Exam 18: Ethical Marketing in a Consumer-Oriented World: Appraisal and Challenges

Monopolistic competition is caused by customer preferences, not business manipulation of markets.

According to the text:

Which of the following is NOT an explanation for why MICRO-marketing may cost too much in some firms?

Given the nature of marketing--and the kinds of criticism it typically gets--marketing should be evaluated:

Use this information to answer the following question that refer to the EI (Electech Inc.) case. Electech, Inc. (EI) produces a line of semiconductors for electronics products manufacturers. These items range in price from $5-$100 and are used in products the buyer is producing. EI also designs and builds computer networking equipment. The prices of these items range form $5,000 to $100,000. These are used to control production equipment. Usually, they are custom-made to the specifications of the buyer--the firm which will use the product in its own production process. EI sells nationally through independent sales reps--paid on commission--who work in the large industrial centers across the country. EI is more concerned with the quality of these reps than with the number of them. All of them also sell other lines. EI also uses five full-time salaried salespeople who work out of its corporate headquarters under a sales manager. The home office salespeople are "technical specialists" who sell almost all the networking equipment, while the "reps" mostly sell the semiconductors. Sometimes, however, the reps will send in leads to customers who want networking equipment. EI also sells some of its semiconductors through a Los Angeles wholesaler who carries stock for West Coast customers. There are many producers and importers of semiconductors in the U.S.--but several firms have captured large shares of the networking equipment market. EI has held its own, and in fact, over the past five years has increased its market share of these products to over 25 percent--because of its better technical designs. Industry-wide prices of the more or less homogeneous semiconductors have been forced further and further down over the last seven years--as have industry profits. The price of networking equipment is set by adding a standard markup percent to the direct cost of the items--for overhead and for profit. Following industry practice, all prices are quoted at the seller's factory. EI publishes a catalog which is revised periodically. And it exhibits in most equipment trade shows. In the EI case, which stage of the product life cycle do semiconductors appear to be?

Which of the following is NOT a trend affecting marketing strategy planning in the area of Demographic Patterns?

_____ can be used as a rough measure of a firm's efficiency in satisfying customers.

Marketing strategy planning is difficult for marketing managers because:

Use the following information to answer questions that refer to the Jewel Craft case. Jewel Craft, Inc. is a leading producer in the United States women's costume jewelry and accessories market. Its brands are well known and are sold by department stores and better women's stores. Several stores in a city may carry Jewel Craft's brands because most of Jewel Craft's customers will not consider any other brand. Jewel Craft's sales force calls on one wholesaler in each state. Gemco, Inc., of Boston, Massachusetts, is the Jewel Craft distributor in that state. Gemco stocks and sells women's accessories (noncompeting lines) for several manufacturers like Jewel Craft. Wholesalers are allowed a 20 percent markup by Jewel Craft--but pay the freight charges to their warehouses. Jewel Craft's policy of using one wholesaler per state comes from its desire to control its distribution. Jewel Craft uses national magazine advertising and also supports a cooperative ad program with retailers. Jewel Craft's prices allow for a 40 percent retail markup--an attractive percent when one considers that Jewel Craft's products require little in-store selling because of their well-established reputation. Recently, Jewel Craft was approached by a watch producer with the idea of expanding to watches under the Jewel Craft name. It was argued that although national watch sales have leveled off, Jewel Craft could enjoy growing sales for several years because of the fine reputation the company has achieved. If watches are added, Jewel Craft will use its present policies regarding distribution, pricing, and advertising. Further, it will offer the wholesalers and retailers an attractive "package" deal as an incentive to carry Jewel Craft watches. Intermediaries will be required to carry the watches if they wish to handle the jewelry and accessories. When selling Jewel Craft's jewelry and accessories, a retail clerk's major role usually would be:

Advertising

In the development of a marketing plan, blending the marketing mix would not generally involve

Which of the following is NOT a trend affecting marketing strategy planning in the Product area?

Which of the 4Ps in the marketing mix is most directly related to deciding who pays for the shipment of purchased products in a B2B transaction?

Using total quality management to implement marketing plans is one way to improve a marketing mix.

According to a survey of workers, almost half of them have admitted to taking some type of unethical or illegal action in the recent past.

S.W.O.T. analysis is based on the idea that one of the best ways to develop a strategy is to identify and copy the marketing "strategies, weapons, outlook, and tactics" of the firm's most effective competitor.

Use this information to answer the following question that refer to the EI (Electech Inc.) case. Electech, Inc. (EI) produces a line of semiconductors for electronics products manufacturers. These items range in price from $5-$100 and are used in products the buyer is producing. EI also designs and builds computer networking equipment. The prices of these items range form $5,000 to $100,000. These are used to control production equipment. Usually, they are custom-made to the specifications of the buyer--the firm which will use the product in its own production process. EI sells nationally through independent sales reps--paid on commission--who work in the large industrial centers across the country. EI is more concerned with the quality of these reps than with the number of them. All of them also sell other lines. EI also uses five full-time salaried salespeople who work out of its corporate headquarters under a sales manager. The home office salespeople are "technical specialists" who sell almost all the networking equipment, while the "reps" mostly sell the semiconductors. Sometimes, however, the reps will send in leads to customers who want networking equipment. EI also sells some of its semiconductors through a Los Angeles wholesaler who carries stock for West Coast customers. There are many producers and importers of semiconductors in the U.S.--but several firms have captured large shares of the networking equipment market. EI has held its own, and in fact, over the past five years has increased its market share of these products to over 25 percent--because of its better technical designs. Industry-wide prices of the more or less homogeneous semiconductors have been forced further and further down over the last seven years--as have industry profits. The price of networking equipment is set by adding a standard markup percent to the direct cost of the items--for overhead and for profit. Following industry practice, all prices are quoted at the seller's factory. EI publishes a catalog which is revised periodically. And it exhibits in most equipment trade shows. What kind of products are EI's networking equipment?

A national restaurant chain encourages its customers to use its website as a means of providing comments about their experiences at the chain's locations. This website is one way of measuring:

Use this following information to answer the following question that refer to the Sure Foot case. Sure Foot, Ltd. produces high-quality shoes and boots for serious hikers. Sure Foot's shoes have suggested retail prices ranging from just under $40 to about $150. Usually, the retailer buys the shoes for about 50 percent less than the list price, and the retailer pays the freight charges from Sure Foot's plant in Maine. Sure Foot's credit terms are 2/10, net 30. Although Sure Foot's brand appears on every shoe--the firm does very little mass selling, except for a limited program of cooperative advertising and some sales promotion at walking events. Sure Foot's shoes are carried by "better" sporting goods stores all across the nation--although usually in fairly small quantities. Its main showroom is in Boston, where two salaried salespeople handle most of the firm's large accounts. Sure Foot's products are also sold by seven independent "field reps" who are paid a 5 percent commission on all sales. Each of these field reps is responsible for a several state territory--emphasizing mostly the small stores in or near major cities. The field reps carry Sure Foot's products as a minor line--but none of their lines are competitive with each other. The walking shoe market is supplied by 7 large firms and 50 or more smaller firms. While these firms are competitive, they do vary their materials, styles, prices, and promotion. The "high-quality" market is supplied by only 5 firms--Sure Foot being the largest. While these firms are also competitive, they generally offer a more limited assortment of materials, styles, and prices because the "high-quality" part of the market is not as large--and does not appear to be growing any more. How are Sure Foot's shoes seen by most of its target market?

A marketing plan should contain specific information like costs and sales forecasts, but not background information about customers, competitors, or the company's resources.