MKT202 JAN 2021 TOA PDF

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MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Page 1 of 5MKTTimed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021Marketing ManagementSaturday, 22 May 2021 10:00 am – 12:30 pm Time allowed: 2 hours INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS: This Timed Online Assignment (TOA) contains TWO (2) questi...

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MKT202 Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

Marketing Management Saturday, 22 May 2021

10:00 am – 12:30 pm

____________________________________________________________________________________

Time allowed: 2.5 hours ____________________________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS: 1. This Timed Online Assignment (TOA) contains TWO (2) questions and comprises FIVE (5) pages (including cover page). 2. You must answer ALL questions. 3. If you have any queries about a question, or believe there is an error in the question, briefly explain your understanding and assumptions about that question before attempting it. 4. You MUST submit your answers via Canvas (similar to TMA submission) at the end time of this TOA (as stated on this cover page). The 15 minutes grace period as shown on Canvas is strictly meant for technical issues encountered during submission. Thereafter, you will not be able to submit your answers and you will be considered as having withdrawn from the course. No appeal will be allowed. 5. Your submission should consist of only one file and must not exceed 500MB in size. The file must be a Microsoft Word file saved in .docx format. All answers are to be typed. Flowcharts and graphs may be scanned or photographed and embedded in the Word file provided it does not exceed the file size limit of 500MB. Images of handwritten answers will not be marked. 6. To prevent plagiarism and collusion, your submission will be reviewed by Turnitin. The Turnitin report will only be made available to the marker and you will not be able to view it. 7. The University takes plagiarism and collusion seriously, and your Turnitin report will be examined thoroughly as part of the marking process.

MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

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You must answer ALL the questions. (Total 100 marks)

Question 1 As Singaporeans turn to online shopping and continue to shun DIY, are hardware stores dying? In a corner on the third floor of Lucky Plaza lies a hardware store that some have described as “the shop that has it all”. “We try to carry a wide range of stocks,” said the second-generation owner of Handyman Centre who preferred to be known only as Mr Tan. But even then, the store, founded by Mr Tan’s father in the 1970s, has seen better days. Business has become “very erratic” over the past decade, said the owner, with competition from e-commerce being a reason. “We’ve had people coming here to ask if we sell this. They have a look and ask questions, then they buy online. We also get customers saying they don’t like to buy online and still want to support brick-and-mortar stores, but how many of them are there?” The other reason is the lack of a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture here. While step-by-step videos online have spurred some to try things out on their own, “there is a limit as to what people can do” given the space constraints in HDB flats, said Mr Tan. “DIY is about really building something, not just hanging a picture or replacing a light bulb … The community remains very small here,” added the 64-year-old. “VERY SUNSET” INDUSTRY? These are not just hurting the independent hardware stores; even bigger players have been hammered. Once a familiar sight in many shopping malls, home-grown retail chain Home-Fix closed down all of its stores earlier this month as it undergoes interim judicial management. NOT DOOM AND GLOOM: SELFFIX. Interestingly, Selffix opened its 14th outlet at the basement of Great World City last Friday (Dec 20) – marking its third new store opening this year. Speaking to CNA before the opening, its director John Teo candidly admitted the challenges facing his industry, but he also said that the strategy of expanding in shopping malls may not be doomed for failure. “There’s still a need for physical stores so that customers can see and touch the items. We also want to provide the convenience of store pick-ups for online orders.” Selffix’s venture into e-commerce, with the set-up of its own website and partnering other e-marketplaces like Lazada, has also paid off. Online sales registered a double-digit increase from last year. But Mr Teo said Selffix is not delusional, as the exit of the company’s biggest competitor suggests “big challenges” present in the industry. Adapted for academic purposes from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/diy-hardware-stores-onlineshopping-home-fix-12205652, 24 Dec 2019, updated 04 Feb 2020

(a)

Identify and discuss two (2) macro-environment forces that impact the DIY hardware industry and its players such as Selffix. (24 marks)

MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

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(b)

Apply the multichannel marketing concept and discuss how hardware stores can utilise hybrid marketing, i.e. both online and offline channels, to improve business performance. (16 marks)

(c)

Discuss two (2) Customer Relationship Management strategies that help hardware stores connect with customers and improve customer loyalty and profitability. Note: you should focus on two (2) strategies only and support your proposals with adequate elaborations, justifications and examples. (20 marks)

MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

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Question 2 Kerbside & Co.: The Under-The-Radar Denim Label You Need To Know About As a brand that started in 2015, it doesn’t have much of a heritage to speak of, and all its wares are new. But what founder Fahmy Ismail, 43, lacks in the vintage department, he makes up for it with his knowledge of the old guards – Levi’s and Lee – and vintage American workwear from the mid-20th century. “In the mid-’90s, I started collecting jackets, shirts, canvas pants and denim jeans from the ’40s and ’50s, though I eventually sold most of them when my collection grew too massive,” says Fahmy. After two decades in the media industry, he left his job in 2014 and returned to his first love, raw denim. He e-mailed hundreds of suppliers in Japan and the US, found a handful who were willing to work with the quantity he could produce, and with his savings, he purchased expensive bolts of raw denim, had them made into jeans in Japan, and started Kerbside & Co. He does everything the old-fashioned way, at his own pace. He has an Instagram account, but no Facebook. He also hasn’t quite figured out how to make his website SEO-friendly. Even without any real marketing push, Kerbside & Co. has been featured at least five times in Dutch, Italian and American magazines and denim-related websites, and has loyal customers in the West. “So far, 70 per cent of my customers are from America, while 25 per cent are from Europe. Only about 5 per cent are from Asia, including Singapore.” While customers here favour skinnier fits with stretch, Fahmy sticks to his own brand – Americana style with zero stretch. To complement his jeans, Fahmy also designed accessories like a heavy-duty tote made with sturdy Japanese canvas from Okayama. The design is based on old-style newspaper carriers from the ’40s, and comes in M and L. For now, the Kerbside & Co. products can only be purchased online at www.kerbsideco.com. Price range for a pair of denim jeans starts from US$158 to US$228. Adapted for academic purposes from heworld.com.

(a)

Demonstrate how Kerbside & Co. can utilise one (1) online marketing and one (1) social media marketing tool to build brand awareness and improve sales. Note: you are expected to provide justifications and examples to illustrate how Kerbside can make good use of these digital marketing tools. (20 marks)

MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

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(b)

The article mentions that currently Kerbside & Co. only uses the online channel to distribute its products. Employ the channel design strategies framework and discuss how Kerbside & Co. has applied the strategies and why it has chosen the online channel. You are expected to discuss all four (4) aspects of the channel design decisions, including analysing consumer needs and wants, establishing objectives and constraints, identify major channel alternatives and evaluate major channel alternatives. (20 marks)

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MKT202 Copyright © 2021 Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2021

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