978-1305769786 Chapter 2 Solution Manual

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Discussion Starter 1: Identifying Core Competencies

ASK: What are McDonald’s core competencies?

ASK: How many of you have eaten in McDonald’s in other countries? What was similar to the local

McDonald’s?

Exercise Extender: Visit www.aboutmcdonalds.com/country/map.html and visit a number of McDonald’s

international sites. Discuss with the students the similarities and the differences between the sites. This

will bring the discussion of McDonald’s core competencies to life.

Discussion Starter 2: Mission Statements

Present Ben and Jerry’s Social, Product, and Economic mission statements (available at

http://www.benjerry.com/activism/mission-statement) as well as New Belgium Brewing’s history and

mission (available at http://www.newbelgium.com/Brewery/company/history.aspx).

Discuss these two companies that are known for their high ethical standards and their mission statements.

Mission statements are important because they act as a compass to lead the company in the right

direction. Using the section in the book about mission statements, have students analyze their strengths

and weaknesses.

ASK: Can you think of any companies that are unique or different? Do you think their uniqueness is

reflected in their mission statements?

Discussion Starter 3: Going Green: Unilever Aims to Clean the World’s Water

ASK: Is Unilever’s goal to increase its revenues by 100 percent and slash its eco-footprint by 50 percent

by 2020 a feasible marketing objective?

ASK: Who is the target market for Unilever’s Pureit home water purifier?

ASK: Why might Unilever be satisfied with not making a larger profit on the sale of their Pureit filters?

distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.

3. What are some issues to consider in analyzing a firm’s resources and opportunities? How do

these issues affect marketing objectives and marketing strategy?

The strategic planning process begins with an analysis of the marketing environment, including

economic, competitive, political, legal and regulatory, technological, and socio-cultural forces. The

4. What is SWOT analysis and why is it important?

A SWOT analysis outlines the internal strengths and weaknesses of a firm and the external

5. How can an organization make its competitive advantages sustainable over time? How difficult

is it to create sustainable competitive advantages?

A sustainable competitive advantage is one that the competition cannot copy in the foreseeable

6. How should organizations set marketing objectives?

A marketing objective states what is to be accomplished through marketing activities. These

objectives can be stated in terms of product introduction, product improvement or innovation, sales

7. What are the two major parts of a marketing strategy?

The two major parts of a marketing strategy are selecting a target market and creating a marketing

8. When considering the strategic planning process, what factors influence the development of a

marketing strategy?

A marketing strategy should match the organization’s corporate strategy and help the organization to

9. Identify and explain the major managerial actions that are a part of managing the

implementation of marketing strategies.