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June, 2011

Ms-61 : Consumer Behaviour

SECTION – A

1.  You have been asked to advise a mens wear apparel manufacturer, to help them suitably segment their market and identify the most appropriate target segment. The company manufactures both formal and casual wear, and has a stylish, upmarket range. You want or to apply the VALSII typology to help them identify the target segments. Explain how would you utilise this approach and which segments would be the most appropriate for this manufacturer ?

2.  Discuss the components of an attitude. Taking the example of a consumer enable purchase decision, explain what functions do attitudes play in consumer decision making.

3.  Which stage in the family life cycle would constitute the most attractive segment for the following products and services ? Give reasons for your answer

(a)  home theatre system

(b)  package tours

(c)  fitness centres

4.  How as a marketer of home appliances, would you use the knowledge of post purchase evaluation by consumer, to ensure that your consumers do not experience any dissonance ? Describe the response strategies you will follow.

5.  Write short notes on any 3 of the following

(a)  Situational influences on buying process.

(b)  Components of Alternative evaluation.

(c)  Problem recognition stage in the consumer decision process

(d)  Bett man's information processing model

(e)  Types of problem solving behaviour.

SECTION – B

6.  Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

The kellogg challenge Kellogg Company has distribution in over 150 countries and vet is still unknown to one - third of the world's population. According to its CEO, 'the company plans to change all that" Kellogg has built a company called cereal plant in Latvia and has sales in Poland and Hungary. It has also constructed a cereal plant in India and also has entered the Chinese market. Entry to these two countries have helped to enhance the non U.S. sales which in 2001 were 62% of total volume and 49% of total revenue. However, the company is aware that international expansion and the development of global Brands for its products will not be easy. To work towards its global aspirations, the company has reorganised itself into four divisions: North America, Latin America,Europe and Australia. According to the CEO : "The  way we used to be organized, we were a U.S. based multinational-a company with a big domestic business and, by the way, sonic international business. That was the way we were thinking ; that was the way the organisation was structured. Today, if you talk to customers in the UK, Canada, or Australia, they'd think of Kellogg as being based in the UK or Canada or Australia. We are global in organisational structure and business, but also multi domestic.

We now have a number of truly global brands (Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes, with Froot Loops and Rice Krispies close behind and Frosted Mini Wheats and Honey Nut loops moving rapidly). There used to be slight variations in our food around the world but

now you will recognise the products wherever you go Advertising for frosted flakes is now global and that for other Brands may follow. Expanding into many markets will involve more than trying to gain share from the other cereal marketers. It will require altering long held traditions. : "In Asia for example, consumers are used to eating something warm, soft and savoury for breakfast and we are going to sell them something that is cold, crisp and sweet or bran tasting. That's quite a difference." The challenge is made greater by the existence of local competitors and traditional breakfast - food suppliers in countries like China and India. Competition is strong even in these countries where consumption is low. For example, in India, with consumption at 10 bowls per year per person compared to ten pounds in the U.S., there are more than 50 direct and indirect competitors from packaged food manufacturers, to a whole lot of traditional breakfast meals in both organized and unorganised sector.

Questions :

(a)  What are the needs and values involved in the consumption of a product such as breakfast cereal ?

(b)  What consumer behaviour variables would support and what would harm the chances

of Kellogg succeeding with cold cereal in India ?

(c)  Suggest an appropriate promotional strategy for Kellogg's cornflakes, looking at the perception related barriers people may have against this form of breakfast. 

December, 2011

Ms-61 : Consumer Behaviour

SECTION – A

1. (a)  What are the major applications of life style marketing utilised by present day marketer ? Illustrate using suitable examples.

(b)  As a retailer of expensive leather luggage, which approach to lifestyle segmentation

would you apply and why ?

2. (a)  does the self concept theory explain the influence of self concept on consumption ?

(b)  You are trying to promote safe driving habits among motorcyclists and scooterists. Explain what approach to attitude change would you apply to change their attitudes towards safe driving ? Justify your answer.

3.  What are the factors that determine the importance of reference group influence on buying decisions ? Name two products each where in your view there would a strong reference group influence on.

(a) product choice

(b) brand choice. Explain why this type of influence would operate ?

4.  Discuss the different types of problem solving behaviour in buying decisions. What type of problem solving behaviour can be expected in the following purchase decisions and why ?

(a) Purchase of your first laptop

(b) Purchase of an office shirt by you.

