are most likely to have an impact? Explain.
> Identify and discuss the major characteristics of services.
> How important are services in the U.S. economy?
> Discuss the development of a marketing strategy for a university. What marketing decisions must be made as the strategy is developed?
> Why should a marketer be aware of competitors’ prices?
> What are the differences among clients, publics, and customers? What is the difference between a target public and a target market?
> How does nonprofit marketing differ from marketing in for-profit organizations?
> What steps should a service company take to provide exceptional service quality?
> How do search, experience, and credence qualities affect the way customers view and evaluate services?
> What is the significance of tangibles in service marketing?
> Identify and discuss the five components of service quality. How do customers evaluate these components?
> Consider how your service product relates to each of the dimensions of service quality. Using Table 13.2 as a guide, develop the evaluation criteria and examples that are appropriate for your product. Table 13.2 Table 13.2 Dimensions of Service Qua
> Determine the search, experience, and credence qualities that customers are likely to use when evaluating your service product.
> How is American Express addressing the five dimensions customers use when evaluating service quality? Explain your answer.
> When American Express says its vision is to be “the world’s most respected service brand,” what are the implications for how it manages service expectations?
> Why must marketing objectives and pricing objectives be considered when making pricing decisions?
> For what type of products would price skimming be most appropriate? For what type of products would penetration pricing be more effective?
> Major League Bat Company manufactures baseball bats. In addition to its goods in process inventories, the company maintains inventories of raw materials and finished goods. It uses raw materials as direct materials in production and as indirect materials
> Several important assumptions underlie CVP analysis. Assumptions often help simplify and focus our analysis of sales and costs. A common application of CVP analysis is as a tool to forecast sales, costs, and income. Required Assume that you are actively
> Azule Company produces a single product. Its income statement under absorption costing for its first two years of operation follow. Additional Informationa. Sales and production data for these first two years follow: b. Its variable cost per unit and
> Leather Head Sports, launched by entrepreneur Paul Cunningham, produces balls for various sports. Selling prices typically range from $40 per ball to $295 per ball. Required 1. Identify at least two fixed costs that will not change regardless of how man
> Companies such as KTM commonly prepare a process cost summary. What purposes does a process cost summary serve?
> Refer to information about Dowell Company in Problem 6-1A. In the company’s planning documents, Kyra Dowell, the company’s president, reports that the break-even volume (in units) for the company is 24,000 units. This break-even point is computed as foll
> A local movie theater owner explains to you that ticket sales on weekends and evenings are strong, but attendance during the weekdays, Monday through Thursday, is poor. The owner proposes to offer a contract to the local grade school to show educational
> Farina Bay’s computer system generated the following trial balance on December 31, 2013. The company’s manager knows something is wrong with the trial balance because it does not show any balance for Goods in Process I
> Refer to the information in Exercise 3-20 and complete it for each of the two separate assumptions using the FIFO method for process costing. Information from Exercise 3.20: ProChem manufactures aspirin in a process operation. Details on production acti
> ProChem manufactures aspirin in a process operation. Details on production activity follow. Compute the department’s equivalent units of production with respect to direct materials under each of two separate assumptions. Beginning goods in process . . .
> Dowell Company produces a single product. Its income statement under absorption costing for its first two years of operation follow. Additional Information a. Sales and production data for these first two years follow. b. Variable cost per unit and t
> Assume a company sells a given product for $85 per unit. How many units must be sold to break even if variable selling costs are $27 per unit, variable production costs are $23 per unit, and total fixed costs are $700,000?
