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Design to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace

Discuss the need to understand competitors as well as customers through competitor analysis

– Explain the fundamentals of competitive marketing strategies based on creating value for customers

Please answer the following three questions:

1. The video implies that UMPQUA Bank uses its design to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace. What design elements are highlighted in the video that create an experience in which customers want to hang out and stay awhile?

2. The chapter outlines various competitive positioning strategies (seven strategies in all) that organizations can follow. Which of these strategies do you believe categorizes UMPQUA’s approach?

3. Would you characterize UMPQUA Bank as a market-centered organization? Please provide a 1 ½ to 2 page minimum response, not including cover page and references, at least one referenced source, and APA formatting throughout

Explain what are the key elements of microsoft”s marketing

In 2003, Toyota introduced the Scion; positioning errors; marketing the Xbox 360

The “It” Car for Gen Y?

In 2003, Toyota introduced an entirely new brand into the market. Scion (http://www.scion.com) is owned by Toyota, sold side-by-side at Toyota dealerships, and buyers have financing arranged through Toyota Motor Credit Corp, but that’s where the relationship ends. Scion targets, and aims to represent, a younger, hipper market than the dependable Camry or Corolla. Scion’s xA sedan, xB “breadbox”, and sporty tC are marketed straight at “Generation Y,” people born after 1977.

Scion is attracting and grabbing this market in a variety of ways, mixing product design with pricing with target marketing, resulting in a heady, irresistible brew. So far, it’s working. In its first quarter, Scion sold nearly 33,000 cars, more than established brands such as Volvo and Suzuki. As Scion grows its customer base, it plans to release more cars onto the market…but not to the point of easy availability and the rows of same-looking cars one usually sees at dealerships.

How is Scion addressing its target market with regard to positioning and the product itself? Is the product design its own form of positioning? How?

Scion is aggressively targeting a specific age group. What are the advantages and drawbacks?

What elements of societal marketing can you identify in Scion’s: Product, Pricing, Positioning, Advertising

1.You have been asked to give a brief lecture on “Positioning Errors to Avoid” for a local Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Provide a brief summary of your lecture. In your lecture be sure to give specific examples, other than those indicated in the textbook, of known service companies avoiding or falling prey to “positioning errors”.

2.Ricketts Heating and Air installs natural gas-fired central heating systems with timers. In the wintertime, if the owner of a system wants to have the house cooler when no one is there, but have it heated back up before anyone arrives home, he or she can use this timing system. How could Ricketts use service to differentiate its heating systems?

Marketing Spotlight – Microsoft

Microsoft was founded in 1975, when Bill Gates left Harvard at age 19 to work with high school friend Paul Allen on a version of the BASIC programming language. After moving the company from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Seattle in 1979, Gates and Allen began writing operating system software. What happened to the company since its founding is a well-known and often-told story. Key strategies that enabled Microsoft to achieve such remarkable growth in the competition-laden computer industry include product innovation, brand extension, heavy advertising, competitive toughness, and product expansion.
In 2005, Microsoft shook up the marketplace – and the marketing industry – again with its non-traditional launch for the Xbox 360. Read Microsoft’s Xbox 360 spin(http://news.com.com/Commentary+Microsofts+Xbox+360+spin/2030-1069_3-5706144.html) and address the following questions:

1.What are the key elements of Microsoft’s marketing strategy for the Xbox 360?

2.What are the similarities and differences compared to past product rollouts within Microsoft and compared to the rest of the industry?

3.Could Microsoft be considered one of the best and worst examples of marketing success in America during the 1980s and 1990s?

Discuss.

4.Do any of the Microsoft strategies contradict future issues that Microsoft and other technology-oriented firms should prepare to deal with in coming years?

Explain potential risks of foreign market expansion

Assignment: Entry Plan into International Market

This assignment will provide you with firsthand experience in developing a strategic marketing plan for entering a new international market. Choose a global company that you are familiar with for this paper. Note: Do not use a company from a previous assignments or discussions. Use the Internet or Strayer Library to research the following components of the global company that you have chosen:

Company Profile (History & Analysis)
Product(s)
Financial Status
Market Position
Analysis of current global operating environments
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) Strategy
Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis
Sustainable Competitive Advantage(s) enjoyed by the firm
Sources of funds for the project
Pro-Forma Balance Sheet & Income Statement for five (5) years
Cash-Flow Statement

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

1. Choose a country into which the company you selected may expand. Note: Ensure that the country you chose is currently not doing business with the selected company in any capacity (e.g., exporting, FDI, or contract manufacturing).

