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Chapter 2—The Channel Participants
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which statement about Gazelle is false?
a.
Gazelle distributes electronic products using its online channel.
b.
Gazelle buys, takes title and stores electronic products.
c.
Gazelle pays for electronic products up front, before it has a buyer for them.
d.
It is part of a $300 billion industry that distributes used electronic equipment.
e.
Distribution channels are not adequately used by Gazelle..
2. The fundamental determinant of whether a firm is a member of a marketing channel is:
a.
If the firm performs distribution tasks.
b.
If the firm is considered to be important to the channel manager.
c.
If the firm performs negotiatory functions.
d.
If the firm performs tasks that are necessary to make products or services available
to ultimate buyers.
e.
If the firm performs ancillary tasks.
3. The basic divisions of the marketing channel are:
a.
Buyers and sellers.
b.
Buyers, sellers and facilitators.
c.
Consumer and industrial markets.
d.
Producers and manufacturers; intermediaries; and final users.
e.
Contactual organizations and non-contactual organizations.
4. In the commercial channel, participants who are specifically excluded are:
a.
Producers.
b.
Manufacturers.
c.
Wholesale and retail intermediaries.
d.
Consumer and industrial final users.
e.
Agents and brokers.
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5. __________ are members of the target market.
a.
Final users
b.
Retailers
c.
Wholesalers
d.
Producers
e.
Transportation firms
6. Facilitating agencies:
a.
Are members of the marketing channel.
b.
Perform non-negotiatory functions.
c.
Are of little importance to the operation of the channel.
d.
Are seldom called on by the channel manager.
e.
Are members of the commercial channel.
7. Which of the following is not a facilitating agency?
a.
FlowPipeline, Inc.
b.
First National Bank of Chicago
c.
Brooke Advertising, Inc.
d.
Binney & Smith
e.
Federal Express
8. In the context of the management perspective used in the text, it is appropriate to view
final users as:
a.
Intermediaries.
b.
Facilitating agencies.
c.
Intermediate users.
d.
Target markets.
e.
Producers.
9. The technology and scale economies that enable producers and manufacturers to operate
at a low average cost for production are:
a.
Also usually present in the performance of distribution tasks.
b.
Even greater when it comes to performing distribution tasks.
c.
Often lacking in the performance of distribution tasks.
d.
Less important to the efficient performance of distribution tasks.
e.
Easily attainable when performing distribution tasks.
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10. Intermediaries’ average costs curves for distribution tend to be __________ those of
manufacturers.
a.
Higher than
b.
Lower than
c.
The same as
d.
Longer than
e.
Shorter than
11. To perform distribution tasks efficiently, a firm needs all of the following except:
a.
Expertise.
b.
Economies of scale.
c.
Economies of scope.
d.
To maintain high inventory levels.
e.
High production volumes.
12. Procter & Gamble and Kellogg often face __________ average costs for distribution
tasks when they attempt to perform them by themselves.
a.
High
b.
Low
c.
Medium
d.
Extremely low
e.
Marginal
13. Clayton Tennis Equipment, a manufacturer, cannot perform distribution tasks efficiently
so it uses Jackson Sports Equipment as a wholesaler to distribute its products in the
Midwest. Clayton likely is inefficient in performing distribution tasks because:
a.
Jackson is better positioned to select and use facilitating agencies.
b.
Clayton’s fixed costs are too high.
c.
Jackson can spread its fixed costs across products from multiple manufacturers.
d.
Clayton’s marginal revenue exceeds its marginal costs.
e.
Clayton has low average production costs.
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14. The Census of Wholesale Trade classifies wholesalers into the following three categories:
a.
Merchant wholesalers, manufacturers’ sales branches, and public warehouses.
b.
Sales branches and offices, company-owned stores, and merchant wholesalers.
c.
Merchant wholesalers, brokers, and commission merchants and agent wholesalers.
d.
Manufacturers’ sales branches and offices; agents, brokers, and commission
merchants; and merchant wholesalers.
e.
Merchant wholesalers, manufacturers’ facilitators, brokers, and independent
producers.
15. The Census of Wholesale Trade classifies wholesalers as all of the following except:
a.
Merchant wholesalers.
b.
Full-function or limited function wholesalers.
c.
18 groupings based on the kind of business.
d.
Agents and brokers.
e.
Manufacturers’ sales branches and offices.
16. The Census of Wholesale Trade classifies wholesalers into __________ kinds of business
groups.
a.
24
b.
18
c.
12
d.
10
e.
