J. N. Marshall, Inc. is the leading manufacturers' representative in the Rocky Mountain region

serving the plumbing and heating industry. This firm's Website provides a wealth of information about recent changes in its organizational structure.

J.N. Marshall, Inc. http://www.jnmarshall.com

Would you describe this company as a horizontal organization? Why or why not? Give examples to support your answer. Be sure to discuss any references to the three trends listed on p. 572: fewer organizational levels, cross-functional teams, and employee empowerment. What are (or would be) the advantages for J.N. Marshall in adopting a more horizontal corporate structure?

Which of the three forms of specialization - geographical, product, and/or customer - most likely applies to the following companies? Cite evidence from each homepage to justify your answers. (Note: Hybrid forms of specialization may apply. If so, explain the different approaches that combine to make up these forms.)

Simmons http://www.simmonsco.com

Physical Sciences, Inc. http://www.psicorp.com

Hussey Seating http://www.husseyseating.com

Falcon Safety Products http://www.falconsafety.com

The Web provides us with an easy way to explore the wide variety of warranties offered by organizations in different business fields. Simply conduct an AltaVista and/or Lycos keyword search using the phrase "our warranty" (the phrase "our guarantee" will also work).

AltaVista http://www.altavista.com

Lycos http://www.lycos.com

The resulting list of links will point you to hundreds of firms that have spelled out their warranty policies on their respective homepages. Choose five companies representing a variety of business fields and describe the warranties they advertise. What are the similarities and differences among these policies? Would you describe each as an express warranty or an implied warranty? Why do you think these companies have chosen to highlight their warranty policies? Would you characterize each instance as a promotional device or a method of self-protection (or both)? Explain.

One of the many services commonly performed by independent marketing firms is the marketing audit. You can find dozens of firms that offer this service by conducting an AltaVista and/or Lycos keyword search using the phrase "marketing audit."

AltaVista http://www.altavista.com

Lycos http://www.lycos.com

From the resulting list of links, identify three firms that describe their marketing audit services in some detail. What are the similarities and differences between their approaches to this process? Which types of businesses do these firms seem to cater to? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an outside consultant to perform your company's marketing audit?