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Business Marketing Management: B2B 10th Edition Hutt M.D., Speh T.W. - Solutions
Evaluate this statement: “The Internet changes marketing communications from a one-way process to a two-way process that permits the marketer and the consumer to now more readily exchange information.”
Although the bulk of the promotional budget of the business marketing fi rm is allocated to personal selling, advertising can play an important role in business marketing strategy. Explain.
Provide a set of specifi c pricing guidelines that managers should apply as the traditional cost-plus approach is phased out and a value-based approach to pricing is implemented.
Describe the process that you would follow in performing an audit of the fi rm’s product line to identify those products that represent the best and worst candidates for profi t-margin expansion.
Hill-Rom is a leading B2B fi rm that dominates a niche in the healthcare industry. Go to http://www.hill-rom.com and, fi rst, describe the products and services that Hill-Rom offers to hospitals. Next, describe how Hill-Rom products or solutions might reduce the total cost-in-use for a hospital.
Many companies, including GE, Quaker Oats, and United Technologies, report millions of dollars of savings from using reverse auctions rather than traditional purchasing methods. Of course, business marketing strategists fear that these auctions will transform their products and services into
If a competitor’s price cut threatens only a small portion of expected sales, the sales loss from ignoring the threat is probably much less than the cost of retaliation. Agree or disagree? Explain.
Rather than time to market, Intel refers to the product development cycle for a new chip as “time to money.” Andrew Grove, Intel’s legendary leader, said, “Speed is the only weapon we have.” What pricing advantages issue from a rapid product development process?
A business marketing manager often has great diffi culty in arriving at the optimum price level for a product. First, describe the factors that complicate the pricing decision. Second, outline the approach you would follow in pricing an industrial product. Be as specifi c as possible.
The XYZ Manufacturing Corporation has experienced a rather large decline in sales for its component parts. Mary Vantage, vice president of marketing, believes that a 10 percent price cut may get things going again. What factors should Mary consider before reducing the price of the components?
Compare and contrast commodity value versus differentiation value, highlighting the signifi cance of each in setting a price.
Evaluate this statement: To move away from the commodity mentality, companies must view their products as customer solutions, and then sell the products on that basis.
Explain why it is often necessary for the business marketer to develop a separate demand curve for various market segments. Would one total demand curve be better for making the industrial pricing decision? Explain.
A Pac-10 university library recently purchased 60 personal computers from Hewlett-Packard. Illustrate how a purchasing specialist at the university could use a total cost-in-use approach in evaluating the value of the Hewlett-Packard offering in relation to the value provided by its rivals.
Describe the core benefi ts and add-on benefi ts that FedEx provides to its business customers.
Critique Trans-Pro’s approach to managing logistics.
YRC Worldwide Inc. is a Fortune 500 transportation company and one of the largest transportation fi rms in the world. Go to http://www.yrcw .com/ and examine the online tools available on the Web site. Discuss how the various tools would help a B2B marketer enhance the logistics services that they
An increasing number of manufacturers are adopting more sophisticated purchasing practices and inventory control systems. What are the strategic implications of these developments for business marketers wishing to serve these customers?
Explain how consistent delivery performance gives the organizational buyer the opportunity to cut the level of inventory maintained.
A key goal in logistical management is to fi nd the optimum balance of logistical cost and customer service that yields optimal profi ts. Explain.
Describe a situation in which total logistical costs might be reduced by doubling transportation costs.
Adopting the perspective of an organizational buyer, carefully illustrate how the most economical source of supply might be the fi rm that offers the highest price but also the fastest and most reliable delivery system.
Describe the role the Internet plays in enhancing supply chain management operations.
Explain the different elements of “waste” that exist in supply chains and how supply chain management focuses on eliminating the various elements of waste.
Explain why cooperation among supply chain participants determines whether the supply chain is effective.
Explain how an effective supply chain can create a strong competitive advantage for the fi rms involved in it.
What is supply chain management and what are the types of functions and fi rms that make up the typical supply chain?
Internet sales for Grainger are the most profi table of all types of sales in its business. In addition, Internet sales account for about 20 percent of its total volume. Explain why Grainger would have such high volume for Internet sales and why these sales are more profi table than those made
By providing a very brief description of 500,000 items, a Grainger catalog is massive—weighing several pounds. In the past, Grainger executives worried that the catalog could get too heavy for the average person to lift and, therefore, limited product descriptions to a couple of lines. Go to the
What role would the Internet play in Grainger’s strategy, given the fi rm’s past success, the nature of its product line (rather “‘stodgy” basic industrial items), the organization of the fi rm (a 500,000-item catalog, a 1,900-person sales force, and 600 branch locations), and 2 million
Channel design begins with an assessment of customer needs. What benefi ts or special services should a SunPower commercial dealer provide in order to meet the unique requirements of an SMB customer?
