MKTG 4350 –Discussion Questions for Stand and Deliver 2 Cases

BMW’s Road to Higher Customer Satisfaction: Just Tell Me What You Think!

• Assuming BMW wanted to learn more about what customers value in their luxury driving experience and then make decisions from that research, what kinds) of market research would you recommend that may improve their understanding? What research questions would each type answer? Be specific and consider categories of research designs (descriptive, exploratory, and causal) as well as the types of data they might need.
• BMW is facing the classic quality-quantity-cost tradeoff; the higher information quality they seek (represented by more questions), the fewer responses they get or the higher their research costs. Since BMW’s executives each have 25-to-30 years’ experience in the automotive market, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of trusting their own experience vs. spending more on market research? Given those advantages and disadvantages and advantages, which would you recommend? Why?
• Often when problems develop like BMW is experiencing in their research data gathering, a new (often technological) solution is developed to address the problem. What might be some innovative ways to approach gaining both statistical significance (through higher response rate) and deeper context (through open-ended qualitative data)?

Smartphones, Seniors, and Purchase Decisions

• After Jack purchases his phone and data plan, is it likely that he experienced cognitive dissonance with his purchase? Explain. What social and/or cultural factors played a role in this consumer purchasing the smartphone and data plan? Which ones do you think were most important and why? In this scenario, where would you assign the most blame for the outcome?What else contributed?
• The scenario described in the case is an illustration that not only do companies have to overcome the hurdle of getting someone to buy their product but also have to educate consumers on the proper use of the product after purchase. Otherwise, the consumer has a product he/she may not properly use and thus achieves no value or satisfaction from the purchase! What steps could Verizon Wireless take in the post-purchase time frame to ensure that consumers get maximum value and satisfaction out of their purchase and avoid outcomes such as Jack’s?

Organizational Buying on a Grand Scale

• Use the chapter discussion of various buying center roles to describe the potential members of the buying center for the Air Force when purchasing an item like the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Who should be included and what are their roles? Which one(s) do you think would have the most influence on the purchasing process?Why?
• Assess the financial, value, and service criteria that a buying center at the U.S. DOD may consider when making purchases for both equipment (like the B-2 Stealth Bomber) and services (such as fuel transportation or food service). Also, what personal and organizational factors may influence a purchase decision at the U.S. DOD? Explain.
• Contrast the buying process for the DOD with buying process used by Target Corporation’s procurement of laundry detergent from P&G for resale in Target Stores. What aspects of those buying processes are likely different and what aspects are likely similar?

Hotel Choices and their Appeal to Different Markets

• Go to Marriott’s website (www.marriott.com) and peruse the different types of lodging brands offered (there’s a box near the bottom of the main pages that links to all their brands).Select any three and briefly describe the target market for each brand.Based on the discussion of differentiation in the chapter, identify the relevant sources of differentiation offered by each brand.
• Even with all of Marriott’s brands they still do not have any hotel properties in the truly “budget” category of lodging. That’s a category occupied by properties such as Days Inn and Budgetel. Why do you think Marriott does not have a brand in this category of lodging? Do you think Marriott should enter this market segment. Why or why not?Assuming top management decided that it wanted to enter the budget market. What advice would you offer regarding the positioning of the brand relative to the budget market and to their portfolio of brands?
• As you learned when you visited the Marriott website, Marriott has 30 different lodging or extended stay brands under the Marriott BONVoY corporate umbrella.In your opinion, why do they have so many brands? Given the number of brands, is Marriott at risk of making any positioning errors discussed in the chapter? Justify your answer.