Overview
. I would highly recommend that you also access outside resources to strengthen your answers (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Forbes, McKinsey & Company, Investopedia, among others).
All four questions are mandatory and you should answer each question along the lines of a "five-paragraph essay."
Make sure to use Times New Roman 12-point font. This paper needs to be double-spaced. Make sure to use APA formatting when citing your sources (in-text citations as well as your reference sheet). Make sure to use good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Use page numbers. The answers to these questions need to be in "essay form." In other words, just don't answer the questions as if its a test
There are six (6) optional questions below. You have the option to select three (3) of the questions. Make sure to clearly label which question you are answering. There are two MANDATORY Questions. You must answer these questions. In total, you will answer five questions total. This exam is worth 200 points.
Please exercise good time management. I would suggest not to wait until the last week of class to begin. Try to begin as early as you can. Good luck!
SELECT ONLY THREE
1. [CH3/40points] Oracle Corporation provides customer relationship management software solutions to all sectors of the business market. Go to http://wwwLinks to an external site..oracle.com and review "success stories" and:
a. Identify a particular Oracle customer from the government sector and describe the benefits that this government customer received from the software solution.
2. [CH 5/ 40 points] A day in the life of a business marketing manager involves interactions with managers from other functions in the firm. First, identify the role of R&D, manufacturing, and logistics functions in creating and implementing marketing strategy. Next, describe some of the common sources of conflict that can emerge in cross-functional relationships.
3. [CH6/40 points] Evaluate this statement: Many business-to-business firms need to fill market gaps at home with new products and services and also follow selected customers to their new locations in rapidly developing economies like India or China.
4. [CH13/40 points] Evaluate this statement: "Social media channels have fundamentally changed the way in which many business customers compare alternatives and make buying decisions."
5. [CH 14/40 points] When planning a sales call on a particular account in the business market, what information would you require about the buying center, the purchasing requirements, and the competition?
6. [CH14/40 points] Research suggests that the greater the salesperson's satisfaction, the greater the customer satisfaction. Given the important relationship, what steps can a business-to-business firm take to nurture and sustain job satisfaction in the sales force?
YOU MUST ANSWER BOTH MANDATORY QUESTIONS
MANDATORY: [CH1-15/40 points] Throughout this semester, we have explored business-to-business marketing through the lens of 1) competitive intelligence, 2) value narrative, and 3) prospecting and networking. Now it is your turn to propose a "fourth pillar." Think of a consistent theme you have seen throughout the book that you would consider crucial for the proper execution of B2B marketing.
MANDATORY. [CH 3/ 40 points] A marketing research company found that 6 percent of its clients generated 30 percent of sales and nearly all of its profits. At the other end of the continuum, 70 percent of its clients provided annual billings (revenue) that were below break-even levels, because these customers required extensive amount of service from research employees. The company took immediate action to terminate relationships with clients who would not give them a higher share of their marketing research expenditures. Evaluate this decision and suggest a set of criteria that the firm might use to screen new clients.