Sysco Corporation is a large distributor of food and food-related products to the food-service industry. The company provides its products and services to approximately 415,000 customers, including restaurants, health-care and educational facilities, lodging establishments, and other food-service
For many years, critics have charged that intermediaries contribute strongly to the rising prices of goods in the American economy. Would business marketers improve the level of effi ciency and effectiveness in the channel by reducing as far as possible the number of intermediate links in the
Both business marketers and distributors are interested in achieving profi t goals. Why, then, are manufacturer-distributor relationships characterized by confl ict? What steps can the marketer take to reduce confl ict and thus improve channel performance?
Explain how a change in segmentation policy (that is, entering new markets) may trigger the need for drastic changes in the industrial channel of distribution.
Describe why it might be necessary for a business-to-business fi rm to serve some customers through reps, some through distributors, others exclusively online, and still others through a direct sales force.
What product/market factors lend themselves to the use of manufacturers’ representatives?
Compare and contrast the functions performed by industrial distributors and manufacturers’ representatives.
Describe specifi c product, market, and competitive conditions that lend themselves to (a) a direct channel of distribution and (b) an indirect channel of distribution.
Explain how a direct distribution channel may be the lowest-cost alternative for one business marketer and the highest-cost alternative for another in the same industry.
Using a multichannel integration map (see Figure 11.3), illustrate how a fi rm might cover small and medium-sized businesses versus large corporate customers.
Describe the specifi c tasks in the typical sales cycle and discuss how different channels (for example, business partners versus the Internet) can perform different tasks within a single sales transaction.
Assess the prospects for SafePlace in the education market and suggest a potential strategy the fi rm might follow to penetrate this market.
What steps could John Fannin take to fuel the growth of SafePlace?
Describe the core service concept and benefi ts that SafePlace provides to a hotel and its guests. How would you describe these benefi ts in the body of an ad?
Autodesk, Inc., a leading design software and digital content company, provides online collaborative services for the building industry that enables more effective management of all project information. Go to http://www.buzzsaw.com and describe the service solutions Autodesk provides for architects
What steps can a manager take to enhance the chances of success for a new business service?
Critique this statement: “A key dimension of success in services marketing, as opposed to products marketing, is that operating personnel in the service fi rm play a critical selling and marketing role.”
As a luxury resort hotel manager, what approaches might you utilize to manage business demand for hotel space?
What is the role of physical evidence in the marketing of a business service?
A new fi rm creates Web sites and electronic commerce strategies for small businesses. Describe the essential elements to be included in its service product.
Many fi rms have a recovery process in place for situations when their products or services fail to deliver what has been promised to the customer. Illustrate how such a process might work.
Leading service companies such as American Express and FedEx measure customer satisfaction on a quarterly basis across the global market. Discuss the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Explain why the growth opportunities for many fi rms, such as IBM or GE, are far greater in services than they are in products.
When a company buys a high-end document processor from Xerox or Canon, it is buying a physical product with a bundle of associated services. Describe some of the services that might be associated with such a product. Develop a list of the elements or points of interaction that might be refl ected
Local contractors who handle home remodeling and other building projects turn to Home Depot or Lowe’s for many products, tools, and materials. Describe how these retailers could adopt a solutions marketing focus to serve those customers.
To develop patient-friendly furnishings or suites of products that boost staff productivity, describe specifi c steps that marketing strategists at Nurture might take to learn more about the workings of a hospital environment and the needs of different constituents—patients, visitors, nurses, and
Evaluate this statement: “To increase the speed of the new-productdevelopment process, a fi rm might follow one strategy for unpredictable projects and an entirely different one for more predictable ones.”
New industrial products that succeed provide clear-cut advantages to customers. Defi ne product advantage and provide an example of a recent new product introduction that fi ts this defi nition.
Describe how Marriott might employ lead user analysis to better align its properties and services with the needs of the executive traveler.
Rather than planning for and investing in just one version of the future, some fi rms use low-cost probes to experiment with many possible futures. Evaluate the wisdom of this approach.
In fast-changing high-tech industries, some fi rms have a better record in developing new products than others. Describe the critical factors that drive the new product performance of fi rms.
In many markets, a new entrant might consider a strategy that provides potential customers with a product or technology that is “good enough” rather than “superior” to existing options. Describe the key tests that a disruptive strategy must pass in order to stack the odds for success in its
Compare and contrast a low-end versus a new-market disruptive strategy.
The breakthrough products for many companies did not emerge from the formal new-product-development process. Instead, they were championed by a few resourceful employees. What steps can organizations take to motivate and support corporate entrepreneurship?
Compare and contrast induced and autonomous strategic behavior. Describe the role of the product champion in the new-productdevelopment process.
Research by James Quinn suggests that few major innovations result from highly structured planning systems. What does this imply for the business marketer?
Identify particular market segments that Cisco might target for the TelePresence product.
