UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE School of Business Administration BUS 103 Marketing and Distribution Management SPRING 2012 Dr.

Sean D. Jasso EXAM 1 The following are the questions to prepare for your first exam. On exam day we will randomly select among the four questions the quantity of questions will be determined on exam day. Please answer each question as thoroughly as possible, providing rich detail from our lectures, readings, and discussions. The organization of your answers, the complexity of your analysis, and the clarity of your critical thinking are the key elements of your evaluation. 1. On the Basics: a. We have asserted that marketing is really the strategic idea of connectedness with customers. From the perspective of your final project company, identify and discuss how your company connects with its customers select from either the marketing concept or the selling concept. Be sure to define each concept and be detailed in your response. b. Referring to your project company provide a well-developed characterization of your market segment and your target market. i. Identify the most urgent issue necessary for you to penetrate or protect your desired market space. c. Lastly, concisely address each of the following central positioning questions pertaining to your project company/brand: i. What position, if any, do you already have in the prospects mind? ii. What position do you want to own? iii. What companies must be outgunned if you are to establish or maintain that position? 2. On the Marketing Mix: Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your companys marketing mix and offer strategic recommendations on how the company should handle the most burning marketing problem/opportunity impacting the strategic performance of the mix. Consider shaping your answer with the 5Cs in mind. 3. On Consumer Buying Behavior: a. Referring to your company, describe a scenario of your typical customer using the buyer decision process when considering purchasing your companys product/service. Use the language from our readings. i. Consider pulling from your database research offered in our library workshop to authenticate how your customers behave in your market environment. b. Additionally, from the criteria that influence the rate of adoption, in what area does your company/product excel and what area does your company/product require attention to strengthen the adoption process? Be detailed in your response. 4. On Branding and the Product Lifecycle: a. Referring to your company, identify the one major strength and weakness of the brand. i. What are your recommendations to strengthen the competitiveness and equity of the brand? b. Identify at what stage your brand falls within the product lifecycle model. What is required for you to ensure that the customer remains eternally connected to your brand?