5.  Write short notes on any three  of the following.

(a) Personality as a variable influencing consumer behaviour.

(b) Instrumental conditioning.

(c) Influence of child on family buying decisions.

(d) Post purchase behaviour

(e) Bett  man's  information processing model

SECTION – B

6.   Read the case study given below and answer the questions at the end of the case.

Brand ambassador : employing real customers to get the word around. People love talking about things that make them happy - including their favorite products and brands. For example, if you really like an airline - they fly with flair and get you there at a reasonable price or you just love your recently acquired Sony camera - it is too good to keep the knowledge of the experience to yourself. In the old days, you would have chatted up these brands with a few friends and family members, but these days technology allows you to spread the word about products and brands experiences to thousands of other consumers. In response, Marketers are now working to harness the new found communications power of their everyday customers by turning them into influential brand ambassadors. Companies like Sony, Microsoft and McDonald's are now

developing a new breed of brand ambassador programs that organize and multiply consumer to consumer interactions about their brands. These programs employ everyday consumers who are passionate about their products to act as part PR agents and part sales reps. Marketers select their brand ambassadors very carefully, based on customers' devotion to a brand and the size of their social circles. Once selected, the ambassadors are trained with real brand knowledge to go along with their passion for the brand. The ambassadors then tap into friends, family groups and wider audience through personal conversations, blogs, and online social media. For the  ambassadop,  rewards include product samples, gifts, discounts and token cash payments. Perhaps most important to many brand enthusiasts, they get inside access to company's information about new products and services about to be launched. Brand ambassador programs leverage the power of peer to peer communication. Consumers hear about products and brand experiences  from others just like themselves - people they trust - rather than from commercial marketing sources. Sony used brand ambassadors to jumpstart the launch of its new GPS camera, a high tech device that draws on satellite tracking technology to let you record the exact location of every picture you take and later map them out using Google maps. Sony selected customer ambassadors who like to travel, take pictures and

use online communications. "this is a product with emerging technology and we really need to let consumers see people using it' says Sony's director of digital imaging. Out of 2000 or more online applicants, Sony picked only 25 brand ambassadors. The ambassadors were given a free camera and other equipment along with lessons on how to use them. They were encouraged to show the camera to friends, associates, and anyone else who asked; handout discount coupons and blog weekly about their travel and picture taking adventures on a dedicated Sony micro site. College campuses are traditional fertile

ground for ambassadors. Marketing companies identify and manage college student ambassadors for diverse products and services. The brand ambassador approach has its critics. For example, some view the practice as underhanded or deceptive, most firms advise their ambassadors to openly reveal that they are representatives. Others worry that brand ambassadors may be perceived as pressure agents who promote products because they get free stuff - or worse, as annoying interfering people best avoided. The best ambassadors, however, it has been found, are people who are seen as friendly, everyday brand loyalists for love to talk to people about their own experiences.

Questions  :

(a) Based on your own understanding of reference groups, how effective would brand ambassadors be as reference groups for relatively expensive, infrequently bought products and services ? How would your answer change if the product in question was detergent or cooking oil ?

(b) In your view, in the Indian marketing context, is the concept of brand ambassadors likely to succeed ? Justify your answer.

(c) Comment upon Sony's strategy of using brand ambassadors to launch its cameras. What can be the possible dangers of using this approach ? 

June, 2013

MS-63 : PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

SECTION-A

1. Distinguish between the following giving suitable examples :

(a) Convenience and shopping products

(b) Product Line and Product Mix

(c) Tangible specifications and Augmented features of a product

(d) Skimming Pricing and Penetration Pricing

2. (a) How would marketing strategies vary across different stages of Product Life Cycle ?

Explain giving suitable examples.

(b) "Though so many managers have been swept into product-line extension mania, many of them are also discovering that the problems and risks associated with extension proliferation are formidable". Discuss the statement.

3. (a) What is the rationale for test marketing ? Discuss the situations where you think test marketing is not desirable.

(b) Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of setting responsibility of developing new products at the corporate level.

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) BCG Matrix

(b) Concurrent Engineering

(c) Concept Testing

(d) Brand Equity Measurements

(e) Market Potential and Market Demand

SECTION-B

5. A company manufacturing biscuits now plans to launch a new range of biscuits targetted at health and calorie conscious customers as well as diabetics. The company intends to produce these biscuits with multigrains and lower sugar as well as calorie content. It is planned to offer the biscuits in different flavours like apple, orange, vanila etc. to cater to the different tastes of the customers. The company now has to decide upon the different aspects of the new launch like the ingredients, flavours, branding, packaging and labelling of the product.

