MNM2604/102/1/2023

Tutorial Letter 102/1/2023

Business-to-Business Marketing
MNM2604

Department of
Marketing and Retail Management

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This document contains Assignment 01. Please note that all assessments for this
module may only be submitted online.

BARCODE
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CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 3
2 ASSIGNMENT STANDARD AND STRUCTURE ............................................................................. 3
2.1 Technical standard ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Plagiarism ....................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Assignment structure .................................................................................................................... 4
3 ASSIGNMENT 01 ............................................................................................................................ 4
4 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 4
ADDENDUM A – ASSIGNMENT 01 ......................................................................................................... 5
ADDENDUM B – MARKING RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENT 01 ................................................................ 8

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1 INTRODUCTION

This document contains the assessment questions for Assignment 01 of MNM2604. This is a written
assignment that contributes to your final mark for the module.

2 ASSIGNMENT STANDARD AND STRUCTURE

Your assignment must be a neat, academic document. Follow the instructions provided closely to ensure
that your assignment meets the prescribed technical standard and reflects the prescribed structure.

2.1 Technical standard

Take note of the following instructions regarding the technical standard of the assignment:

• This is an individual assignment (in other words, no group work is allowed).

• The length limitation is four pages. You will be penalised if you write fewer or more than four pages
(excluding the cover page, the signed declaration and the list of references).
• Type your assignment in Arial 11, black font.
• Use 1,5 line spacing.
• Set the language in Microsoft Word to English UK or SA.
• Your discussion and justification should be based on the Clover Tropika case study in this
document.
• All sources that you consult should be fully referenced. If you do not phrase the discussion in your
own words, the work submitted will be regarded as plagiarism. You may not, under any
circumstances, copy and paste text verbatim from any source into your assignment.
• If you read and research beyond the prescribed books, you will receive marks for extra research
conducted.

2.2 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting other people’s ideas and writing them as your own and is not allowed.
This issue is one of our greatest frustrations with students and this is where many students fall short,
especially when it comes to written assignments. You are expected to submit a written assignment that
you can proudly say is your own work. In the past, many students simply copied large sections of text
from different sources (particularly from the internet) and pasted those sections into their assignments,
sometimes providing a reference. Some students seem to think that if they provide a reference, they are
allowed to copy and paste whole sections of text. This practice is, in fact, plagiarism and is not allowed. In
the academic world, one of the most serious offences is to copy the work of others and to present it as
your own. Unisa uses special software to detect plagiarism. If you copy and paste text, you are likely to fail
the assignment. You must create your own voice in putting forward your discussion.

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2.3 Assignment structure

Your assignment must have the following structure:

• a cover page with a title, your name and your student number
• a signed declaration that the assignment is your own work
• headings and subheadings
• an introduction in which you provide the reason why the report is prepared, followed by an indication
of the main topics discussed in the report (½ page)
• a discussion of research approaches (1 page)
• a discussion of segmentation (1 page)
• a discussion of innovation (1 page)
• a conclusion in which you highlight the most important points (½ page)
• a list of references (at least five reference sources required)

Follow this structure to prevent unnecessary loss of marks. The rubric that will be used to mark your
assignment is included as addendum B of this document.

3 ASSIGNMENT 01

The assignment is included as addendum A of this document.

4 CONCLUSION

Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you experience problems with the content of this document or
with any academic aspect of the module.

Mr M Moseki

Department of Marketing and Retail Management

UNISA

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ADDENDUM A – ASSIGNMENT 01

ASSIGNMENT 01 – COMPULSORY – contributes to your final mark

Be sure to use the correct unique number when you submit this assignment.

Due date Unique number

31 March 2023 695807

To complete this assignment, you must study units 1 to 3 in the study guide and the relevant pages in
the prescribed book. You also need to read the Clover Tropika case study, adapted from the textbook
Contemporary retail and marketing case studies (2nd edition).

Study the short case study and answer the assignment questions.

Clover Tropika

Tropika, a dairy fruit juice mix brand, was launched in South Africa by Clover in 1984. Tropika is
available in the following flavours: orange, pineapple, mango, peach, tropical and granadilla; and
cool colours: apple, tutti frutti, grape and red berry. Tropika has always held its position as the
number one fruit juice mix brand with 56% of the market share. Tropika competes against a
variety of beverage categories for consumer share: carbonated soft drinks, 100% juices, nectars,
fruit drinks, iced tea and bottled water. The key strategy that competitors use against Tropika is
aggressive lower pricing. The premium price charged by Tropika due to quality has posed a huge
challenge for Tropika’s volume sales growth because cheaper brands have become more
attractive to price-sensitive consumers.

The dairy fruit juice mix category mainly targets the LSM 5-10 market. This is due to the fact that
the LSM 1-4 market has limited access to these products. With regard to consumer consumption
of dairy fruit juice, Markinor research has indicated that individual consumers purchase dairy fruit
juice mix on a weekly basis, whereas household purchases of these beverages take place on a
monthly basis. The study further revealed five need-state groups around the consumption of
juice: bright day-starters, control and focus, cool pleasure, refreshing escape and peaceful
comfort. Tropika fulfilled the need for cool pleasure and refreshing escape which fulfils the need
for refreshment and relaxation for consumers. Tropika plays a specific role and fulfilled a need
most beverage categories could not.

