Question 1

Which of the following best describes a sales orientation?
A)Consumers can be convinced to buy goods or services even though they do not need them.
B)Sales-oriented firms understand the needs and wants of the marketplace.
C)Sales-oriented firms give maximum emphasis to society's long-term best interests.
D)Intermediaries are encouraged to push manufacturers' products aggressively.

Accepted Answer

A sales orientation often focuses on pushing products aggressively through intermediaries such as wholesalers and retailers. The ultimate goal is to increase sales and revenue, rather than necessarily understanding or meeting the needs of the marketplace. The emphasis is on persuading consumers to buy products, even if they may not necessarily need them. There may not be much consideration given to the long-term best interests of society as a whole.

Question 2

What do companies that have implemented a market orientation strategy recognize?
A)Price is the most important variable for customers.
B)Sales depend predominantly on an aggressive sales force.
C)What the customer thinks he or she is buying is what is important.
D)Selling and marketing are essentially the same thing.

Accepted Answer

Companies that have implemented a market orientation strategy recognize that what the customer thinks he or she is buying is what is important. This means that the company focuses on understanding customer needs and desires and tailoring their products or services to meet those needs. Pricing and sales tactics are secondary considerations to a customer-centric approach.

Question 3

If a company uses a sales orientation, what would consumer complaints most likely result in?
A)a less aggressive sales presentation
B)product reinvention
C)continuous market research
D)attempts to cut production costs

Accepted Answer

With a sales orientation, the company is focused on maximizing sales and profits. Therefore, if there are consumer complaints, the company is likely to adjust their sales approach to be less aggressive in order to avoid losing customers and potential sales.

Question 4

Mimi fashion designers use computer-assisted design software to create what it thinks women should wear. The company regularly hires industry experts to examine its factories to find waste that can be eliminated. For the last two years Mimi has lost money. What should the company do?
A)hire more retail efficiency experts to trace down any production problems
B)increase its sales force to find more potential customers for the firm
C)focus on its target market to see what needs and wants should be met by Mimi
D)cut prices so that its prices will be at least 10 percent below those of its competitors

Accepted Answer

Mimi should focus on its target market to see what needs and wants should be met by the company instead of looking to increase sales force or to cut prices. This approach will help the company understand what areas of its business need improvement and how to keep the target market engaged.

Question 5

Hanif is an account manager at The Curb, a furniture store. To make his quota, he will be quite aggressive in his customer pitch to the point where his customers might feel harassed. Which orientation is Hanif using?
A)market orientation
B)sales orientation
C)customer orientation
D)production orientation

Accepted Answer

Hanif is using a sales orientation, where the focus is solely on making a sale and meeting his quota, even if it means being overly aggressive and potentially harassing the customer. This orientation prioritizes the company's goals over the customer's needs and satisfaction.

Question 6

Minor League Baseball suffers from poor attendance. If salespeople for the teams try to push the sales of tickets onto local softball teams, what type of marketing management philosophy are they utilizing?
A)sales orientation
B)market orientation
C)production orientation
D)societal marketing orientation

Accepted Answer

Sales orientation focuses on the sales of products rather than understanding the needs and wants of the customers. By pushing the sales onto local softball teams, the salespeople are focusing on increasing sales rather than understanding the customers' needs or wants.

Question 7

Which of the following is a similarity between a production orientation and a sales orientation?
A)Both ignore the importance of assessing a firm's internal capabilities.
B)Both lack an understanding of the needs and wants of the marketplace.
C)Both place little emphasis on the assessment of manufacturing plants and facilities.
D)Both fail in a market where demand exceeds supply.

Accepted Answer

Both a production orientation and a sales orientation do not prioritize understanding the specific needs and wants of the market. Instead, they focus on producing and selling products without necessarily considering if these products meet the market's demands.

Question 8

What is the primary tool used by a sales-oriented organization to achieve its corporate goals?
A)price
B)sales pitches
C)product design
D)place (distribution)

Accepted Answer

Sales-oriented organizations primarily focus on aggressive sales pitches and techniques to drive sales and achieve their corporate goals.

