Exam 6: Business Markets and Business Buyer Behavior

"The buying center concept presents a major marketing challenge." What does a business marketer need to learn in order to deal with the challenge effectively?

The owners of a manufacturing firm in Ohio have developed a core network of suppliers to ensure an uninterrupted supply of products. This is an example of ________.

Total government spending is determined by ________.

A ________ creates a long-term relationship in which the supplier promises to resupply the buyer as needed at agreed prices for a set time period.

In routine buying, buyers are often the ________, or at least the approvers.

Under ________, buyers share sales and inventory information directly with key suppliers who monitor and replenish the buyer's stock automatically as needed.

________ involves systematically developing networks of supplier-partners to ensure a dependable supply of products and materials for use in making products or reselling them to others.

In the beginning of the buying process, Timothy Perry, a product development manager, noticed that the raw materials that were being procured from his company's regular supplier were of poor quality. Consequently, he decided to change the existing supplier as a remedial measure. The stage of the buying process in which Timothy identified the quality breach represents the ________ stage.

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s). Alpha Stampings Inc. produces 14 metal stampings for the automotive industry. Due to industry design changes and consumer demands, for the next financial year, six of those stampings will require a slight change: two will have an extra hole punched through the side, two will require an extra plating process, and two will require an additional weld operation. In the meantime, purchasing agent Richard Koehl has been asked to reduce the number of Alpha's steel suppliers in an effort to cut costs. After obtaining updated price quotations and steel samples from his current suppliers, Richard faced a dilemma. Until now, he had selected his suppliers based on quality and price, but the major consideration had been the type of steel required and the specialized production processes of his respective suppliers. Not all of Alpha's suppliers could produce the exact grades of steel needed; some suppliers were better at producing certain types of steel than others. Richard contacted several employees at Alpha who had worked with the various types of steel in the past. The quality control manager and line inspector, for example, could help to determine which suppliers had the capabilities of producing specific types of steel. The production control manager could provide input regarding which types of steel worked best in which presses. The warehouse foreman gave inputs regarding how long various types of steel could be held in inventory before rust spots began to form on their surfaces. Each person contributed the necessary information to help Richard in making his decision. -In a straight rebuy, the buyer wants to alter product specifications, prices, terms, or suppliers.

Pace Hardware uses Learningnow.com to improve sales force effectiveness and facilitate sharing of expertise. It allows Pace retailers to connect with each other for seeking managerial and marketing advice. It also allows Pace retailers to ask their suppliers about product usage, deliveries, and warranties, and send new-product information directly to the retailers. In this instance, Pace Hardware is facilitating communication through ________.

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s). Alpha Stampings Inc. produces 14 metal stampings for the automotive industry. Due to industry design changes and consumer demands, for the next financial year, six of those stampings will require a slight change: two will have an extra hole punched through the side, two will require an extra plating process, and two will require an additional weld operation. In the meantime, purchasing agent Richard Koehl has been asked to reduce the number of Alpha's steel suppliers in an effort to cut costs. After obtaining updated price quotations and steel samples from his current suppliers, Richard faced a dilemma. Until now, he had selected his suppliers based on quality and price, but the major consideration had been the type of steel required and the specialized production processes of his respective suppliers. Not all of Alpha's suppliers could produce the exact grades of steel needed; some suppliers were better at producing certain types of steel than others. Richard contacted several employees at Alpha who had worked with the various types of steel in the past. The quality control manager and line inspector, for example, could help to determine which suppliers had the capabilities of producing specific types of steel. The production control manager could provide input regarding which types of steel worked best in which presses. The warehouse foreman gave inputs regarding how long various types of steel could be held in inventory before rust spots began to form on their surfaces. Each person contributed the necessary information to help Richard in making his decision. -The main differences between business and consumer markets are in market structure and demand, the nature of the buying unit, and the types of decisions and the decision process involved.

Which of the following factors influencing the business buying process do marketers typically find most difficult to assess?

What is e-procurement? Briefly describe its major advantages.

Discuss the major influences on business buyers.

Distinguish between business markets and consumer markets.

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s). Alpha Stampings Inc. produces 14 metal stampings for the automotive industry. Due to industry design changes and consumer demands, for the next financial year, six of those stampings will require a slight change: two will have an extra hole punched through the side, two will require an extra plating process, and two will require an additional weld operation. In the meantime, purchasing agent Richard Koehl has been asked to reduce the number of Alpha's steel suppliers in an effort to cut costs. After obtaining updated price quotations and steel samples from his current suppliers, Richard faced a dilemma. Until now, he had selected his suppliers based on quality and price, but the major consideration had been the type of steel required and the specialized production processes of his respective suppliers. Not all of Alpha's suppliers could produce the exact grades of steel needed; some suppliers were better at producing certain types of steel than others. Richard contacted several employees at Alpha who had worked with the various types of steel in the past. The quality control manager and line inspector, for example, could help to determine which suppliers had the capabilities of producing specific types of steel. The production control manager could provide input regarding which types of steel worked best in which presses. The warehouse foreman gave inputs regarding how long various types of steel could be held in inventory before rust spots began to form on their surfaces. Each person contributed the necessary information to help Richard in making his decision. -In the business buying process, the buyer and seller are relatively less dependent on each other.

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s). Alpha Stampings Inc. produces 14 metal stampings for the automotive industry. Due to industry design changes and consumer demands, for the next financial year, six of those stampings will require a slight change: two will have an extra hole punched through the side, two will require an extra plating process, and two will require an additional weld operation. In the meantime, purchasing agent Richard Koehl has been asked to reduce the number of Alpha's steel suppliers in an effort to cut costs. After obtaining updated price quotations and steel samples from his current suppliers, Richard faced a dilemma. Until now, he had selected his suppliers based on quality and price, but the major consideration had been the type of steel required and the specialized production processes of his respective suppliers. Not all of Alpha's suppliers could produce the exact grades of steel needed; some suppliers were better at producing certain types of steel than others. Richard contacted several employees at Alpha who had worked with the various types of steel in the past. The quality control manager and line inspector, for example, could help to determine which suppliers had the capabilities of producing specific types of steel. The production control manager could provide input regarding which types of steel worked best in which presses. The warehouse foreman gave inputs regarding how long various types of steel could be held in inventory before rust spots began to form on their surfaces. Each person contributed the necessary information to help Richard in making his decision. -E-procurement has caused the time between order and delivery to increase significantly.

Which of the following is NOT part of the business market?

If a buying center is most influenced by authority in the business buying process, it can be safely concluded that ________ factors have a major influence on its buying behavior.

Government organizations typically require suppliers to submit bids, and normally they award the contract to the lowest bidder.