2. Develop a brief profile of the country that you have chosen. The summary should include:

Geographic and historical data regarding international business
Political and legal environment for conducting international business
Business customs and practices
Economic environment
Socio-economic analysis which should include the factors of concern (e.g., population characteristics, language, GDP, taxation, personal income, labor, industries, communication networks, imports / exports, and major trading partners’ countries).
Note: Refer the following resource to complete this criterion of the assignment:

3. Ascertain the possibility and feasibility of financial, distribution, and marketing partnerships for the company within the chosen country. Your research should include:

Market structure and analysis (e.g., channels- direct or indirect)
Currency considerations
e-Commerce
Impact of regional and global trade integration
Potential volume of trade
The marketing mix components
Key cultural dimensions affecting marketing operations

4. Analyze the key reasons why the entering the market in the country that you have chosen is justified. Include your research and analysis from Criteria 1 and 2 of this assignment to support the response.

5. Determine at least three (3) potential risks of foreign market expansion into the country that you have chosen (e.g., language barriers, regulatory, taxation, expropriation, etc.). Suggest one (1) strategy to mitigate each risk that you have determined using weighted metrics with a baseline number(s).

6. Determine at least three (3) potential benefits of foreign market expansion into the country that you have chosen. Suggest one (1) strategy to maximize each benefit that you have determined.

7. Suggest at least two (2) ways in which you would adapt the operational strategies of your chosen company both to fit the changing dynamics of foreign markets and to foster a competitive advantage for the company.

8. Use at least six (6) academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Writing a comprehensive marketing plan

The marketing plan format is one that is utilized by major corporations all over the country. However, writing a comprehensive marketing plan is a difficult and challenging task, yet, the ability to write such a plan is critical to the development of a marketing manager and an organization. As you draw to the culmination of this course, apply all that you have learned to develop a comprehensive marketing plan.

Directions:

Identify a company you would like to use for this assignment. This should be an organization that you are familiar with, or have access to their information. You will complete a comprehensive marketing plan, which will include an analysis of their current market situation. In other words, ask yourself: Is the industry growing? What is the market share for the organization that they represent? Who is the dominant player in the marketplace? Remember, you will need to justify your approach using market research and data.

The second step in the process is the actual writing of the plan. Think about the following: What are the goals and objectives for the organization? What is the timing of the plan? What resources will be required to achieve the plan? What are the financial goals?

In your marketing plan, be sure to include the following sections:

I. Executive Summary and Table of Contents

In the executive summary, make sure you address all the main goals and objectives of your plan. These goals and objectives need to be clear, measurable, and reasonable.

II. Situational Analysis

A situational analysis presents a snapshot of the market in its current state by describing the company’s products/services, target segments, distribution networks, and position of the products/services in the segment, along with competing offerings and relative positioning. It includes current and future assessment of the business conditions and challenges. Within your situational analysis, analyze all the following points:

Market summary
SWOT analysis
Competitor analysis
Product offering
Keys to success
Critical issues
Pricing
III. Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy describes the planned direction and goals of the marketing activities, incorporating facts and assumptions about the market size, growth, and financial objectives. Think about the following questions: Where do you see your business going in the next 3-5 years? What is unique about your product portfolio? How will you tell the consumer about your products and unique value proposition? How will you stay connected to your target market’s needs and wants? How will you price your product? Within your market analysis, be sure to address the following:

Mission
Marketing objectives
Product positioning
Marketing mix (4 Ps)
Marketing research
IV. Financials

The financials of the marketing plan describe a set of five-year revenue, cost, and profit projections for the marketing plan, including any initial startup costs, sales by channel and segment, and profit margins. Think about the following questions: How much do you plan to sell? What are your factory cost targets? What is your profit target by percent and dollar amount? Remember to include the following in your financials:

Sales Forecast
Profit targets
V. Controls

The controls of the marketing plan describe the budget tactical activities for implementing the plan, as well performance benchmarks for each activity. These include pricing, product configuration, promotion, and distribution performance benchmarks, and plans for changing any of the parameters if performance measures are not met. They are in place to measure forecast and profit attainment. Forecasts should be reviewed monthly and quarterly. Secondly, a 12-month calendar should be developed to clearly target specific dates for product introductions and promotional activity.

