Discussion Questions and Sample Answers for Wood, Marketing Plan Handbook, 4th
ed.
Chapter 1 – Marketing Planning: New Urgency, New Possibilities
1. How can a company hold marketing managers accountable for results when so
many elements in the marketing situation are beyond their control?
Sample answer: Although marketing managers can’t control the economy or many other
elements in the marketing environment, they can and should be alert to changes and
trends and carefully analyze potential opportunities and threats as they create and
implement their marketing plans. Marketing managers also have the advantage of being
“close to the customer,” being in touch with customers’ needs and watching for changes in
behavior and attitudes that drive shifts in purchasing and brand loyalty. Marketers must
have the ability to notice, interpret, and react to changes in the marketing environment so
they can adjust marketing plans and achieve their objectives despite the many
uncontrollable elements they face.
2. In what ways might an internal marketing strategy benefit a nonprofit organization?
A government agency that deals with the public?
Sample answer: A nonprofit would benefit from using internal marketing to solidify
support and reinforce the loyalty of employees, volunteers, contributors, and others inside
the organization. These groups need to stay informed about and maintain a positive
attitude toward the nonprofit’s marketing activities and results. In turn, these groups
would be encouraged to actively support external marketing programs through their
personal connections and their behavior and communications. Similarly, a government
agency could use internal marketing to build internal support for public contact programs,
educate employees about the agency’s mission and marketing, and improve understanding
of the people served by the agency.
3. A typical marketing plan covers a calendar year. Given the rapid pace of change in
today’s environment, should companies switch to preparing marketing plans for
shorter periods, such as three or six months?
Sample answer: Students who favor a shorter period may say that this will force marketers
to reevaluate the marketing situation and results more often and give them momentum to
move quickly in the event of significant changes. It will also focus marketers on the
immediate consequences of their planned activities. Students who do not favor a shorter
period may say that marketers need to balance short- and long-term results because
building relationships and loyalty can take time. They may also say that a marketing plan
must cover sufficient time to allow for situational analysis, research if needed, planning for
, implementation, and evaluation of interim results. Marketers who create a plan for a
calendar year should be reassessing the situation on a regular basis and tracking results so
they can apply marketing control at any point.
Chapter 2 – Analyzing the Current Situation
1. What clues to strengths and weaknesses might you find in a competitor’s annual
report? Identify at least three specific types of information and explain how you
would use such data in a competitive SWOT analysis.
Sample answer: Students may identify a variety of types of information, including:
revenues and profits (changes over time can indicate financial strength or weakness);
markets served (reduction in markets served can indicate insufficient resources or changes
in strategy that can be exploited); product lines and mix (multiple introductions may
indicate strength in product development, whereas elimination of multiple products may
indicate weaknesses in market share).
2. Why do marketers need to understand business relationships (as part of the
internal environment) when planning to address opportunities and threats in the
external environment?
Sample answer: Although business partners are not, strictly speaking, inside the
organization, the relationships with these partners (including suppliers and resellers) are
an important part of the internal environment. Often a company’s ability to take
advantage of an opportunity or defend against a threat depends, in large part, on the
resources, products, staffing, or supply networks of its partners. If the company outsources
certain functions (such as production), its marketing plan must take into account the
capabilities and responsiveness of the partners that handle those functions. Suggest that
students refer back to the discussion of alliances (on pages 19-20) for more about the
importance of business relationships.
3. Do companies that market products only in their home countries need to be
concerned with the political-legal environment in other parts of the world? Explain
your answer.
Sample answer: Such companies should monitor major political-legal developments in
areas where their suppliers are located (or where their raw materials come from). They
should also be aware of political-legal movements that can potentially spread to other
countries, such as increased regulation of environmentally-sensitive activities. Finally,
these companies should watch how political-legal trends elsewhere may be affecting other
elements in the external environment that could eventually influence the home country.
ed.
Chapter 1 – Marketing Planning: New Urgency, New Possibilities
1. How can a company hold marketing managers accountable for results when so
many elements in the marketing situation are beyond their control?
Sample answer: Although marketing managers can’t control the economy or many other
elements in the marketing environment, they can and should be alert to changes and
trends and carefully analyze potential opportunities and threats as they create and
implement their marketing plans. Marketing managers also have the advantage of being
“close to the customer,” being in touch with customers’ needs and watching for changes in
behavior and attitudes that drive shifts in purchasing and brand loyalty. Marketers must
have the ability to notice, interpret, and react to changes in the marketing environment so
they can adjust marketing plans and achieve their objectives despite the many
uncontrollable elements they face.
2. In what ways might an internal marketing strategy benefit a nonprofit organization?
A government agency that deals with the public?
Sample answer: A nonprofit would benefit from using internal marketing to solidify
support and reinforce the loyalty of employees, volunteers, contributors, and others inside
the organization. These groups need to stay informed about and maintain a positive
attitude toward the nonprofit’s marketing activities and results. In turn, these groups
would be encouraged to actively support external marketing programs through their
personal connections and their behavior and communications. Similarly, a government
agency could use internal marketing to build internal support for public contact programs,
educate employees about the agency’s mission and marketing, and improve understanding
of the people served by the agency.
3. A typical marketing plan covers a calendar year. Given the rapid pace of change in
today’s environment, should companies switch to preparing marketing plans for
shorter periods, such as three or six months?
Sample answer: Students who favor a shorter period may say that this will force marketers
to reevaluate the marketing situation and results more often and give them momentum to
move quickly in the event of significant changes. It will also focus marketers on the
immediate consequences of their planned activities. Students who do not favor a shorter
period may say that marketers need to balance short- and long-term results because
building relationships and loyalty can take time. They may also say that a marketing plan
must cover sufficient time to allow for situational analysis, research if needed, planning for
, implementation, and evaluation of interim results. Marketers who create a plan for a
calendar year should be reassessing the situation on a regular basis and tracking results so
they can apply marketing control at any point.
Chapter 2 – Analyzing the Current Situation
1. What clues to strengths and weaknesses might you find in a competitor’s annual
report? Identify at least three specific types of information and explain how you
would use such data in a competitive SWOT analysis.
Sample answer: Students may identify a variety of types of information, including:
revenues and profits (changes over time can indicate financial strength or weakness);
markets served (reduction in markets served can indicate insufficient resources or changes
in strategy that can be exploited); product lines and mix (multiple introductions may
indicate strength in product development, whereas elimination of multiple products may
indicate weaknesses in market share).
2. Why do marketers need to understand business relationships (as part of the
internal environment) when planning to address opportunities and threats in the
external environment?
Sample answer: Although business partners are not, strictly speaking, inside the
organization, the relationships with these partners (including suppliers and resellers) are
an important part of the internal environment. Often a company’s ability to take
advantage of an opportunity or defend against a threat depends, in large part, on the
resources, products, staffing, or supply networks of its partners. If the company outsources
certain functions (such as production), its marketing plan must take into account the
capabilities and responsiveness of the partners that handle those functions. Suggest that
students refer back to the discussion of alliances (on pages 19-20) for more about the
importance of business relationships.
3. Do companies that market products only in their home countries need to be
concerned with the political-legal environment in other parts of the world? Explain
your answer.
Sample answer: Such companies should monitor major political-legal developments in
areas where their suppliers are located (or where their raw materials come from). They
should also be aware of political-legal movements that can potentially spread to other
countries, such as increased regulation of environmentally-sensitive activities. Finally,
these companies should watch how political-legal trends elsewhere may be affecting other
elements in the external environment that could eventually influence the home country.
