Ms-6 june 2007
MS-6 june, 2007
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. Explain the various segmentation bases used by rnarketers, with suitable illustrations. Suggest suitable segmentation basis for the following, giving reasons :
(i) Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)
(ii) Contact lenses
2. (a) How does the Product Life Cycle (PLC) influence the marketing mix decisions ? Explain with suitable examples.
(b) Packaging has a direct bearing on the consumer buying behaviour. ExPlain.
3. (a) Distinguish Primary data from Secondary data' Enumerate and discuss briefly the major sources of secondary data available for the marketers. What are the limitations of using secondary data ?
(b) Why and when do firms go in for related and unrelated diversification decisions ? Explain with examples.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Matrix organisation
(b) Product augmentation
(c) Cyber marketing
(d) Steps in selling process
(e) Determinants of Price
5. Read carefully the following two case situations and answer
the questions rnentioned at the end of each case.
(a) Nestle has launched brands quality street , lion and after eight (chocolates) imported from Europe. Qualtty Street is an assortment of chocolates priced at Rs. L7 5 for 218 gm. After Eight is a popular adult chocolate priced at Rs. 125 for 2,00 gm and Lion is a caramel wafer bar priced at Rs. 20 for a 45 gm bar. (Kit Kat is priced at Rs. 6 for a 17 gm bar and has a chocolaty taste while Lion has a crunchy taste). The brands have different tastes and will appeal to different target segments (though the target segment is one which may have already been exposed to these brands during visits abroad). These brands have been introduced in metros in upmarket stores which sell brands bears the label "lmported by Nestle India Ltd." indicating that they may be better than smuggled ones (which may be stale).
Question
Suggest suitable media /media vehicles for promoting these brands. Give reasons in support of your answer.
(b) The herbal shampoo market is valued at around Rs. 100 crores. Nyle, Ayur, Dabur and Biotique are some of the established brands in the market. Helene Curtis (JK Group) has introduced a premium herbal shampoo (with variants Shikakai, henna and amla and brahmi and jasur) priced between Rs. 80 and Rs. 90 (500 ml) for different types of hair. The proposition is the benefits offered by lhe variant based on the combination of herbs.
the benefits offered by the variants range from extra protection and nourishment to colour, body and bounce. The shampoos have been launched
under the brand name Premium Herbal Shampoos and they target urban housewives with a monthly household income of Rs.25,000. The brand is distributed through 70,000 retail outlets and 120 Raymond shops. The company has planned only point of purchase (POP) posters initially and may consider the electronic media later. The shampoo has an annual advertising expenditure of Rs. 10 crores.
Question
Comment on the marketing mix of JK's Premium Herbal Shampoos and give suggestions for making it more effective.
Ms-6 june 2008
MS-6 june, 2008
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. (a) Distinguish Product Marketing and Services Marketing, giving suitable examples
(b) A company desires to enter the packaged fruit juice market. Discuss the Market Research process to be followed to study the consumer attitude towards the packaged fruit juices.
2. (a) Discuss the stages in New Product Development process, giving suitable examples.
(b) Distinguish cyber marketing from conventional marketing. What are the limitations of Cyber marketing ?
3.(a) What is Sales Promotion ? Discuss the methods of Consumer Sales Promotion, with suitable examples.
(b) Discuss the importance of Branding for marketers. Taking potato chips as a product, suggest a suitable brand name for the same. Give reasons for your choice.
4.Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Importance of channels of distribution
(b) Advantages and disadvantages of direct marketing over advertising
c) Product Life Cycle concept
d) Importance of marketing in a developing economy
e) Family Life Cycle concept
Ms-6 june 2009
MS-6 june, 2009
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1.What is Social Marketing ? Explain Social Marketing in terms of its objectives and the applicability of the 4Ps, giving suitable examples.
2.(a) What is Marketing Research ? Discuss its relevance in the field of Marketing.
(b) Briefly explain the various steps in marketing research process.
