| Course | MKT-4790 Applied Marketing Practices |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: an overview of marketing management |
| Length | About 456 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.B.A. in Marketing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 4790 Module 1
Close to Customers, Blind to Competitors: Market Orientation at a Small Cidery
Student Name
B.S.B.A. in Marketing, Thomas Edison State University
MKT-4790: Applied Marketing Practices
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Close to Customers, Blind to Competitors: Market Orientation at a Small Cidery
The Business
Hopewell Valley Cider Co. is a composite family business that presses apples from its own and neighboring orchards and sells about 70 percent of its cider by the glass and growler in its taproom, which draws weekend visitors from Princeton, Trenton and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The owners want to sell cans in liquor stores and restaurants across central New Jersey. Its cider is dry, pressed from heirloom and dessert apples, and its taproom has a loyal following, but its owners have never sold through a store.
The Marketing Concept and Market Orientation
Walker and Mullins (2013) describe the marketing concept as the philosophy that a firm should base its decisions on customers' needs and the competitive environment, and they emphasize that marketing decisions must be integrated with the firm's overall strategy. Kohli and Jaworski (1990) defined market orientation as three linked activities across a firm: gathering market intelligence about customers' current and coming needs, circulating it among departments and acting on what it shows. Narver and Slater (1990) described it in terms of customer orientation, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination, and found that market orientation was related to profitability in the businesses they studied.
Diagnosis
The cidery knows its taproom customers well but not the retail market it wants to enter, where its competition is not other cideries' taprooms but every craft beverage on the shelf.
| Element | Hopewell Valley Cider Co. |
|---|---|
| Customer orientation | Strong: owners talk with taproom guests every weekend and adjust recipes |
| Competitor orientation | Weak: little knowledge of other ciders and craft beers on retail shelves |
| Interfunctional coordination | Mixed: the cider maker and the taproom manager rarely share what they learn |
| Intelligence generation | Informal; no records of what guests say |
| Responsiveness | Fast in the taproom, untested in retail |
Decisions Ahead
Walker and Mullins frame marketing management around decisions: which markets to target, how to position the product, what marketing programs to use and how to implement and control them. For the cidery, the key decisions are whether retail is the right growth path, which retail channels and customers to target, how to position a farm cider against craft beer and national cider brands, and how to support retailers. The marketing plan in Modules 2 through 5 will address each. Each decision depends on information the cidery does not yet have, especially about competitors and retailers, which is why the plan begins with analysis and research rather than with promotion.
Conclusion
The cidery practices the marketing concept in its taproom but lacks the competitor intelligence and coordination it needs to succeed in retail. Market orientation research suggests those gaps matter for performance, and the marketing plan should begin by closing them.
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
Narver, J. C., & Slater, S. F. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(4), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299005400403
Walker, O. C., Jr., & Mullins, J. W. (2013). Marketing strategy: A decision-focused approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
MKT 4790 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
MKT-4790 grades seven written assignments, worth 35 percent together, four marketing plan assignments in Modules 2 to 5, worth 40 percent, and a final project that combines and revises those parts into one plan, along with five discussions. The first written assignment gives an overview of marketing management. Expect questions on the marketing concept, market orientation, the role of marketing in strategy and the decisions marketing managers make. Choose a business you can follow through the marketing plan, since the plan assignments build on it. Apply each concept to that business rather than defining it in general terms, and support your analysis with the textbook and journal research. A table of strengths and gaps helps.
How the MKT 4790 Module 1 example is put together
The paper introduces the business and its growth question. A section explains the marketing concept and two research definitions of market orientation, including evidence on profitability. A table diagnoses the business on five elements, and the text explains the most important gap. A section frames the decisions the marketing plan will address, using the textbook's decision focus. The conclusion ties the diagnosis to the plan, so this first assignment frames everything the course builds next. The diagnosis table makes the strengths and gaps visible at once. The text explains each judgment in the table, and the closing paragraph points the diagnosis toward the plan to come. The paper stays with one business throughout, which keeps the analysis concrete. Each judgment is supported by evidence from the firm.
MKT 4790 Module 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Mentors grade written assignments against rubrics in the course's Evaluation Rubrics folder, looking for accurate use of concepts, application to a business, research support and readable prose. Diagnoses that diagnose a business on each element of market orientation, rather than declaring it market-oriented or not, show analytical skill. Connecting the diagnosis to the decisions ahead demonstrates the textbook's decision-focused approach. Research on market orientation and performance supports the argument that the gaps matter, and a clear table makes the diagnosis easy to follow and grade. Accurate APA citations for the textbook and both research articles support the grade. Clear headings help.
MKT 4790 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students lose points by defining the marketing concept without applying it, by choosing a business too large or vague to analyze or by treating market orientation as a single yes-or-no question. Others choose a business they cannot follow through the plan assignments. Pick a business you know or can research in depth. Diagnose it on each element. Identify the decisions it faces. Keep the analysis tied to evidence about that business, even if the business is a composite. Explain why each gap matters for the business's growth plans. A free first sample on your own MKT-4790 Module 1 assignment is available on request.
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 MKT 4790 and B.S.B.A. in Marketing sample papers
- MKT 4790 Module 2: Marketing Plan Part 1: Strategic Analysis for Canned Farm Cider
- MKT 4790 Module 3: Marketing Plan Part 2: A Research Plan for Retail Cider
- MKT 4790 Module 4: Marketing Plan Part 3: Target, Positioning and the Marketing Mix
- MKT 4790 Module 5: Marketing Plan Part 4: Implementation, Control and the Complete Plan
- MKT 3350 Module 1: Case Study: New Coke and the Strategy Behind New Products
- MKT 4410 Module 5: Voiceover Presentation: How the Shop Will Use Each Platform
- MKT 3060 Module 3: Written Assignment: Building the Bakery's Online Store
MKT 4790 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MKT 4790 Module 1 sample paper?
A small cidery diagnosed on the elements of market orientation, with the marketing decisions ahead, is the assignment above.
What is market orientation?
The organization-wide generation, sharing and use of intelligence about customers' current and future needs.
What are the components of market orientation?
Customer orientation, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination, in Narver and Slater's terms.
Does market orientation affect profitability?
Research found market orientation related to profitability in the businesses studied.
What textbook does MKT-4790 use?
Walker and Mullins's Marketing Strategy: A Decision-Focused Approach, eighth edition, from McGraw-Hill/Irwin.