Questions :

(a) Suggest some methods for generating ideas regarding the product attributes of the proposed range of biscuits.

(b) Identify the characteristics of a good brand name and suggest a suitable brand name for the new offerings.

(c) Suggest an appropriate positioning strategy.

(d) Discuss the significance of packaging and labelling decisions in the marketing of these new products.

December, 2012

MS-61 : CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

SECTION – A

1. (a) Explain the various roles that different people as individuals can take in the context of consumer buying behaviour, taking the examples of :

(i) Toys

(ii) Car

(b) Discuss the applications of Lifestyle

Marketing giving suitable examples.

2. (a) What is Organisational buying behaviour ? Discuss the major influencing factors on organisational buying.

(b) Why do you need to study consumer attitudes ? What are the inputs you would like to include in your questionnaire if you wanted to measure consumer attitude towards a newly introduced fruit based health drink ?

3. (a) What do you understand by the term 'Culture' ? How does subcultural analysis

help a marketer in the segmentation exercise ? Explain giving suitable examples.

(b) You are a marketing manager of a company manufacturing washing machines. How

will you respond to the post purchase feelings of your customers in order to build and maintain their satisfaction ?

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Sensory Thresholds

(b) Motivational Conflicts

(c) Trait Theory of Personality

(d) Family Life Cycle Concept

(e) Howard Sheth Model of Consumer Decision Process.

SECTION – B

5. (a) How does reference group influence vary over product categories ? What type of

reference group influence can you expect for the following products and why ?

(i) Clothing

(ii) Bread

(b) For the above two product categories explain the kind of information search behaviour you can expect from the consumers and why ?

December, 2009

Ms-55 : Logistics and Supply Chain Management

1(a) Define value. Use Porter's value chain to explain how logistics helps organizations in deriving competitive advantage ?

(b) What do you understand by Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) ? State some of the strategies that are followed in implementation of ECR.

2a) Explain the concept of Push based supply chain and Pull based supply chain. What is a push-pull strategy ?

(b) Explain the meaning of the phrase "world-class" in World-Class Supply Chain Management (WCSCM). Also discuss some features of world-class companies.

3(a) What is the main reason of popularity of some Information and Technology (IT) based tools in supply chain management ? Briefly discuss a few of them.

(b) What do you understand by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) ? Briefly describe the different modules that are integrated in ERP.

4(a) Explain activity based costing. What are the cost drivers in supply chain ? Explain cost drivers with the help of an example.

(b) List various supply chain performance measurement systems. Discuss any one of them in detail.

5(a) Explain the Euclidean Distance problem and Gravity Solution in context of Warehouse location. Are there any limitations on the use of the gravity solution ?

(b) Correlate the practical problems and factors influencing transportation decisions of a company or a carrier.

6(a) Explain Reverse Logistics as a part of the closed-loop supply chain.

(b) Explain the differences in the supply chain management of products vs. services.

June, 2010

MS-55 : Logistics And Supply Chain Management

1(a) Every organisation has to move materials to support its operations. What do service companies like Internet service providers move ? Is the concept of supply chain relevant for these companies ?

(b) The root cause of the problems faced by many supply chains is a mismatch between the type of product and the type of supply chain. Explain this statement in context of demand of the product.

2(a) What do you understand by "Bullwhip effect" ? Mention some factors that contribute towards bullwhip effect. Also suggest some method by which one can reduce this effect.

(b) Discuss the impact of globalization and its effect on the supply chains. Explain how companies could effectively gear up to the international order ?

3.(a) Describe various supply chain information categories. Give examples of information contained in these categories.

(b) Explain the key processes considered in both ERP and SCM. How are these processes different from one another ?

4(a) "To be blunt, organisations use bench marking to find ideas for logistics that they can copy or adapt". Explain this with reference to SCM.

(b) What are supply chain performance measurement systems ? Discuss one framework that is used in measuring the performance of supply chains.

5. (a) Discuss the interdependence of location decisions and distribution network decisions in context of SCM.

(b) Discuss the four alternatives of dispute resolution in context of SCM. Which one is preferable ?

6. (a) "Forward logistics and Reverse logistics are parts of a closed loop supply chain". Explain the statement with help of a diagram.

