Marketing
Routes to Market
Coursework
Individual assignment:
“Using concepts that have featured in the module, describe the journey of ONE product from production to consumption (by you).”
Wordcount allowed 600-800 words plus visuals (diagrams, tables, charts etc). The word count is strict so that you must use visuals to good effect. You should work out for yourself how you can best communicate within the limits and you may present the work in any form you wish. The assignment draws on the concise presentation skills that you developed in MKTG 101 especially through group presentations and the group industry report. You may present the material in any way you think is effective – this gives you ample space for originality and creativity (features of first class work).
The task is to explain the journey of the product from the wrong place, wrong time, wrong form, wrong quantity (from the consumption point of view) – and the value adding process whereby it becomes available in the right place, right form, right time, right quantity etc for consumers. Effective work will be based upon a review of all material in the module and selection of elements that help to explain why the route to market is as it is.
A good place to start to think about your route to market is to relate your consumption of this particular product to features in the supply chain – what, for you, is the distinctive value proposal and how is the supply chain organised to deliver this? Next step would be to check out where it is sold – and at what prices.
You are free to pick any product you wish, but you should pick a product that you can illuminate well by thinking about the route to market. You are strongly advised to select a product based on your personal or career interests. In the past, students who have selected unusual products have been able to demonstrate originality (a criteria for first class work).
You do not need a lot of data about your product – but you will need some. Look at how and where the product is available, check out company websites in the sector you are looking at. Look also for articles about the sector in the Financial Times, other newspapers (via database Nexis) or in the trade press (via ABI inform, select trade press only in the drop down menu). Be critical (another feature of first class work) in accepting what the company says about itself – I have yet to see a company that states “we are not concerned about the ethical supply of our products”. Yet amongst those that claim to source ethically we can critically assess those claims.
A further document relating the expected features of your work to the marking criteria will be made available to you on the website.
Textbooks, reading and other ways of learning outside of class.
No single textbook covers the content of this module. But, a wealth of relevant material is available electronically from the library and a wealth of media coverage /films is available to you.
Three documents (on 229 website) ‘textbook’ provides all the compulsory reading and some additional suggested readings that will help you understand topics – since these are drawn from different sources they are often accompanied by a narrative from faculty highlighting what you should take from the reading, what to look out for in it or poses questions you should be able to answer on the basis of it.
Since this is very much a module about the real world of marketing and brand management you will be able to access a range of TV and radio programmes for which Lancaster University has purchased copyright. We will make as much as possible available to you – and indicate whether viewing is compulsory/optional – we will also indicate what you should take from the material. NB: programmes can only be viewed on your computers on campus and I have no control over technology. Please see IS in the learning zone if you have a problem – dropping me an email just so that I can monitor levels of difficulty.
