Purpose: In this project, you will assess marketing from a business perspective. Specifically, you will complete research and use the course material to discuss a product, brand or industry, discuss

Purpose:  In this project, you will assess marketing from a business perspective.  Specifically, you will complete research and use the course material to discuss a product, brand or industry, discuss how the product is suited to marketing of a particular company.  You will also learn about the responsibilities of marketers in relation to ethics.

Outcomes met by completing this project:

1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global business environments using an understanding of ethical concepts and of legal and business principles

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product will be between 6-8 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely.

Instructions:

The five “conceptions of a consumer” presents a framework for examining and organizing the purchase decision process of consumers. Thus, the framework presents an opportunity to examine the responsibility of the marketer to consider the ethical ramifications to its consumer base, i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility.  The following 5 conceptions are defined and explained in the Business Ethics Workshop, eBook, Chapter 12. 

1. The wary consumer 

2. The contracting consumer 

3. The protected consumer 

4. The renegade consumer 

5. The capable consumer

Course Material and Research

This project requires you to do research on the Internet.  You are expected to use course material going beyond defining terms.  You are expected to explain the 'why and how' of a situation.  Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact.  In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the course material and the question(s) being asked.  Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on the assignment.  The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed.  Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

Your Role

As consumers we can define our attitudes and acceptance or rejection of advertising based upon our perceptions and experience.  But as students of Business Management, we are called upon to examine the topic more in depth and from a corporate perspective.  Project 2 will address the following questions from the perspective of a business owner or chief marketing officer. 

                                                                                                     Template

Project 2:  Consumers and Marketing

As consumers we can define our attitudes and acceptance, or rejection of advertising based upon our perceptions and experience.  But as students of Business Management, we are called upon to examine the topic more in depth and from a corporate perspective.  Project 2 will address the following questions from the perspective of a business owner or chief marketing officer.    

Introduction

(Write an Introduction paragraph.  The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.) 

(Identify from which perspective the paper will be written:  business owner or chief marketing officer.)

(Write the introduction last to ensure that the main points are covered.)

Product Selection and Its Typical Consumer

(Select and discuss one good example of a product, brand or industry and its typical consumer.  The product selection can be of your choice, but the information presented about it is from a reliable source and properly cited and referenced.)    

Consumer Purchase Decision

(Define the consumer purchase decision by one or more of the five “conceptions”.) 

(Explain how the product is suited for marketing to one or more of the 5 conceptions and why not to the others.)   

Ethical Principles

(Explain what ethical principles would apply to the marketing of the selected company’s or industry’s products?  Include an alignment of the principles selected in relation to caveat emptor. )

(Explain the responsibilities of the marketer in relation to ethics concepts you have studied, including HOW its application would impact the marketer’s message and programs.)

Privacy Policies

(Explain specifically what would be prescribed for the company’s social media and data privacy policies related to the advertising of its product(s).)

Conclusion

(Write a concluding paragraph that is brief and summarizes the main points.  Provide specific information related to the major topics discussed in the paper.)