Marketing Management Discussion Questions

Marketing Management Discussion Questions

MKTG 512
–
Marketing Management
Midterm Exam
(Total 100 Points)
Answer All Questions. Each answer to your question requires examples to
support your analysis. Your exam requires you to answer
individually;
this
is not a group work/test. Plagiarism checker should not
attribute your work
to
be more than 10%. If you need help with your writ
ing, check with our
writing department or with me before you submit.
Midterm Exam is due on 10/22/18 at 6 PM (EST). No late submission will
be accepted.
1.
The marketing research process consists of definite set process to help
make decisions. Explain each step
–
in detail with examples.
2.
Explain the purpose of the two complementary
approaches to measuring
marketing productivity. How have you used it in your marketing plan. In
addition, find an example of an organization that has used this approach.
3.
The value chain is a tool for identifying key activities that create value
and cost
s in a specific business. Identify the value chain activities first for
your project and second, explain the concept using an example.
4.
According to one view, holistic marketing maximizes value exploration by
understanding the relationships between the
customer’s cognitive space,
the company’s competence space, and the collaborator’s resource space;
maximizes value creation by identifying new customer benefits from the
customer’s cognitive space. Define and explain this concept. what is the
purpose of u
nderstanding the cognitive part of the customer? How has
Apple or Amazon utilized this concept to their advantage or they have failed
to use this concept?
5.
The corporate strategy establishes the framework within which the
di
visions and business units prepare their strategic plans. Setting a
corporate strategy means defining the corporate mission, establishing
strategic business units (SBUs), assigning resources to each, and
assessing growth opportunities. Explain with exampl
es how this concept

helps an organization with its marketing plan. Describe how you plan to
use this concept in your project.
6.
In the social
–
cultural arena, marketers must understand people’s views
of themselves, others, organizations, society, nature,
and the universe.
They must market products that correspond to society’s core and
secondary values and address the needs of different subcultures within a
society. Use PESTEL to analyze this question, use examples to support
your answers.
7.
In the politi
cal
–
legal environment, marketers must work within the many
laws regulating business practices and with various special
–
interest groups.
How do you navigate this maze? Please use examples of Ford, Apple and
Samsung to answer.
8.
The marketing research proce
ss consists of defining the problem,
decision alternatives; and research objectives; developing the research
plan; collecting the information; analyzing the information; presenting the
findings to management; and making the decision. Explain in detail each
step with an example. Second, what is the process you have set up for
your class project?
9.
Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or
service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Marketers
play a key
role in achieving high levels of total quality so that firms remain
solvent and profitable. How do you achieve quality and what are the steps
in attaining quality for your product.
Answer Any O
ne Case:
Company Case 1
In
–
N
–
Out Burger: Customer Value
the Old
–
Fashioned Way
In
1948, Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In
–
N
–
Out
Burger in Baldwin Park, California. It was a simple
double
drive
–
thru setup with the kitchen between two service lanes, a
walk
–
up window, and outdoor seating. The
menu consisted of
burgers, shakes, so
ft drinks, and fries. This format was common
for the time period. In fact,
another burger joint that fit this
same description opened up the very same year just 45 minutes
away from the first
In
–
N
–
Out Burger. It was called
McDonald’s. Today
, McDonald’s boa
sts over 34,000 stores worldwide that
bring in more than $88 billion every year. In
–
N
–
Out has only
281 stores in five states, good for an estimated $625
million a
year. Based on the outcomes, it would seem that McDonald’s
has emerged the clear victor.
But
In
–
N
–
Out never wanted to be another McDonald’s.
And despite its smaller size
—
or perhaps because of it
—

