Unit Learning Outcomes
ULO 1: Analyze the marketing process and identify the diverse factors that influence marketing actions. (CLO 1)
ULO 3: Examine how an organization assesses where it is now and where it seeks to be. (CLO 4 & 5)
ULO 5: Examine how environmental scanning provides information about social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory forces. (CLO 1)
Introduction
Understanding the marketplace, customer needs and wants is essential for success in the dynamic marketing environment in which organizations exist. Major environmental forces shape marketing opportunities, pose threats, and affect the organization’s ability to build customer relationships. To develop effective marketing strategies, the environment in which the organization operates must be well understood.
Directions
Mini-case studies: The students are expected to answer the questions associated with the case. These questions are intended to elicit thoughtful reactions to contemporary marketing strategy initiatives and challenges. The students are expected to carefully read the assignment instructions, then thoroughly and explicitly address each component of the corresponding case study questions.
The responses should reflect higher level cognitive processing (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation), which is essential for someone in any industry, as marketing decisions affect all levels and stakeholders within the organization and in the external marketplace/marketspace.
There is no minimum number of references that need to be utilized to support the completion of this assignment; however, it is generally understood that any good case study analysis will incorporate the appropriate quality and quantity of scholarly sources to support any suppositions and recommendations.
The document must adhere to the APA writing style.
Finally, the document should be prepared as a Microsoft Word document and uploaded to Submit Assignment.
Case Study: GEEK Squad – A New Business for a New Environment
- Read the case pages 95-97 in your text.
- Watch the video supplement to the case at link tv/13e/v3-5(Links to an external site.).
- Respond to the following case question. (Disregard the questions in the text.)
The Consumer Technology Association conference held in Las Vegas just ended (https://www.ces.tech/ (Links to an external site.)). You have been asked to consult with a group of entrepreneurs from this conference who are considering competing against Geek Squad by entering the Geek Squad marketspace. They are specifically looking for recommendations related to the unit ULOs:
ULO 1: Analyze the marketing process and identify the diverse factors that influence marketing actions.
ULO 3: Assesses the marketspace this new entrant needs to be.
ULO 5: Examine how environmental scanning provides information about social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory forces.
Review the topic areas at the CES conference and use this information to identify a market/product focus. Recommend a strategy to encourage consumers who currently use Geek Squad and other independent tech support companies to switch to this new business. To aid you in formulating your recommendations, you should consider past and present consumer purchasing patterns; conduct an environmental scan for businesses in the Geek Squad marketspace using each of the five environmental forces (social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory); and identify key trends likely to influence the Geek Squad marketspace in the near future.