3.a) Identify the basic factors that prompt a firm to brand its products. Select any consumer product of your choice and suggest a suitable brand name for it. ]ustify your choice on the basis of certain marketing criteria to be followed.
b) What are the elements of Promotion Mix? Explain in brief giving suitable examples.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) Physical distribution tasks
b) Controlling the Sales Personnel
c) Co-ordinating with the Advertising Agency
d) Legal dimensions of packaging
e) Reasons for growth of the service sector
5. (a) In the current scenario of recession and low consumer motivation various comPanies are being proactive in their marketing approach. Assuming that you are the Marketing Manager of an FMCG company planning to introduce Ready to eat food. Suggest a suitable STP strategy for the same.
(b) A progressive company is contemplating to launch a cordless electric broom as an innovative product.
Detail out the marketing mix for the product and formulate a suitable marketing strategy for this breakthrough product.
Ms-6 june 2010
MS-6 june, 2010
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. a) With the help of suitable examples explain the implications of characteristics of services and how the marketing strategy can be focused to overcome these constraints ?
(b) What do you understand by the term 'Market Segmentation' ? How would you segment the market for toothpastes ?
2.(a) Using the steps in the marketing research process ? Describe how you would go about investigating the feasibility of a photocopying shop adjacent to a university campus ?
(b) How can product packaging be used in implementing sales promotion campaigns ? Explain giving suitable examples.
3. (a) Taking the example of any industrial product, explain the steps in the selling process.
(b) How is cyber marketing different from conventional marketing ? Explain with the help of examples.
4. Write short notes an any three of the following :
a) Product life cycle and Marketing Mix.
b) Family life cycle and its impact on buying behaviour.
c) Stages in New Product Development process.
d) Functions performed by wholesalers and Retailers.
(e) Motivating the sales personnel.
5. Study the case given below and answer the questions given at the end :
FINE FURNISHINGS LIMITED
Fine Furnishings Limited is a small chain of distributors of good-quality office furniture, carpets, safes and filing cabinets. The company keeps in touch with advances made in the office furniture field worldwide and introduces those products which are in keeping with the needs of the market in terms of design, workmanship, value for money and technical specifications.
It is contended that furniture purchased is a capital investment, and a wise decision can help the buyer save on future expenses, because cheaper alternatives have to be replaced more frequently.
Fine Furnishings trades only in good-quality furniture which is sturdily constructed. Differences between its products and cheaper , lower quality ones are well known to those who have several years of experience in the business.
An important feature, the company feels is the availability of a complete list of components of the furniture system. This enables customers to add bits and pieces of matching design and colour in the future. Such components are available for sale separately. Systems are maintained in stock by the company for a number of years, and spare parts for chairs and other furniture are always available.
The company has experienced a downturn in trade over the past two years. In addition, it had to trim its profit margins. Last year, it barely broke even and this year it is heading for a small loss for the first time in the company's twenty years history.
Questions :
a) Advise the company in relation to its product mix. How will your recommendation affect the company's image ?
b) Advise the company in relation to its stock holding policy. How will your recommendations affect customer service ?
(c) Suggest ways in which promotional activity might help the company out of the difficulties it now faces.
Ms-6 june 2011
MS-6 june, 2011
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. (a) Explain the concept of Marketing and discuss its importance in modern organisations in accomplishing their objectives.
(b) In spite of secondary data being available in abundance, what makes a manager rely on the collection of primary data for marketing decisions ? Elaborate with suitable examples.
2. (a) Middleman and their functions form an essential aspect of Marketing Channels. Discuss with suitable examples.
(b) What are the various steps in the consumer decision making process in the following situations ?
(i) Bottled mineral water.
(ii) Purchase of Lap Top.
3. (a) Discuss the concept of positioning. Flow does it benefit marketers in a competitive scenario ? Suggest alternatives positioning bases for the manufacturer of wrist watches.
b) Discuss the factors that are major determinants of promotion mix of an organisation.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Considerations involved in designing the marketing organisation.
(b) Pricing methods (any two)
(c) Types of selling Jobs.
(d) Cyber marketing Vs. Conventional marketing.
(e) Preparation of sales forecasts.
5. Study the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.
Jeans have a wide appeal and acceptance in the country for their functional and symbolic value. Initially, Jeans as a symbol of westernisation "Caught" on the urban markets with a good number of foreign brands enjoying a strong brand equity in the market. Over the last two decades the appeal of jeans has spread to rural and semi urban markets and consumers in these markets are highly driven by the "aspirational" appeal of jeans.
