| Course | MKT-2010 Introduction to Marketing |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Written assignment 1: customer-oriented marketing strategies |
| Length | About 867 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 MKT 2010 Module 1
Bog Iron Farms and a Freeze-Dried Cranberry Snack: Market Orientation, the Marketing Environment and Honest Health Claims
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
MKT-2010: Introduction to Marketing
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Bog Iron Farms and a Freeze-Dried Cranberry Snack: Market Orientation, the Marketing Environment and Honest Health Claims
Every written assignment in this series uses one composite business. Bog Iron Farms is a fourth-generation cranberry grower with 140 acres of bogs in Burlington County, New Jersey. For decades it sold its entire crop to a large growers' cooperative for juice and sauce. Low prices for bulk berries have pushed the family to develop its own consumer product: Pine Barrens Crunch, whole cranberries freeze-dried without added sugar and sold in small pouches as a snack. The answers below apply Module 1's concepts to that decision.
Question 1: What Would a Customer-Oriented Approach Mean for Bog Iron Farms?
For most of its history the farm was production oriented: it grew as many berries as it could and let the cooperative find buyers. Moving into consumer snacks requires a market orientation, in which the company starts from what customers need and organizes around delivering it (Kurtz & Boone, 2022). Kohli and Jaworski (1990) described market orientation as three linked activities: generating intelligence about customers' current and future needs and the forces that shape them, spreading that intelligence across the organization, and responding to it. Each activity has a practical meaning for a small farm.
Generating intelligence means more than asking friends whether they like the product. The family has run tastings at two farmers' markets and a Princeton grocery, interviewed school food service directors and studied which competing dried-fruit snacks sell. Dissemination means that what the marketing lead hears reaches the people making decisions about processing and packaging; at a family farm that means a monthly meeting where tasting results shape the next production run. Responsiveness means acting on what customers say: tasters found the unsweetened berries too tart for children, so the family is testing a second version sweetened only with a small amount of apple juice concentrate. A market-oriented farm would also watch for needs customers have not voiced, such as resealable packaging for lunch boxes.
Question 2: What Does the Marketing Environment Look Like?
The marketing environment includes competitive, political and legal, economic, technological and social-cultural forces outside a company's control (Kurtz & Boone, 2022). A short SWOT analysis summarizes how they bear on the launch.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Own berries and a story of a fourth-generation New Jersey farm | No consumer brand, sales staff or retail relationships |
| Freeze-drying keeps whole-fruit texture without added sugar | Freeze-drying is done by a contract processor, adding cost |
| Opportunities | Threats |
| Growing demand for fruit snacks with short ingredient lists | Large brands with lower costs and established shelf space |
| School and office wellness buyers seeking healthier snacks | Weather and crop prices, and rising packaging costs |
The competitive environment is the most demanding force. Dried cranberries are dominated by large, sweetened brands, and freeze-dried fruit snacks are a growing category with several national competitors. Bog Iron Farms cannot compete on price, so it must compete on origin, simplicity and taste. The legal environment shapes labeling: nutrition facts, allergen statements and any health claim must comply with food labeling rules. Economically, a premium snack is vulnerable when families cut grocery spending, which argues for a smaller pouch at a lower price point. Social and cultural trends favor the product, since many shoppers read ingredient lists and look for snacks with little added sugar. The strategy that follows from the analysis is to use the farm's strengths to pursue the wellness-buyer opportunity first, through channels where the farm story matters, while building retail relationships slowly.
Technology cuts both ways in this environment. Freeze-drying lets the farm offer a crunchy whole berry with nothing added, something older drying methods could not do without sugar, but the equipment is expensive, which is why the farm relies on a contract processor whose schedule and prices it does not control.
Question 3: What Ethical Issues Does the Package Raise?
Marketers face ethical choices in every element of the mix, and packaging claims are among the most visible. The family wants the pouch to say that cranberries support urinary tract health and heart health. The temptation is understandable: health messages sell. Kozup et al. (2003) found in three experiments that health claims and favorable nutrition information on food labels and menus led consumers to view products more favorably, raised purchase intentions and lowered their perceived risk of heart disease and stroke. That power is exactly why claims must be accurate.