Question 9

One way to identify the orientation of a firm is to examine its primary goal. What type of marketing management philosophy does a firm practise if it seeks to achieve profitability through higher sales volume?
A)societal marketing orientation
B)market orientation
C)sales orientation
D)production orientation

Accepted Answer

A firm that seeks to achieve profitability through higher sales volume practices a sales orientation. This philosophy emphasizes on selling large quantities of products at low prices to achieve high sales volume and generate profits. The focus is primarily on selling rather than identifying and satisfying customer needs or market demand.

Question 10

Lululemon has become one of the nation's largest specialty retailers by focusing on the customer's needs and wants. This philosophy is at the heart of which type of orientation?
A)sales
B)market company
C)retail
D)production

Accepted Answer

Lululemon's focus on the customer's needs and wants aligns with a market orientation, which prioritizes understanding and responding to customer demand. This approach is different from a sales orientation, which prioritizes maximizing sales volume, a retail orientation, which prioritizes efficient distribution and logistics, and a production orientation, which prioritizes maximizing efficiency in manufacturing processes.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes a sales-oriented business?
A)The company develops its products to meet the needs of specific groups of people.
B)The company's primary goal is profit through customer satisfaction.
C)The company invests the majority of its resources in promoting its products and services.
D)The company is in business to satisfy customers' wants and needs and deliver superior value.

Accepted Answer

A sales-oriented business focuses heavily on promoting its products and services to generate sales and revenue. These businesses tend to invest a significant amount of resources into sales and marketing strategies to attract customers and generate sales. The primary goal is to maximize profits through sales rather than customer satisfaction.

Question 12

The manufacturer of Country Kitchen Art bowls relies solely on promotion as the technique for attracting customers. They advertise in cooking magazines and offer coupons. From this information, what sort of orientation does Country Kitchen Art have?
A)market
B)societal
C)production
D)sales

Accepted Answer

Country Kitchen Art's reliance on promotion as their primary technique for attracting customers and use of coupons suggests a sales orientation.

Question 13

Jacques Torres Chocolate is a factory and retail store. Its owner is willing to try to produce new flavours when his customers suggest them-such as chili-pepper-laced chocolate candy. He believes his customers have the final say on whether the product is of any value. He states, "If something doesn't move, that's the last time you see it." How does Jacques Torres Chocolate keep its customers coming back?
A)It directs its chocolates to the "average customer."
B)It seeks its goals primarily through the use of intensive promotion.
C)It has an inward focus on the organization's needs.
D)It profits through customer satisfaction.

Accepted Answer

Jacques Torres Chocolate keeps its customers coming back by prioritizing customer satisfaction. The owner listens to his customers' suggestions for new flavors and believes that customers ultimately have the final say in whether a product is successful or not. Additionally, the quote about not seeing a product again if it doesn't sell emphasizes the importance of meeting customers' needs and preferences to ensure repeat business.

Question 14

Which of the following is primarily used by a market-oriented organization to achieve its goals?
A)advertising, sales, and public relations
B)price
C)product design
D)place (distribution)

Accepted Answer

Advertising, sales, and public relations are key tools used by a market-oriented organization to promote and sell their product or service to potential customers. Price, product design, and place (distribution) are also important factors, but they primarily support the marketing efforts rather than being the main focus.

Question 15

Innovative Silversmiths creates and markets silver and turquoise jewellery, which it sells to retailers. The company's management believes its retail customers will stock more jewellery if its salespeople use aggressive marketing techniques. Which type of orientation does the company have?
A)customer orientation
B)production orientation
C)sales orientation
D)market orientation

Accepted Answer

The company has a sales orientation, as its focus is on increasing sales through aggressive marketing techniques, rather than focusing on the needs and wants of its customers or on creating high-quality products.

Question 16

What type of company assumes that a sale does not depend on an aggressive sales force but rather on a customer's decision to purchase a product?
A)an exchange-oriented company
B)a market-oriented company
C)a sales-oriented company
D)a production-oriented company

Accepted Answer

A market-oriented company focuses on meeting the needs and wants of customers, and believes that sales are driven by customer demand rather than aggressive sales tactics.

