The text argues that marketing possesses very few rules for choosing the appropriate marketing activities. Can you describe any universal rules of marketing that might be applied to most products, markets, customers and situations?

Choose a specific product that you use on a daily basis (such as food items, toiletries, or your car) and apply the 5W model in Exhibit 3.4 to yourself:

a. Who are you (demographics, psychographics, etc.)?

b. What do you do with the product (consumption, storage, disposal, etc.)?

c. Where do you purchase the product? Why?

d. When do you purchase the product? Why?

e. Why and how do you select the product?

f. Why do you not purchase competing products?

Assume your responses are similar to millions of other consumers. Given this profile, how would you approach the marketing strategy for this particular product?

The text argues that marketing possesses very few rules for choosing the appropriate marketing activities. Can you describe any universal rules of marketing that might be applied to most products, markets, customers and situations?

Choose a specific product that you use on a daily basis (such as food items, toiletries, or your car) and apply the 5W model in Exhibit 3.4 to yourself:

a. Who are you (demographics, psychographics, etc.)?

b. What do you do with the product (consumption, storage, disposal, etc.)?

c. Where do you purchase the product? Why?

d. When do you purchase the product? Why?

e. Why and how do you select the product?

f. Why do you not purchase competing products?

Assume your responses are similar to millions of other consumers. Given this profile, how would you approach the marketing strategy for this particular product?

Question Score: 0 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
Olivia Gullbrand is Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing at Video Tech, an retail firm specializing in a product line that utilizes new video technologies. Among her responsibilities at Video Tech is controlling. Olivia knows that, because of the nature of her business and its customers, she must practice customer relationship management (CRM). Which of the following is NOT important in this approach?
(a) A personal approach
(b) A customer-centric approach
(c) A customer-friendly brand image
(d) Customer intimacy
(e) Risk analysis
Question Score: 1 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
The customer relationship management aims to create_____.
(a) Cash register
(b) Disaster control
(c) Records inventory
(d) Customer intimacy
(e) Risk analysis
Question Score: 0 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
Adam Niesle, Vice President of Controlling at Radio Brand Electronics, is a stickler for details and for making sure all of his “ to dos” are carefully laid out among his multiple agendas and calendars. Because much of Adam’s job is spent keeping this focus, he knows that controlling is especially important in his business. He knows that controlling provides and immediate and critical link back to_____.
(a) Organizing
(b) Planning
(c) Leading
(d) Motivating
(e)  Measuring
Question Score: 1 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
A customer-centric approach to business with the aim of implementing a customer intimacy strategy or establishing a customer-friendly brand image is known as which of the following?
(a) Customer relationship management
(b) Human relation movement
(c) Control process
(d) Information and communication technologies
(e) Scientific management

Question Score: 1 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
How are the control process step of measuring performance and a performance appraisal similar?
(a) Both are quantitative and qualitative
(b) Both take into account peer feedback
(c) Both calculate the efficiency of an employee
(d) Both set a series of expectations
(e) Both establish methods for increasing performance

Question Score: 0 of 1 pt      Test Score: 55% (11 of 20 pts)
Which of the following, if true, supports Jessica’s customer-centric control management style?
(a) Last month, Jessica’s store outsold Marie’s store in the shoe department
(b) In the manufacturing industry, employee-centric focus is very successful
(c) Jessica’s store has only been open a year, and Marie’s has been open for 5years
(d) Eighty-five percent of retail stores prioritize customer relationship management
(e) Jessica’s smaller store outperforms Marie’s store in customer satisfaction

Executive portion: An Executive Summary is a one-page document that outlines the purpose, process, findings, discussion, and findings of a report submitted to management. CEOs often read and assess an Executive Summary before deciding to read the entire report, so this must be high quality narrative that demonstrates the significance of the work undertaken, the objectivity of research and analysis underpinning the report, and the credibility of the resulting conclusions.

For this Individual Project you will analyze publicly available information about a Fortune 500 Company and develop an assessment of the corporate strategy and its ability to increase competitive advantage.

Your analysis should include an in-depth review of the Company’s most recent SEC Form-10k Annual Report and Form DEF-14A Proxy Statement. These SEC filings can be found at the SEC Edgar Database located at the URL http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html . Pay particular attention to the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) sections of the SEC Form 10-K and the DEF-14A Proxy statement.  Direct competitors are identified in the “Comparator Group” section of the DEF-14A Proxy Statement. ) These SEC filings also contain information relative to external and industry analysis that will be helpful in your assessment of the Company’s strategy and competitive position.

