State Exams improved version

MARKETING (12 cards)

Front: Identify a marketing communication platform used in advertising, PR, sales promotion, and direct marketing. Give one benefit and one drawback.

Back: Social media (e.g., Instagram). Benefit: highly targeted reach, two-way engagement. Drawback: negative comments go viral fast, hard to control.

Front: What are three major trends in mobile phone marketing? Give an example of impact on a product.

Back: 1) Mobile apps with loyalty programs, 2) Location-based marketing, 3) SMS/WhatsApp marketing. Impact on Domino’s: app ordering, location reminders, text offers = more purchases.

Front: What are the four steps of target marketing in correct order? Give an example.

Back: 1) Segmentation (divide market), 2) Targeting (choose segment), 3) Differentiation (make product unique), 4) Positioning (create image in customer’s mind). Example: organic sneakers for young urban professionals.

Front: Explain buyer behavior in B2C vs B2B markets. Give examples.

Back: B2C: emotional, individual, fast (buying chocolate). B2B: rational, team-based, slow, formal (hospital buying MRI machines).

Front: Choose a recent product and identify three steps from the New Product Development process.

Back: ChatGPT Voice Mode. Steps: 1) Idea generation (voice interaction), 2) Prototype testing (beta users), 3) Commercialization (subscription launch).

Front: What role should marketing play? Explain the five concepts: Production, Product, Selling, Marketing, Societal Marketing.

Back: Production (cheap & available – IKEA), Product (quality – Apple), Selling (aggressive push – insurance calls), Marketing (customer first – Amazon), Societal (ethics – Patagonia). Modern best: Marketing + Societal.

Front: How do the 4Ps change across the Product Life Cycle? What are the limitations?

Back: Intro (high price, niche), Growth (lower price, wider), Maturity (competitive, heavy promo), Decline (cost-cut, phase out). Limitations: hard to identify stage, self-fulfilling prophecy, products can revive.

Front: Describe SWOT, TOWS, and VRIO in marketing planning. Give an example.

Back: SWOT = internal Strengths/Weaknesses + external Opportunities/Threats. TOWS = match them into strategies. VRIO = assess if resource gives advantage (Valuable, Rare, Imitable, Organized). Example: Nike’s brand = VRIO advantage.

Front: What is IMC? List components. Give advantages/disadvantages of three components and an example company.

Back: IMC = Integrated Marketing Communications (one consistent voice). Components: ads, PR, sales promo, direct, digital. Ads: reach (+) / cost (-). PR: credible (+) / uncontrollable (-). Digital: targeted (+) / ad blockers (-). Example: Coca-Cola “Share a Coke.”

Front: What are the steps in the marketing research process? What to be careful about in each?

Back: 1) Define problem (avoid bias), 2) Plan (avoid wrong sample), 3) Collect data (avoid leading questions), 4) Analyze (avoid correlation=causation), 5) Act (avoid ignoring negative results).

Front: Define PR. Give an example. State advantages and disadvantages vs other marketing mix components.

Back: PR = managing public perception (earned media). Example: Tesla (no ads, free coverage). Advantages: credible, low cost. Disadvantages: uncontrollable, hard to measure ROI.

Front: Define digital marketing. How different from traditional? Give three digital media examples and what drives its popularity.

Back: Digital = internet/phone marketing. Different: two-way, trackable, personalized, cheaper. Media: SEO, social ads, email. Drivers: smartphones, big data, low cost.

MANAGEMENT (13 cards)

Front: What is contingency theory? What environment favors mechanistic vs organic structures? Give examples.

Back: No one best way — depends on environment. Mechanistic (stable, rules, hierarchy) = government agency. Organic (dynamic, flexible, teams) = tech startup.

Front: What are the advantages and challenges of a diverse workforce? What are Hofstede’s cultural dimensions? How to train managers?

Back: Advantages: creativity, talent pool. Challenges: conflict, bias. Hofstede: power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, long-term orientation. Training: workshops, role-playing, language basics, mentorship.

Front: What are the 5 steps of group norm development? Discuss group decision-making advantages, disadvantages, and tools.

Back: Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning. Advantages: diverse views. Disadvantages: groupthink, slow. Tools: Delphi technique, nominal group technique, brainstorming.

Front: How does HRM contribute to company performance? Has its importance increased? Why/why not?

Back: HR hires, trains, motivates, ensures compliance. Yes — war for talent, remote work, diversity, mental health, data-driven HR. Now strategic partner, not just admin.

Front: What is the relationship between training and career development? How does training create competitive advantage? Define organizational learning.

Back: Training = current job skills. Career development = future growth. Advantage: higher productivity, lower turnover, innovation. Organizational learning = company gets smarter over time (sharing lessons).

Front: What do Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor teach about motivation? Are they still relevant? What new ideas should be added?

Back: Maslow (needs hierarchy), Herzberg (hygiene vs motivators), McGregor (Theory X lazy, Theory Y self-driven). Still relevant but add: purpose, autonomy, mental health, psychological safety, DEI.

Front: Explain leadership and the sources of power. Give examples.

Back: Leadership = influencing others. Powers: legitimate (title), reward (bonus), coercive (fear), expert (knowledge), referent (respect). Best leaders use expert + referent.

Front: What is the macro environment? Why is it significant? How is it changing? Give examples impacting international business.

Back: PESTLE forces outside company control. Significant: opportunities/threats, strategy, risk. Changing: AI, climate laws, trade wars. Example: EU carbon taxes affect global supply chains.

Front: What are the contributions of Adam Smith, Mary Follett, and Frederick Taylor to management? Give modern examples.

Back: Smith (division of labor – assembly line). Taylor (scientific management – Amazon warehouse). Follett (power with, integration, law of the situation – agile teams).

Front: Describe strategic planning phases, tools, and how to assess if a strategy works.

Back: Phases: Analysis → Formulation → Implementation → Evaluation. Tools: SWOT, PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, Balanced Scorecard, OKRs. Assess via KPIs, leading indicators, regular reviews.

Front: Explain the Activity Systems Map and Strategic Fit. Give a before/after example.

Back: Map shows how activities connect and reinforce each other. IKEA before: regular furniture store. After: flat-pack, self-service, no delivery, restaurant, child play area — all fit together for low price.

Front: Explain Corporate, Business, and Functional levels of strategy. Give examples of each. How to harmonize them?

Back: Corporate (what industries – Alphabet), Business (how to compete – Google search differentiation), Functional (department actions – HR recruiting). Harmonize via cascade goals, cross-level meetings, shared KPIs.

Front: Explain Value and Segmentation. Why are they important for strategy? How combined? Give examples.