Using the technology life cycle as a framework, propose particular marketing strategies that Cisco might employ to “cross the chasm.”
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the building systems and aerospace industries. Go to http://www.utc.com and identify UTC’s major businesses (product lines).
Firms like Microsoft, Apple, Sony, and Intel have experienced a burst of demand for some of their products. During the “tornado” for a hightech product, the guiding principle of operations for a market leader is “Just ship.” Explain and discuss the changes in marketing strategy the fi rm
Moving across the technology adoption life cycle, compare and contrast technology enthusiasts with pragmatists. Give special attention to the strategy guidelines that the marketing strategist should follow in reaching customers that fall into these two adoption categories.
A particular product strategy will stimulate a response from the market and a corresponding response from competitors. Which specifi c features of the competitive environment should the business marketing strategist evaluate?
Distinguish among catalog items, custom-built items, custom-designed items, and services. Explain how marketing requirements vary across these classifi cations.
Bradley Gale, managing director of The Strategic Planning Institute, says: “People systematically knock out income statements and balance sheets, but they often don’t monitor the nonfi nancial factors that ultimately drive their fi nancial performance. These nonfi nancial factors include
Regis McKenna notes that “no company in a technology-based industry is safe from unanticipated bumps in the night.” In recent years, many industries have been jolted by technological change. In such an environment, what steps can a product strategist take?
Describe why a brand-positioning strategy should include points of difference and points of parity. Provide an illustration to support your case.
Using the customer-based brand equity framework as a guide, describe the distinctive components of Apple’s brand strategy.
Identify two business-to-business brands that you would deem to be strong and distinctive. Next, describe the characteristics of each brand that tend to set it apart from rival brands.
Evaluate this statement: A brand is much more than a name, and branding is a strategy problem, not a naming problem.
By facing fi erce competition from low-cost rivals, many business-to-business fi rms in the United States and Europe face a situation today similar to Schwinn’s. What lessons can they draw from the Schwinn story? How can they strengthen their competitive position?
General Electric (GE) sells over $5 billion worth of goods and services to Chinese customers in the business market. Go to http:// www.ge.com and fi rst identify the various GE divisions, like Healthcare, that contribute to sales volume and then identify a few products from each division that
A global strategy begins with a unique competitive position that offers a clear competitive advantage. What steps can a global competitor take to ensure that the strategy is implemented in a consistent way in countries around the world?
Why would Hewlett-Packard assign product-line responsibility to a subsidiary located outside the United States?
A supplier of copper tubing and wire has adopted a multidomestic strategy to enter the eastern European market. What factors should it assess in these countries in order to formulate its marketing strategy in each one. Explain.
A major U.S. electronics fi rm decides the best approach to a global business strategy is to employ a multidomestic strategy. It will focus its efforts on China. Discuss some of the key threats the fi rm faces as it enters this market. How could it mitigate some of the risks associated with these
A small Michigan-based fi rm that produces and sells component parts to General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler wishes to extend market coverage to Europe and Japan. What type of market entry strategy would provide the best fi t?
The European aerospace consortium Airbus is a strong competitor to Boeing and is climbing toward its long-stated goal of winning 50 percent of the over-100-seat airline market. What criteria would a customer like UPS or British Airways consider in choosing aircraft? What are the critical factors
In addition to cost advantages, describe the other ways that rapidly developing economies can contribute to competitive advantage.
Describe the characteristics of products and services that would represent poor candidates for outsourcing.
Many observers argue the cost advantage that rapidly developing economies enjoy will evaporate in 5 to 10 years. Agree or disagree? Explain.
Evaluate this statement: Many business-to-business fi rms need to fi ll market gaps at home with new products and services and also follow selected customers to their new locations in rapidly developing economies like India or China.
In buying insurance, some SMB customers just want the lowest-priced option for each type of insurance, whereas others want value-added services (for example, risk-management guidance) and a complete, integrated insurance solution. How should Federated respond to customers who are strictly focused
By directing attention to particular types of businesses (for example, convenience stores or auto dealers), Federated emphasizes macrosegmentation. To further sharpen strategy, suggest possible ways that particular macrosegments could be broken down further into meaningful microsegments.
What features of the business market support the use of qualitative forecasting approaches? What benefi ts does the business market analyst gain by combining these qualitative approaches with quantitative forecasting methods?
What limitations must be understood before applying and interpreting the demand forecasting results generated by causal methods?
As alternative methods for demand forecasting, what is the underlying logic of (1) time series and (2) regression or causal methods?
Although qualitative forecasting techniques are important in the sales forecasting process in many industrial fi rms, the marketing manager must understand the limitations of these approaches. Outline these limitations.
Compare and contrast the sales force composite and the Delphi methods of developing a sales forecast.
Some fi rms follow a single-stage segmentation approach using macrodimensions; others use both macrodimensions and microdimensions. As a business marketing manager, what factors would you consider in making a choice between the two methods?
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