Chapter 2 Strategic Marketing Planning
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements best describes the nature of a marketing plan?
a.
It clearly outlines the organization’s mission and vision.
b.
It outlines how the organization will raise capital to finance growth.
c.
It focuses solely on the internal resources needed to develop a marketing strategy.
d.
It clearly outlines the organization’s marketing activities.
e.
All of these statements describe a marketing plan.
2. Whether at the corporate, business-unit, or functional level, the planning process always begins with
an in-depth:
a.
a statement of goals and objectives.
b.
a situation analysis.
c.
strategy for achieving growth.
d.
statement of the organization’s competitive advantages.
e.
assessment of the organization’s resources.
3. When creating a corporate vision statement, organizations are attempting to answer which of the
following questions:
a.
What do we want to become?
b.
What business are we in?
c.
What are our competitive advantages?
d.
How can we be the best?
e.
Who are we and what do we stand for?
4. Which of the following is one of the five basic questions that a good mission statement should answer?
a.
Who are our competitors?
d.
What are our opportunities?
b.
What is our market position?
e.
Where have we been?
c.
What is our operating philosophy?
5. Sears at one time lost sight of its mission and jumped into markets such as real estate and financial
services that did not fit its strengths or core operations. This most likely occurred because Sears lacked
a mission statement with the appropriate:
a.
focus.
d.
profitability.
b.
strategic fit.
e.
width.
c.
stability.
6. All organizations need a __________, the central scheme for utilizing and integrating resources in the
areas of production, finance, research and development, human resources, and marketing to carry out
the organization’s mission and achieve desired goals and objectives.
a.
marketing strategy
d.
corporate strategy
b.
cross-functional strategy
e.
corporate mission
c.
cross-functional goal
7. When a firm possesses capabilities that allow it to serve customers’ needs better than the competition,
the firm is said to have a:
a.
resource advantage.
d.
marketing advantage.
b.
competitive advantage.
e.
relative advantage.
c.
value-based advantage.
8. With respect to developing a marketing plan, what does it mean for a marketing plan outline to be
consistent?
a.
The outline should be sufficient to ensure that information is not omitted.
b.
The outline should have the ability to be modified to fit the situation.
c.
The outline should flow in a logical manner.
d.
The outline should have some connection to other functional area plans.
e.
The outline should be consistent across firms in the same industry.
9. In a marketing plan, the executive summary should be a complete but concise overview of the entire
marketing plan because:
a.
the executive summary is the most important part of the plan.
b.
the executive summary is the first part of the marketing plan to be written.
c.
most readers of a marketing plan are busy and value condensed information.
d.
the executive summary is the least read part of the marketing plan.
e.
the executive summary does not provide any quantitative information.
10. In developing a marketing plan, the section on goals and objectives defines the parameters by which
the firm will measure actual performance. In this respect, the goals and objectives section is tied
closely to the __________ section of the marketing plan.
a.
SWOT analysis
d.
marketing implementation
b.
evaluation and control
e.
situation analysis
c.
executive summary
11. Motorola continuously establishes performance standards and assesses actual performance by
comparing it with these standards. Afterwards, Motorola often takes corrective action to reduce any
discrepancies. This process is most likely outlined in the __________ section of Motorola’s marketing
plan.
a.
evaluation and control
d.
SWOT analysis
b.
marketing strategy
e.
goals and objectives
c.
marketing implementation
12. Which of the following IS NOT a purpose of a marketing plan?
a.
It explains the present and future situations of the organization.
b.
It specifies the expected outcomes of the plan.
c.
It describes specific actions that are to take place.
d.
It explains how marketing activities mesh with other functional areas.
e.
It identifies resources needed to carry out the plan.
13. While all marketing plans face a number of obstacles in development and implementation,
__________ is by far the most commonly occurring obstacle across most firms.
a.
failure to see the whole picture
d.
lack of time for planning
b.
inadequate information
e.
inadequate communication
c.
resistance to change
14. In the context of marketing planning, why is it vital that the marketing plan be capable of selling itself
to top management?
a.
Because top managers are responsible for executing the marketing plan.
b.
Because top managers must be able to evaluate the performance of the marketing program.
c.
Because top managers must be able to clearly communicate the strategy to external
stakeholders.
d.
Because top managers must decide whether the marketing plan is the best use for the
organization’s scarce resources.
e.
Because top managers are compensated on how well the marketing strategy works.
15. Focusing on customers has not always been the hallmark of strategic planning. In fact, in the early 20th
century, firms tended to focus strictly on __________ rather than on developing relationships with
customers.
a.
efficiency and quality
d.
growth and corporate profits
b.
selling products to customers
e.
new product development
c.
marketing research
16. In today’s business environment, firms that truly focus on customers instill a corporate culture that
places customers and other stakeholders at the top of the organizational hierarchy. When this occurs,
the firm shifts its focus from transactions to __________, and from __________ to collaboration.
a.
market share; competition
d.
value; cooperation
b.
information; rivalry
e.
long-range planning; contracts
c.
relationships; competition
17. __________ firms are those that successfully generate, disseminate, and respond to market
information.
a.
Customer-oriented
d.
Market-oriented
b.
Information-oriented
e.
Competitive-oriented
c.
Satisfaction-oriented
18. In a truly market-oriented organization, what is the role of the CEO?
a.
To increase the market value of the organization.
b.
To ensure that his or her employees have everything they need to perform their jobs well.
c.
To protect the organization from competitive actions.
d.
To create a strong reputation among the organization’s stakeholders.
e.
To hire customer-oriented executives.
19. Many firms have shifted to balanced strategic planning because traditional planning and measurement
approaches are not able to capture:
a.
key competitive information to drive marketing planning.
b.
real-time customer satisfaction metrics.
c.
the value created by an organization’s intangible assets.
d.
either internal or external innovation.
e.
real-time financial performance metrics.
20. The Balanced Performance Scorecard cautions business leaders to look at strategy and performance
through four interrelated perspectives. Which of the following IS NOT one of these perspectives?
a.
financial perspective
d.
learning and growth perspective
b.
customer perspective
e.
internal process perspective
c.
vision and strategy perspective
ESSAY
1. Identify and discuss the five questions that should be answered by a good mission statement. Why do
you think some firms have mission statements that do not answer these basic questions?
2. Defend or contradict this statement: “The most important aspect of strategic market planning is
marketing implementation. Without good implementation, nothing gets accomplished and customers
do not receive desired benefits.”
3. Explain how and why the process of developing a marketing plan might be more important than the
marketing plan document itself. What are the benefits of the planning process irrespective of the actual
outcomes of the process?
4. Identify and discuss the major problems associated with creating marketing plans. What are some
potential ways that firms and managers can overcome these problems?
5. Discuss the concept of balanced strategic planning and the approach outlined by the Balanced
Performance Scorecard. What are the five common principles associated with implementing the
balanced approach to strategic planning?
