UMUC Researching Consumer Buying Behavior Questions
ANSWER
- Incorrect reversal logic: The most common reason for this problem is a mistake in your linked list reversal logic. Make sure that you are correctly reversing the pointers to point in the opposite direction. If your logic is incorrect, the list may appear empty because the elements are not linked correctly.
- Off-by-one errors: Check for off-by-one errors in your code, especially when iterating through the linked list. If you skip the first or last element during the reversal process, it can make the list appear empty.
- Empty list handling: Ensure that your code handles the case of an empty linked list gracefully. If the list is initially empty, it should remain empty after reversal. Make sure you have appropriate checks to handle this case.
- Memory issues: If you are dynamically allocating memory for nodes during the reversal process, make sure that memory allocation is successful. If memory allocation fails, it can lead to an empty list.
- Initialization issues: Check if you have properly initialized your linked list and its pointers before and after the reversal. If you forget to update the head or tail pointers after reversal, it can result in an empty list.
- Printing or traversal logic: If you are using a custom print or traversal function to display the elements of the linked list after reversal, ensure that it is working correctly. A bug in your printing logic can make it seem like the list is empty even when it’s not.
- Debugging: Use debugging techniques, such as print statements or a debugger, to inspect the state of your linked list at different stages of the reversal process. This can help you identify where the problem is occurring.
- Data corruption: In rare cases, data corruption or memory corruption can lead to unexpected behavior. Ensure that there are no unintended memory writes or buffer overflows that could be affecting the linked list’s integrity.
By carefully reviewing your code and considering these potential issues, you should be able to identify and fix the reason why your linked list appears empty after attempting to reverse it.
QUESTION
Description
Project 1: Researching Consumer Buying Behavior
Step 2: Attend Meeting with ACME
Monday morning, you meet with Jillian in her office. “We are so glad that you have come back to help us grow at Maryland Creative Solutions,” Jillian says. “As you know, with shifting markets, I have decided to reposition the company to focus more on clients with branding and digital strategy consulting needs. I feel that your long-term knowledge of our company and global mindset are perfect for leading the way on some of our new projects.
“To get you started, we have just signed on with ACME. I would like you to meet with their leadership: Tarek Fahmy, the company’s head of new-product innovation, and ACME’s CEO, Erik Knops, to finalize the details of their request. Again, it is a pleasure to be working with you. I am really looking forward to seeing your creative approaches in our partnerships.”
CALENDAR INVITE: STARTUP MEETING WITH ACME
Client Name:
Meeting Organizer: Jillian Best
Attendees: You, Erik Knops, Tarek Fahmy
Click to attend the ACME meeting
After the meeting, proceed to Step 3 to enhance your knowledge about concepts relevant to ACME’s request.
Step 3: Review Marketing Information on Consumer Buying Behavior
Required Readings
Chapters 2 & 13
Lancaster, G., & Massingham, L. (2018). Essentials of marketing management (2nd ed.). Routledge
As you read through the course materials, begin to think about how this information will apply to the report you will prepare for Erik and Tarek. To successfully complete the report, you’ll need an understanding of marketing. You will also benefit from a keen understanding of consumer buying behavior, and evaluating business attractiveness
As you conduct your analysis of ACME’s consumer environment, remember that there are two types of market research: primary and secondary research. Both types of research are required in real-life, and each of them has its pros and cons. However, for this Project, only secondary research is required.
Finally, to fully understand ACME’s position, read about offerings—what a company provides its customers, be it a product, a service, or a mix of both. Also consider the differences between a product and a service. You know that a product can be more than just a physical good, it can be a service attached to a physical product, a “pure” service, an idea, a place, an organization, or even a person.
After you have read these materials, proceed to the next step, where you will begin your analysis of the specified consumer markets.
Step 4: Conduct a Consumer Buying Behavior Study
INBOX: 1 NEW MESSAGE
From: Tarek Fahmy, Head of New Product Innovation, ACME
To: You
How are things going?
As previously mentioned, I would like you to conduct an analysis of the consumers in our main markets. Your analysis should consider both current and potential product users and should address the following questions under the discussion of each country:
- What needs are being met by the product purchase? What are the benefits to the consumers? Make sure that you differentiate between features and benefits; go beyond manifest motives and consider latent motives.
- Who is involved in the purchase process? Who are the influencers? Who are the buyers? Who are the end users?
- Where are the products sold, and what are the distribution channels?
- How often are the products purchased? Is there seasonality to sales?
Deliverable: By the end of Week 1, I need you to produce a nine-page preliminary consumer buying behavior report (excluding cover page, reference list, tables, graphs, and exhibits) explaining your findings on consumer needs, wants, and preferences in these markets. Each country should be discussed in at least three pages with its own headings and subheadings. Make sure that your report is specific to consumers of ACME’s potential product in the three countries, and not to consumers in general.
Support your work with the course readings and at least four scholarly sources and 12 reliable nonscholarly sources, such as Reuters, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, Barrons.com, Morningstar.com, Money, Forbes, Fortune, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review, as well as the UMGC Library databases, such as Hoover’s, Statista, and ABI/INFORM. All sources need to be cited using APA formatting, both within the text and in the reference list. The report should be organized using headings and subheadings to improve its readability.
Expecting your best efforts on this,
Tarek
Follow the instructions in the final step of this project to submit your report to the Assignments folder. Then proceed to the next step, where you will create a value proposition.
Step 5: Complete Your Value Proposition
Early in Week 2, submit a one-page value proposition to Erik.
INBOX: 1 NEW MESSAGE
From: Erik Knops, CEO, ACME
To: You
Just a quick note,
I wanted to clarify that a customer-focused value proposition explains the reason why a customer purchases a product or uses a service (i.e., the value that a company delivers to its customers).
Deliverable: Based on your research of consumer needs in our main markets, describe in one page your value proposition, or the benefits that ACME and its potential new product would provide to customers. Remember, a value proposition is essentially the promise that is made to the customer. Also provide a one-page recommendation to ACME on whether or not to manufacture that product.
Support your work with the course readings, scholarly sources, and reliable nonscholarly sources, such as Reuters, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, Barrons.com, Morningstar.com, Money, Forbes, Fortune, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review, as well as the UMGC Library databases, such as Hoover’s, Statista, and ABI/INFORM. All sources need to be cited using APA formatting, both within the text and in the reference list. The value proposition should be discussed by country, and organized using headings and subheadings to improve its readability.
I know these are tight turnarounds, but I have no doubt you’ll knock this out,
Erik
Submit your report to the Assignments folder. In the next step you will finalize your consumer buying behavior report and write an executive summary.
Step 6: Complete Your Final Consumer Buying Behavior Report
Deliverable: By the end of Week 2, combine the first two deliverables into a single report after making any necessary corrections, and edit them to ensure that there is clear flow of ideas from one section to the other. In addition, include a one-page executive summary that highlights the most important findings of the report; as well as your one-page recommendation as a consultant at the end of the report. APA style should be applied to in-text citations and in the reference list.
Your final report to Erik should be 11 – 12 pages, excluding cover page, executive summary, the reference list, and appendices. Any graphs, tables, and figures should be included as appendices. Your report should have one-inch margins and be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. The report should be organized using headings and subheadings to improve its readability.
Submit your report to the Assignments folder.