Question 17

Canon Computer Products has improved the efficiency and productivity of its plant, which manufactures printing technology. Canon projects a production increase of 25 percent and has instructed its sales force to distribute the product. What type of marketing management orientation is Canon practising?
A)sales orientation
B)production orientation
C)market orientation
D)societal marketing orientation

Accepted Answer

Canon is practising a production orientation as they have improved the efficiency and productivity of their plant to increase their production by 25 percent, and have instructed their sales force to distribute the product. This suggests that they are mainly focused on maximizing production and getting the product out to the market, rather than focusing on the needs and wants of their target customers (market orientation) or considering the impact of their marketing activities on society (societal marketing orientation).

Question 18

Tata Motors has improved the productivity of its plant. For the new financial year, the company projects a production increase of 30 percent. It has instructed its sales force to aggressively distribute and promote its trucks. The company believes the market will absorb more products if the sales force is aggressive. What sort of orientation does Tata have?
A)market
B)production
C)sales
D)customer

Accepted Answer

Tata Motors is focusing on pushing its products into the market through an aggressive sales force, indicating a sales orientation. This approach emphasizes selling what the company makes rather than making what the market wants.

Question 19

Which of the following is a sales-oriented organization?
A)Fournotts Corp., which produces what the company management thinks should be produced
B)Magnira Corp., which understands the needs and wants of the marketplace
C)Fillets Inc., which believes in the philosophy that aggressive sales techniques can result in high sales
D)Laelle Inc., which believes that a sale is based on a customer's decision to purchase a product.

Accepted Answer

Fillets Inc. believes in the philosophy that aggressive sales techniques can result in high sales, indicating a sales-oriented approach. The other options do not prioritize sales in the same manner.

Question 20

Which of the following is a drawback of the sales-orientation philosophy?
A)It gives excessive importance to the needs and wants of the marketplace.
B)It cannot convince people to buy goods that are neither wanted nor needed.
C)It places little emphasis on the assessment of manufacturing plants and facilities.
D)It gives importance to the production function over other functions.

Accepted Answer

The sales-orientation philosophy focuses mainly on selling products rather than creating products that meet the needs and wants of the customers. This can result in trying to sell goods that are not wanted or needed by the customers, which is a major drawback. The other options are not accurate drawbacks of a sales-orientation philosophy.

Quiz 1: An Introduction to Marketing

Which of the following best describes a sales orientation?

What do companies that have implemented a market orientation strategy recognize?

If a company uses a sales orientation, what would consumer complaints most likely result in?

Mimi fashion designers use computer-assisted design software to create what it thinks women should wear. The company regularly hires industry experts to examine its factories to find waste that can be eliminated. For the last two years Mimi has lost money. What should the company do?

Hanif is an account manager at The Curb, a furniture store. To make his quota, he will be quite aggressive in his customer pitch to the point where his customers might feel harassed. Which orientation is Hanif using?

Minor League Baseball suffers from poor attendance. If salespeople for the teams try to push the sales of tickets onto local softball teams, what type of marketing management philosophy are they utilizing?

Which of the following is a similarity between a production orientation and a sales orientation?

What is the primary tool used by a sales-oriented organization to achieve its corporate goals?

One way to identify the orientation of a firm is to examine its primary goal. What type of marketing management philosophy does a firm practise if it seeks to achieve profitability through higher sales volume?

Lululemon has become one of the nation's largest specialty retailers by focusing on the customer's needs and wants. This philosophy is at the heart of which type of orientation?

Which of the following best describes a sales-oriented business?

The manufacturer of Country Kitchen Art bowls relies solely on promotion as the technique for attracting customers. They advertise in cooking magazines and offer coupons. From this information, what sort of orientation does Country Kitchen Art have?

Which of the following is primarily used by a market-oriented organization to achieve its goals?

Innovative Silversmiths creates and markets silver and turquoise jewellery, which it sells to retailers. The company's management believes its retail customers will stock more jewellery if its salespeople use aggressive marketing techniques. Which type of orientation does the company have?

What type of company assumes that a sale does not depend on an aggressive sales force but rather on a customer's decision to purchase a product?

Which of the following is a sales-oriented organization?

Which of the following is a drawback of the sales-orientation philosophy?