Apache, a brand of jeans has grown significantly in the last few years. The interesting aspect of this brand is that it is made of fine 2 ply twill, microbuffeted and enzyme washed for softness and is not made of denim. The brand is available in few colours (other than the conventional denim blue) and in few cities.
Questions
(a) What kind of psychological factors can be used by the brand to influence consumer
behaviour in the jeans market ?
- (b)Develop a suitable communication strategy for the brand for the rural markets for this product.
Ms-6 Dec 2007
MS-6 Dec, 2007
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. What is consumer behaviour ? Explain briefly the various factors influencing consumer behaviour taking example of any consumer durable of your choice.
2. (a) Distinguish between Market Segmentation and Product Differentiation.
b) Describe the bases that you will 'use in segmenting the market for the following products :
(il Hair dryer
(ii) Low calorie sweetene
3. What are the objectives of Sales Promotion ? As a Sales Manager, you have been assigned the task of planning the Sales Promotion program of a ready-to-cook meal. Discuss the steps that you would follow for effective planning and management of the said program.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Marketing Research as a tool for decision making
(b) Functional Organisation
(c) Functions of Packaging
(d) Stages in new product development
(e) Product Life Cycle
Ms-6 Dec 2008
MS-6 Dec, 2008
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1.(a) Discuss the reasons for growth of the service sector, giving suitable examples.
(b) Explain the concept of Product LiIe Cycle (PLC). Taking example of any consumer product, discuss how the marketing mix strategy would vary during different stages of the PLC.
2. (a) What are the benefits of market segmentation ? What segmentation bases would you choose for segmenting the market for cosmetics ?
b) Discuss the broad areas of application of marketing research.
3. (a) Taking the example of a consumer durable like T.V. or refrigerator, explain the stages in the buyer decision process. Would the stages be the same in case the product in question is a soft drink ?
(b) Explain the steps involved in the selling process.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Pricing methods
(b) Alternative channels of distribution
(c) Limitations of cyber marketing
(d) Factors influencing consumer behaviour
(e) 'Product Line' and 'Product Mix
5. (a) According to Management Guru Peter Drucker, "There will always, one can assume, be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well
that the product or service fits him and sells itself . Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. All that should be needed then is to make the product or service available."
Even if Drucker is right in claiming that the aim of marketing is to make selling
superfluous, what are the practical problems associated with 'knowing and understanding' the customer so well that the product or service sells itself ?
(b) What are the objectives of sales promotion ? Suggest some sales promotion schemes for increasing the sales of the following :
(i) Bath Soap
(ii) Instant Coffee
Ms-6 Dec 2009
MS-6 Dec, 2009
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1.(a) Explain the term Marketing and distinguish it from "Selling".
(b) Identify the elements of Marketing Mix for Services. Explain the same taking the
example of a service industry of your choice.
2.(a) Explain briefly the considerations involved in designing a marketing organisation.
(b) Explain the relevance of marketing research for a FMCG Company marketing product like soaps, detergents etc.
3. (a) Taking the example of any consumer durable product of your choice, explain the stages in the buyer decision process.
(b) What is new product development strategy ? As a product manager, discuss the various steps that you would consider in the development process of a new product.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) Approaches to sales forecasting
b) Merchant middlemen
(c) Classification of Consumer Product
d) Reference group
e) Limitations of Cyber Marketing
5. Mr. 'X' has developed a new product which will help people to get rid of the habit of smoking. The product is made of some herbs and has no side effect. Mr 'X' is now in the process of giving a suitable name for this Unique Product and subsequently wishes to market it in Western India. Assuming that you have been hired as a consultant, suggest suitable answer for the following questions :
Questions :
a) Suggest an appropriate name for the product and justify your choice.
b)Explain the SIP strategy for the above product.
(c) How would you go about in creating awareness and educating the target audience for the product ?
Ms-6 Dec 2010
MS-6 Dec, 2010
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. (a) What do you understand by the term 'marketing mix' ? How would the marketing
mix strategies vary during different stages of the product life cycle?
