Case studies are an important learning strategy in business classes as they provide an opportunity for you to critically analyze events that have taken place in real-life businesses. This develops your critical thinking and research skills as you research the competition and industry in which your business resides with an end goal of formulating a recommendation for the challenges faced by the company.

Select one of the three case studies listed below, which can be found in your textbook. Evaluate the case of your choice, and respond to each of the questions below using both theory and practical managerial thinking as well as supporting research.

Option 1: Nike (pp. 30–31)

1. How has the industry in which Nike resides been doing over the last 5 years?
2. What are the pros, cons, and risks associated with Nike’s core marketing strategy? How have they managed to develop a strong customer relationship with their target market?
3. Who are the top three competitors of Nike, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their product/service development?
4. Looking at the competitors you discussed in question #3, what would you recommend as being the next steps for these competitors and, subsequently, the next steps for Nike to combat these competitors?

Option 2: Cisco (pp. 58–59)

1. How is building a brand in a business-to-business (B2B) context different than that of a business-to-consumer (B2C) market? How has Cisco managed to develop a strong customer relationship with their target market?
2. How has the industry in which Cisco resides been doing over the last 5 years?
3. Who are the top three competitors of Cisco, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their product/service development?
4. Is Cisco’s plan to reach out to consumers a viable one? Why, or why not? As a marketing manager for Cisco, what would you recommend to be the next steps?

Option 3: Intel (pp. 59–60)

1. Discuss how Intel changed ingredient-marketing history. What did it do so well in those initial marketing campaigns? How did Intel manage to develop a strong customer relationship with their target market?
2. How has the industry in which Intel resides been doing over the last 5 years?
3. Who are the top three competitors of Intel, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their product/service development?
4. Evaluate Intel’s greatest risks and strengths as the industry moves out of the personal computer (PC) era. Identify the next steps that Intel needs to employ in order to maintain its competitive advantage.

In formatting your case analysis, do not use the question-and-answer format; instead, use an essay format with subheadings. Your APA-formatted case study should be a minimum of 500 words in length (not counting the title and reference pages). You are required to use a minimum of three peer-reviewed, academic sources that are no more than 5 years old (one may be your textbook). All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased material must have accompanying in-text citations.