| Course | MAN-3720 International Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Final project part 3: strategy for marketing a product in an emerging market |
| Length | About 1,017 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 3720 Module 6
Clean Water, Fair Price: A Strategy for Marketing Countertop Water Purifiers in Southern Vietnam
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-3720: International Management
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Clean Water, Fair Price: A Strategy for Marketing Countertop Water Purifiers in Southern Vietnam
Introduction
The product is a countertop purifier that cleans tap water with no power supply, through a cartridge of carbon and ceramic that owners replace twice a year. Earlier work in this course chose Vietnam as the first export market, set ethical rules for doing business there, priced the first orders in dollars with a confirmed letter of credit, kept production in Linden for now and chose an exclusive distributor. This paper turns those decisions into a complete strategy for marketing the purifier in southern Vietnam over the first two years.
The Market and the Customer
Southern Vietnam, centered on Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces, combines a large urban population, rising household incomes and widespread doubt about tap water. Many households boil water or buy large refillable bottles for drinking. Our target customers are urban middle-class families who already spend on bottled water and want a cheaper, more convenient option they trust. London and Hart (2004) caution that firms entering emerging markets fail when they assume customers there want simplified versions of rich-country products; success requires understanding how people actually solve the problem now. Our distributor's research and our own visits suggest families value three things: proof that the water is safe, low running cost compared with bottled water and a design that fits small kitchens.
The Marketing Mix
Cavusgil and Zou (1994) studied export ventures and found that adapting the product and promotion to the foreign market, along with support for the foreign distributor and the firm's international experience, was associated with better export performance. That finding supports adapting where the customer's needs differ while keeping the core product the same.
Pricing starts from landed cost. Our export price, freight, duty and value added tax and the distributor's and retailers' margins together put the standard unit at about 1.6 million dong. That is above many locally sold purifiers but justified if customers can see test results, which is why promotion centers on visible proof. Running cost is the strongest argument, so the cartridge price is set to make the comparison with bottled water obvious.
| Element | Decision for southern Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Product | Same filtration technology and certification; Vietnamese labeling and instructions; a smaller 3-liter entry model alongside the standard 6-liter unit |
| Price | Standard unit about 1.6 million dong at retail; entry model about 1.1 million; replacement cartridges priced so a year's use costs less than half of bottled water |
| Place | Exclusive distributor selling to two national appliance chains and through online marketplaces popular in Vietnam |
| Promotion | In-store demonstrations with water tests; short videos showing test results; recommendations from local pharmacists and clinics |
Production and Sourcing
Production stays in Linden, where the filtration media are made and every unit is tested. Following the sourcing analysis, cartridge shells will be bought from a qualified supplier in Asia and shipped to Linden for filling, lowering the cost of the product customers buy most often. Contract assembly in Vietnam will be studied when annual sales pass 30,000 units, with filter media production kept in New Jersey to protect the design.
Distribution and Supply Chain
The supply chain must keep shelves stocked over a long ocean route. Goods will ship by container from the Port of New York and New Jersey to Cat Lai port in Ho Chi Minh City, a voyage of roughly five to six weeks. The distributor will hold a buffer stock of six weeks of sales in its warehouse, and cartridges, which customers replace every six months, will be kept at a higher service level than purifiers, because a customer who cannot buy a cartridge will not buy the brand again.
Gereffi et al. (2005) describe how the governance of global value chains depends on how complex and codifiable the product information is and how capable the partners are. Our relationship with the distributor is relational rather than arm's length: it depends on shared information and trust as much as on the contract. The distributor will share weekly sales and stock data by store and online channel, and we will plan shipments from those data rather than from orders alone, which reduces the risk of both stockouts and excess inventory.
| Supply chain element | Design |
|---|---|
| Shipping | Monthly container shipments; express air freight only for cartridge emergencies |
| Inventory | Six weeks of purifiers and eight weeks of cartridges at the distributor |
| Information | Weekly sales and stock data by channel shared with Linden |
| Returns and warranty | Distributor replaces faulty units on the spot; failed units returned quarterly for analysis |
Ethical Considerations
The strategy carries ethical duties. Claims about water safety must be accurate and backed by independent tests, since families will rely on them for their children's health. Promotion will not exaggerate the dangers of tap water to frighten buyers. Our earlier rules stand: no improper payments to officials for registration or customs, directly or through the distributor. And used cartridges will be collected at retail points for recycling, since adding plastic waste to a city already strained by it would undercut the product's promise.
