MKT202_JAN_2017_Exam Paper PDF

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MKT202e Examination – January Semester 2017 Marketing Management Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ____________________________________________________________________________________ Time allowed: 2 hours ____________________________________________________________________________________ ...

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MKT202e Examination – January Semester 2017

Marketing Management Wednesday, 24 May 2017

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

________________________________________________________________________________ ____

Time allowed: 2 hours ____________________________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS: 1. This examination contains THREE (3) questions and comprises FOUR (4) printed pages (including cover page). 2. You must answer ALL the questions. 3. This is a closed book examination. 4. All answers must be written in the answer book.

At the end of the examination Please ensure that you have written your examination number on each answer book used. Failure to do so will mean that your work cannot be identified. If you have used more than one answer book, please tie them together with the string provided.

THE UNIVERSITY RESERVES THE RIGHT NOT TO MARK YOUR SCRIPT IF YOU FAIL TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

MKT202e Copyright © 2017 SIM University Examination – January Semester 2017

Page 1 of 4

You must answer ALL the questions. (Total 100 marks) Question 1 Shangri-La opens first Hotel Jen in Singapore Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, which opened its first Hotel Jen in Singapore last September 2014, expects to have up to 10 hotels under the new brand name by the first quarter of 2015 as it rebrands existing properties. Under the first phase, the Traders hotels in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Penang, Johor Bahru, Manila, Maldives, Beijing and Shenyang will be rebranded under the Hotel Jen banner between September 2014 and March 2015. Greg Dogan, chief executive of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, said: "We are looking to the future and - based on extensive consumer research and insight into the way our target market lives and travels - we are recognising and responding to the global travel trends and particular needs of this new generation traveller. This will keep us relevant and competitive for the next 20 years to come." The hotel management group is also in talks to introduce new Hotel Jen properties in key gateway cities across Asia, eyeing markets such as China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. "Our plan is to expand the group and base of Hotel Jen in the Asia Pacific," Lothar Nessmann, chief operations officer of the Hotel Jen brand, told The Business Times. The first Hotel Jen is in Singapore. Located at the site of the former Specialists' Centre and Phoenix Hotel, the 502-room Hotel Jen Orchardgateway open ed its doors last 15 September 2014. Rooms are offered at an introductory rate of $250 a night. Hotel Jen Orchardgateway will see both leisure and business travellers, with a greater proportion of the former given its location, he said. Adapted for academic purposes from The Business Times dated 27 August 2014

(a)

Discuss how the management of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway can adopt a holistic marketing concept to achieve its business goals. (20 marks)

(b)

Explain the value proposition of Hotel Jen for its customers and prospects; then propose three (3) marketing communication tools that the organization can use to convey its value proposition to its customers and prospects. (15 marks)

(c)

Using the company you work for or a company you are familiar with, apply three (3) relevant segmentation variables to describe the company’s target market. (5 marks)

MKT202e Copyright © 2017 SIM University Examination – January Semester 2017

Page 2 of 4

Question 2 It’s time for smartwatches A smartwatch is a wristwatch with smartphone-like functions that alert you when you have an incoming call, a new e-mail message or an upcoming appointment. It is usually paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth. The new wave of smartwatches tells their wearers how many steps they have taken in a day and monitor their heart rates, giving them the functions found in GPS sports watches made by Garmin, Polar and others. According to market research around 2,000 smartwatches were sold in the first quarter of 2014 in Singapore. In the third quarter, nearly 10,000 smartwatches were sold. Casio Edifice EQB-500 It looks just like a classic chronograph timepiece with a case, bezel and watch band all made of stainless steel. The giveaways to the smart features are in the form of tiny icons on the watch face. It has an analogue watch dial with four sub-dials, which display world time, 24-hour time, AM/PM and watch mode. The watch supports only selected iPhones and Samsung smartphones. Pairing involves using the Casio Watch+ app on a smartphone and a Bluetooth connection. It has the ability to sync the watch with the smartphone's time, handy when travelling across time zones. The watch also lets you find your phone should you misplace it, even without a Bluetooth connection. But the app must be running on the phone. It also comes with an indicator when an e-mail message arrives. Powered by Casio Tough Solar power system, this watch can practically last forever as long as you leave it to charge under the sun or in a lit room. Adapted for academic purposes from The Digital Life dated 28 November 2014

(a)

Discuss three (3) product differentiation strategies that can be adopted by Casio to set the Casio Edifice EQB-500 smartwatch apart from its competitors. (9 marks)

(b)

Discuss one (1) social factor and one (1) personal factor that can influence consumer behaviour regarding the purchase of a smartwatch like the Casio Edifice EQB-500. (6 marks)

(c)

Apply the buying decision process to explain how a consumer reaches a decision when purchasing a smartwatch. (15 marks)

MKT202e Copyright © 2017 SIM University Examination – January Semester 2017

Page 3 of 4

Question 3 Instant noodle brands go gourmet People wanting premium instant noodles have looked to Japanese and Korean brands but more manufacturers are now introducing fancy ones in familiar local flavours. Prima Food was one of the first to tap into the premium instant noodle niche in 2011, when it launched its Singapore Laksa LaMian. Mr Lewis Cheng, general manager of Prima Food, says: "When we developed Singapore Laksa LaMian, we knew it would be high in cost." Some of the reasons for the higher cost included the use of better ingredients, the noodle manufacturing and retort process (heat sterilisation process for the paste) and packaging. "Thus we had to position the noodle and target it at the premium market segment," he says. "Although the target market for instant noodle consumers is generally price conscious, more are willing to pay a higher price for better quality and nutrition," he adds. While regular instant noodles can be priced as low as $1.80 for a pack of five, Laksa LaMian, part of Prima's Easy Gourmet Indulgence range, costs $10.95 for a packet of four. It boasts new flavours too: Fish Soup LaMian and Chilli Crab LaMian. Brands are also going the premium route by putting their spin on other local flavours, featuring spice pastes instead of just powdered seasoning, introducing spicy flavours, and offering noodles with no added monosodium glutamate (MSG). Adapted for academic purposes from The Straits Times dated 27 May 2014.

(a)

Analyse two (2) macro-environment factors that have contributed to the development of premium instant noodles, like the Prima Laksa LaMian. (12 marks)

(b)

Employ two (2) research approaches that can be adopted by marketers of instant noodles to gather primary data and determine consumer preferences. (8 marks)

(c)

Based on information from the case study, gourmet or premium instant noodles are 80% more expensive than regular instant noodles. Discuss two (2) relevant price adaptation strategies that may be used to encourage more consumers to purchase Prima Food’s line of premium instant noodles. (10 marks)

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MKT202e Copyright © 2017 SIM University Examination – January Semester 2017

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