Exam 2: Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Of the following,what is the most useful objective for Purina cat food?

The development of a target market strategy begins with a marketing audit.

John R.Harland Company is best known for printing checks.Its Financial Solutions division develops software for mortgage companies,which is a growing industry.This division is currently not producing at the desired level of profitability,but Harland plans to turn the division into a success by acquiring other companies that develop similar software.Harland would be engaging in a _____ strategy.

NARRBEGIN: Novartis Novartis Novartis,a Swiss drug maker,is planning to purchase a majority stake in Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Company,a Chinese vaccine maker.Novartis has agreed to pay $125 million for the company that holds a 3% share of China's $1 billion vaccines market.The market for vaccines is growing 20% or more in developing nations of Asia,Africa,and Australasia.In the past,vaccine use has been limited to basic shots against diseases such as polio,tuberculosis,and measles,but as the economies of these countries grow,government and private healthcare spending focuses on preventing diseases such as hepatitis B,cholera and rotavirus,tetanus,and others.Some critics are against the acquisition,claiming that prices will increase.Novartis claims it is not interested in raising prices but rather to expand Tianyuan's product offerings. -Refer to Novartis.One thing Novarti plans to do is increase sales to governments and to the United Nations agencies because these are the typical buyers of vaccines to distribute in poor countries.Thus,the company is willing to give up short-term profits to increase market share for this company.In terms of the Boston Consulting Group's portfolio matrix,which basic strategy will Novartis be implementing?

The acronym SBU refers to:

Market penetration occurs when:

A production costs analysis could be a part of a company's SWOT analysis.

The SWOT acronym refers to a firm's analysis of its:

Patents on prescription medications give pharmaceutical companies that own the patents a(n)_____ for 17 years until the patent expires.

Smucker's purchased Folgers Coffee in 2008.The option to buy Folgers represented a(n)_____ to Smucker's.

InBev bought Anheuser Busch.How will this purchase affect InBev's marketing mix?

Apple Inc.is now offering the iPhone 3G for half its original price.This new strategy reflects a change in the _____ element of its marketing mix.

A(n)_____ describes and estimates the size and sales potential of market segments of interest to the firm and assesses key competitors in these market segments.

NARRBEGIN: Delta Faucet Delta Faucet Company Masco is the name of a well-recognized company in the construction industry.It produces cabinetry,furniture,lighting,and plumbing fixtures for the upper-end homeowner and builder.One of the divisions of Masco is the Delta Faucet Company,which is the leader in the faucet industry.Delta Faucet was founded in 1955.Over the decades,it has developed a legacy based on well-crafted,high-quality products.Since the 1970s,Delta has focused its energies on building loyalty with the builder marketplace.Research in 2002 showed that while builders respect the Delta faucet for its quality,durability,and dependability,household consumers were not enamored with Delta products.Due to the number of new magazines and television programs devoted to home style,homeowners wanted faucets that were chic and stylish.This was not the image of the Delta Faucet.To change its image,Delta Faucet began a marketing program in which it committed itself to developing new products to appeal to homeowners.It adopted a new slogan,"Beautifully Engineered." -Refer to Delta Faucet Company.The Delta Faucet Company is a _____ of Masco.