Measures and Controls
Quarterly reviews with the distributor will compare results with targets. If purifier sales reach the targets but cartridge repurchase falls below 40 percent, the problem is likely price or availability, and the cartridge price and stock levels will be reviewed first.
| Measure | First-year target | Second-year target |
|---|---|---|
| Purifiers sold | 4,000 | 8,000 |
| Cartridge repurchase rate within eight months | 50 percent | 60 percent |
| Retail stores with demonstrations | 60 | 120 |
| Stockouts of cartridges at the distributor | None lasting over a week | None lasting over a week |
Conclusion
Marketing a household product in an emerging market requires more than shipping it there. The strategy adapts labeling, size and promotion to southern Vietnamese families while keeping the technology and certification constant, prices the product from landed cost and running cost, keeps production and design in Linden, and builds a supply chain that treats the replaceable cartridge as the heart of the business. Ethical commitments on claims, payments and waste, and clear measures, give the company a way to grow in Vietnam that it can sustain.
References
Cavusgil, S. T., & Zou, S. (1994). Marketing strategy-performance relationship: An investigation of the empirical link in export market ventures. Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800101
Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., & Sturgeon, T. (2005). The governance of global value chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1), 78-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290500049805
London, T., & Hart, S. L. (2004). Reinventing strategies for emerging markets: Beyond the transnational model. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(5), 350-370. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400099
Reading the MAN 3720 Module 6 assignment instructions
Thirty percent of the MAN-3720 grade comes from the final project, split into an outline, a bibliography and the closing paper, which alone counts for 20 percent; the syllabus's Final Project area holds the instructions. It asks you to create a strategy for successfully marketing a product in an emerging market country, including production, distribution and supply chain management, analyzing business situations, using key models, applying ethical decision making and showing critical thinking. This sample is the third part. Build on your earlier modules' work, so the market choice, entry mode and finance decisions feed the strategy, and give figures for price, volume and inventory.
How this MAN 3720 Module 6 example is built
The strategy opens by recalling the earlier decisions so the paper reads as the course's capstone. The market section describes how southern Vietnamese families solve the water problem today, informed by London and Hart's caution against transplanted products. Cavusgil and Zou's export research supports a mix that adapts labeling, size and promotion while keeping the technology, shown in a four-row table. Pricing is built from landed cost and compared with bottled water. Production stays in Linden with cartridge shells sourced in Asia. A supply chain section sets shipping, buffer stocks and data sharing, using value chain governance. Ethics and a measures table close the strategy.
Where the marks sit in the MAN 3720 Module 6 rubric
The strategy paper earns its marks by covering marketing, production, distribution and supply chain together, reading the emerging market soundly, using the course's models and research, reasoning ethically, giving real figures and writing clearly in APA style. Papers earn credit for connecting each decision to the customer and to earlier analysis rather than presenting separate sections. A marketing mix that explains what is adapted and why shows command of global marketing. Supply chain plans with inventory levels and information flows show practical understanding. Measures and controls show that the strategy can be managed. Mentors also reward a strategy that the earlier parts of the project visibly support, so the outline and bibliography lead naturally to the final paper.
Common MAN 3720 Module 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Final projects lose marks when they describe the country at length but never decide on price, channels or inventory, when the supply chain is reduced to "ship by sea" or when ethics is an afterthought. Others ignore their own earlier work in the course. Define the target customer and how they solve the problem today, decide each element of the mix with reasons, build prices from landed cost, design the supply chain with real lead times and buffer stocks, address ethical duties specific to the product and end with measures. A free first sample of your MAN-3720 final project can be drafted on the product and country you chose in Part 1. Check that every figure in the strategy, from retail price to buffer stock, can be traced to an assumption stated in the paper.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More MAN 3720 and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration sample papers
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MAN 3720 Module 6 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 3720 Module 6 sample paper?
The final project above sets out a marketing, production and supply chain strategy for a New Jersey water purifier maker in southern Vietnam.
What is the MAN-3720 final project?
A three-part project, worth 30 percent, that creates a strategy for marketing a product in an emerging market, including production, distribution and supply chain.
Should a product be adapted for an emerging market?
Research on export ventures, such as Cavusgil and Zou's, associates adapting product and promotion to the market with better performance.
How do you price a product for export?
Build up from the export price through freight, duties, taxes and channel margins to the retail price, then compare it with local alternatives.
What are the parts of the MAN-3720 final project?
Part 1 is the introduction and outline, Part 2 the bibliography, at 5 percent apiece, and Part 3, the finished strategy, carries 20 percent.