Blog
Guest book

University of California, Riverside
A.      Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management

 

BSAD 114
Lars Perner, Instructor		  

Global Marketing
 
 

 

SAMPLE FINAL EXAM

Exam #: _____________

 Sample Answers

PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS EXAM, but indicate your exam number on the sheet which will be circulating. 

Part I:  Short Answers (Please answer ANY 6 of the following 8 questions.  If you answer more than six, only the first six questions will count toward your grade.  If you start on an answer and decide to abandon it, please make sure that your answer is crossed out.

  1. Please discuss how discretionary product adaptations differ from mandatory product adaptations, giving an example of each.  What may be a consequence of the failure to implement discretionary product adaptations?
  2. According to the text, what were some problems experienced by foreign firms after they entered the newly opened Russian market? 
  3. Rap singer Joyous J is planning the release of her new album X-Mas Gift ‘rappin’ in the U.S., Sweden, and South Africa.  Although J has some following in the U.S., she is virtually unknown in the other two countries.  Please discuss appropriate promotional objective(s).
  4. According to the text, why are trade shows a particularly important part of business-to-business marketing? In this context, what are some specific observations about Europe?
  5. Please discuss the international product life cycle and its implications
  6. Please discuss advantages and disadvantages of advertising standardization across country markets.
  7. Please discuss differences between the attitudes of Japanese and U.S. consumers toward product branding.
  8. According to the text, how does the European eco-label work, and what is its significance?

Part II:  Case. Part II.  “Issue spotter” case   Please apply course concepts to one of the two cases below.  You must (1) identify which course issues are relevant and important to the firm and then (2) apply those concepts to the specific situation of the firm.  Grading will be based on:

bullet

the significance to the firm of the issues that you identify (you must decide which issues are applicable and are genuinely important for the specific firm);

bullet

how well you relate the ideas to the specific situation of the firm in question (merely regurgitating class notes in the abstract will yield no credit);

bullet

the extent to which in-depth knowledge of the ideas applied is expressed (note that your reasoning must be evident and explicit); and 

bullet

 the extent to which the answer is well organized.

PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU RELATE YOUR ANSWERS TO THE SPECIFICS OF THE FIRM—GENERAL ANSWERS ARE NOT OF INTEREST!  

There will be no credit for:

bullet

“No brainer” observations, such as the need for the firm to take culture into consideration (you must discuss likely cultural influences in context of the firm situation) or the need to do research (you must justify the issues and methods that you explicitly indicate);

bullet

Outside knowledge (what you happen to know about this particular firm, beyond what was covered in class, readings, or in the case);

bullet

Ideas which are too vague to be meaningful;

bullet

Ideas not related to issues discussed in this course (e.g., issues not of international significance);

bullet

“Buzz” words whose meaning is not discussed; or

bullet

General ideas not tailored to the needs of the specific firm.

A.   Guilliano Fine Men’s Wear manufactures clothing in Italy.  Although Guilliano’s sells at modest prices, research has shown that most U.S. consumers, when examining the clothing, consider it to be stylish and of high quality.  In Japan, where Gulliano’s suits sell for nearly three times as much as they do in the U.S., the suits are considered to be stylish, but not quite as high in quality, in part because they are not optimized for the slightly different body shapes of Japanese consumers.  Being a relatively small business with annual World wide sales of only twelve million dollars, Guilliano’s does not have the same brand recognition as many larger manufacturers.

B.   McDonald’s is fearing that it is heading toward limited growth in Europe.  Although many Europeans are intrigued by American food, McDonald’s hamburgers and fries are yesterday’s news, and the chain has begun aggressive price competition in most European markets.  Recognizing a steady demand for fast, convenient food in Europe, McDonald’s is quite willing to devote a substantial amount of money to advertising and promotion if this would appear to be a good investment. In recent years, McDonald’s has been able to develop burgers and fries that tend to contain less fat than those of most local fast food joints, although few consumers know this.  Confidential research has shown that  many Europeans are getting tired of conventional hamburgers and would be interested in such foods as Tex-Mex and the spicy kind of fried chicken popular in the American south.  Also, European consumers’ higher environmental consciousness has made the chain’s relatively wasteful packaging somewhat unappealing. Research has also found that preferences for condiments differ greatly between European countries.