36
17. ___________ are firms that primarily buy, take title to, store, and physically handle
products.
a.
Agents
b.
Commission merchants
c.
Manufacturers’ offices
d.
Brokers
e.
Merchant wholesalers
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18. During the decade from 1992 to 2002, Census data show that the percentage of total
wholesale sales enjoyed by merchant wholesalers:
a.
Increased slightly.
b.
Decreased slightly.
c.
Stayed the same.
d.
Increased by over 10%.
e.
Decreased by almost one third.
19. Agents, brokers, and commission merchants’ percentage of total wholesale sales in 2002
was:
a.
0% to 8%.
b.
9% to 14%.
c.
15% to 20%.
d.
21% to 30%.
e.
31% to 40%.
20. In recent years, trends in wholesaling are showing a tendency towards:
a.
Consolidation.
b.
A decrease in average size.
c.
Becoming more like retailers than wholesalers.
d.
Operating only in Cyberspace.
e.
A decrease in average size.
21. Most wholesalers could be characterized with regard to their size as:
a.
Giant enterprises.
b.
Large businesses.
c.
Very small “mom and pop” businesses.
d.
Relatively small businesses.
e.
Conglomerates.
22. Absolute sales of all three types of wholesalers _________ during the period 1992 to
2002.
a.
Decreased
b.
Stayed the same
c.
Increased substantially
d.
Fell drastically
e.
Increased by less than a fraction of one percent
The Channel Participants
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23. Sales patterns of the different types of wholesalers since 1948 have:
a.
Been very similar for all types.
b.
Varied across different types of wholesalers.
c.
Increased sharply only for merchant wholesalers.
d.
Had almost no influence on their relative market shares.
e.
Increased only for agents, brokers, and commission merchants.
24. Economic concentration in terms of percentage of total wholesale sales enjoyed by most
merchant wholesalers in their respective line of trade is:
a.
Relatively low.
b.
Very high.
c.
Extremely high and getting higher.
d.
Very high but falling rapidly.
e.
Very low and falling rapidly.
25. Merchant wholesalers are particularly well suited for performing all of the following
distribution tasks for their suppliers except:
a.
Providing market coverage.
b.
Providing low-cost sales contacts over a wide geographical area.
c.
Providing low-cost warehousing and delivery.
d.
Processing orders.
e.
Serving as the firms’ outside sales force.
26. Merchant wholesalers perform all of the following functions except:
a.
Processing orders.
b.
Providing market coverage.
c.
Holding inventory.
d.
Selling merchandise to final users.
e.
Offering customer support.
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27. Several studies, including the Brown and Herring report, suggest the wholesaler’s role in
__________ will grow even more important to manufacturers.
a.
providing sales contacts
b.
holding inventory
c.
order processing
d.
breaking bulk
e.
extending credit and financial assistance
28. Customer support provided by merchant wholesalers to manufacturers is often referred to
as:
a.
Retailers’ services.
b.
Manufacturers’ services.
c.
Value-added services.
d.
Producers’ services.
e.
Genuine wholesale services.
29. Merchant wholesalers often perform all of the following distribution tasks for customers
except:
a.
Rendering services pertaining to the sale of goods.
b.
Providing customer service.
c.
Extending credit.
d.
Providing technical support.
e.
Assuring product availability.
30. _____________ refers to the wholesaler’s ability to bring together an assortment of
products from a variety of manufacturers.
a.
Breaking bulk
b.
Technical support
c.
Order processing
d.
Assortment convenience
e.
Product line analysis
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31. Agents and brokers:
a.
Do not take title to goods.
b.
Are not considered members of the commercial channel.
c.
Represent 1 or 2 manufacturers.
d.
Work on a ‘cash and carry’ basis.
e.
Physically hold the manufacturer’s inventory.
32. Agents, brokers, and commission merchants generally:
a.
take title to products.
b.
do not take title to products.
c.
are listed as “limited function wholesalers” in the Census of Wholesale Trade.
d.
are really the same thing as merchant wholesalers.
e.
operate a very narrow range of products or services.
33. Manufacturers’ agents are often referred to as:
a.
Manufacturer’s representatives.
b.
Retailers.
c.
Wholesaler’s cooperatives.
d.
Sales support staff.
e.
Limited function wholesalers.
34. Which of the following is a false statement about the manufacturer’s sales branches of
Bella Manufacturing, Inc.?
a.
They are all owned by Bella.
b.
The branches are operated by Bella.
c.
The branches are physically separate from Bella’s manufacturing plants.
d.