The ethical path has three parts. First, make only claims that are permitted and supported. Research on cranberry products and urinary tract infections is mixed and depends on the product and dose, and a freeze-dried snack has not been tested for that purpose, so the pouch should not imply it prevents infections. Factual statements, such as no added sugar, one ingredient and a stated amount of fiber per serving, are accurate and still appealing. Second, avoid misleading impressions created by images or words like natural without explanation. Third, consider who the product is marketed to; if it is promoted to parents for children's lunches, the sweetened version's sugar content should be as clear as the original's. Honest labeling protects customers and also protects a small brand whose reputation is its main asset.
References
Kohli, A. K., & Jaworski, B. J. (1990). Market orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, 54(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299005400201
Kozup, J. C., Creyer, E. H., & Burton, S. (2003). Making healthful food choices: The influence of health claims and nutrition information on consumers' evaluations of packaged food products and restaurant menu items. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 19-34. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.67.2.19.18608
Kurtz, D. L., & Boone, L. E. (2022). Contemporary marketing (19th ed.). Cengage Learning.
MKT 2010 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
MKT-2010 includes seven written assignments, one per module, worth 35% of the course grade together, along with seven graded discussions, a proctored midterm covering Modules 1 through 3, and a final project that builds a complete marketing plan in seven steps. The syllabus advises reading each assignment's questions before starting the module's reading, then answering only after the reading is done, because the questions require critical thinking. Module 1's questions usually cover the marketing concept, strategic planning and the marketing environment, and ethics or social responsibility. Use the Kurtz and Boone textbook and outside research, and choose an example business you can carry through the course. Keep a short file of notes on your chosen business, since every later assignment and the final plan build on it.
How the MKT 2010 Module 1 example is put together
The assignment introduces one composite company and product that later assignments and the final marketing plan can build on. The first answer uses a primary source on market orientation to structure three practical activities, each with a specific example from the farm. The second answer lists the environmental forces briefly, presents a four-cell SWOT table and then explains which force matters most and what strategy follows. The third answer uses experimental research to show why health claims are powerful and then sets out three ethical guidelines for the package, ending with why honesty also serves the business. Sources are cited within each answer. Choosing the company in the first assignment saves time in every later module.
Reading the MKT 2010 Module 1 grading rubric
Written assignments in MKT-2010 are graded on complete, thoughtful answers that show understanding of the course materials, which the syllabus describes as requiring critical thinking. Mentors look for whether marketing ideas are used correctly and tied to one real or composite organization, support from the textbook and other sources, and clear writing. Answers that move from analysis to a recommendation, such as a strategy from a SWOT or a labeling decision from an ethics discussion, demonstrate the judgment the questions are designed to test. Because the written assignments are the largest graded category, at 35%, consistent quality across all seven matters. Mentors also notice when the business chosen in Module 1 is specific enough to carry a full marketing plan.
Common MKT 2010 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students often answer Module 1 questions with textbook definitions of the marketing concept and the environmental forces, without applying them to any business. Choose an example early and use it consistently. SWOT analyses frequently mix internal and external factors; strengths and weaknesses are internal, opportunities and threats external. In ethics answers, avoid general statements that honesty is important; identify a specific claim or practice and reason through it. Read the questions before the chapters, as the syllabus suggests, so you take useful notes. Our writers can prepare MKT 2010 written assignment answers built on the business you choose for your marketing plan. Pick a business you can research, since later assignments ask for competitors, channels and prices.
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.
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MKT 2010 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MKT 2010 Module 1 sample paper?
The first Introduction to Marketing written assignment is shown in full above: answers on market orientation, the marketing environment with a SWOT table, and the ethics of health claims, with references and margin notes.
What is market orientation?
An approach in which a company gathers intelligence about customers' needs, shares it across the organization and acts on it, rather than simply selling what it already makes.
How is MKT-2010 graded?
Seven discussions count for 15%, seven written assignments for 35%, and the rest comes from a proctored midterm and a final marketing plan built in seven steps.
What does the MKT-2010 midterm cover?
The syllabus describes a two-hour, closed-book proctored exam covering chapters 1 through 10, which correspond to Modules 1 through 3, with multiple-choice and short-essay questions.
Can a small company make health claims on its packaging?
Only claims that are permitted and supported by evidence. Factual statements about ingredients and nutrition are safer and still persuasive.