What is team selling? Describe a situation in which you think it would be effective.
> Why do marketers monitor the technological environment?
> Describe an industry or firm that you think might be able to weather an economic downturn and explain why.
> What is the function of the Federal Trade Commission? The Food and Drug Administration?
> How can social responsibility benefit a firm as well as the society in which it operates?
> Why is environmental scanning an important activity for marketers?
> What is the rule of three? Suppose you worked for a small firm in a large industry—such as a small manufacturer of furniture. How might you actually use the rule of three to enhance your firm’s position in the marketplace?
> How might an understanding of diversity help formulate a firm’s marketing strategy?
> Why is it so important for a firm to identify its core competencies?
> Over which of Porter’s Five Forces do consumers have the greatest influence? Over which do they have the least? How might these factors affect a firm’s overall marketing strategy?
> What is the difference between a firm’s mission and its objectives? Why is it important that both are conveyed clearly to employees and to customers?
> Foreign investment continues to grow in the United States. Do you think this is a positive trend for U.S. businesses and consumers? Why or why not?
> How does the BCG matrix help marketers decide which products to offer? According to the matrix, which types of products are most desirable, and why?
> What motivates firms to develop sustainable products?
> How do ethics and social responsibility help a firm achieve marketplace success?
> How has social media like Twitter and Facebook changed marketing communications?
> Describe the significance of the shift from transaction-based marketing to relationship marketing. When does relationship building begin?
> What might be some of the benefits of mobile marketing for firms that use it to reach out to consumers?
> Give an example of how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Click it or Ticket” campaign could use one or more of the nontraditional marketing techniques to promote the cause in a state that is newly adopting it.
> Why do not-for-profit organizations need to engage in marketing efforts?
> Define “relationship marketing” and describe how it fits into the marketing concept.
> What are the three different types of competition? Give an example of each.
> Do you agree with countertrade as a legitimate form of conducting business? Why or why not? Describe a countertrade agreement that Microsoft might make in another country.
> Identify the four types of utility, and give an example of each.
> Describe briefly the three traditional global pricing strategies. Give an example of a firm or product that would be likely to adopt one of the three approaches, and explain why.
> What is the difference between a competitive bid and a negotiated price.
> What is the difference between loss leader and leader pricing? When do retailers use each?
> How is product-line pricing helpful to both retailers and their customers?
> Describe the three ways that buyers and sellers handle transportation expenses.
> What are allowances? How do they work?
> Why is competitive pricing risky for marketers?
> Although cannibalization generally forces price cuts, in what ways can it actually benefit a firm?
> What is the difference between a skimming price strategy and a penetration pricing strategy? Under which circumstances is each most likely to be used?
> Suppose you are employed by a large electronics retailer, and a customer comes to you with cognitive dissonance over the purchase of an expensive computer system from your store the previous week. How would you work with the customer to help dispel that
> Explain how the use of yield management can result in greater revenue than other pricing strategies.
> Explain the advantage of modified breakeven analysis over the basic breakeven formula.
> How can locating the breakeven point assist in price determination?
> Explain the advantages and drawbacks of using incremental-cost pricing rather than full-cost pricing.
> What are the practical problems in applying price theory concepts to actual pricing decisions?
> Identify each factor influencing elasticity and give a specific example of how it affects the degree of elasticity in a good or service.
> What are the major price implications of the PIMS studies? Suggest possible explanations for the relationships the PIMS studies reveal.
> Give an example of each of the major categories of pricing objectives.
> How do pricing objectives for a global firm differ from those used generally?
> Distinguish between fair-trade and unfair-trade laws. As a consumer, would you support either fair-trade or unfair-trade laws? Would your answer change if you were the owner of a small store?
> What are some of the ways marketers can break through consumers’ perceptual screens? If you were a marketer for a line of designer pet clothing, what method might you use?
> What are the benefits of sampling? What are the drawbacks?
> What is the role of sales promotion in the marketing effort?
> What is expectancy theory? How do sales managers use it?
> What is the role of a sales incentive?
> Why is it important for a salesperson to understand order processing—regardless of the type of selling he or she is engaged in?
> Which of the four sales channels is each of the following salespeople most likely to use?
> What is trade promotion? What are its objectives?
> How does each of the following factors affect the decision to emphasize personal selling or non-personal advertising and sales promotion?
> Identify and describe the different advertising media. Which are on the rise? Which are facing possible decline?
> What are the two conditions that must exist for a consumer to be influenced by a reference group? Have you ever made a purchase based on reference group influence? If so, what was the purchase and how did you come to the decision to make it? If not, why
> Identify the different types of emotional appeals in advertising. What are the benefits and pitfalls of each?
> What are the three primary objectives of advertising? Give an example of when each one might be used.
> How does the nature of the market for a firm’s goods or services affect the choice of a promotion method?
> For each of the following goods and services, indicate which direct marketing channel or channels you think would be best.
> Why is sponsorship such an important part of a firm’s IMC?