(b) Explain the three additional marketing mix elements required in marketing of
services, giving suitable examples.
2. (a) From a consumer behaviour perspective, why is it incorrect to view India as a
single market?
(b) Explain the stages in the new product development process.
3. (a) For each of the following products, should the seller adopt a market skimming or
a market penetration pricing strategy ? Support your decision in each instance
(i) High fashion garments.
(ii) Exterior house paint.
(iii) PC gaming software.
(b) Explain the tasks that have to be accomplished as part of physical distribution.
4. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Perceptual mapping technique.
(b) Applications of marketing research.
(c) Functions of packaging.
(d) Promotion Mix.
(e) Limitations of cyber marketing.
5. Study the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
TEXTBOOK QUOTES
Quotation 1 (By Hammer and Champy) :
Since the early 1980's, the dominant force in the seller-customer relationship has shifted. Sellers no longer have the upper hand; customers do. Customers now tell suppliers what they want, when they want it, how they want it, and what they will pay. This situation is unsettling to companies that have known life only in the mass market. In reality, a mass market never existed, but for most of the twentieth century the idea of the mass market provided manufactures and service providers with the useful fiction that their customers were more or less alike.
Now that they have choices, though, customers no longer behave as if they are all cast in the same mould. Customers - consumers and corporations alike - demand products and services designed for their unique and particular needs. There is no longer any such notion as 'the' customer ; There is only 'this' customer, the one with whom a seller is dealing at the moment and who now has the capacity to indulge in his or her own - personal tastes. The mass market has broken into pieces, some as small as a single customer.
Quotation 2 (Joseph Pine II)
People do not like hard-sell tactics, but they will tolerate them to acquire something they really want. If what they purchase turns out to be not quite what they wanted, their dissatisfaction with the product is magnified by their dissatisfaction with the sales tactics.
The basic problem (in years gone by) was that the focus of the marketing function of mass producers was not on marketing - it was on selling, on 'pushing product'. Selling is a necessary part of the marketing function, but marketing is so much more, as management guru Peter Drucker observes :
"There will always, one can assume, be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. All that should be needed then is to make the product or service available".
Questions :
(a) Market segmentation is based on the proposition that customers can be categorized according to their typical wants, needs and expectations. What is the future of segmentation, given the views of Hammer and Champy ?
(b) Even if Drucker is right in claiming that the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous, what are the practical problems associated with 'knowing and understanding the customer so well that the product or service sells itself ?
(c) To what extent do the arguments advanced in both quotations apply to the public sector organizations ?
Ms-6 Dec 2011
MS-6 Dec, 2011
MS-6 : Marketing for managers
1. (a) The essence of Marketing is a "Transaction". Discuss the above statement and give reasons in support of your answers with suitable illustrations.
,(b) Explain the term 'Marketing Strategies'. Outline the possible marketing strategies
that may be used at the growth and decline stages of any Product/Brand of your choice.
2.(a)What type of promotion - mix can be used in the Promotion of the following product services :
(i) School Bags
(ii) Industrial Fans
(iii) Fast food Restaurant
(b) What arc the major functions of Packaging ? What is the type of Packaging you would recommend in the following cases and why ?
(i) Sea food for exports
(ii) Unisex perfume
3. (a) Why do many firms use a family brand ? What are the risks associated with this strategy in case the new product is sub-standard ?
(b) What pricing strategy will you follow for the following Product/Services ? Justify your answer :
(i) a new fruit juice bland
(ii) DTH television broadcast services
4. Write short notes on any three of the following.
(a) Reasons for the growth of service sector
(b) Matrix Organisation
(c) Life style marketing
(d) Approaches for sales forecasting
(e) Bases for market segmentation.
5. (a) You are the Marketing Manager of a medium - sized manufacturing company. The CEO of the company has just made the following statement : "The distribution activity is not a concern of the marketing department. The function of marketing depaitment is to sell the product let the rest of the company handle production and distribution". How would you reply to this statement ? Discuss.
(b) Titan Eye plus, an arm of Titan Industries has announced the launch of sunglasses Fiesta, for a limited period offer show casing best sunglasses brand. Develop a suitable launch strategy for the product.
