Chapter 01 – Market-Oriented Perspectives Underlie Successful Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategies
End of Chapter Discussion Questions and Answers
1. How are the basic business philosophies or orientations of a major consumer products
firm such as General Mills or Nestlé and a small entrepreneurial start-up in a
fast-growing, high-tech industry likely to differ? What are the implications of such
philosophical differences for the role of marketers in the strategic planning processes of
the two firms?
Answer:
Student answers may vary. Answers should include elements such as:
The firms differ in terms of scope. General Mills and Nestlé are corporations which need to
focus on corporate strategy while the startup must focus on business-level strategies.
The text notes that businesses, with a primary focus on corporate strategy, need to answer
the questions:
What business(es) are we in?
Startups following business-level strategy face more basic questions:
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© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Chapter 01 – Market-Oriented Perspectives Underlie Successful Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategies
Also consideration must be given to appropriate scope, how many and which market
segments to compete in and the overall breadth of product offerings and marketing programs
to appeal to these segments, and synergy.
The reason why marketing managers do not play an equally extensive strategic role in every
firm is because not all firms are equally market oriented. Different firms have different
2. As the small entrepreneurial firm described in question 1 grows larger, its market
matures, and its industry becomes more competitive. How should its business
philosophy or orientation change? Why?
Answer:
Student answers may vary. Answers should include elements such as:
3. What role should marketing managers play in helping to formulate business-level
(SBU) strategies in a large diversified firm such as General Motors? What kinds of
information are marketers best able to provide as a basis for planning? Which issues or
elements of business-level strategy can such information help to resolve?
Answer:
Student answers may vary. A very extensive answer follows. Students should cover most of
the items in a good answer.
Business domain:
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© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Chapter 01 – Market-Oriented Perspectives Underlie Successful Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategies
Business development strategy:
Objectives aggregated across product-market entries in the business unit:
Allocation of Resources:
Sources of Competitive Advantage:
Sources of Synergy:
The kinds of information marketers are best able to provide as a basis for planning are:
Target market definition
Product-line depth and breadth
The issues or elements of business-level strategy that such information can help to resolve
are:
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© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.