> Differentiate between advertising and product placement. Which do you think is more effective, and why?
> Describe how marketers assess promotional effectiveness.
> What is the role of integrated marketing communications (IMC) in a firm’s overall marketing strategy? When executed well, what are its benefits?
> Differentiate between direct selling and direct-response retailing. Cite examples of both.
> Distinguish among the different types of manufacturer-owned wholesaling intermediaries. What conditions might suit each one?
> One factor that appears to impede growth in online sales is consumers’ fear of receiving unsolicited email after a purchase is made. Given that fear, should companies continue to use email to communicate with customers? If so, how?
> Explain the importance of a retailer’s location to its strategy.
> How do retailers identify target markets? Explain the major strategies by which retailers reach their target markets.
> Define automatic merchandising and explain its role in U.S. retailing today and in the future.
> Find some examples of retailers that demonstrate the concept of the wheel of retailing. Explain the stages they went through and are in currently.
> Which mode of transport would probably be selected for the following goods?
> What are the five components associated with the cost of achieving customer service standards in a physical distribution system?
> Why do firms choose to streamline their supply chains? Describe two or three ways a firm might go about streamlining their supply chains.
> What are the benefits of owning a franchise? What are the drawbacks?
> Compare and contrast the two types of channel conflict. Why is channel conflict damaging to all parties?
> Describe the three levels of distribution intensity. Give an example of a product in each level.
> Some marketers argue that search marketing is a more effective means of using the Web to advertise than traditional pop-up or banner ads. Research the concept of search marketing. What are some of the benefits of using search marketing?
> Describe the two concepts that influence materials handling choices. Give an example of a product that would be appropriate for each.
> What is a marketing intermediary? What is the intermediary’s role?
> Describe the different ways companies can organize to develop new products.
> What are the five stages of the consumer adoption process?
> Describe the different product development strategies.
> What is category management and what role does it play in the success of a product line?
> What role does packaging play in helping create brand loyalty and brand equity?
> What are the characteristics of an effective brand name?
> Identify and briefly describe the different types of brands.
> List the six steps in the new-product development process.
> Who are typical online buyers and sellers? What are some of the strategic implications of these facts to online marketers?
> Pop-up ads, those unsolicited messages that sometimes pop onto your computer screen and block the site or information you’re looking for until you close or respond to them, are inexpensive to produce and cost nearly nothing to send. But they are so annoy
> Sunbeam Corporation manufactures and sells a variety of small household appliances, including toasters, food processors, and waffle grills. Exhibit 3.21 presents a statement of cash flows for Sunbeam for Year 5, Year 6, and Year 7. After experiencing dec
> Sirius XM Radio Inc. is a satellite radio company, formed from the merger of Sirius and XM in 2008. Exhibit 3.20 presents a statement of cash flows for Sirius XM Radio for 2006, 2007, and 2008. Sirius XM and its predecessor, Sirius, realized revenue grow
> Gap Inc. operates chains of retail clothing stores under the names of Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. Exhibit 3.19 presents the statement of cash flows for Gap for Year 0 to Year 4 Exhibit 3.19: REQUIRED: Discuss the relations between net income a
> Tesla Motors manufactures high-performance electric vehicles that are extremely slick looking. Exhibit 3.18 presents the statement of cash flows for Tesla Motors for 2010 through 2012. Exhibit 3.18: REQUIRED: Discuss the relations among net income, cas
> Texas Instruments primarily develops and manufactures semiconductors for use in technology-based products for various industries. The manufacturing process is capital-intensive and subject to cyclical swings in the economy. Because of overcapacity in the
> Flight Training Corporation is a privately held firm that provides fighter pilot training under contracts with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The firm owns approximately 100 Lear jets that it equips with radar jammers and other sophisticated elect
> Nojiri Pharmaceutical Industries develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceutical products in Japan. The Japanese economy experienced recessionary conditions in recent years. In response to these conditions, the Japanese government increased the propor
> Exhibit 3.25 presents common-size statements of cash flows for eight firms in various industries. All amounts in the common-size statements of cash flows are expressed as a percentage of cash flow from operations. In constructing the common-size percenta
> The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) manufactures and markets a variety of beverages. Exhibit 3.16 presents a statement of cash flows for Coca-Cola for three years. Exhibit 3.16: REQUIRED: Discuss the relations between net income and cash flow from operat
> BTB Electronics Inc. manufactures parts, components, and processing equipment for electronics and semiconductor applications in the communications, computer, automotive, and appliance industries. Its sales tend to vary with changes in the business cycle
> Massachusetts Stove Company manufactures wood-burning stoves for the heating of homes and businesses. The company has approached you, as chief lending officer for the Massachusetts Regional Bank, seeking to increase its loan from the current level of $93
> Alfa Romeo incurs direct cash costs of $30,000 in manufacturing a red convertible automobile during 2016. Assume that it incurs all of these costs in cash. Alfa Romeo sells this automobile to you on January 1, 2017, for $45,000. You pay $5,000 immediatel