Their main purpose is to distribute the manufacturer’s products.
e.
The branches service regions of the country.
35. A basic phenomenon in the ranks of retailers since 1948 has been:
a.
The tendency toward larger-scale retailers as measured by average sales per store.
b.
The large increase in the number of retail stores for each census period since 1948.
c.
The increase of average sales per store.
d.
The consistent large decline in the number of retail stores.
e.
The decrease in the size of retail establishments.
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36. Between 1948 and 2002 for retail establishments:
a.
Average sales and numbers of stores increased.
b.
Average sales increased and the number of stores decreased.
c.
Average sales decreased and the number of stores decreased.
d.
Average sales decreased and the number of stores increased.
e.
Total sales increased and the number of stores increased.
37. Trends in retailing in the U.S. suggest:
a.
The number of stores is growing rapidly.
b.
Average dollar sales per store has increased.
c.
The number of retail stores has fallen by 50 percent in the last 25 years.
d.
A movement by retailers to reduce the number of distribution tasks they perform.
e.
A total sales volume greater than $5 trillion.
38. General merchandise, single line stores, and specialty stores are so named based on
which of the following classification bases?
a.
Ownership of establishments
b.
Size of establishments
c.
Kind of business
d.
Method of consumer contact
e.
Legal form of organization
39. Which of the following would not be classified as retailers?
a.
factory outlets
b.
vending machines
c.
mail order catalogs
d.
TV shopping shows
e.
food broker
40. Distribution tasks that were formerly the province of the wholesaler or manufacturer have
increasingly:
a.
Been shifted to facilitating agencies.
b.
Been shifted off to smaller wholesalers.
c.
Been neglected by manufacturers and wholesalers.
d.
Been taken over by larger retailers.
e.
Been shifted to independent agents or brokers.
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41. Stores that dominate a particular line of merchandise and have large shares of the market
are often referred to as:
a.
Diversified retailers.
b.
Specialty retailers.
c.
Category killers.
d.
Department stores.
e.
Mass merchandisers.
42. The potential of retail intermediaries for performing distribution tasks:
a.
Has increased.
b.
Is likely to decrease in the future.
c.
Has not changed.
d.
Will be a value added function.
e.
Will only change if the economy grows over 5% per year.
43. The Census of Retail Trade classified retailers into _____ major groups by kind of
business.
a.
12
b.
16
c.
18
d.
10
e.
8
44. Economic concentration in many kinds of retail businesses is:
a.
Getting lower.
b.
Increasing.
c.
Staying the same.
d.
Highly variable across time.
e.
Very volatile.
45. Virtually all retailers serve as:
a.
Buying agents for the producer.
b.
Selling agents for their suppliers.
c.
Advertising agents for manufacturers.
d.
Limited function businesses.
e.
The external marketing staff for manufacturers.
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46. All of the following are reasons for retailers gaining power in the marketing channels
except:
a.
Growing size.
b.
Use of advanced technology.
c.
Increased expertise of managers.
d.
Increased use of the marketing concept.
e.
Concentration of retailers.
47. Retailers have been using scanner data to perform all of the following except:
a.
Pay and promotion analysis.
b.
Promotion and pricing decisions.
c.
Shelf management.
d.
Direct product profitability.
e.
Forecasting.
48. “Threetailing” is a term used to describe:
a.
Retailers located in 3 or more countries.
b.
The use of 3 types of promotion techniques.
c.
The integration of technology for in-store, print, and television advertising.
d.
Three main customer target markets.
e.
The convergence of in-store, catalog, and online channels.
49. Kohl’s discount department store has used all of the following techniques of marketing
strategy except:
a.
Use of a ‘racetrack’ layout to expose customers to a maximum amount of
merchandise.
b.
Allow customers to spend less time in the store but buy more merchandise.
c.
Sell brand name apparel.
d.
Differentiate its store layout from competitors.
e.
Increase use of multi-media advertising techniques.
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50. Which of the following is a false statement about Fresh Market’s use of marketing
strategy to reach its target market?
a.
Has identified its target market as educated, high-income consumers in upscale
neighborhoods.
b.
The store size is larger than those of major competitors.
c.
Classical music is played in all stores.
d.
The lighting in the store is unique and warm.
e.
The decor is very elegant.
51. The term “gatekeeper” as used in the textbook refers to
a.
The power of manufacturers in the channel.
b.
The power of retailers in the channel.
c.
The power of consumers in the channel.
d.
The power of suppliers in the channel.
e.
The power of manufacturer’s representatives in the channel.