(b) Discuss basic principles of SCM that are applicable in any one of the following sectors :

(i) Banking

(ii Airlines

(iii) Health care

June, 2011

Ms-55 : Logistics and Supply Chain Management

1.  (a) Discuss the goals of a supply chain and explain the impact of supply chain decisions on the success of a firm.

(b) Describe the supply chain for a paper manufacturing organization.

2.  (a)  What is more important - inbound or outbound logistics in a supply chain ? Why ?

(b) "SCM and BPR have a common goal and are interrelated". Comment.

3.  (a) What are the fundamental mistakes commonly made while capturing information ? How would these mistakes be eliminated in SCM ?

(b)  Discuss whx, the high - tech industry has been leader in adopting supply chain IT systems.

4.  (a)   What is the impact of lack of coordination on the performance of a supply chain ?

(b) What are various kinds of challenges faced during the process of bench marking ?

5.  (a) What modes of transportation are best suited for large, low - value shipments ? Why ?

(b)  Discuss the legal issues concerning logistics. List the categories of dispute resolution.

6.  (a) Discuss the importance of outsourcing services like third and fourth party logistics.

(b) Discuss SCM strategies for the relatively new education supply chain. 

December, 2011

MS-55 : Logistics and Supply Chain Management

1. (a)   What are the primary responsibilities of logistics group and marketing group within an organization ? Why there is a conflict between the two ?

(b) State some of the strategies that are followed in implementation of Efficient Consumer Response (ECR).

2. (a)  What are the reasons for variability in the supply chain ? Discuss the methods of reducing variability.

(b) Explain global sourcing and its advantages and disadvantages.

3. (a)  Discuss some limitations of software packages of SCM.

(b)  Are manufacturers better candidates for IT enablement than service organizations ? Why or why not ?

4. (a)  What is Customer Profitability Analysis ? Why it has gained importance in the recent ti mes ?

(b) What is the essence of the Balanced Score card method of performance measurement ?

5. (a)  Discuss the role of transportation within a supply chain. What are the suitable transport mode for small, high value shipments and large, low value shipments ?

(b)  Discuss the interdependence of location decision and distribution decision.

6. (a)  How can reverse logistics cater to a green supply chain strategy in the future ?

(b)  Which players in the health care sector are likely to die out as a result of changing supply chain scenario ? 

December, 2012

Ms-55 : Logistics And Supply Chain Management

1. (a) Describe the evolution of Supply Chain Concept. What in your opinion is the most important stage?

(b) How can customer service be improved by proper implementation of SCM?

2. (a) What are the reasons for variability in the supply chain? Explain in detail with relevant examples.

(b) What is World Class Supply Chain Management? Describe its three critical components.

3. (a) How are EDI, Internet and Intranet/ Extranet applied in SCM?

(b) "Making changes in a manufacturing company is probably the hardest thing that civilized man has ever set out to achieve"-comment in context of an organization switching to SCM.

4. (a) Define Benchmarking ? Define it's role in improvement of organizational efficiencies.

(b) Describe the Perspective Based Supply Chain Performance Measurement System.

5. (a) Discuss some programs and organizations that help in coordinating transportation in a better way.

(b) Describe role of "Mediation" and "Arbitration" in context of dispute resolution in a Supply Chain.

6. (a) How can reverse logistics cater to a green supply chain strategy in the future?

(b) How can one compensate for the absence of inventory to meet demand fluctuations in case of services?

June, 2013

Ms-55 : Logistics And Supply Chain Management

1. (a) What is Physical Distribution Management ? Describe its components.

(b) Elucidate the "total approach" to Physical Distribution Management.

2. (a) What is more important - Inbound or Outbound logistics in a supply chain ?

(b) Explain the Push-Pull supply chain system. Why is it called an ideal mix ?

3. (a) Describe the methods of determining the information requirements for a supply chain.

(b) What do you understand by Distribution Resource Planning (DRP-II) ? How is it having an edge over Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP) ?

4. (a) Explain Activity based Costing and mention its benefits over the Managemen Accounting.

(b) Explain the function based supply chain performance measurement system.

5. (a) Correlate the practical problems and factors influencing transportation of a company or carrier.

(b) Discuss the interdependence of location decision and distribution decision.

6. (a) How can reverse Logistics Cater to a green supply chain strategy in the future ?

(b) Briefly explain the four types of supply chain strategies proposed by Hau Lee.