A thorough analysis requires evaluation of various external stakeholders:

• Competitors
• Industry
• Vendors
• Customers
• Governmental entities
• Communities

Internal stakeholders that should be considered in the analysis include:

• Shareholders
• Board of Directors
• Management
• Employees

A comprehensive SWOT analysis should be performed relative to the Company’s ability to improve its competitive advantage.

Scenario: You are the marketing manager for a local nonprofit charity whose funding is based on membership fees. You’ve noticed a severe drop in new memberships and a decline in repeat memberships, which is threatening your organization’s ability to survive and grow. You have decided to implement the Five-Step Marketing Research Process to help understand the problem and create solution strategies to implement.

Create and Present to the class a 10- to 20-slide (not counting the cover slide and reference slide) Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation with speaker’s notes on the Five-Step Marketing Research Approach detailing how you will use each step to solve the membership issue the local nonprofit charity is facing.

Address the following in your role as marketing manager:

Define the Five-Step Marketing Research Approach and discuss the importance of research in marketing.

Describe each step of the Marketing Research Approach (one slide for each step) in detail including its goal, and create an example aligned to the scenario above to illustrate how that stage would be implemented toward the problem’s solution.

Define the two types of research data this process gathers and their pros and cons. Share examples of each type that would be useful in solving the scenario.

Compare and contrast the Five-Step Process with two alternative methods for conducting marketing research.  What are the pros and cons of each?

Define what it means to differentiate a service and provide an example to illustrate how the local nonprofit charity in the scenario can use the strategy to help increase target market interest.

Explain how differentiation will help position the organization.

Type: Discussion Board

Unit:  Cost Behavior Patterns and Concepts

Due Date:  Tue, 5/25/18

Deliverable Length:  750 – 1,000 words (not including title page and references)

https://class.ctuonline.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/MUSE.aspx?mid=11105690

Assignment Objectives

Define fixed, variable and mixed costs, determine cost behavior patterns, and explain how these different patterns affect operating and pricing decisions.

Explain different cost concepts such as full costing, variable costing, target costing, lifecycle costing, and activity-based costing, and recommend which to use to solve different business issues.

Primary Discussion Response is due by Friday (11:59:59pm Central), Peer Responses are due by Tuesday (11:59:59pm Central).

Part 1

As EEC’s corporate business financial analyst, you will need to have a clear understanding of the different types of costs (variable, fixed, and mixed) that the company carries. Complete the following for this assignment:

• Review EEC’s journal activity.
• Define and identify its variable, fixed, and mixed costs.
• Determine what affect a sales volume increase or decrease will have on unit fixed cost, unit variable cost, total fixed cost, and total variable cost.

Click here to view EEC’s journal activity.

Part 2

As an EEC corporate business financial analyst, you must have an expert understanding of the various costing methods. Select 1 of the following costing concepts:

• Full costing or absorption costing
• Variable costing
• Target costing
• Life cycle costing
• Activity-based costing

Respond to the following questions on the costing concept that you selected:

• Provide the definition of the concept.
• Discuss how and when the concept could be used by EEC.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the concept as it relates to EEC.

In your own words, please post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.

Type: Discussion Board

Unit:  Cost Behavior Patterns and Concepts

Due Date:  Tue, 5/25/18

Deliverable Length:  750 – 1,000 words (not including title page and references)

https://class.ctuonline.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/MUSE.aspx?mid=11105690

Assignment Objectives

Define fixed, variable and mixed costs, determine cost behavior patterns, and explain how these different patterns affect operating and pricing decisions.

Explain different cost concepts such as full costing, variable costing, target costing, lifecycle costing, and activity-based costing, and recommend which to use to solve different business issues.

Primary Discussion Response is due by Friday (11:59:59pm Central), Peer Responses are due by Tuesday (11:59:59pm Central).

Part 1

As EEC’s corporate business financial analyst, you will need to have a clear understanding of the different types of costs (variable, fixed, and mixed) that the company carries. Complete the following for this assignment:

• Review EEC’s journal activity.
• Define and identify its variable, fixed, and mixed costs.
• Determine what affect a sales volume increase or decrease will have on unit fixed cost, unit variable cost, total fixed cost, and total variable cost.

Click here to view EEC’s journal activity.

Part 2

As an EEC corporate business financial analyst, you must have an expert understanding of the various costing methods. Select 1 of the following costing concepts:

• Full costing or absorption costing
• Variable costing
• Target costing
• Life cycle costing
• Activity-based costing

Respond to the following questions on the costing concept that you selected:

• Provide the definition of the concept.
• Discuss how and when the concept could be used by EEC.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the concept as it relates to EEC.

In your own words, please post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.