Pmmc 7701:Advanced Marketing Management Question Paper
Pmmc 7701:Advanced Marketing Management
Course:Doctor Of Philosophy In Business Management
Institution: Kenya Methodist University question papers
Exam Year:2013
KENYA METHODIST UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
END OF TRIMESTER EXAMINATION FOR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT APRIL, 2013
UNIT CODE : PMMC 7701
UNIT TITLE : ADVANCED MARKETING MANAGEMENT
TIME: 3 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS:
This paper consists of two parts, A & B.
Part A is compulsory.
Answer any THREE (3) Questions in Part B.
Marks will strictly be awarded for clear demonstration of marketing knowledge and effective utilization of authoritative academic literature frameworks.
PART A: COMPULSORY (40 MARKS)
Question One
Read the case below titled "Ford-from cars for the masses to a globally Focused Brand" and answer the questions that follow:
The Ford Motor Company (FMC) was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and 11 associates who, with $28,000 in cash, set in place one of the modern world’s most influential industrial corporations and brands. Few companies are as closely identified with the history and development of industry and society throughout the 20th century as Ford. Perhaps the company’s single greatest contribution to automotive manufacturing was the moving assembly line. First implemented at the Highland Park Plant (in Michigan, USA) in 1913, the new technique allowed individual workers to stay in one place and perform the same task repeatedly on multiple vehicles that passed by them. The line proved tremendously efficient at producing cars, notably the standardized Model T, helping the company far surpass the production levels of their competitors.
In these early days, Henry Ford insisted that the company’s future lay in the production of affordable cars for a mass market. However in 1925, Ford Motor Company acquired the Lincoln Motor Company, thus branching out into luxury cars, and in the 1930s, the Mercury division was created to focus on mid-priced cars. In addition, the company’s keen perception of political and economic trends in the 50s led to its global expansion in the 60s, and the establishment of Ford of Europe in 1967, ten years after the establishment of the Euoropean Economic Community in 1957. The company also established its North American Automotive Operations in 1971, consolidating US, Canadian and Mexican operations, more than two decades ahead of the North American Free trade Agreement.
Today, the FMC is recognized as being one of the world’s leading brands, achieving $ 170 billion sales revenue and nearly $6 billion profits in 2004, and serving 137 country markets through a network of 13,000 dealers. The corporation has built its worldwide presence around the car division of the Ford brand by developing products that serve the varying and ever-changing needs of people in the global community. Thus, it can be argued that while value for money has always been a top priority in developing its vehicles, that concern has never compromised product quality or the pursuit of quality solutions; Ford has always tried hard to meet consumers’ real-life requirements, ’from the heritage of the Thunderbird convertible sports car, to smaller cars for Europeans, and "smarter: cars for the ever-changing environment.
The Ford brand range of vehicles therefore includes numerous models of cars, trucks and SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles). Yet it is not only under the umbrella or the Ford brand itself that the corporation’s expansion has occurred. A programme of amalgamation has led to the inclusion of other established automotive brands, including Mazda, Jaguar, Land rover, Aston martin and Volvo, in the family of Ford’s brands. Additionally, the FMC incorporates a number of automotive service brands into its portfolio that widen the range of benefits that can provide for its customers. These include the Ford Motor Credit Company (Providing loan, leasing and insurance services), quality care (its after-sales and warranty programme), and Motor craft (the original replacement parts business). A further related expansion came in 1994 when the FMC took on fully ownership of Hertz, the world’s largest car rental business, operating from more than 7,000 locations in 140 countries.
In order to support its widespread market presence through its brand portfolio, the company has created a number of key partnerships with suppliers to better connect with its customers and bring ideas to the marketplace in new and exciting ways, Its strategic alliances include a wide spectrum of essential services such as those provided by TeleTech, which develops individualized relationships with the FMC’s customers through their worldwide Customer Relationship Centres. Also in joining forces with UPS Supply Chain solutions, the company has greatly reduced the time required to deliver vehicles from plant to dealer and from dealer to customer. Recently, further efficiency has been achieved through the use of NewView’s e-commerce steel procurement system, which maximizes operational savings that can be passed on to customers. It is apparent that, in the modern global marketplace, the success of the Ford Motor Corporation is not only tied to the relationships between its brand and its customers, but also to those between the company and its suppliers, and these relationships ultimately enable the delivery of value to customers.
Adopted from a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) publication.
Required:
You are employed in the Central Marketing Division of the Ford Motor Corporation (FMC) as a marketing manager and have been asked by your Chief Executive to write a report that:
Demonstrates the role played by relationship marketing in creating value for FMC, its customers and other supply chain partners.
(10 Marks)
Describes the key issues FMC needs to take into consideration in its Customer Relationship Management (RM) implementation framework in order to enhance its relationship marketing capability.
(18 Marks)
Discusses how the adoption of effective relationship marketing strategy can enhance FMC competitive advantage.
(12 Marks)
PART B: ANSWER ANY THREE (3) QUESTIONS (60 MARKS)
Question Two
Discuss the contemporary conceptualizations of brand equity and explain the benefits of enhanced brand equity to a firm.
(10 Marks)
Discuss any THREE (3) advanced perspectives on customer value proposition and present a critique of the perspectives given your consolidated marketing knowledge.
(10 Marks)
Question Three
Customer Experience Management (CEM) is the new frontier of marketing thought. Discuss the current state of knowledge on CEM and present a brief critique on the assertion that it’s a revolution orientation to marketing practice.
(20 Marks)
Question Four
Marketing is under intense pressure to show measurable returns on investments. Discuss the importance of measuring marketing performance and using examples where appropriate, demonstrate how you world apply any FOUR (4) marketing metrics to measure marketing performance. (20 Marks)
Question Five
Critically discuss the key trends and challenges in digital marketing.
(20 Marks)
Question Six
For years, the role of marketing on organizational effectiveness has been a controversial area of debate. With the support of relevant authoritative research, critically discuss the influence of marketing on sustainable competitive advantage of a commercial company of your choice in Kenya.
(20 Marks)
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