Remember to include the following:

Milestones
Implementations and timelines
VI. Summary

The summary of the marketing plan should summarize the plan by summarizing the size and scope of the opportunity, and reiterating the STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning) and 4 P (product, price, place, promotion) elements of the plan. It should tell the reader that the plan is real, how you will win, and why it is worth pursuing as an organization (RRW). This section should be no longer than one page.

Remember to review the grading criteria as you write the plan to ensure you address all needed elements.

Use the grading criteria to guide your report. Make sure you include details within your analysis to support your ideas. Use proper grammar, spelling, and APA style throughout. For more information on modeling the buying process, refer to your textbook.

Write an 8-12-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Explain entrepreneurial policy and the essence of pragmatism

Explain Entrepreneurial Policy and The Essence of Pragmatism

Anderson(1988) argued “Pragmatism, properly understood, is neither a technique of neutral problem solving for the mere contrivance of compromise”

Question(s)

1. Brief description of entrepreneurial policy making

2. Brief description of pragmatic policymaking

3. Explain how entrepreneurial policy makers can incorporate pragmatic practices into their public policy research.

4. Have pragmatism practices changed in the last twenty years?

Explain how journalistic ethics affects marketing

Part 1: Researching Ethics

Explain how journalistic ethics affects marketing public relations professionals.
Explain why building relationships with journalists is beneficial to marketers.
How does ethical behavior guide these relationships?
This section of the paper should be 2 pages and must use research from your course text and the library’s full-text databases.

Part 2: Applying the Concepts

Media outlets are topic-driven. Content is based on the outlet’s mission and target audiences. Being able to network with representatives of media outlets that meet the requirements of your business or client companies is an important part of the MPR process. Finding appropriate matches and working your contacts can mean quality PR placements.

Select 3 of the businesses below and associate them with the right media connectors. The business concepts are generic. You need to add more detail to the business scenario, but you may not attribute them to real companies.

Educational games manufacturer
Nonprofit organization
Educational institution
Haute couture fashion designer
Local government or chamber of commerce
Hospitality outlet (hotel, restaurant, or casino)
Military-related or security firm
Religious book publisher
Cultural outlet (theater or museum)
Medical practice
Computer-related service firm
A local, small, for-profit business
If you wish to select different types of companies, e-mail your instructor by Thursday of the week to request approval for your proposed companies. Include information as to why the selection of the companies will advance you along your career path.

For each of the 3 businesses, complete the following:

Describe the business.
Define its target audience.
Select 1 media or nonmedia connector that would be a good fit for the business. Provide your rationale for the choice (the media connectors must be real).
Provide an overview of a media-mention opportunity for the business.

Concept of disintermediation

Disintermediation is the elimination of intermediaries from a marketing channel. Research more on the concept of disintermediation and in a one to two-page paper explain:

• How can disintermediation be a benefit to businesses and consumers both?
• Identify an example of a business which has implemented the process of disintermediation in the past.
• Explain why disintermediation has become more common in recent years.

Explain segmenting the market and target margeting

Explain Segmenting the Market and Target Margeting

Distinguish between the terms market segmentation and target marketing .Include a brief definition of the concepts.

Next, explain this comment: “Sometimes a firm can achieve a key differential advantage by simply emphasizing how its offering satisfies existing consumer desires and needs better than its competitors do. Sometimes demand patterns must be modified for consumers to perceive a firm’s product differentiation as worthwhile.”

Difference in consumer surplus before and after subsidy

If you have a perfectly competitive industry of 100 firms with a monthly demand curve of Q=1000-P and TC=Qi^2+100Q+100, a subsidy of $36/month, a long-run equilibrium (before subsidy) of P=140, Q=860 (each firm produces 5 units) and a long run equilibrium AFTER subsidy of P=132, Q=868 (each firm produces 4 units), how do you determine the difference in consumer surplus before and after the subsidy?

Relationship between actual and real dollars and inflation

Inflation impacts the before- and after-tax analysis. In performing analysis, it is important to understand how inflation impacts the world economies. When inflation occurs, we are able not able to buy as much and our future dollars hold less value than our future dollars. Inflation impacts all of us. In this activity, we will discuss the impact of inflation and how it occurs.

1. In your own words, respond to the following questions. Cite sources for your responses if necessary.

o Define inflation in terms of the purchasing power of dollars.

o Define and describe the relationship between actual and real dollars and inflation.

o Discuss how inflation happens. Describe a few circumstances that cause prices in the economy to increase.