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The brand’s key factor is based on the product’s intrinsic quality of its distinctive smoothness
derived from the blend of dairy and juice that is perceived by consumers as being unique to the
dairy fruit mix category compared to other beverage categories. Tropika is built on the intrinsic
smooth experience of the product, which was captured by its slogan, “Tropika: smoothest tase
under the sun”. Tropika introduced some product extensions. Since the introduction of Tropika’s
new cool red flavour variant in 2004, the “island of smooth” brand was used by introducing a
Jamaican flavour with a cool factor and a chameleon as a creative mechanism to illustrate the
new red-coloured drink. Tropika Da Lite was launched in 2005 as a healthier alternative for the
more health conscious Tropika drinkers.

The main challenge that the brand has been facing is how to ensure further brand growth for a
brand already occupying the number one position. Tropika’s strategic challenges include among
others brand stagnation, broad target market focus and inconsistent communication. The brand’s
strategic solutions include reinventing brand positioning, creating a new brand world, leveraging
the brand world through 360-degree integration and creative execution.

Write a four-page report with the focus on the following topics:

QUESTION 1 (6 marks)
Introduction to business-to-business marketing:
Provide a discussion of producers, one of the categories of B2B customers (3 marks for theory discussion).
Can Clover Tropika be regarded as a producer or not? Justify your answer based on the case study (3
marks for practical application). Refer to learning unit 1 in the study guide and relevant textbook sections.
(1 page required)

QUESTION 2 (9 marks)
Business-to-business buying (B2B):
Provide a discussion on leverage products and routine products (6 marks for theory discussion). Which
category of products does Clover Tropika fall under? Motivate your answer based on the case study (3
marks for practical application). Refer to learning unit 2 in the study guide and relevant textbook sections.
(1 page required)

QUESTION 3 (9 marks)
Business development and planning:
Discuss differentiation and low-cost strategies (6 marks for theory discussion). Which strategy was applied
by Clover Tropika? Elaborate on your answer based on the case study (3 marks for practical application).
Refer to learning unit 3 in the study guide and relevant textbook sections. (1 page required)

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Remember to include an introduction in which you provide the reason why the report is needed,
followed by an indication of the main topics that are discussed in the report (½ page).

Lastly, provide a conclusion in which you highlight the most important points discussed in the
assignment (½ page).

You will receive marks for discussing theory as well as referencing/citing sources and for applying the
theory to the case study. The theoretical discussion will contribute 70% towards your final mark and the
practical application will contribute 30% to your final mark.

Only a PDF file will be accepted. Therefore, you need to convert a file that is in Microsoft Word or
another format to PDF.

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ADDENDUM B – MARKING RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENT 01

MNM2604: BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING

MARKING RUBRIC: ASSIGNMENT 01

Assignment mark 30

Introduction 0–1 marks 2 marks 3 marks

o Summary of background Vague or no background on the case Provided sufficient information on the Provided comprehensive information
information on the case study study/the reason why the report is case study/the reason why the report on the case study/the reason why
prepared/the main topics discussed is prepared/the main topics the report is prepared/the main _______
o Reason why the report is
prepared in the report discussed in the report topics discussed in the report 3
o Main topics discussed in the
report
Comments

Research approaches 0–1 marks 2–3 marks 4–6 marks Mark

o Theory discussion of producers
o Discussion of the elements or
types of secondary research
o Practical application
Comments
• Poor discussion of theory on
producers
• No discussion or provision of
the elements or characteristics
of producers
• No understanding of theory
and no practical application
• The discussion of producers
is correct but insufficient
• Understanding of theory but
struggles to provide practical
application
• The discussion of producers
is correct and detailed _______
• Excellent understanding of
the theory and practical 6
application

Segmentation
o Discussion of leverage and
routine products
o Select one category that Clover
Tropika falls under and motivate
based on the case study
Comments
Innovation
o Discusses differentiation and low-
cost strategies
o Select one strategy applied to the
case study and motivate
Comments
0–3 marks
• No discussion of leverage
and routine products
• No application to case study
• Clearly does not understand
the theory
0–3 marks
• No discussion of differentiation
and low-cost strategies
• Incorrect selection of the
strategy used in the case study
and practical application
thereof
• No understanding of theory on
innovation strategies
MNM2604/102/1/2023
4–6 marks
• Leverage and routine products
discussed insufficiently
• Application of theory to the
case study not always clear
and correct
• Understands leverage and
routine products theory but
struggles to link to case study
4–6 marks
• The discussion of the
differentiation and low-cost
strategies is correct but
insufficient
• Application to the case study
is not always clear and
correct
• Understands theory on the
strategies but struggles to
correctly link theory to the case
study
7–9 marks Mark
• Leverage and routine products
theory discussed in detail
• Practical application of theory
to the case study clear and
correct
_______
• Excellent understanding of
leverage and routine products
as well as application of theory 9
to the case study
7–9 marks Mark
• The discussion of
differentiation and low-cost
strategies is correct and
detailed
• Application to the case
study is correct and clear ______
• Excellent understanding of
9
theory of the strategies and
integration of theory with
application
 MNM2604/102/1/2023
Conclusion 0–1 marks 2 marks 3 marks
o Highlights the most important • No points highlighted • Points highlighted are not clear • Points highlighted are clear
points enough _______
3
Technical aspects
The length limitation is four pages. You will be penalised if you write fewer or more than four pages (excluding the cover page, the declaration and
the list of references).
Typed in Arial 11; 1,5 line spacing.
Your discussion and justification/reasons should be linked to the Clover Tropika case study.
You may not, under any circumstances, copy and paste text verbatim from any source into your assignment.
All sources that you consult should be fully referenced. If you do not phrase the discussion in your own words, the work submitted will be regarded
as plagiarism.
Comments