In
–
N
–
Out’s customers like the regional chain just the way it
is. When it comes to customer satisfaction, In
–
N
–
Out
beats
McDonald’s
hands down. It regular
ly posts the highest customer
satisfaction scores of any fast
–
food restaurant
in its market areas.
Compared to McDonald’s customers, patro
ns of In
–
N
–
Out are
really
“lovin’ it.” Just about anyone who has been to
an In
–
N
–
Out
believes it’s the best burger the
y’ve ever had. It comes as no surprise,
then, that the average per
–
store
sales for In
–
N
–
Out eclipse
those of McDonald’s and are double the industry average.
Breaking All the Rules
According to Stacy Perman, author of a definitive book on
In
–
N
–
Out, the
company has achieved unequivocal
success by
“breaking all the rules.” By rules, Ms. Perman refers to the
standard business practices for the fast
–
food
industry and even
retail in general. In
–
N
–
Out has maintained a tenacious focus on
customer well
–
being, bu
t it has
done so by doing the unthinkable:
not changing. The company’s original philosophy is still
in place today and best
illustrates the basis for the company’s
rule breaking: “Give customers the freshest, highest quality
foods you can buy
and provide t
hem with friendly service in
a sparkling clean environment.” The big burger giants might
take exception to the idea that they aren’t providing the same
customer focus. But let’s take a closer look at what
these things
mean to In
–
N
–
Out.
For starters, at In
–
N
–
Out, quality food means fresh food.
Burgers are made from 100
percent pure beef
—
no additives,
fillers, or preservatives. In
–
N
–
Out owns and operates its own
patty
–
making
commissaries, ensuring that every burger is fresh
and never frozen. Vegetables are sl
iced and diced by hand in every
restaurant. Fries are even made from whole potatoes. And,
yes, milkshakes are made from real ice cream. In an
industry
that has progressively become more and more enamored with
processing technologies such as
cryogenically f
reezing foods
and preparing all ingredients in off
–
site warehouses, In
–
N
–
Out
is indeed an anomaly. In
fact, you won’t even find a freezer,
heating lamp, or microwave oven in an In
–
N
–
Out restaurant.
From the beginning, the company slogan has been “Quality
y
ou can taste.” And customers are convinced that they
can do
just that.
In
–
N
–
Out hasn’t changed its formula for freshness. But
in another deviation from the norm, it also
hasn’t changed its
menu. Unlike McDonald’s or Wendy’s, which introduce seemingly
unending streams of new
menu items, In
–
N
–
Out stays true
to Harry Snyder’s original mantra: “Keep it real simple. Do one
thing and do it the best you can.” This charge from the founder
focuses on what the chain has always done well:
making really
good hambu
rgers, really goo
d fries, and really good shakes
that’s it. While others have focused on
menu expansion in constant
search of the next hit item to drive traffic, In
–
N
–
Out has
tenaciously stuck to the basics.
In fact, it took 60 years for the
company to ad
d 7up and Dr. Pepper to its menu.
Although the limited menu might
seem restrictive, customers
don’t feel that way. In another demonstration of commitment
to customers, In
–
N
–
Out
employees will gladly make
any of the menu items in a truly customized fashion.
From the
chain’s earliest years,
menu modifications became such a norm
at In
–
N
–
Out that a “secret” menu emerged consisting of code
words that
aren’t posted on regular menu boards. So customers
in the know can order their burgers “animal style” (pickles,
e
xtra
spread, grilled onions, and a mustard
–
fried patty). Whereas the
“Double
–
Double” (double meat, double cheese)
is on the menu,
burgers can also be ordered in 3
×
3 or 4
×
4 configurations.
Fries can also be order animal style (two slices of cheese,
grilled
onions, and spread), well done, or light. A
Neapolitan shake is
a mixture of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry shakes. The list
goes on and on. Knowledge of
this secret menu is yet another
thing that makes customers feel special.
It’s not just
In
–
N
–
Out’s food that pleases
customers. The
chain also features well
–
trained employees who deliver unexpectedly
friendly service. In
–
N
–
Out
hires and retains outgoing,
enthusiastic, and capable employees and treats them very
well. It pays new part
–
time staf
f
$10.50 an hour and gives them
regular raises. Part
–
timers also receive paid vacations. General managers make over
$100,000 a year plus bonuses and receive a
full
–
benefit package that rivals anything in the corporate world.
Managers who meet goals are sen
t on lavish trips with their
spouses, often to Europe in first
–
class seats. For gala
events,
managers wear tuxedos. Executives believe that the men and
women who run In
–
N
–
Out stores stand
shoulder
–
to
–
shoulder
with any blue
–
chip manager, and want them to fe
el that way.
Managers are promoted from
within. In fact, 80 percent of
In
–
N
–
Out managers started at the very bottom. As a result,
In
–
N
–
Out has one of the
lowest turnover rates in an industry
infamous for high turnover.
Happy, motivated employees help creat
e loyal,
satisfied
customers. In fact, words like
loyal
and
satisfied
don’t do justice
to how customers feel about In
–
N
–
Out
Burger. The restaurant
chain has developed an unparalleled cult following. When
a new In
–
N
–
Out first opens, the
line of cars often s
tretches out a
mile or more, and people stand in line for hours to get a burger,

fries, and a shake. Fans have been known to camp overnight to
be the first in line. When In
–
N
–
Out made its debut in
Texas, one
woman cried. “Pinch me, it just doesn’t feel rea
l,” whimpered
customer Danielle DeInnocentes,
overcome with emotion as
the reality of her newfound proximity to the burger chain set in.
Slow Growth Nurtures Fans
Some observers point out that it’s probably more than just
the food and the service that
created In
–
N
–
Out’s diehard customer
base. Because of In
–
N
–
Out’s slow
–
growth expansion
strategy, you won’t find one
of the famous red
–
and
–
white
stores with crisscrossed palm trees on every corner. By 1976,
In
–
N
–
Out had grown to only 18 southern California s
tores,
whereas McDonald’s
and Burger King had
opened thousands
of stores worldwide. It took In
–
N
–
Out 40 years to open its
first non
–
California
store in Las Vegas. And even as the company
expands into Arizona,
Utah, and Texas, it sticks tenaciously
to its p
olicy of not opening more than about 10 stores
per year.
The lack of access to an In
–
N
–
Out in most
states has created
legions of cravers coast to coast. Fans have created countless
Facebook pages, filled with posts by
consumers begging
the family
–
owned cor
poration to bring In
–
N
–
Out to their states.
But In
–
N
–
Out’s policy is driven
by its commitment to quality. It
will open a new store only when it has trained management and
company
–
owned
distribution centers in place.
The scarcity of In
–
N
–
Out stores only add
s to its allure. Customers
regularly go out of
their way and drive long distances to
get their fix. Having to drive a little further contributes to the
feeling that going
to In
–
N
–
Out is an event. Out
–
of
–
state visitors
in the know often put an In
–
N
–
Out stop
high on their list of
things to
do. Jeff Rose, a financial planner from Carbondale,
Illinois, always stops at In
–
N
–
Out first when he visits Las Vegas
to see his mother. “You have to pass it when you drive to her
house,” he says in his defense. “It’s not
like the time I
paid an
extra $40 in cab fare to visit an In
–
N
–
Out on the way to the San
Diego airport.”
Consistent with the other
elements of its simple
–
yet
–
focused
strategy, In

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