Part B (10 marks per question): Short essay questions( every answer must be 250-300 words only Not more than 300)

Part B contains a question pool of twenty short essay questions of which six will be randomly pickedfor the final exam. Answer only TWOout of the six questions in this part. If you attempted more than two questions in Part B, the last ones will not be marked. Write you answers in the answer booklet provided. Answer all parts of a chosen question.

Q.B1 (10 marks)

Compare the production and marketing concept. Discuss how a business that applies the marketing concept will tend to be different in its approach to the market and consumers, from a business that applies a production concept. Briefly argue the case EITHER that McDonald’s (the leading international fast food retailer) is practising the marketing concept OR that it is not practising the marketing concept.

Q.B2 (10 marks)

Compare the selling and marketing concept, listing and discussing the key components of each philosophy.

Q.B3 (10 marks)

Outline what is meant by population diversity? Discuss with at least two examples the marketing implications of the ethnic diversity of the Australian population.

Q.B4 (10 marks)

Explain the role of secondary data in gaining customer insights. Where do marketers obtain secondary data, and what are the potential problems in using it?

Q.B5 (10 marks)

Distinguish between commercial and personal sources of information. Briefly describe the roles of commercial and personal sources of information in the consumer buying decision process.

Q.B6 (10 marks)

Briefly describe the various stages that consumers pass through to reach a buying decision. Give an example to describe a buying situation where a consumer EITHER might not pass through all the stages of the buyer decision process OR might pass through the stages in a different order.

Q.B7 (10 marks)

Compare and contrast demographic and psychographic segmentation. Which is more useful to marketers? Justify your answers.

Q.B8 (10 marks)

The argument some put forward is that by using the internet and the web, every customer can be treated as an individual and receive a custom-made product. Do you agree or disagree? Support your argument with examples.

Q.B9 (10 marks)

Define and differentiate between the core product, the actual product and the augmented product as these concepts apply in the car industry.

Q.B10 (10 marks)

Distinguish between a manufacturer’s brand (or national brand) and a private brand (also called a generic brand, a store brand or a distributor/retailer brand). Who will win the battle of the brands between manufacturers’ brands and private brands? Support your position with at least three rationales.

Q.B11 (10 marks)

Explain at least three reasons why so many new products fail. Give two suggestions on how a company can improve its odds of new product success.

Q.B12 (10 marks)

Briefly describe the five stages of the product life cycle. Explain how styles, fashions and fads differ, and discuss an example of each.

Q.B13 (10 marks)

Discuss the elements in the communication process. How can a marketing communicator, such as an advertiser, reduce noise when communicating a product message to the target audience? [Note: Noise may occur at any stage in the communication process.]

Q.B14 (10 marks)

Marketers can choose between two basic promotion mix strategies – push promotion or pull promotion. Discuss and compare these two strategies with examples.

Q.B15 (10 marks)

The personal selling process and ways of managing customer relationships have changed irrevocably in the last decade. How do you think the selling process has changed as a result of the technological environment – from prospecting to follow-up?

Q.B16 (10 marks)

Discuss cost-based pricing versus customer value-based pricing. Target return pricing is a variation of which pricing approach?

Q.B17 (10 marks)

Discuss the differences among the intensive, selective and exclusive distribution strategies. The characteristics of convenience, shopping, specialty and unsought goods play a major role in determining the marketing mix for products in each of these categories. Briefly describe the distribution strategies (intensive, selective, or exclusive) of each type of product. Which channel member(s) is/are most likely to bear the promotional responsibility for each type of product?

Q.B18 (10 marks)

Describe two ways that marketers can engage in online social networks. What are the challenges and advantages of these approaches? Explain how a company might benefit from monitoring the blogosphere.

Q.B19 (10 marks)

Compare simple lists such as a mailing list with a customer database. How has the implementation of Do Not Call legislation changed telephone marketing?

Q.B20 (10 marks)

List and discuss three common criticisms of marketing. For each criticism, state how you, as a marketer, might respond to the criticism.