1. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE OF COMMERCE (AUTONOMOUS)

END SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS –APRIL 2012

M.COM  –  II SEMESTER

      MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PLANNING

Time: 3 Hrs                                                                                                   Maximum: 100

Section – A

1. Answer any Seven                                         (7 x 5 = 35)

 

1. What is Marketing Environment? Discuss the forces influence an organization’s operating environment.
2. What do you mean by Industrial Products? State its types and characteristics.
3. Distinguish between Industrial Marketing and Consumer Marketing.
4. Define the word buying centre. Discuss the Roles of Buying Center Members.
5. Discuss the Buyer-Seller Relationships in CRM.
6. Discuss the process of Product Life Cycle (PLC).
7. Write short notes on the following:

(a) E- Commerce (b) Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

8. What is Negotiation? How to plan for effective Negotiation?
9. Define Marketing intelligence system. Talk about its process.
10. What is Distribution Channel? State its functions.

 

Section – B

1. Answer any THREE                                               ( 3 x 15 = 45)

 

11. What is Marketing Research? Elucidate the various Marketing Research Process.

12.Define Organization Buying Behavior. Discuss the various factors influencing Organizational Buying.

13. Explain the concept of New Product Development. Elucidate the stages involved in the process of developing new products.
14. Write Short Notes on

(a) Logistics Management (b) Physical Distribution (c) Organizational Buying Behavior Model (d) Corporate Strategy (e) Market Segmentation.

15. Critically examine the factors Affecting Pricing Decisions.

Section – C

 

• COMPULSORY – CASE STUDY (20 marks)

 

Marketing Decision:  Bank of America: Appealing to Multiple Customer Categories

The merger between previous BankAmerica and Nations Bank to form Bank of America now leaves Hugh McColl in charge of an organization with $614 billion in assets. This makes Bank of America the largest and most nationwide bank, larger than Citicorp and Chase Manhattan. The bank has some form of relationship with more than two million businesses, 85 percent of the nation’s largest businesses, and over 30 million households. Now earnings growth hinges on making the bank’s 4,500 branches and 14,000 ATMs run smoothly. The results of frequent acquisitions to build a company this size, as well as managerial turnover associated with buying firms, have caused problems in transition and loss of market share in some areas. In addition, operating costs are increasing. The general process following the bank’s acquisitions is to feature streamlined, lightly staffed branches.

The eventual key to success will be the ability of Bank of America to handle its various customer types and its own employees. For example, the identification of customers by profitability is a concern. Bankers encourage profitable customers by offering CDs at premium rates and discourage non profitable customers by charging them higher checking fees; the ability to make these distinctions was limited after the merger with Barnett Banks in Florida. Bank of America also lost a significant share of its private trust customers after it took over Boatman’s Bancshares in Missouri. As Bank of America develops its new product identity, plans include a new initiative to train branch bankers to handle more small-business products. On the positive side, Bank of America Corp. has announced it will no longer give out customer information to telemarketers.

McColl argues that the mergers enhance scale, which enables the company to spread costs over a larger customer base and is more important as the financial services industry becomes more technology driven .Moreover, consolidation in the industry has been fueled by the encroachment of nonbank competitors and changing regulations that have allowed banks to expand into new product categories, as well as into new geographic regions.

 

Questions:

 

1. What obstacles does Bank of America face in its operations as a national bank operating across such a diverse geographical area?
2. How do banks organize their operations in regard to customer categories?
3. What difficulties arise in providing customer service for such large and complex organizations?
4. What opportunities for competition confront Bank of America?

 

 

 

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